Free Soundless by Richelle Mead Page B

I haven’t seen in him in a long time. Out of habit, he reaches for me, wanting to comfort me like he might have in our childhood.
    I nearly let him, but the importance of what’s at stake enables me to push aside my own desires. Stepping back, I try to look tough.
Look
, I say,
believe me or not, but the point is, I can help you on this trip. Maybe I can communicate with the line keeper. I can certainly help in other ways.
I pick up a small stone on the path’s side and hand it to Li Wei.
Throw it at one of these trees.
I turn around again and wait. After a pause, I hear a sharp sound off to my left. When I face him again, I point in that direction.
There. You threw it over there.
    It’s impossible
, he repeats. But I can see in his face that, despite whatever reason is telling him otherwise, he’s daring to believe my story.
How? How did this happen? Fei, you must have some idea!
    I don’t
, I say.
I really don’t. But it seems to be here to stay, and as long as I’ve got it, it can be helpful. If I can hear where you just threw the stone, I’ll be able to hear when stones are falling on the climb down.
    His breath catches as understanding hits him, and for the first time in our acquaintance, he is at a loss for words. At last, he lifts his hands to speak.
Perhaps . . . perhaps you might be useful on this trip after all.

CHAPTER 6
    WHEN I RETURN TO THE dormitory later that night, I’m certain that everyone will notice my nervousness and excitement, but much like my hearing, the storm of emotions churning inside is apparent only to me. The other apprentices who went to the funeral have returned, and everyone is preparing for bed. I’m certain if Zhang Jing had still been in my room, she would have noticed something was amiss. But my sister is on the other side of the school, with the servants.
    I change for bed and slip under the covers dutifully, just like all the other girls in my room. Darkness descends, lit only by peeps of moonlight shining through the edges of the blinds. Soon my roommates fall into sleep, and the room is filled with the soft sounds of what I’ve come to recognize as breathing. Sometimes I find that sound oddly soothing, but tonight I’m too anxious to give it much thought. I have hours to wait until I can spring into action, and my mind is spinning with all the things that can go wrong on the journey I’m about to embark upon with Li Wei.
    It took some time for us to come up with a plan. Neither of us was sure if anyone would try to stop us when we left. It isn’t that climbing down is forbidden; it’s just that no one has ever really attempted to do it. Both of us are valued for different reasons: I am valued for my artistic skill set, and he is valued because of the village’s burning need to mine more metals. It’s possible others might prevent us from leaving simply to keep us in the workforce. Leaving under cover of darkness will be our best chance of escape.
    That will make our descent even more dangerous, but the moon is full and bright tonight. We will get our start by its light and be far enough down by sunrise that no one can stop us. Around that time, most villagers will still be getting up and preparing for the day, walking to the center to read the record. My absence will be noticed before Li Wei’s, but it seems unlikely the masters will guess where I’ve gone.
    The hours drag by as I lie in bed, analyzing our plan and how I’m going to proceed. I know rest will help me, but I can’t risk sleeping and missing when I need to get up. I track the moon’s position outside, and at last the time comes for me to begin. I slip out of my bed and out of the room, heading toward the servants’ wing of the school. My eyes dart everywhere, looking for signs of activity, but I soon realize my ears will serve me better. I hear footsteps and spot a servant on night watch heading toward me from an