Nerves skittered down my spine. “What?”
“I overheard you when you helped my friend.” She shrugged and pushed back into her chair. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Besides, I don’t think they’d care here.”
She might be right, but I wasn’t so certain. I didn’t want Pig to find an excuse to extend my sentence or ship me off to Prima Feminary.
“Where did you learn to sing? The elders of my people told stories of singers and their ability to heal, but I thought they died out long ago.”
I was curious about Leika’s background and her knowledge of singers, but I didn’t know her well enough yet to share my secret.
I was saved from answering when the door slammed open. Ruby stood in the doorway, glassy-eyed, arms crossed.
“Lights out in two,” she bellowed, then left.
Leika grabbed a metal wedge and jammed it under the closed door.
“To keep Pig out,” she explained. “He likes to roam at night.”
“Doesn’t he object?”
“Yes, but Ruby doesn’t. She keeps his sexual wanderings under control.”
The barred entrance would also keep out the tattooed threat.
“You’re there.” Leika indicated a lower bunk before climbing onto the one above me.
I quickly made up the bed before grabbing a nightshirt from a shelf. After the lights went out, I slipped off my boots, undressed and hid the parcel under my pillow. A faint glow from the bathroom doorway made me determined to investigate that location sometime during the night. Perhaps there would be enough light to read the diary.
Heavy pounding pulled me from a dream of home. My smile died as I remembered where I was. Fatigue had pushed my body into deep slumber. I’d missed the opportunity to investigate what Mother had discovered in translating the diary. There would be no time this morning either, I realized as Leika yanked the wedge from under the door.
“Hurry—or you’ll go hungry,” she called over her shoulder, already dressed and heading for the food dispenser.
I threw off my blanket and pulled on my uniform, eager to get breakfast. As I straightened my bedclothes, I enclosed the diary in a headscarf, ran to the bathroom and lashed the book to my lower leg before donning my knee-high boots.
Most women had finished eating by the time I started. I downed the mash, swallowing the last grainy mouthful when the door whipped open. I rushed my tray to the waste receptacle and joined the waiting group as Ruby entered.
“You’d better put that out of sight.” Leika pointed to my necklace, which I’d forgotten to conceal under my tunic. “Or someone will take it.”
I closed my hand around the black stone and felt my only reminder of home cold against my chest. “Thanks.” Her friendly gesture increased my trust that I’d gained a friend.
“The barge is in early, so everyone out to the docks for unloading,” shouted Ruby.
“Good,” said Leika. “At least we’ll get some fresh air out there.”
Initially, the cold sea air was a shock and blanketed my bare arms with goose bumps. But by the third load of heavy laundry, I was sweating and realized the truth in Leika’s comment.
The soiled clothing was damp and rank. The briny air helped to dispel the stench that wafted from the massive pile, but even our small loads reeked of stale body odor. After carrying the first load in front of me, I tried to escape the smell by shifting my load to my hip.
“Move! No stopping.” Pig’s voice shot at me from the office window that overlooked the dock.
I glanced up. It was a mistake. He immediately recognized me.
“Stop, Bokk.”
When I halted, other workers skirted around me. They continued on their path as if avoiding an inanimate obstacle. I assumed they were eager to avoid Pig’s attention.
“Come to my office.” His voice was normal, but I detected an undertone of malice.
At the washing station, I dropped my load. As I backtracked to Pig’s office, Ruby’s entourage gathered nearby. I expected a confrontation, but all I heard was a long hiss as I passed them.
His office door was open. Pig smiled and beckoned me in, then circled behind me. I turned as the sound of the laundry diminished and a latch clicked into place. His eyes were greedy, his smile lascivious. I glanced at the open window. Could I survive the jump?
As if reading my mind, he laughed and closed the window, then approached me. I stepped back until the edge of his desk pressed my thighs.
“I dreamt of you last night, Brynna Bokk.” His hot breath flicked my face as his corpulent stomach pressed against my body.
I twisted and pushed against him, smothered by his bulk. He grabbed my wrists in one hand, trapping them behind my back. I cringed and hollowed my chest as the other clawed hand reached for my breast.
Unable to move my body, I spiked my head forward, latched onto his earlobe and bit down hard. He screamed in pain. Blood flowed down his neck. He seized my throat. I gasped for air as black spots darkened my vision.
The door clanged as my awareness slipped away.
Raised voices breached my oblivion as I lay on the floor. A hard kick to my spine set me rolling into a ball and groaning.
“Get up,” Ruby commanded.
Despite the pain, I uncurled and struggled to my feet.
“What did I tell you, you whore.” The color of her face matched her name. Anger tensed every muscle.
Another “get out” was followed by a two-handed shove that propelled me from the office. My arms flailed as I struggled to stay upright. I grabbed the doorframe and glanced back.
“Out!” Ruby glared at the cluster of women, who had stopped to watch, then strode to the door and slammed it shut.
“Are you okay?” Leika pulled my arm across her shoulders as I started to collapse.
“I’ve never been so relieved to hear Ruby’s voice.” I rubbed my throat and blinked to check that my lens was still in place, then felt for the diary. It was still secure.
