by Sally Green
“You prefer being nasty, don’t you? It’s easier for you.”
“My father would have slit your throat back at the camp. The Hunters would take you back to the White Witches and torture and kill you.”
“So now you’re saying you’re the good guy?”
“And don’t you forget it.”
“I won’t. I agree; you rescued me and I’m grateful. But being nasty suits you.”
“I’ve still got the gag, don’t forget. I think that suited you.”
She actually laughs at that and says, “See, that’s just what I mean. You love being nasty.”
“Save your breath for your wheezing. Let’s go.”
I pull her to her feet again and we’re off.
Back at Camp
It’s dark and raining when we approach Camp Three. There’s a guard ahead and as I approach I shout, “It’s me, Nathan. Password’s ‘Orion’s Belt.’”
A shot rings out and hits a tree close to my left.
I push Donna to the ground and roll to my right. I go invisible and run at the guard, knocking the gun upward and out of her hands, and then I push her to the ground. She starts to get up and I hit her in the face with the butt of the gun so that she falls back, blood pouring from her nose.
I’m panting hard and no longer invisible. The girl looks up at me. She’s one of the trainees.
Greatorex runs up, gun pointing at me but shouting at her guards. “Report!”
Another trainee appears from my right, a third from my left. All with guns pointing at me. I keep my gun pointed at the girl on the ground who now, despite her broken nose, shouts, “Wrong password! Wrong password!”
Greatorex advances on me, gun still aimed at my head. She says, “What’s the password?”
“I don’t know. You’ve changed it and no one’s told me.”
“So why attack my guard?”
“She shot at me!”
“Unless you can prove to me you’re really Nathan, I’ll have to shoot you.”
“You want me to go invisible, throw lightning, breathe flames, and kill the lot of you? Will that be proof enough?”
Gabriel runs up now, taking in the situation, and asks, “What’s happening?”
Greatorex tells him. “This person says he’s Nathan. But he might be an impostor.”
“Fuck off, Greatorex.” I can’t believe she’s serious but her gun is still on me.
Gabriel says, “He swears like Nathan, but any uneducated idiot can do that.”
I swear at him now, not sure if he’s joking or not. “Just tell her it’s me, Gabriel.”
He comes to me, puts a hand on my chest and looks into my eyes, saying, “But is it you?” Then he leans closer to me, his body against mine, and he moves his mouth to my ear and I feel his breath as he whispers, “You’ve been away a long time. Were you lost?”
I turn to him, my lips brushing his hair as I mumble, “I got fucking wounded, bloody lost, and climbed the shitting Eiger.”
“Close, but not exactly—”
“I’m sticking to the spirit of it rather than word for word.”
Gabriel turns to Greatorex, saying, “It’s him. But still feel free to shoot him.”
“Tempting,” Greatorex replies, but she lowers her gun.
The girl at my feet tries to get up but I push her down with my boot. “You can keep still; you could have killed me.”
Greatorex steps up and says, “It’s you who got the password wrong, Nathan. She was doing her job.”
I shove the gun into Greatorex’s hands and say, “Well, tell her to point this at her over there.” I turn to indicate Donna, who is walking toward us with a nervous smile on her face, her hands tied behind her back. “She was in a Hunter camp. She was tied up and she says she wants to join the Alliance, but she could be an infiltrator or a spy. Anyway, you deal with her. I want some food and some sleep.”
“Wait! You’ve been in a Hunter camp? Where?”
“Two days away.”
“They’ll track you.”
“They’re all dead, but, yes, more will come.”
Greatorex doesn’t swear, though I’m sure she wants to. She barks a few orders to her trainees to check my trail and then goes to talk to Donna while I walk with Gabriel into the camp.
I need to relax but as we enter the camp I tense up again. This camp is all organized rows of tents with trainees standing by them, guns in hand, staring at me. I slow and Gabriel moves close to me and says, “They heard gunfire. They’re bound to be nervous.”
