Escape from Harrizel (37 page)

Tucker scoffs. “Loyal as all hell.”

“But most Scouts are younger,” Able adds,
“easily overridden,
especially
if we get our hands on those
weapons you were talking about the other night…”

“Do we have any idea where they are or how
to get them?” I turn back to Sampson.

“Unfortunately, I’m not privy to that
information... but perhaps,” he looks at Vix beside him. She nods
and Sampson’s brows lift in hope, glancing back to me. “Jothkore
may be able to help. But it must be at the right time. If he’s
exposed as an Arizal before we take the Castle, he’ll be forced
into slavery like us and won’t be much help.”

“So when do we secure the weapons?” Tucker
asks.

“Guns?” Jace presumes. “I’d feel much better
with a rifle in my hands.”

“I’m sure there’ll be some,” Sampson nods,
“a few copies of what was found on Arrivals, but mostly, I expect
Dellapalanian weaponry.”

“Don’t forget our own,” Drenz throws
out.

“Finely made, I might add,” Rooney nods.

“And once we’re armed?” Clark asks,
readdressing the room with doubt. “Then what?”

“We take it back,” I say.
“
Obviously
.”

“Yeah but
how
?”

“We’ll use Reminders… everyone will already
be there, waiting to hear something anyway. Why not give them the
truth this time?”

“If we tell them at Reminders, when do we
get the weapons?” Tucker asks. “Remember, we need to find the
memories too.”

“After Rebuilding ends,” Pratt suggests.
“We’ll have thirty minutes.”

“Will that be enough time?” Clark gripes. “I
hardly think…”

“No, no she’s right. It’ll be the only time
the guards won’t be guarding. It’s free period for a reason, right?
We’ll be able to move without everyone seeing us. And we can’t act
before then…”

“Why not?” Clark snaps, assuming I don’t
have an answer ready.

“Because everyone won’t filter out of work
without the guards and we need them to be in the Auditorium like
usual. If the guards are gone, it’ll be chaos and they’ll scatter.
No, we need everyone in one place, surrounded by
our
guard,”
I glance to the others. “It’s the only time we can.”

“But thirty minutes to find the weapons,
take out Tetlak and the others
and
locate our memories?”
Clark scoffs, shaking his head at the improbability of it. “It’s
ridiculous—we’ll never be able to do it.”

“We don’t
have
to find our memories
the same night. Once we take the Castle, we’ll have time to find
them then,” I look to Sampson. “What’d you say, ten days?”

“But come on!” Clark gripes, scanning faces
for support. “Thirty minutes? That’s crazy!”

“Crazy. But not impossible.”

Sampson’s mouth perks up. “So we have a
plan, yes?”

“We’ll still have to deal with the Kings,”
Chief speaks up.

“And with only eleven days…” Able says.
“It’ll have to be done fast.”

“Okay,” I tap my fingers over my lips,
“figure out a way to remove the Kings and notify Jothkore to locate
and secure the weapons. The day Beshib leaves, we’ll do it,” I keep
my voice strong, steady. “No turning back.”

“But…” Clark starts.

“When Beshib returns, everything will
change,” Sampson says. “Fallon’s right. This is our chance.”

I turn to Reid who’s been silent this whole
time. Finally, he nods, sights still focused on the ground. “We’ll
find the memories once we’ve taken control of the base. Tucker, you
and I will get with Jothkore on his next delivery. I’ll think on
the Kings. We’ll reconvene here when there’s a plan in place for
them.”

The Rogues nod, Clark sighs loudly and
Griffin merely sniffles in the back. I’d forgotten he was here.
Reid must have too, because he turns, calling for him as the Rogues
make a path back to where he silently sobs in the corner.

“Griffin,” Reid says, approaching slowly. “I
can’t understand what you’re going through right now but you’ve got
to listen to me. You cannot,
cannot
,” he stresses again,
“tell anyone what we saw tonight. No one.”

“And the Scouts?” Pratt asks. “Should they
know?”

Reid shakes his head, “No. Let’s keep this
between us. There’s no point in scaring them. Let’s keep business
going as usual and when we take control of the Castle, that’s when
they’ll know. Sound good?” Everyone nods again as he turns to
Griffin. “Yes?”

But Griffin stares off at nothing, beyond
Reid. Can he even hear us? Has he heard any of this?

