‘Who?’
‘One of the Iron Guards. Fella called Beasley or Measley.’
‘What’s going to happen?’
Brown shrugged. ‘Didn’t say exactly, but it’s going to be big.’
Something was going to happen to the camp.
Very soon those children will not be my problem anymore. The Major General’s words circled in Isabella’s head. She felt heavy with despair at what they might mean. What was he planning and how could she –?
‘We’re here.’
Isabella looked up. She was in a smaller, darker corridor that she didn’t recognise. Her skin tingled in a wave of panic. ‘Where am I going?’
‘You’ll see,’ Sergeant Brown said with more than an edge of delight. He took a set of keys from his pocket and opened a door onto a rooftop at a far corner of the building. A bitter wind swirled around them. Isabella tucked her arms across her chest.
Lined up, side by side, were three large metal cages. ‘What’s going on?’
Brown jabbed the tranquilliser gun into her back. ‘Move.’
She stumbled forward. ‘You can’t do this!’
‘That’s where you’re wrong. The Major General said we can.’
‘So he’s locking children in cages now. Even I thought he couldn’t sink that low.’
Corporal Slade opened the cages while Sergeant Brown shoved her in. ‘Since you keep disappearing on us, this seems the only way to make sure you stay put.’
Brown shut the gate and squeezed the padlock shut. ‘How about that for a lesson?’ He sneered a particularly satisfied sneer. ‘Little Moocher.’
The two left the roof, slamming the door behind them, the click of the lock swallowed by the freezing wind.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
An Uneasy Feeling
All non-essential troops to the Transport Division.
The announcement rang throughout the corridors, halls and courtyards of the Garrison.
I repeat, all non-essential troops to the Transport Division.
Isabella shook the cage furiously. She kicked at the gate and slammed her fists into the bars that imprisoned her.
She searched every corner for the slightest flaw that might offer her a way out.
But there was nothing.
The wind increased and blasted into her in icy bursts. She buttoned her coat, blew into her hands and rested her head against the cold iron while the padlock clinked against the cage.
The Padlock!
That was her way out! She’d picked enough padlocks in Grimsdon to be an expert.
She slipped her knife from her boot and threaded her arm through the bars. She began picking the lock carefully, working her blade into the mechanism and moving it by the smallest degrees to force it open. She was almost there when the knife slipped from her hand and clanged to the ground.
‘No.’
She lay on her stomach and reached through the bars as far as she could, but the knife was too far away.
‘No!’
All non-essential troops to the Transport Division.
Isabella took off her coat and the wind shivered through her thin pyjamas. She held firmly onto one end and flung the rest out of the cage. It landed on the knife and she gently drew it towards her. The knife edged closer with each throw, until it was finally close enough to reach. She clutched it in both hands and sighed.
She quickly buttoned her coat and went back to work on the lock, this time gripping the knife tightly.
Soon, she heard the click of the mechanism and the padlock sprang open.
She opened the cage door and ran to the wall that lined the rooftop. She leant on the cold stone and peered over the edge, reeling back at the sight of the long drop. The walls of the old castle were smooth, with no footholds or crevices to even try to climb to the ground.
She had to get out of there. She had to find a way to –
Isabella’s thoughts were interrupted by a familiar cry. She looked round to see Charlie land on the wall beside her.
‘Am I glad to see you!’
He folded his wings, hopped a few steps and bowed his head for her to pat. Isabella stroked his golden feathers. ‘You remember me? Fly said you were clever.’ She searched the grounds of the Garrison. ‘I have to get out of here, Charlie. Fast.’
Far below, in one of the courtyards, was a small gardener’s workshop.
And hanging from a hook was a rope.
‘Charlie.’ She pointed at the rope. ‘Can you get that for me?’
She pointed again. Charlie let out a cry, stretched his wings and flew from the roof. Isabella watched as he curved over the courtyard in a smooth arc. He zeroed in on the rope, snatching it easily in his talons before sweeping into a rising climb. In only seconds he was by Isabella’s side, offering her the stolen treasure.