“I was the one being shot at. How do you think I feel?”
“Let’s sit by the fire.” Gabriel virtually pulls me to the ground and sits with me, saying, “It’s OK. You’re just wound up.”
I sit and stare at the fire and Gabriel is close to me, our arms touching. I say to him quietly, “I thought it was Annalise in the Hunter camp. But it wasn’t her. It was Donna.” I glance at the other trainees, who are in a huddle, a few of them still looking over at me.
“You’re shaking, Nathan.”
“I’m hungry. Knackered.” And that’s part of it for sure.
“Shall I find you some food?”
“In a bit.” And we stay staring at the fire for a while before Gabriel goes to look for some food. When he comes back it’s more packet soup but it tastes OK and it’s warm. I’ve stopped shaking.
Gabriel says, “Try to sleep. I’ll stay here.” And I lie down and stare at the fire some more.
* * *
The camp is being broken up around me. Trainees bustle about and I’m sitting on the ground eating porridge, or at least I think that’s what the almost-solid gray mass of lumps is that I’ve scraped out of a dented saucepan.
“We’re moving out soon,” Gabriel says, joining me. It’s barely past dawn but I know Greatorex will think we’re dilly-dallying.
I hold the pan out to him and say, “Want some? It’s disgusting.”
He shakes his head. “I had some earlier.”
“Where’ve you been?” I try to sound curious, not childish. But he said he’d stay with me, and yet when I woke he wasn’t there, though Greatorex was.
“Greatorex asked me to talk to Donna.”
“And you asked Greatorex to do what in return?” I have a sick feeling he asked her to sit with me, to watch over me like a child.
He doesn’t reply at first, only keeps eye contact. “I told her you have bad dreams and to kick you if you started screaming and crying.”
I swear at him but he leans closer to me and says, “I just asked her to get me if you woke up.”
I throw the saucepan into the fire—all very mature. I did have a dream, not a really bad wake-up-blubbering one, but he wasn’t to know that.
“Are you going to tell me what happened when you left our camp, after you drew your knife on me?”
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
“No.”
“I was . . . I’d found two Hunters a couple of days before. I killed them.” And I tell him everything about that and the trap and finding Donna. I don’t tell him much about the fight, no details; he’ll know it was bad.
Gabriel says, “Greatorex wanted me to see if I can work Donna out.”
“And?”
“She seems genuine enough. Do you think she’s a spy?”
I shrug. “You were the one who told me they don’t go around with big signs over their heads.”
“Yes, I did say that, didn’t I? Very wise.”
“So what did Donna say, O wise one?”
“That she ran away from England a few weeks ago, when things got bad. Her mother was arrested. Her dad died years ago. She made her way to France and then here.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s the short version. She’s quite chatty
. Didn’t hold back. She talked about you quite a bit too. She likes you.”
“I saved her life . . . rescued her from the clutches of evil.”
We sit in silence again and then Gabriel says, “She said there were eight of them. Some kind of elite Hunters, two with strong Gifts.”
“Not that strong, evidently.”
Gabriel sounds sad and worried when he says, “You could have been killed.”
“I could have been killed walking back into camp last night.”
But I know he’s right. The one with the Gift for projecting pain was a problem. I think her Gift was weak or maybe she couldn’t control it in the heat of battle but there’ll be more like her to come. I think I got lucky and the other one with the Gift for making you blind must have been one of the guards I killed at the start.
Greatorex shouts, “We’re leaving in two minutes. Get your packs ready.”
Gabriel starts to get up but I need to tell him something. “They were all women. Some of them were still sleeping when I killed them. One tried to flee and I slit her throat. Some I killed by ripping their guts open and two burned to death from the lightning I hit them with.”
Gabriel sits back closer to me, his hand on my leg. “We’re in a war.”
“So I’m a war hero, not a psychopathic murderer?”
