Impulse

by Vanessa Garden

  We hurried down the steps as quickly as we could, with Robbie between us. Both my arms ached, and Robbie was growing heavier on his feet—a sign he was weakening.

  People stared at us as we hobbled by, muttering about the fake fertility moon. But eventually a man and a woman stepped forward to offer assistance, and relieved Lauren and me of Robbie’s weight temporarily, as we continued on our slow journey to the cottage.

  Thoughts of Marko consumed me. It twisted me up inside to think of him alone in the dungeons—or worse, being beaten. Our only hope was that more guards and civilians had showed at the cottage. The only way we could free Marko was with an army.

  ‘If you want to help us reinstate Marko and rid Marin of Damir, then follow us to Robbie’s cottage,’ I whispered to whoever offered assistance or kind words while we walked. We couldn’t be fussy.

  By the time we reached the cottage, we had a decent number of men and women with us—possibly a hundred.

  The men took Robbie into his cottage and laid him out on his bed. Lily took over from there, so Lauren and I stepped back.

  ‘Have you seen my grandparents?’ I asked Lily.

  She nodded. ‘They’re fine. I believe they’re viewing the plants in one of the greenhouses. They’re a couple of old sweeties.’

  I smiled, still not quite believing they were here with me. ‘They are pretty cute.’

  Lily drew a chair beside Robbie’s bed and set a bowl of hot water, a bottle of vinegar, some bandages and a needle and thread upon it. She glanced up at us and grinned.

  ‘Want to watch?’

  Lauren rubbed her stomach and paled slightly. ‘I’ve seen enough blood for today. Come on, Miranda, we need to get outside and talk to everyone.’

  Robbie arched his back and winced. I put my hand on his shoulder. ‘Do you want me to stay with you?’

  He moved his head but stared past my face, to somewhere far away. ‘No. My diary, Miranda,’ Robbie whispered breathlessly before I left the room. His words slurred and he sounded delirious. ‘Give it to Marko… It’s on my bedside table.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that. Just rest up,’ I said, before leaving him in Lily’s capable hands. We needed to get Marko out of the dungeons before we worried about anything else.

  An hour later, after we had all shared a small meal of bread, salted fish, apples and wine—all provided by the civilians, who’d ducked home to gather whatever they could—Lauren got everybody together before the cottage.

  My heart fluttered with hope at the swelling number of citizens who’d joined us. We had a good number of strong, robust-looking men and women, as well as many others who may not have been strong looking but possessed a gleam of hope in their eyes. And we needed hope by the bucket-load. A few I recognised as guards from last year, others from the pearling rooms, including Henrietta and some of the maids.

  Anne and Jonathan stood at the front of the gathering. Anne was flushed in the cheeks and her bones were no longer protruding through her skin. I gave her a huge hug.

  ‘You look amazing.’

  ‘Thanks, Miranda,’ she said, her eyes glittering with happiness.

  Jonathan leaned in. ‘Your grandparents are here. They’re in the greenhouses, admiring the plants and sipping green tea.’

  Hearing they were safe was enough to give me the inspiration I needed to speak in front of such a large crowd—though my stomach still churned like a washing machine while everybody stared at me with expectation in their eyes.

  ‘Thanks, everybody, for being here,’ I said, before clearing my throat. Marko came to mind, and I thought of how much each and every minute counted, so I decided to get to the point.

  ‘Marko has been arrested. Damir’s taken him to the dungeons for now, but his punishment will be banishment.’ I tried to make as much eye contact as possible and include everyone. ‘So our plan is to break into the castle and free Marko. If we can get rid of Sylvia and Damir at the same time, that’s a bonus.’

  There were murmurs of agreement.

  ‘Let’s charge the castle now,’ shouted an old man wearing a leopard-print dressing gown. His wispy grey hair fluttered about his head in the fake breeze.

  Though several people cheered in agreement, others started to grumble.

  ‘My wife and I have had no sleep. We need a good night’s rest if we’re to fight.’

  ‘There’s only a few more hours before dawn,’ Jonathan told the crowd. ‘If we storm the castle in a couple of hours, most of the guards should still be resting—if they’re resting at all.’