From behind closed door, the voices grew louder. Ruby berated Pig for his interest in me. He shot back that drugs were taking their toll on her looks. The heated exchange continued for several minutes. Suddenly all went silent. The door banged open and Ruby strode out.
“You won’t win Steepchase if you keep taking those drugs.” Pig’s cutting blow stopped her short.
Ruby’s face contorted with red fury when she spied me watching. I expected a response, but she turned on her heel and stalked away.
The spectators scattered.
Leika dragged me away but I didn’t need any urging to leave.
“She’ll want revenge. You’ll have to watch your back.”
The next couple of hours passed quickly. The pain eased, but I knew I’d have bruises on my neck and back. As I worked, I hummed to soothe my aches.
“They’re planning something,” Leika paused by my side and tilted her head toward the exit to the dock.
A shiver of fear snaked down my spine when I noticed the bully and her friends conversing as they shot menacing glances my way.
“They probably won’t try anything until you’re alone, so make sure that doesn’t happen.”
I was working on the laundry line with five other women and felt safe enough. I hummed quietly, keeping pace with the rhythm of the work until a loud snap followed a grinding crunch and the washers stopped. Water sloshed over the sides of the vats and seeped across the floor. Everyone stopped working.
Within minutes, an old man arrived. He carried tools and I assumed he was there to fix the machines. Ruby challenged him. At his quiet response, she laughed then waved him on.
Gray-haired, he walked with a stoop, his tools clanged in a sling that hung from his shoulder. I watched him shuffle toward the broken machine. When he started tinkering with the mechanics, I lost interest.
Some workers drifted outside to the dock. The cool breeze was tempting, but I didn’t want Pig or Ruby to see me. Instead, I searched for Leika, remembering her warn
ing not to be alone.
After several minutes of searching, I saw her as I circled the last row of laundry vats. Partially hidden, she was conversing with the older man.
I didn’t approach but she must have sensed my presence because she broke from her conversation and walked back to me. At the same time, the hunched man glanced up. I gasped as familiar green eyes scrutinized me.
“Stop looking at him. You’ll give him away.” Identical green eyes bored into mine as I looked down at Leika.
“He’s got your eyes. Who is he?”
“Not here. I’ll tell you later,” she promised. “Here comes Ruby.”
Ruby pointed at Leika. “Go help with the dryers. Bokk, you clean the toilets.”
Leika hesitated. “I’ll show her what to do. She’s never done bathroom detail before.”
“No, you won’t.” Ruby grimaced and threatened her with a clenched fist. “Bokk can do it. Alone.”
19
The Tattooed Trio
I knew it was a setup.
My heart battered my ribcage as I headed into the bunker toward the bathrooms. I wedged open the door. There was comfort in the steady din of the laundry.
In the bathroom, I searched for anything I could use to protect myself. A scrubber, a broom and a bucket were my only defenses.
Nerves pushed my muscles into frenzied action as I scoured the first toilet in less than a minute. I hummed an island song, trying to relax, knowing I’d be useless in an attack otherwise. As I moved to the second toilet, my humming sounded louder. The ambient noise had diminished. A door lock clicked.
I stopped humming and waited inside the cubicle. Footsteps approached. Several.
“Where are you, Bokk?” A voice demanded.
“She knows what’s coming.” A second one laughed. “She’s hiding.”
But there was nowhere to hide.
I propped the broom between the door and the toilet, but it snapped when the door flung open.
Meaty hands wrenched my arms almost from the sockets as the two women dragged me into the empty bunker.
I didn’t see the first punch coming but I knew it had cut my temple when I saw my blood dripping onto the floor. Locked in tattooed arms, facing the other attacker, I twisted my head to protect my eyes. The second blow smashed my cheek and the side of my nose. My neck snapped back then I slouched forward as the first assailant prepared a third strike. It didn’t come.
Instead, my captor bellowed and sagged to the floor. A small knife sat hilt-deep in her beefy shoulder. The first striker let me go to tend to her comrade.
My knees buckled. I crumpled to the ground. Fearing a kick, I crawled out of striking distance. Barely conscious, I swiped blood from my eyes and looked toward the door. Leika and the twins approached. Fists clenched, arms raised, they were ready for battle.
I slumped, relieved that I wasn’t alone.
“Now you’re in trouble.” The injured woman clutched her shoulder and laughed.
Beyond my friends, Ruby stood in the doorway. She slapped a thick club against her palm as she marched forward.
“Look out, Leika.” I edged along the floor, but all I could do was watch.
Ruby’s friends rose to their feet to join her. One passed close by. I reached for her ankle, hoping to trip her. I wanted to protect my friends.
A booted foot slammed into my chest.
“What’s going on here?” Pig’s voice drifted away as my consciousness dissolved.
“Help me get her onto her bunk.”
Gentle hands lifted my legs and I settled onto the hard pad as if it was feathers.
“They’ve done some serious damage,” said Leika as she cleaned my cuts and scrapes. “You’d better get humming,” she whispered in my ear.
I wanted to grin, but my face was too painful to make the effort worthwhile.
“I’m not kidding. Start humming,” she commanded. Her hands staunched the blood that still oozed from my cuts, but she carefully avoided my swollen nose.