“Griffin?” Reid asks again, snapping in his
face. “In there, buddy? Griffin?”

This time, his eyes focus and he sees Reid.
He blinks, taking in the room and all the staring, bewildered faces
that look on with empathy. Gulping, his eyes shift to me, then
Sampson, trying to put everything together.

Reid snaps again. “Up front buddy.”

This time Griffin sees him. “Yeah.”

“You heard what I said?” Reid puts his face
in front of Griffin’s, keeping their eyes locked. “You can’t tell
anyone about tonight. About anything you saw, all right? This is
important. I’m going to need you to do this for me. Griffin?”

“Yeah,” he nods quickly, lowering his head,
“but she’s out there…” his voice shaky, “they’re all…”

“I’m serious—I need you to do this for me.
For the Rogues. If there’s any chance of helping her, we’ll need to
take back the Castle and that means keeping quiet.”

Griffin nods, looking up again. Glancing
around the watchful eyes of the Clansmen, then at Sampson and me,
he finally finds Reid. “I promise I won’t say anything.”

“As your new assignment?”

Griffin blinks, nonplussed but slow to nod,
“… As my new assignment.”

“Good,” Reid nods, lightly clapping the side
of his shoulder. He turns to Kelly and Able, “Have Marley take his
spot and double his pay.”

“Rox,” Griffin springs to his feet, “you
don’t have to worry. I won’t say anything. I promise.”

Reid turns and shakes his head. “You’ve had
a night. This is the least I can do for you.”

“I’m sorry I hit you.”

“Don’t be. Would’ve done the same thing,” he
rubs his jaw, “although you got one hell of a swing. I think you
loosened some teeth. Ever thought about being a Clansman?” The
Rogues laugh just as Reid spins around, clapping to sum up. “All
right, we’re all clear on what’s happening?”

“Rogues!” they all shout in unison.

“Good,” he nods, motioning for the door.
“Then let’s head back.”

***

I’m outside digging

It’s been quiet all morning and all I can
think about are the eleven days we have left. Will we resolve what
to do with the Kings by then? And what if Jothkore can’t secure the
weapons? How will we—

Voices shout down by the Gollops. They grow
heated, then die out and it’s back to silence. I drag my Senz to
the gibb again, my mind wandering when the voices spark. This time,
people sprint through the trench, racing toward the argument which
has grown to full-on yelling. I’m moved along by people passing by,
bodies pouring out of the trough to watch the fight. Shifted this
way and that, I’m on the ground with the others, right in the
middle of the thicket of bodies surrounding the roaring duel.

A scream shoots through the air. It’s a
female voice, young and familiar.

Pratt.

She’s on the opposite side of the mob,
clutched in the arms of one of the Kings who followed me to my
bunker. He has one hand clamped over her mouth and the other across
her stomach, lifting her. Pratt struggles, kicking both legs into
his but he drags her back with ease. Looking behind him, he makes
for the far left flank.

No one sees. They’re still gathered around
the fight, which Tetlak hasn’t broken up yet. Where is he?

Pratt will be gone any second. It ignites a
spark of adrenaline but as I start for her, a hand slips over my
own mouth, crushing my jaw under a steel grip. I’m slammed back
into a stone body, an arm cutting across my stomach. He picks me
up, retreating, and we’re out of the crowd in seconds. My arms are
bolted to my side so I swing my legs as hard as possible. Finding
his, I kick over and over, jamming my heels into shins. He only
crushes me tighter.

“Hold still,
bitch
.”

But I keep kicking as hard as I can, over
and over until he drops me. Clutching my wrist in his hand, his
free one raises to hit me but I thrust my foot in the soft patch
between his legs. He pushes me from him, letting out a gasp as he
cups himself and falls to his knees. I take advantage and bolt back
for the fight.

I don’t get too far.

Two Kings stand between me and the crowd,
their bodies like impenetrable walls. Grinding my heels into the
cracked dirt, I do a quick scan of movement. From my angle, the
horde has its back to me, everyone still focused on the fight in
the middle. Tetlak is nowhere to be seen and Yerza and Norpe are
gone as well. There’s no way to the crowd but through them—the two
Kings.

They take off for me at a dead run.

I spin, hating the direction. But there’s no
other way. The trench cuts off the right and the Castle’s left
corner blocks my other side. My only option is back toward the
Transport, where I’ve never been and it’s far from everyone
else.