  I nodded. ‘That’s the plan, then. We get two hours’ rest, and before the dawn crystals brighten we charge the castle.’ I sucked in a deep breath, and for a second wondered if this was all a dream. It seemed so surreal, like I was standing on a set of some fantasy film.

  Jonathan patted me on the back. ‘You did well. You’d make a good leader alongside Marko.’

  I shrugged and hurried away before anybody else could comment, and headed for the greenhouses. Pop’s whistling drew me to the very last one—Robbie’s favourite. There, I found my grandparents planting seedlings.

  ‘Nana! Pop! Thank God you’re okay.’

  ‘Miranda!’ Nana said, throwing her hands up to her face and streaking her cheeks with dirt. ‘You look dreadful. Is that blood?’

  ‘It’s not my blood. Robbie had…um…an accident.’

  They both shared a look of sympathy.

  ‘That poor boy,’ said Nana. ‘Such a handsome face and such a nice young man; how awful to be blind when you’ve already seen the world and know its beauty.’

  ‘I know.’ I came up and stood between them and put my arms around them both. ‘But luckily he still has some vision. He told me he can still see colours.’

  Pop elbowed me in the ribs. ‘So, do you fancy him your boyfriend?’

  ‘Hmmm? Will there be wedding bells anytime soon?’ chimed in Nana.

  I smiled. Nana was definitely back to her old, romantic self.

  ‘No, he’s like a brother. I think I’m already in love.’ I paused, surprised to be having this conversation with them. But it felt right somehow, especially not knowing what tomorrow would bring. I wanted them to know. ‘His name’s Marko.’

  ‘Oh. Damir’s brother?’ Nana waggled her dirt-smudged finger. ‘He told us about his baby brother. Reckless was what he’d said, wasn’t it?’ She looked to Pop for confirmation.

  ‘And spoilt?’ said Pop.

  ‘He’s none of those things. Damir’s lying,’ I said, keeping my voice as calm as possible.

  ‘Oh, just a little bit of sibling rivalry; nothing to get your knickers in a knot about,’ said Pop, chuckling. ‘Bit like you and Loz, really.’

  I opened my mouth to speak, but sighed and smiled instead. Trying to be happy helped me take my mind off the movie that kept replaying inside my head, of Marko being dragged away to the dungeons.

  ‘So, do you like it here in Marin?’ I asked Nana.

  She transplanted the last seedling and dusted her fingers free of the black dirt. An orange and brown butterfly chose that moment to land on Nana’s nose. She giggled and it fluttered away.

  ‘Like it? We love it. The people here are wonderful. There is no way we’re leaving.’

  Pop leaned in, his watery blue eyes twinkling. ‘Your nan remembers everything now. This place is magical. And I solved a Sudoku puzzle last night. I used to hate doing those things. Now they’re easy,’ he said, shrugging his bony shoulders.

  I smiled.

  ‘That’s great. But if we ever had to leave Marin, you’d come home, right?’

  They both laughed and said ‘No!’ at the same time. ‘We’re too old. This is where we want to be, gardening and enjoying each other’s company. We took a gondola ride on our way here today,’ said Nan.

  ‘Romantic,’ said Pop with a wink.

  My heart warmed a fraction, but then I remembered our plans to storm the castle, and the fact that I might not return alive.

/>   ‘Oh, by the way…’ I smiled through the sting in my eyes and the lump in my throat. ‘The castle is getting some mending done over the next few days, so you can’t go near it. It’s best to stay here at Robbie’s cottage, where it’s safe.’

  ‘Well, we’re not leaving this place anytime soon. Robbie’s given us a room and Jonathan kindly moved us in today. He’s a lovely fellow, Jonathan.’

  ‘Fine shock of fiery hair, too,’ said Nan.

  I smiled and gave them both a hug. ‘I love you both so much.’

  ‘Oh, what’s all this?’ Pop said, patting my back. ‘We love you, too, dear. Sorry for not believing you, last year. That must have been awful…everybody thinking you’d gone bonkers.’

  ‘Don’t be sorry, Pop. You’re here now and’—I choked up and swallowed down a sob—‘we’re together. That’s what matters most.’

