'I'll teach you about it.' She nods determinedly.
'What was your life like?' I ask Zoe, craning my neck to face her. 'Before your transformation, I mean? How old are you?'
'I was born in 1803,' Zoe smiles. 'Just after the Second Coalition. My human life knew nothing but war. My father died fighting for Napoleon, my mother abandoned me. I was taken to a hospice – a cold, dirty place with too many children and not enough nurses. The leaving age for hospices was twenty-five, but I got sick when I was nineteen and ended up in the infirmary. I was dying, so my Creator took me to The Percy Institute and transformed me.'
'The Percy Institute? Wasn't that the one Kristoff attacked?'
'Yes, we attacked it,' Zoe smiles. 'I don't know what your education was like here at The Gray Institute, but back then at The Percy, corruption was rife. Percy himself was a good friend of Sirus, much more so than the other Heads, and he was given special treatment.'
'Special treatment?' I frown, trying to ignore a twisting sensation in my gut.
'At that time, all Professors were male. It was thought too important a position for a mere woman to hold. A lot of pretty young girls around older, wiser men far their superiors is not a good combination. We were often called to the Headmaster or to the Professors late at night.'
'And Sirus knew about this?' Stacey frowns, her eyes alight with indignation on Zoe's behalf.
'Not officially, but yes, I suspect so. I can't say for sure what the other Institutes were like, but I know that Percy enjoyed a very strong bond with Sirus. I'm not sure our Auctorita would have fought so hard to get him back otherwise.'
'Caruso was similar to his son,' Maristella shakes her head. 'I first came to this Institute in 1492. Back then, the rules for Creators weren't so strict. They didn't have to obtain the Auctorita's permission to transform someone, and many were male. My Creator chose me because he liked the way I looked, and he made sure I was aware of his affections,' The usually placid Immortal's mouth twists in distaste. 'I didn't put in a complaint, as many of my peers did in later years; I knew it would be fruitless. But those who did complain, to their Headmasters, or to Caruso himself, were met with humiliation and degradation.'
'Why did it change eventually?' I ask. 'Why did the sexism stop?'
'Our world moved with the times, same as the human world,' Zoe explains. 'Women were finally given higher positions, more responsibility and respect.'
'Though not too much,' Maristella intercepts. 'Sexism is still rife within the Immortal community. Just look at our government's system. A male ruler with a female second. Ironic given that the first Auctorita was a woman.'
Maristella and Zoe, being the oldest amongst our small group, continue to swap stories as Stacey, Jasmina and I listen attentively. It seems there is still so much for me to learn about my new world and the beings governing it, but for now, I'm content with being part of its history.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Eve.
Our formal training begins the next day at dawn. After our plastic pouch breakfast, we traipse off in our groups to one of the four training rooms, led by our designated trainers. Besides Jasmina and Zeke, there are only a handful of Rebels I know by name joining Vlad in Training Room Three; Anne, the short, stocky old Rebel who led her group to Jared yesterday, and her handsome friend, Jack, as well as Patrick and Katherine, the two similar-looking, solemn Immortals who were the last to agree to Vlad's plan.
Vlad immediately barks at us to pair up, and I'm relieved when Jasmina steps dutifully to my side, not only because I'll have someone to work with, but because she's physically inferior to me.
'When we enter the Confine,' Vlad addresses us. 'Every second counts. Every small decision you make can mean the difference between victory and defeat. If you hesitate, you will lose. These guards are rigorously trained, especially when it comes to dealing with a break in. For those of you who helped storm the Thailand Confine,' He glances in mine and Jasmina's direction. 'Do not expect this to be as easy. Whilst we outnumber them, our skills do not match theirs. You will all need to work tirelessly to achieve the standards expected. Do not make the mistake of believing you already possess the skills and strength needed.