It’s suicide.

I need to stay where others can see me but
those two Kings are flying at me and quickly closing the gap
between us. They’re going to drag me back here anyway. My heart’s
racing, thumping wildly as I quickly try to recalculate.

What to do? Which way?

I’ll have to jet back around,
through
them. A sharp turn maybe? But how? Passing the Castle’s corner, I
stop in my tracks. Two more Kings. What
now
? My blood races,
my heart threatening to implode. Not sure where to go. Forward or
back? Forward or back? It has to be now.

Spinning, the first two are nearly upon me.
Bolting for the far right side, toward the trench, one Clansman
flies at me but I jerk to a halt, whirl and dive past him. Just as
I jet free, the other King snatches my arm and jerks me back, his
hand soaring across my cheek, exploding my head in immediate and
intensely throbbing pain.

For a second, I’m not sure I survived the
hit.

Everything’s been rattled inside. Surely
he’s killed me. It certainly feels like it. Like he knocked my eyes
further into my skull, which throbs like it’s been splintered to a
thousand pieces. My eye pounds into my right temple and I feel
everything
—every sting and sharp nerve.

Someone grabs my arms and twists them behind
me. Opening my eyes, Mantis walks toward me with an enthusiastic
smile. He moves past the other two Kings and, getting closer, his
grin widens as he considers me. Suddenly, the back of his hand
flies across the same cheek, hitting my mouth open with a
splitting, shooting pain.

I’m dead. I must be.

Liquid seeps from my busted lip. My right
eye aches too much to open, so I keep my left wide, watching
him.

“Stupid bitch.”

The Kings yank my arms out, twisting.

“Let’s have some fun before you get too
bloody,” Mantis goes for his bottoms, jerking them lower. “Hold her
down. On her
knees
.”

I’m forced to the ground. Blood drips down
my chin and into a puddle between my legs. My heart races as Mantis
approaches but then he stops, just as the grip on my right arm
lessens. It disappears completely with a roar of pain, the King
falling away from me.

Mantis retreats, yanking his pants
up.“
Shit
…”

My left arm is freed and I fall to my palms,
holding myself up. The two behind Mantis jet forward but Chief
meets one in mid-air and Jace, on the other. Chief twists the
King’s arm around unnaturally, kicking him in the side with an
explosion that pushes him to the ground. The King howls, grabbing
his arm. As he stumbles back up, Chief twists around, breaking his
heel into the Clansman’s face. Jace, on the other side, flips the
fourth King onto the ground, punching him with alternating fists
across the face, red splattering like paint cans erupting.

“I got ya,” Able slips one arm under my
knees and the other under my back, lifting me into him. I try to
keep watching, searching for Mantis but Able carries me away,
cursing under his breath as we turn the corner, rushing through the
emptiness.

Everyone has left, headed back inside for
second meal or maybe, just dismissed from the strength of the mob.
Either way, I can’t see very well, my right eye throbbing and
refusing to open and my left pressed tight against Able’s chest. I
barely make it out as he carries me through the open portcullis and
into the Courtyard.

“Are Chief and Jace okay?”

“They’re fine, bestie,” Able glances down,
wincing. He shakes his head, cursing again. “How
you
feeling?”

“My head’s exploding….”

“That doesn’t sound good,” he nervously
chuckles. “You probably just need to lay down for a bit.”

“Taking me to my room?”

“Not a chance. Oh this is going to be bad…
so
very
bad…”

I close my left eye, wanting to stay awake
but quickly fall into a deep rest. Sinking into the comfort of
Able’s arms, I drift away for a few minutes, maybe longer. Vaguely
aware I’m set down on a soft material—a bed—a rustle of feet patter
near the edge as sharpened whispers sound in the background.

Able’s trembling voice adds to the mix,
aching with guilt, “… It happened quicker than we expected. So…
so
sorry…”

A low, deadly growl escapes and the room
turns cold. Like a gust of wind breezing in through the window,
everything stops to absorb the chill. I turn my head to the right,
to the throbbing, swollen flesh that screams as it makes contact
with the pillow. I force my good eye open and see Reid’s intense
stare barreling into me with an overly numb look, like his rage is
too much, like it’s condensed into itself, blocked behind a stone
exterior so he doesn’t go crazy and loose it right here. His eyes
shift over my face and down the front of my clothes.