  After one last kiss and hug each, I left them to enjoy the rest of their tea.

  The castle lights burned bright in the distance. Marin was such a beautiful city. There was no way Marko would ever leave. He’d rather die than be banished. And what would I do without him? I could hardly leave my grandparents behind if Damir and Sylvia ruled.

  I neared the groups of civilians and guards huddled together in groups before the cottage and quickly shook my head free of the disturbing thought. We were going to storm the castle in less than two hours. I had to think positively; tell myself it was possible to save Marko.

  While Lily lay with Robbie, and Lauren rested on the couch, I made a pot of coffee in the kitchen to keep myself, Jonathan, Jordon and anyone else who couldn’t sleep alert.

  The atmosphere was still and quiet; but then, an hour before dawn, just before our planned attack on the castle, there was a commotion at the front of the cottage.

  ‘Sylvia is here,’ said Jordon, with a worrying frown. ‘She wants to speak with you.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  ‘How’s MARKO?’ I asked as soon as I saw her. She stood tall, though her hair was unusually dishevelled and her eye makeup smudged as though she’d been crying.

  ‘He’s fine. I won’t let anybody touch him.’

  ‘Then why do all of this? Why betray him with Damir?’

  She waved the gathering group of onlookers away.

  ‘We need to speak in private.’

  I followed her to the back of a greenhouse, where it was dimly lit and an eerie blackness stretched out into an endlessly dark nothing beside us.

  ‘I haven’t betrayed anybody. I’m the first born. I should be the true ruler of Marin, not my brothers; but I care for something more than simply being ruler.’ Her eyes became glassy with tears and she swore at herself before slapping the tears away with aggressive, shaking hands. ‘What I want most of all is a child. Your sister can give me that.’

  I shook my head and folded my arms across my chest. ‘You can’t just take a child from its mother because you want it. That’s not how it works.’

  ‘I know that. You think I didn’t ask her already?’

  ‘Do you know that it’s not Damir’s?’

  Her left cheek twitched slightly before she shook her head.

  ‘I don’t care. I want a child.’

  ‘You want a child; I get it. But you can’t have my sister’s. I won’t let you.’

  She stared me down, but I held her gaze.

  ‘I’ve come to ask for your help; to bargain with you. I need you to talk her into giving it to me, or else Marko will be banished and you will be forced to stay behind here, locked up in the dungeons.’

  ‘Says who?’ Goosebumps prickled my arms.

  ‘Me, of course. Whose orders do you think the guards follow, Damir’s or mine? It’s always been me in charge, even when Marko ruled. And before we all existed, Kraja ruled—it’s always the female.’

  ‘So why don’t you just make yourself queen?’

  ‘Because the people of Marin, thanks to my grandfather’s brainwashing, are backward and traditional, and like to know a man is in charge. I’m happy to provide that illusion for them while I rule incognito.’

  I stared into the darkness that surrounded us, trying to think of a way around her demands.

  ‘What if you free Marko first? So I can be certain he’s okay.’

  She smirked and her green eyes crinkled up at the corners. ‘No, that wouldn’t work. Damir cannot show an ounce of cowardice, or else they’ll deem him a failed leader, like Marko.’

  I opened my mouth to speak in defence of Marko, but she shushed me.

  ‘However, if you stop talking and listen for one minute I’ll tell you what I’m going to tell the people of Marin.’

  ‘Okay, I’m listening.’

  ‘We’ll tell them Lauren and Marko are secret lovers. She breaks Damir’s heart and, after leaving her baby behind, runs away with Marko to the mainland. I’m left with the rejected baby to bring up in Marin as my own. Your sister will be safe at home again, where she belongs.’

  I shook my head. I could feel the blood boiling in my veins.

  ‘Anybody who knows Marko knows he wouldn’t leave Marin.’ Plus, he loves me, I wanted to add but didn’t.

  She smiled. ‘The baby will distract them. The entire city will fall in love with it. And after a few weeks, I’ll send a shuttle for Marko and he will return. By then everything will be forgotten and you both may live happily ever after somewhere in the city.’

  ‘What about Damir?’

  She shrugged. ‘Damir has certain’—she smirked—‘weaknesses. I know how to keep him quiet.’