‘You did it.’ She tickled the feathers on his neck. ‘Wait until I tell Fly what you’ve done.’
Isabella secured one end of the rope to the cage and unfurled the rest over the edge. She climbed onto the wall with it firmly in her grip.
‘Thank you, Charlie,’ she said and lowered herself down the wall. The golden eagle let loose one last, loud cry as she disappeared from sight.
When she reached the ground, Isabella followed Vijay’s map precisely. It marked small covered alleyways, streets camouflaged by thick hedges and entrances to pipes wide enough to crawl through.
The wind had gained strength and stung her face with its bitter chill. The sky roiled with green-grey bulging clouds.
She checked her Weather Detector: Wind. Light snowfall.
Isabella pleaded with the clouds. ‘Please, no surprises.’
When she reached the outskirts of the city, she ran all the way to the familiar country road lined with its corridor of trees. She ducked inside and her boots sank into the damp soil, crunching through the leaves and twigs. She flung scrubby branches of shrubs aside and squelched into muddy pools until she came to Mr Finch’s home.
What she found wrenched her to a halt. She stood still, her heart thundering and her breath short.
Every window had been smashed and the front door lay in pieces on the verandah. Curtains flicked from the windows like the tails of angry cats. Furniture had been thrown into the yard – lounges, tables, cushions. There were books strewn everywhere, photo albums with their pages torn, and smashed plates and crockery, all lying beneath a thin layer of snow.
The wind continued to bite at Isabella’s face.
At the end of the yard, the ground above the tunnel had been scraped into a messy pile. On top were the jagged planks of the destroyed shed, left as a warning to anyone else who dared defy the Major General.
Isabella tried to stop her mind from filling with images of the same destruction at the camp.
She took off again, sprinting even faster. The forest seemed to come alive as the wind tore through it, sounding an eerie scraping as it rushed around each trunk.
Isabella pushed against the branches that clawed at her arms and legs. Soon she could see the camp’s fence through the dense foliage. She hurried to the edge of the forest and fell against the rough bark of a wide tree as she tried to catch her breath.
The grounds of the camp were empty. She stealthily moved further along to another tree. She still couldn’t see anyone. From the safety of the forest, she looked into dorm windows, but there was no movement.
Where is everyone?
She continued to run, keeping the camp in her sights. She came to the last of the buildings before they gave way to the soaring curves of the food domes.
Everything remained quiet and still.
Finally, in the distance she saw a boy leaving one of the domes. Her shoulders sank in relief and she let out a small laugh. She’d almost convinced herself that everyone in the camp had been sent away or locked up … or worse.
More kids filed out of the domes. They were layered in dirt and all of them dragged their feet with tired steps.
She searche
d through the tangle of grey uniforms and hats until she saw him.
Vijay! His head was bent low, his hands buried in his pockets.
Isabella looked up at the nearest tower. The balcony was empty.
She waited a few more seconds, but no soldier appeared.
Hopefully he was asleep and had no intention of waking up any time soon.
She ran to the fence and waved, trying to get Vijay’s attention, but it was Latif who noticed her first. He gave her a small nod before walking towards Vijay and gently nudging him.
Vijay slowly lifted his head, as if it was too heavy to move. His eyes met Isabella’s. He didn’t smile or change his manner as he walked towards her. The others smiled coyly or waved, barely raising their hands, following Vijay’s rule not to draw attention to themselves. They gathered in groups by the fence, talking and pretending not to notice Isabella as they shielded her from the towers.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ Vijay said.
‘Are you okay?’ Isabella needn’t have asked. His face was grey and his eyes ringed with dark shadows. ‘We saw what happened to the tunnel.’