'Not all of you will be chosen to fight. Those of you who don't have what it takes will, instead, play a role in resurrecting the prisoners. You are equally important, and this training is still necessary for you should you encounter a situation where you are required to help. The Confine guards can not be killed,' He continues. 'Therefore, our only option is to capture them. When we enter, those of you who have been chosen to fight will, with a partner, choose one guard. Just one. I don't need any heroics, don't try to do more than is being asked of you. Take down the nearest guard to you, and hold them there. It's a simple task, but a difficult one. You will need to keep hold of your guard for as long as it takes the others to be rounded up,' He pauses, glancing around the room to make sure we are as attentive as he would like. 'Now, facing your partner – '
'What happens next?' Patrick, the solemn man, cuts in. Vlad's eyes swivel to his, irritation flashing in their darkness. 'Once we've taken all the guards down, what then?'
Vlad stares the taller Immortal down, his eyes squinted, deciding whether or not to answer him. 'The others will enter the Confine. Some will hold back the guards inside, the rest will begin reviving the prisoners. Once they are freed, they will help us maintain control.'
'You're sure about that?' Patrick cocks an eyebrow. Several heads turn in his direction. 'I'm just saying,' He shrugs casually. 'How do you know they'll help us? They’re criminals. Criminals who've been locked away for hundreds of years, some thousands. Why would their first thoughts not be to flee?'
'We didn't flee.' Anne reminds him, frowning slightly, the same sort of expression my mother used to give me when I'd said something out of turn.
'That was different; we were Rebels to begin with. Our goal was always to save the entire Immortal population. But these... people,' He draws the word out. 'They're not interested in bettering our world. I'm betting their first thought, their only thought, will be to save themselves.'
'Fortunately the fate of this mission doesn't rest in your hands,' Vlad cuts in, polite but dismissive. 'The Confined will help us. Once we have their numbers, we will imprison the guards in their own Confine, just like the Auctoritas did to you.'
'How touching.' Patrick snorts, turning away.
'Face your partners,' Vlad barks, marking an end to the conversation. 'Each of you must envision that your partner is a Confine guard. Your task is to hold them down until every other couple in the room has finished. Those of you who are pinned, keep fighting. The guards will not stop, they won't admit defeat, they will keep going. Begin.'
Jasmina and I turn to face one another, silently sizing each other up. My partner is tall, very tall, with long, thin legs I've seen wrapped around Vlad's waist like rope. I need to keep away from those legs, force her to use her weak upper-body strength. As if a silent starting gun has sounded, we charge at one another.
Jasmina reaches me first, grabbing my waist and pulling me off-balance. As we fall to the floor, I wrap my arms around her neck, tossing her over my head where she lands flat out on her back. Without hesitating, I spin around, pinning her arms down with my knees and using my upper-body to keep her legs still. In this position, with my head by her feet, our bodies are almost perfectly matched; my arms are strong enough to contend with her legs, but her arms are useless where they lay, ground into the floor beneath my knees.
I glance up subconsciously to see if Vlad is watching, and in the fraction of a second I spend distracted, Jasmina kicks her legs out from under me, locking my neck between her knees. Her grip is so strong I feel like my head might simply break off, but my arms are free and I use them to reach up, locking my wrists behind her neck and throwing her forward again.
The fight seems to go on forever, and I don't have time to check whether we're the only ones still going. Finally, I manage to lock Jasmi
na beneath me, her legs encased by my arms, her shoulders pinned down by my feet, my ass sticking up in the air at an odd angle. She struggles and fights but my position is solid and finally, Vlad calls an end to the battles.
'That was pathetic,' He shakes his head as we all climb to our feet, brushing ourselves down. 'The Auctoritas may be in Argentina but we don't have all day. The quicker we get in and out of the Confine, the better. Switch partners. Every one on the left, rotate to the right.'
I'm on Jasmina's left side, so I step around her, coming face to face with Patrick. I try not to let him know how much he intimidates me with his olive arms and legs, his scary black eyes. He smiles at me, but it isn't a pleasant one. 'Same objective,' Vlad calls. 'Begin.'