  My stomach churned as I imagined the mangled bodies of the women he’d already murdered.

  ‘Lauren thinks he loves her, despite everything.’

  ‘Well, she’s wrong. Damir has never loved anyone, not even himself.’

  ‘But none of this solves Marin’s big issue. This whole civilisation will die out if something isn’t done.’

  ‘Like what? Your ridiculous moon idea?’

  ‘At least I tried.’ I looked up at the black ocean-sky. ‘What about allowing women to visit the mainland, like they did in your grandfather’s time.’

  She shook her head. ‘No. Because of that practice Marin came close to being discovered and destroyed. We can’t risk it.’

  ‘So you’d rather your people slowly died out.’

  ‘There’s time for saving Marin. Light crystal fights against old age. People live longer here than on land. Some of our citizens are one-hundred-and-fifty years old.’

  ‘But when the last generation of women reach menopausal age, then what?’

  ‘I didn’t come here to discuss Marin’s fertility crisis. I came to discuss your sister’s baby’s future—my baby’s future—and Marko’s life.’ She sighed. ‘So do you agree?’

  ‘No. I can’t give you that baby. She or he is my niece or nephew, and I’d rather stick my head in a blender than let you bring the child up.’

  She shrugged. ‘Then I’ll send Marko away and make sure he never returns.’

  ‘Damir is doing that anyway,’ I said, pushing past her to head back to the cottage.

  ‘Fine—what if I said we’d have to kill Marko? Throw him to the sharks?’

  I spun around.

  ‘You’d kill your own brother? He thinks of you as his mother, you know.’

  She sucked in a deep, shaky breath through her nose and her eyes glittered with tears.

  ‘No. I won’t need to, because I know that you won’t let me do it.’

  I said nothing in response. Of course I didn’t want Marko dead.

  ‘I’ll give you twenty-four hours to decide. And don’t even think of charging the castle—my guards have orders. If they see a mob approaching, news will reach the dungeons and Marko will be killed instantly.’

  ‘But you just said you wouldn’t kill your own brother.’

  ‘Not if you do as I ask.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Come only with Lauren. Oh, and Robbie. We need him to operate the chutes. And I need to s
peak with him about moving back into the castle. I’ve missed him, and I’m sure I can put those strong hands of his to good use.’

  ‘He’ll never move back into the castle—unless Marko asks him to.’

  ‘We’ll see.’

  She left me in the dark, joining her guards at the base of the hill. I watched them until they disappeared out of sight, and then made my way back to the cottage.

  Tears burned my eyes.

  Marko was going to be killed or sent away, Lauren was going to be stripped of her baby, and there was nothing I could do about any of it. My only option was to tell the waiting crowd and see what they thought—call a vote.

  They stood in clusters at the front of the cottage. There must have been more than a hundred; decent numbers, really, if you didn’t count the twenty or so people who looked around two hundred years old. I was about to tell them everything and let them voice their opinions when I saw Lauren and her miniscule baby bump from the corner of my eye. I couldn’t do this to her. Make her give up her baby. There had to be another way.

  So instead I explained to the crowd that Sylvia had threatened to kill Marko instantly if we tried to mob the castle. I lied and told them I had twenty-four hours to enter the castle, with Lauren and Robbie by my side, and give myself up. The bit about giving up Lauren’s baby I left out. Because that just wasn’t going to happen.

  ‘Robbie won’t be up and about for days,’ somebody called out.

  ‘Not necessarily.’ Robbie stepped out the cottage door, dressed in a fresh set of guard clothes, with Lily by his side. ‘I’m fine.’ He smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. He was anything but fine.

  ‘I’m ready now, too, so we may as well get this over with,’ said Lauren, but then she frowned. ‘What do you mean by giving yourself up?’

  I shrugged and shook my head wearily. ‘I don’t really know. I just want Marko safe.’

  There were grumbles from the crowd. They had obviously prepared themselves for a bloodbath, and were disappointed.

  ‘I say we storm the castle anyway!’ someone shouted. Others cheered.

  ‘Didn’t you hear what she said?’ Jonathan shouted. ‘If they see a mob approach the castle, there will be orders for Marko to be killed.’