The Gender Lie(9)

“How long have you been working with her?” I asked. It felt a little silly, referring to the river as a woman, but a part of me admired Alejandro’s reverence of the river. He had personalized it, and I recognized the importance of that act in his eyes. Every time he came up or down river, he risked his life. It was his way of coping with the dangers inherent in his job.

“A little over thirty years,” he said, grabbing the wheel and turning it slightly. “I used to be a stevedore.” At my confused look, he chuckled. “We were dock rats—unloading and loading up cargo. Shipping goods to Matrus and unloading goods for Patrus. But I was obsessed with the boats, and Jenny—that’s my wife—she told me to crew up.” He paused and shot me a look. “She’d tell you that she did it for me, but honestly, I think I drove her a bit crazy being around all the time.”

I laughed at his bluntness. “Really? I think that’s surprising. You seem very upbeat.”

The smile slid off his face like drops of water sliding down a window pane in the rain. “Nah… it’s not because I’m so cheerful, it’s because I tend to worry over her. She compares me to a mama dog hovering over its pups. I’m too protective.”

It was a little strange hearing a Patrian man saying he was too protective over his wife. From what I had seen of Patrian marriages, men tended to expect the woman to jump through hoops and fulfill their every demand. Or at least, that was what the Matrus government would have us believe.

The truth was, I’d only had a handful of experiences with Patrian males. Viggo was perhaps one of the more equitable males I had met. There was my cousin Cad, but I hadn’t spoken to him since he’d tried to help me smuggle my brother to safety. I wasn’t even sure if he was married, but I could imagine that he would be kinder to his wife than the other males of Patrus.

The laws of Patrus considered women no more than property, and the rules for women were in strict adherence to that. They couldn’t even be in public without a male escort—if they were, they could be arrested, or even worse. I shuddered thinking about the Porteque men who had cornered me in the alley—my first encounter with those brutes. If it hadn’t been for Viggo’s interference, they would have dragged me off.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and shifted my gaze back to Alejandro, who was looking at me knowingly. “Don’t think about it, girl,” he said, but with a kind edge to his voice.

“About what?” I asked, settling my hip against the rail I had grabbed onto to steady myself.

“Whatever darkness that was dragging you into the past.”

I flushed, both embarrassed and curious at how he could read me so well.

“No need to get embarrassed,” he continued, and I met his gaze. “You remind me of a man I know. Probably the closest thing I have to a son. He’s arrogant and pig-headed at times, but if you can get past his prickly outer shell, he’s got a heart as large as this river.”

“Where is he?”

Alejandro’s face fell. “I took him upriver some time ago. I haven’t heard from him since.”

I felt an echo of sadness in response to the older man’s tragedy. “I’m so sorry. Do you think… do you think he’s still alive?”

Frowning, Alejandro shook his head. “No,” he said gruffly. “Nobody can live that long in The Green. But… have you seen any bodies out there, maybe? On your… expedition?”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, feeling stupid that I couldn’t articulate anything better. “I wish I could help you.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, lass. He’s a resourceful man—if anyone could survive, it’d be him. Besides… you and your friends lasted for a bit… how long did you say you were up there?”

I caught a glimpse of the sidelong gaze he shot me and returned a bemused look. “All information regarding our expedition should be handled through Owen,” I replied, and he laughed.

“You and my young man would’ve gotten along famously,” he said, his eyes sparkling merrily. “He was also great at keeping a secret.”

We shared a smile before I turned my gaze out over the river. The deep blue hue had faded the further downriver we went. The trees and sounds of The Green were also starting to fade, and I knew that in a few hours, we were going to be in even more danger than before. Yet in that moment, even with everything weighing heavily on me, I felt a strange contentment rolling over me.

It was the knowledge that I was finally doing something to help Viggo. Two weeks of waiting, trying to be patient when every day felt like the slow grinding of teeth. Now, in this moment, we were moving toward a goal where I could finally help him, and there was no turning back.