'He's leading you nowhere,' Patrick mutters, keeping his head bowed but his eyes on mine. His arms are tensed, ready to fight. 'You know that, right?'
'Vlad?' I frown, stepping to the left, circling him. He follows me with his gaze.
'Yes, Vlad,' He smirks as he says the name. 'This plan is full of hope and oversight. Not a good combination.'
'You've been underground for two hundred years,' I remind him. 'I'd say Vlad's intel is a little more solid than yours.'
'Have you ever been to the Confine?' He raises a dark eyebrow, and for the first time since meeting him, I sense that Patrick is being sincere.
'Of course not. What does that matter?' I glance nervously in Vlad's direction. Patrick and I are the only two not yet fighting, and sure enough, Vlad is staring straight at us. I wait for him to come over, to bark at us, but he remains where he is, still staring, his features tense with anxiety.
'Well, I have,' Patrick replies, either oblivious to Vlad, or purposely ignoring him. 'I was a Law Officer when I got involved with the Rebellion. I passed intel from one side to the other, like Vanessa.'
'Vanessa has also been to the Confine,' I remind him. 'Many times. And in much more recent years.'
'Undoubtedly,' Patrick nods. 'But has she seen the things I have? Those guards,' He pauses as he turns, acknowledging that I'm circling but showing no intention of beginning the fight. 'They're highly trained. Apart from the AG there are no Immortals in existence more trained in combat than they. And the prisoners,' He shakes his head gravely, no trace of a smirk on his lips. 'I've seen the kinds of people locked away in the Confine. I put some of them there myself. There's a reason we never tried to break them out during the first Rebellion, despite how much Kristoff wanted to,' I open my mouth to protest, to tell him about Marcheline and Meredith, but he cuts me off. 'Oh, I have no doubts that a fair few of them were unjustly sentenced. But the majority of them, Eve,' He says my name begrudgingly. 'They're there for good reason. They broke laws. They're dangerous. They won't help us.'
'You don't know that.' I shake my head, but I feel the undeniable sense of doubt creeping into my stomach.
'Do you know otherwise?' He raises an eyebrow. 'They've been locked in there for a very long time. What if they go blood crazy? Over-run us?'
'Then they won't be freed,' My voice is wavering, I'm losing my confidence. 'That should be enough incentive for them.'
'You may remember that my friend and I weren't as keen as the others to join this Rebellion,' He jerks his head towards Katherine. 'It wasn't because we didn't want to follow Vlad, or because we wanted to go out and see the world. We've been fighting for years to overthrow Sirus. No,' He shakes his head. 'It was because there was a part of the plan we didn't agree with; the storming of the Confine.'
'But,' I frown, taking a moment to process. 'Back on the island, you weren't supposed to know that we were storming the Confine. None of you were.'
'I specifically asked Kristoff if it was part of the plan; after everything we've gone through, he wouldn't lie to me. I had a feeling the rebellion was leading here.'
'You're saying – ' I swallow a dry lump in my throat and it plummets through my chest like a stone. 'You're saying you think freeing the prisoners is a bad idea?'
'That's exactly what I'm saying.'
'But what about the others?' I frown. 'The ones who were put there unjustly. Are we supposed to just leave them there?'
'Of course not,' Patrick rolls his eyes slightly, as though I'm particularly stupid. 'Once you've overthrown Sirus, implemented his son or whoever as Auctorita, then you deal with the innocent. You look over the cases, make informed decisions about who deserves to be Confined and who doesn't. But this,' He waves his hands in the air, a disgusted expression on his face. 'Doing something as irrational as releasing every criminal from the Confine? It's insane. You know that, don't you, Eve?' I hesitate, glancing at Vlad, who's trying to work up the courage to come over here. I don't know if it's Patrick he's afraid of approaching, or me.
'Vlad said that we need the Confined's numbers to topple Sirus. He said he's been recruiting for years but everyone else is too afraid to join. Releasing the Confined might cause mayhem and chaos, but it can be restored. The alternative is never toppling Sirus in the first place.'