“You’re not a psychopath and you’re not a murderer. You’re not bad. You’re not remotely evil. You’re someone caught up in a bloody war and it’s eating you up—and that just proves how sane you are.”
Against Anyone Normal They’d Be Lethal
Greatorex leads us out of the camp. There must be about twenty of us. Everyone is helping carry a load. Even Donna has a large rucksack on her back, though I notice her hands are zip-tied in front of her. We troop out in a line. The idea is to go through a cut, which has already been set up, and once through it we close it behind us, leaving this camp with no cuts, no links to any of the other camps. As Greatorex says, “It’s served its purpose.”
I like Greatorex. Some people would blame me and say, “We’d not have to move if it wasn’t for Nathan,” but Greatorex doesn’t see it like that. She knows that things will always be changing and moving is part of her job.
I drop to the back and then stop and listen for Hunters. It would be like them to attack while we’re vulnerable, concentrating on other things. But I hear nothing. I put my load down and run back to check along my trail for a few minutes. I know Greatorex has had her people check and recheck it too, but it can’t do any harm to have a final look.
Nothing.
I retrieve my load and catch up with the group as they disappear through the cut. Greatorex waits until we’re all through and goes last. Few people can make cuts. Only one person can do it for the Alliance now. Marcus had the ability but I’ve no idea how to access that Gift. Anyway, closing cuts doesn’t require a Gift or even any magic, just a small explosion.
When we’re through, Greatorex unpins a hand grenade and Gabriel and I hold her left arm as she slides her right hand and the grenade into the cut. The cut pulls her but we dig our heels in and pull her back as she lets the grenade slide out of her hand. It will explode when it’s still inside the cut; within a few seconds the cut loses its magic and fades to nothing.
We check and the cut is gone.
* * *
Within hours the new Camp Three is set up and everything is organized and as if we’ve been here for days. Greatorex and Celia had the location already decided. Greatorex is professional and calm but I can sense the trainees are on edge and, unlike her, they seem to blame me. It’s something about the way they huddle together and sneak looks at me. Greatorex senses it too, I think. She keeps them busy with chores: setting up tents, scouting the surrounding area, cooking. Then in the late afternoon she decides on a bit of training: fighting.
Me and Gabriel watch the hand-to-hand fighting class. Donna is watching too, sitting opposite us, her hands still zip-tied together.
Greatorex takes a break and comes to stand with us to view her pupils. I ask her, “What’s happening with Donna?”
“She says she wants to join the Alliance but, since BB, Celia’s given strict instructions that anyone wanting to join has to be questioned under a truth potion.”
“And what are the results?”
“We don’t have any potion. I’ve sent word back to Camp One that we need some, but until then she’s a prisoner.”
“But what does your gut instinct tell you? Is she genuine or a spy?”
“I like her. She’s got a positive attitude. She’s intelligent, quick, and not at all cocky. She likes you, though, which does make me wonder about her judgment.”
“Very funny.”
“Actually, I think she has good judgment. She sticks up for you.”
I wonder to whom she sticks up for me.
Greatorex nods toward the trainees, saying, “They’re looking better, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, better. But they’re still slow and soft.”
“I think they could take you now in a straight fight.”
I shake my head.
“Try them? It’ll be good for them. Four of my best against you. Just don’t kill anyone.”
“If those four win against me I’ll kill myself.”
Greatorex smiles. “OK then. Those four and me against you.”
Greatorex is a good fighter, almost as good as Celia. I shake my head and say, “I don’t want to hurt you, Greatorex.”
“I’ll heal. So will you. Not scared of a few trainees and an ex-Hunter, are you?” Greatorex is thin and delicate- looking, but also fast, tough, and lethal, and very smart.
I look to Gabriel, saying, “What do you think?”
“I hope they kick your butt.”
“Pick your team then,” I say to Greatorex.
She rubs her hands and calls out, “Sophie, Scott, Adele, Kirsty.”