‘It took us so long to dig. We used spoons and metal cups – whatever we could smuggle from the kitchens. We did it mostly at night, and then we’d get a few hours’ sleep before we went to work in the domes. I slept with the taste of dirt in my mouth for months, but it was worth it.’ He shrugged. ‘And now it’s gone.’
The wind bellowed and howled. Isabella shuddered.
Vijay’s eyes widened with quiet panic. ‘This is it for me, Isabella. No more library visits. No more books from Mr Finch or presents for Samira.’ His voice cracked. ‘She’s really sick, Isabella. I’m not sure if she’ll …’ He looked away. ‘I always thought of the camp as somewhere temporary until I made it home, but this is my home.’
The usual Vijay smile was gone, just when Isabella wanted to see it more than anything.
‘It’s my fault, Vijay. The Major General found out about the tunnel because of me.’
‘You can’t blame yourself. We both knew the risks.’
‘It isn’t just that,’ Isabella said. ‘The Major General told me that soon you weren’t going to be his problem anymore.’
‘That’s what they want,’ Vijay whispered. ‘For us to disappear.’
‘It’s bigger than that. I think something is going to happen to the camp.’
Isabella reached out to touch his hand.
‘The fence!’ Vijay tried to warn her, but nothing happened when her hand touched the metal.
He slowly lifted his fingers to test the wire. ‘It’s not electrified.’ He looked around. ‘Something’s different.’
Apart from the kids, there was no movement – no smoke coming from the chimneys in the kitchens or guards’ quarters.
The first flakes of snow began to fall.
Isabella scanned the grounds and the towers. ‘When was the last time you saw a guard?’
‘I don’t remember.’ Vijay looked up. ‘We went to work this morning when the bell sounded. The domes are so big that I always assume there’s a guard just out of sight.’ He looked up. ‘Normally we can see a light in the towers or feet resting on the windowsills.’
He turned to the crowd of kids and spoke to them for only a few moments before they sped off, each getting as close as they could to the towers. One by one they shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads.
‘There are no guards.’ Vijay’s voice was more urgent. ‘Why would there be no guards?’
‘To keep them safe,’ Isabella said, the realisation snatching her breath. ‘We have to get everyone out of here –’
Just as she finished speaking, an explosion splintered the walls of the generator room, sending broken sheets of plasterboard soaring into the air.
The kids closest to the building were knocked to the ground by the blast. Others scrambled to help them up and move them away from the falling debris. What was left of the building was swallowed by flames.
Vijay watched, unable to move, as if none of it was real.
Until he remembered. ‘Samira!’
He raced to the dorm as another explosion tore through the laundry.
Children crammed in frightened groups by the fence as the growing flames were stirred into a frenzy by the wind.
‘What’s happening?’ Latif looked to Isabella for answers.
‘We’re getting you out of there.’ Isabella forced herself to stay calm. ‘Grab as many shovels as you can and start digging.’
Latif and Nadia led a group of kids back to the domes and moments later they reappeared carrying armloads of shovels.
‘Throw one to me,’ Isabella called, stepping back as one of the larger boys hurled it over the fence. They gouged at the cold, hard ground from opposite sides, striking it again and again. Dirt flew over shoulders in a flurry as smaller children held onto each other in anxious clusters.
They all snapped to attention when another explosion erupted from the kitchen and dining hall, blowing out the doors and windows. Grey plumes of smoke belched into the air. The thin wooden buildings burnt like straw, releasing glowing orange embers that swirled through the air like fireflies.
Isabella searched for Vijay but he still hadn’t come out of the dorm. ‘Keep digging!’ she cried. ‘We’re nearly there!’ She swung her shovel with even more urgency.
The wind threw bursts of flame across the yard. They leapt and snapped in the air like fiery whips, striking at the roof of the dorm. A spray of brightly lit embers caught in a gust of air, before it fluttered onto the roof.
Come on, Vijay, she silently pleaded.
It started small, just a whiff of smoke and a small lick of flame, but within minutes the dorm was alight.