“Where are the others?” I mumbled.
“Ruby’s goons have gone. Pig made them leave, but the twins are keeping watch by the door. The washers are still down. You’re safe for now.”
“Thank you, Leika.” She and the twins had saved my life.
She shrugged then started to hum off key. I got the hint.
Humming was challenging, but eventually my body responded to the healing vibrations.
“Feeling better already?” Leika asked when I pushed my legs over the side of my bed an hour later.
I cradled my nose and nodded. The bleeding had stopped.
“Healing is a good skill to have.”
“So is your skill with a knife.” I managed a lopsided grin.
“You need to be able to defend yourself. We’ll have to figure out something. Next time I might not be nearby.”
“Next time I might not survive.”
We sat silently for several moments then I looked at her and remembered the other pair of green eyes.
“Now tell me about the repairman.”
She hesitated but finally admitted their connection. “He’s my brother, Kaaluk.”
“I gathered he was a relation, but what’s he doing dressed as an old man?”
Leika laughed. “It’s one of his better disguises. Fools them every time.”
“I don’t understand. Why is he disguised?”
I understood her hesitation. We didn’t know each other very well. She looked deeply into my eyes but after a minute, I sensed a shift in her—an acceptance of friendship, and trust.
“Because otherwise he’d be recognized as a member of Delio’s guard. Prince visits his uncle, that’s Pig, and my brother is usually with him.”
“That’s where I know him from.” I told Leika the story of Calia and Prince, leaving out my reaction to the second guard. “I remember the green eyes. But I don’t get why he’s here.”
“We use the machine breakdowns to communicate. I break them. He fixes them. While he’s here, he can pass me information about what’s going on outside this place. He’s working on a plan to get me out.”
“Why? How long are you in for? I’m only here for three months.”
Leika’s sad expression filled my heart with dread. “Haven’t you figured out yet that laundry is a euphemism for prison? Pig will find a reason to keep us here. There’s no other way out but to escape.”
Did Father know this? He couldn’t have or he wouldn’t have agreed. But perhaps he had no choice—the alternative was worse. “Escape from here seems impossible. I can’t even imagine how it could be accomplished. It would certainly take extensive planning and considerable resources.”
“Kaal has the skills.” Pride filled Leika’s voice. She leaned in and whispered. “He’s one of the rebels.”
I immediately thought of Jarryd.
I hesitated, then trusted our newfound connection.
“My brother is working with them as well. We’ve been trying to get information about Premier Delio’s plans but haven’t been successful so far.”
“We’re attempting to do the same thing,” said Leika. “Sometimes at night, I search Pig’s desk to see if there is anything incriminating. So far, there’s been nothing, but I keep trying.”
“What else have you heard from the outside?”
“Kaal is concerned about the military force that Prince is building, but lately he’s uneasy about the number of people being transported. Men to Haven, some women to Prima Feminary and some who are old or weak are just disappearing. He doesn’t know what’s happening but suspects that Premier Delio is culling the population of Hypor for some reason.”
“My roommate disappeared just before I was sent here. And my brother’s fiancée said that several people from the market had been absent for over a week. One was an elderly janitor. I thought it was just coincidence.” Grub from the foodpod came to mind.
“We think that Delio is trying to get rid of anyone who opposes him.”
>
“But that doesn’t explain the others.”
“There must be some reason that we haven’t discovered yet.”
My stomach clenched. “Oh, no. My mother. She could be a target.”
“Why?”
“She’s almost blind and all alone on our island. My father is Delio’s biggest opposition on council. Perhaps that’s why the drones have been surveying our island. They might try to take Mother. I have to warn my brother. Do you think Kaaluk would take a message to Jarryd?” I grabbed Leika’s arm. “Can you ask him?”
“If your brother is working with the rebels, I’m sure my brother knows him.”
“Can you get to Kaaluk before he leaves today?”
Leika pointed to the laundry where the machines were working again. “Too late. But I can arrange another breakdown in a few days.”
Although it made sense not to have Kaaluk back too soon, I felt disappointed. The delay only heightened my fear.
“Leave her and get back to work.” Ruby stood at the bunker entrance.
“Keep humming and healing.” Leika mouthed the words before obeying the command.
Ruby glared at Leika as she exited, then sneered at me and shook her fist before leaving the bunker. I knew that problem wasn’t going away.
I needed a plan.
As we entered the bunker that night, the power went out. The food was barely warm and with only two emergency lights, it was impossible to attempt to read the diary. There was no news video. Like the others, I went to bed, but my thoughts churned over ideas about Pig and Ruby and Steepchase.
Next morning, I got light duty, sitting, plying a needle at the sewing table. Not one of my skills, but I was glad for the diversion.
Another argument erupted between Pig and Ruby. There was no need to move closer when the altercation started. The combatants left the confines of the office and their strident voices boomed throughout the laundry.
“You better make sure I win—” A slight pause followed Ruby’s angry words.
“I can’t fix Steepchase.” Pig sounded frustrated. I also detected apprehension in his tone. “You need to get clean and start training.”
The Last Singer (The Falcon Chronicles Book 1) Page 15