They walk over to her. I recognize Kirsty as she’s huge, slow, and strong. Scott is toned and fast, as is Sophie. Adele must have come from one of the other Alliance camps as I’ve not seen her before. Greatorex gives them a pep talk, basically saying that she’ll attack me first and they have to back her up with everything they’ve got while I’m busy with her. When she’s finished her little speech I say to her so that they can all hear, “You haven’t told them what to do once I kill you.”
Greatorex smiles and says, “When you’re begging for mercy I’ll remind you of that.” The trainees nod and try to look tough.
I move to the middle, encouraging them to come behind me, which they think will help them. They’ll think getting behind me is the way to beat me, but I’ll be moving too fast. My main problem is going to be not hurting anyone too badly.
“No Gifts,” Greatorex says to me. “No going invisible.” We’ve trained together like that and it is just too easy for me.
“No guns, no knives,” I reply. “And no truncheons.” I know her tricks.
“Course not—what do you think we are?” she says, holding her arms out as if to show she’s unarmed.
I beckon her forward and the others move round.
Celia has taught me great technique, and she’s taught it to Greatorex too, but I’m stronger, bigger, and faster than she is. If I can knock her out quickly the other trainees will drop like flies. I hope none of them run. I’m tougher on the ones that run.
Greatorex moves back and I move forward and then suddenly the trainees rush at me all together. Greatorex’s pep talk must all have been a ruse; they have planned this. I knock Scott out with a blow to the face and Adele with my elbow to her face a split second later, but then my kidneys explode with pain and I drop and heal at the same time. I try to roll away but I’m stopped by someone landing on my legs and Greatorex kicks my face.
I taste blood, a bit of tooth loose in my mouth, and th
en I’m healed and grabbing at Greatorex but she’s moved out of the way, so I twist to hammer-blow the girl grappling with my legs. There’s more kicking to my back and I twist to grab that leg and snap it to the side. I know I’ve broken it from the sound and the scream. Then I’m on my feet and there’s just Greatorex and the biggest girl, Kirsty, left—though Adele is getting back up. I feint to Kirsty, but then jump and kick at Greatorex. She’s quick, though, and dodges to the side so I barely catch the side of her face. Kirsty comes at me from behind, which is a good move, and wraps her arms round me, which isn’t—I snap my head back to break her nose. She still doesn’t let me go, so I do it again and at the same time heel her in the shin. She drops. Then I turn to Adele as she’s up now and coming at me, so I punch her face again but this time, as my fist flies forward, I see her face change color and then there’s an excruciating pain in my hand as it slams into her metallic jaw. I must’ve broken a few fingers. I drop back and heal. Adele is smirking and her face changes back from shiny gray to her normal pale skin.
“What happened to the no-Gifts rule?” I shout.
Adele shrugs.
I shrug back, saying, “Let’s see what happens if I send lightning to you.”
Greatorex runs between us shouting, “No! No Gifts. Adele is still learning to control hers. She—”
I kick at Greatorex, connecting with the side of her head and sending her sprawling. “No rule against talking about using them, is there?”
That leaves me and Adele. I spin and kick out at Adele and she turns gray again. My foot feels like it’s kicked a car. I heal and feint a punch to see if she turns gray. She does and then she tries to hit me but she’s too slow and I grab her arm and throw her to the ground on her stomach, pulling her head back. I see now that her skin is like metal, but after a few seconds the color fades and she’s vulnerable. So I put her in a stranglehold and her face changes color again but this time it’s red. Her Gift isn’t working now.
She bangs on the ground to indicate she’s surrendering and I stand, telling her, “Stay down.” But she starts to get up and I see she’s really mad. I’ve not noticed before but her eyes are those of a Black Witch, and she’s definitely angry enough for one. She lashes out at me, turning gray, but again it only lasts for a few seconds and when she’s back to normal I punch her in the face, hard. She wobbles and then goes down on her backside, blood running from her nose.