Vijay, where are you? Then she saw him. He raced down the steps through thick curtains of smoke, cradling Samira in his arms.
Another explosion sounded behind him. Vijay crouched over Samira as he sidestepped a burning plank of wood that fell at his feet. He reached the fence and gently placed Samira on the ground.
Isabella smiled. ‘I thought you’d never get here.’
Vijay gave her the inkling of a grin. ‘I’ve been busy.’
He unwound the blankets from Samira, and he, Nadia and Latif helped her into the freshly dug hole under the fence. Her face was ashen and her cheeks even more hollow than before. Isabella gently lifted her out on the other side. She tried to hide her shock at how thin and wasted the girl felt under her uniform.
‘It’s nice to see you again,’ Isabella said.
‘You too,’ Samira whispered.
Shovels kept flying and the smallest kids were directed through next. They wriggled on their stomachs and dug their fingers into the dirt to pull themselves through. The larger kids pulled at the fence, bending it upwards. Shovels were passed underneath and the digging intensified on both sides. More and more kids funnelled out. They stood outside the camp and watched in silence as the camp burned.
Snow continued to fall in heavier flurries, swallowed by plumes of smoke and searing heat. The wind stirred the fire into a furnace-like roar, sending tornadoes of bright red and orange flames into the air. More and more buildings caught alight.
They heard the sirens first, then the grinding engines of the Armavans.
‘You have to go,’ Vijay spoke to Isabella through the fence. ‘You can’t be seen with us when they arrive.’
‘I want to stay.’ Snowflakes fell on her cheeks and melted into tears.
‘Who knows what will happen after this,’ he said. ‘You need to stay free so you can make sure everyone knows what’s happened.’
The first of the Armavans could be spotted in the distance.
‘We’ll see each other again,’ Vijay said. ‘I promise.’
‘I’m going to make you keep that promise.’
‘I wouldn’t expect anything else.’
Isabella ran.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
A Cruel March
; ‘Where is she?’ Griffin stared into the courtyard where streams of Armavans rumbled through the gatehouse and into the streets. ‘Why haven’t they brought her back?’
‘What was that?’ Bea asked.
There was the smallest tinkling sound coming from their bedroom.
‘There it is again,’ Raffy said.
They hurried inside and opened the window to see Isabella waving from below.
‘She’s here!’ Griffin’s relief flooded through him.
Xavier wrenched a sheet from the bed and handed it to Bea and Raffy. ‘Tear this into strips. ‘We’re going to make a rope.’
Griffin grabbed another while Xavier tied the pieces together, pulling tightly to make sure it would be strong enough. He wound the end around the leg of the bed and secured it with a series of knots.
‘I think that’ll hold.’
‘You think?’ Griffin worried.
‘I’m sure it will.’
Xavier lowered the makeshift rope, which snapped and swayed in the snow and wind. Isabella grabbed hold, rested her boot on the stone wall and began a careful climb to the windowsill. Griffin could barely watch. Isabella’s foot slipped on the snow-dampened wall. She slammed into the wall.
‘Izzy!’
She clung on dangling by the rope, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her shoulder. She lifted her foot and kept going.
When she was almost at the top window, Griffin and Xavier reached out to take Isabella’s hand and help her inside. Her face and clothes were smudged with dirt and ash.
‘You’re freezing.’ Griffin swept a blanket from the bed and wrapped it round her trembling shoulders. ‘We heard sirens.’
‘The camp’s gone,’ Isabella murmured.
‘How?’ Bea asked.
‘There were explosions and fire …’
‘Is everyone okay?’ Griffin asked.
‘I think so.’ Isabella nodded. ‘There were no guards. They knew it was going to happen. The children have nowhere to live, Griffin.’ Her shaking intensified. A tear streaked down her muddy cheek. Griffin wiped it away with his hand.
A loud, metallic voice sounded from the speakers in the streets.
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