Read Archon for Free Online Page B

and certainly not Taemon — to attempt the trip alone. Drigg volunteered to go, but Solovar pointed out that the work of converting another hauler was more important than some “fool’s errand.”
    Mr. Parvel spoke up. “Just because crossing the mountain might be possible doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. This late into autumn, there could be snowfall on the mountains soon. Anyone caught in a storm at this time of year would surely die.”
    But Taemon didn’t much care what anyone else thought. If there was a way over Mount Deliverance, he was going to find it. His father needed him. And Mam would need Da when she woke up.
    Taemon stood up. “I think I’m going to go back to my room now. Get some rest.”
    Hannova nodded. “We shouldn’t have kept you so long. We can talk again in the morning.”
    Taemon headed for the door. He wasn’t about to go take a nap. Not when he needed to prepare for his trip to the Republik.
    He nearly ran into Amma, who was standing outside the door, just out of the line of sight. She followed him back to his room.
    “Why do I get the feeling you’re not just here to check in on me?” he asked eventually, suspicious of her silence.
    “I’m going, too,” she blurted. “I can help.”
    “Going where?”
    “To the Republik!” She looked around, then lowered her voice: “To the Republik. You can’t go alone — and don’t even try to tell me that you’re not planning on going. I know you too well, Taemon Houser.”
    “You heard all of that?” he whispered. “What we were saying in Hannova’s office?”
    “I couldn’t help it,” Amma said. “They were plenty loud. Urland asked me to find you and send you back to bed. But I can tell that’s not going to happen.”
    Part of him wanted Amma to come with him. But it was the selfish part of him. The last time she’d gone with him, she could have easily been killed along with Moke.
    Moke. Taemon didn’t dare let his mind linger too long on that sadness. He didn’t think he could bear having another friend’s death on his conscience.
    “It’s going to be hard to cross the mountains this time of year,” he said. “We could get lost. We could freeze or starve or worse. And once we get to the Republik, there’s no telling what we’ll be up against. You should stay. There’s plenty you can do here to help. You could even watch over Mam, be there to explain everything to her when she wakes up.”
    “Challis will do that,” Amma said. “It would mean a lot more to your mam than some strange girl trying to tell her what’s happened to her son and her husband.
    “Besides,” Amma continued, “if you want to cross the mountain, you need me.”
    Taemon frowned. “What do you mean?” He looked around and whispered, “I’m the one with psi. What can you —?”
    “I’ve seen the map, Taemon. I know the way.”
    Taemon froze. “You have? I thought it was top secret. Not even your da looked at it!”
    Amma looked guilty. “I wasn’t supposed to look at it, either. My da had told my oldest brother and me about it, how important it was, how
secret
it was. I was pretty young at the time — too young to understand why anything in the library should be kept a secret from us. Our whole lives were supposed to be devoted to guarding the library and all its secrets. Why would we ever tell anyone about anything we saw, including some dumb map? So one night I snuck into the library, found the map, and memorized it. I’m not proud of it, but right now it makes me pretty valuable to you, I’d say.”
    Taemon shook his head. “Your father will have a fit if you come with me.”
    “I don’t plan on seeking his permission,” Amma said with a determined air.
    Taemon knew when he’d been beaten. “Fine. But you can’t tell
anyone.
”
    “Of course not.”
    “Gather what supplies you can tomorrow. We’ll set out at dawn two days from now.”
    That night, Taemon was back in his old room next to Drigg’s workshop, having