'Come on, Eve.' Patrick cocks an eyebrow at me, as much as to say: do you really believe that nonsense?
'Have you said any of this to Vlad?'
'Of course I have. Katherine and I both have, and we've pleaded with Kristoff. But Vlad won't listen to me. I'm not particularly trusted by most of the people here, save Kristoff, and Vlad knows that.'
'Why?'
'It was a long time ago,' He waves a hand dismissively. 'Some of the Rebels got it into their heads that I was loyal to the Auctoritas instead of them. Kristoff never believed it and that's what counts. But it means that Vlad and Vanessa won't take anything I say seriously, even if I have Kristoff's complete trust. And Kristoff – ' He hesitates for a moment. 'Kristoff shared my view once, back in the first Rebellion. He wanted to storm the Confine but I advised him against it and he listened. This time... This time he's desperate not to make that mistake again. He has his own reasons.'
'Laura, right?'
'Yes,' Patrick frowns. 'Yes, because of Laura.'
'I think I – '
'Is this how you plan to overcome the guards?' Vlad's voice in my ear makes me jump; I've been so engrossed in Patrick's logic it's as though the rest of the room has disappeared. 'By chatting with them?'
'Sorry,' I breathe, suddenly embarrassed. 'We were just – '
'The others are almost finished and you haven't even started.' Vlad's voice is menacing, more so than I've ever heard it before.
Patrick steps towards me, turning his back on Vlad to block him out, and lunges for my neck. It takes me a moment to react, but I dodge him, rounding on him from behind. Vlad watches our fight closely, standing only a few feet away the entire time. Patrick wins by a mile – not a surprise given that he was a Law Officer – and when Vlad calls for us to stop, Patrick reaches a hand out to me, helping me up. 'Think about what I said, Eve,' He murmurs. 'If you believe there's even a shred of truth to it, you need to tell Vlad. You're closer to him than the rest of us, maybe you can get through to him.'
*
Patrick's words squirm through my brain long after the training session is over. Even as I try to relax in the lounge area, Stacey nattering mercilessly about her progress in Grier's class, Patrick skulks around the edges of the room, throwing pointed glances my way. Vlad is in the corner, whispering with Vanessa, and I know that Patrick wants me to talk to our leader now. He wants me to convince Vlad that Patrick is right, but I'm still not certain that he is. Surely Vlad and Vanessa would have thought this through in fine detail? Surely they decided that the risk of releasing the Confined is outweighed by the risk that we may never unseat Sirus?
Before I drive myself completely crazy, I stand up, marching in Vlad and Vanessa's direction. Vlad spies me coming and attempts to leave, but Vanessa draws him back, her head bobbing with the importance of her words. 'Can I speak to you?' I bark over her shoulder, ignoring her look of contempt as she turns to face me.
'Excuse me, Eve, we're in the middle of a very im
portant discussion – '
'I need to speak to you,' I keep my focus on Vlad. 'Alone.' I add.
'It's okay, Vanessa,' He sighs, his shoulders slumping in defeat. 'I'll catch up with you later.' Vanessa shoulder-checks me as she passes but I don't take my eyes from Vlad, though he won't meet them. 'I know what you're going to say.' He speaks to the floor.
'You do?' I frown.
'I saw you talking to Patrick.'
'And?'
'And he was telling you the same thing he's been telling everybody since he joined us,' Vlad snorts. 'That this whole plan is a waste of time. That it's dangerous. That it's ill-judged.'
'And you don't think he's got a point?' I raise an eyebrow. 'He was a Law Officer, Vlad. He knows – '
'So is Vanessa,' He cuts me off. 'And she's worked in this century.'
'Some of the prisoners in the Confine were put there by Patrick!' I hiss. 'And he seems to think that releasing them would be a very bad idea.'
'Why don't you ask the others what they think of Patrick?' He jerks his head towards the room. 'See what they have to say about his ideas?'
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