"This is Peer Nadawa," he said.
"Oh," Nadielle said. And she smiled. A smile? Peer thought. As if she knows my name. And then she saw the way Gorham was looking at the Baker, and she understood all at once. Oh, Gorham, after all this time you could have warned me.
"This man says he's from beyond Echo City," Malia said. "He says he walked in across the Bonelands. Peer was at the city wall in Skulk, and she found him. Brought him to us."
"From out of Skulk?" Nadielle asked. The surprise had gone from her face now, and she was hiding her excitement from the others well. Peer could see that.
"A friend helped me," Peer said. "It's not as difficult as you'd think."
"Oh, I know that," Nadielle said. She glanced at Rufus again, then turned her back on all of them. "You'll be hungry," she said quietly, before heading past the vats toward a door in the far corner. "If I'd known you were coming-"
"Nadielle!" Gorham said. "This is important!"
"Yes," she said, looking back over her shoulder as she walked. "It is. So what better way to discuss the end of Echo City than over a feast?"
Nadielle passed through the door without saying anything else, and Gorham looked nervously at Peer. But she could not find it in her heart to hate him anymore.
They entered a chaotic room where tables and benches were strewn with all manner of equipment and containers. A strange smell hung in the air, but Peer could not identify it. She saw Rufus sniffing, his nostrils flaring, his eyes half closed as he took in the scent. He saw her watching and smiled.
"That's not her," he said softly, and as Peer started to ask what he meant, Nadielle spoke again.
"Nowhere to sit," she said. "Perhaps if I'd known you were coming, but even then…" She waved her hand around the room. "I'm very busy."
"What are you working on?" Gorham asked.
"Many things."
"You don't seem surprised by Rufus's claim," Peer said.
Nadielle reached a table in the corner of the room, spread a pile of plates, and then went to a cupboard. Cool air misted out when she opened it, followed by the enrapturing smells of cheeses and fruits.
"You found him?" she asked.
"I saw him coming across the desert, yes."
"And you named him?"
How does she know that's not his real name? Peer thought, but she nodded.
"Why those names?"
Peer told her. Nadielle smiled.
"What does this mean?" Malia said. "After what we discussed last time we were here and-"
"Malia," Nadielle said, "calm. I've sent out my eyes and ears. I've seen and heard. And that's why I'm busy, because what you brought me last time is all true. It's been a long time coming, but I'm able to help at last."
"What's in the womb vats right now?" Gorham asked.
"More eyes," she said. "More ears. Better ones, and they'll be ready soon."
"So quickly?"
She shrugged, putting a slice of cheese into her mouth. "Some processes have been accelerated, yes, but they'll work fine." She looked at Rufus again, watching him take tentative bites from a chunk of bread, a slice of cheese. He was looking around cautiously, and every few beats his eyes would flicker back to the Baker.
"What's wrong, Rufus?" Peer asked.
"That's not her," he said again. The small group fell silent, but Peer saw no sign of confusion on Nadielle's face. She knew exactly what Rufus meant.
"He's been having dreams," Peer said. "Waking from them upset, disconnected. It's as if he's been here before."
"Of course," Nadielle said.
"And your Pseran called him chopped."
Nadielle smiled and nodded, waving a chunk of cheese at the air while she chewed. "I made them perfectly, for sure."
"Then tell us what you know," Gorham said. And in that plea, Peer saw the landscape of the bond between these two, and it pleased her. Gorham and Nadielle were lovers, yet she held him in the palm of her hand. Perhaps she welcomed him into her bed purely for the physical gratification, or maybe there was even a trace of affection or love about her for the Watcher. But the Baker was a woman removed from Echo City and in complete control of her own life. She was superior here, and she held the reins wherever their relationship went.
Nadielle finished the cheese and rubbed her hands. None of them had sat down, and an expectant air hung heavy. "I'll tell you," she said, nodding at Peer. "You seem to be his friend, and that's what he needs right now."
"What about-" Gorham began.
"Eat," Nadielle said, and she headed for a spread of tall bookcases against the far wall.
Peer glanced at where Gorham and Malia stood bristling, then she touched Rufus's arm lightly and guided him after Nadielle.
The Baker slipped a book from the case, plucked a key hidden in its pages, and went to a darkened corner of the room, behind her bed and hidden from view.
"We won't wait for long!" Gorham called, and Nadielle chuckled softly.
"Yes, you will," she muttered, and Peer realized that Nadielle didn't care whether Gorham heard or not. She and Rufus followed the Baker through a low doorway, waiting as she closed and locked the door behind her and lit several oil lamps. It was a small room, rarely used, musty and rich in cobwebs. Pushed against the far wall was a table, and on the table sat two bulky old books and a spread of large paper sheets. At first they looked like maps, but as the three of them stood around the table, Peer realized that they were schematic drawings of some vast… thing. She saw legs and arms, a head and a heart, but nothing else made sense.
"Oh," Rufus said.
"You weren't supposed to remember at all," Nadielle said softly. "It's not like my mother to make mistakes."
Peer closed her eyes, absorbing what had been said and realizing that it all made sense. Perhaps she'd even known it for a while now but had been unable to come to terms with what it meant.
"Maybe it was no mistake," Rufus said.
"You remember her?" Nadielle asked, with a passion and need that she obviously rarely displayed.
"Yes," Rufus said.
"Your mother made Rufus," Peer whispered.