Take Back the Skies

by Lucy Saxon

  ‘We’re going. I’ve heard all I need to know,’ Cat announced abruptly, tugging Fox to his feet with her as she stood. His eyes were knowing as they met hers, and she couldn’t return his gaze. Alice got to her feet gracefully with Fox’s aid, a look of concern on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Cat shook her head pointedly. She didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t waste any time in crossing the grass, and turned down the street that would lead to Kentridge.

  ‘We’d have to be mad to go in through North Gate, so East or West would be the better option,’ Cat declared, determined to ignore what she had just heard about her father’s new relationship.

  ‘What kind of man is your father that they believe he’d do such things to you?’ Alice asked softly.

  Cat shrugged, smiling humourlessly.

  ‘Not one you’d want to meet, I assure you. Personally, I’m surprised there’s not a rumour saying he murdered me himself. It’s what I always thought would happen to me.’

  Alice paled, and she gave Cat a mildly horrified look.

  ‘Don’t say that, that’s awful!’ she protested.

  Cat didn’t bother pointing out that it was simply the truth.

  ‘Keep an eye out here. Especially for anyone who looks like they’re staring at me too long – I’m more likely to be recognised in these parts. I used to walk through here all the time. My house isn’t too far past the walls.’

  Fox nodded shortly, immediately wary, and Alice shuffled in a bit closer to both of them. Cat almost forgot to breathe when they turned a corner, only to walk straight past Thomas Gale himself. The man didn’t even pause, his shoulder bumping into Fox’s as he pushed past them, his stride quick. Fox was about to turn and shout after him, but Cat grabbed him and forced him forward.

  He glared at her.

  ‘Why didn’t you let me have a go at him? The arrogant sod needs to learn some manners!’ he exclaimed angrily.

  Cat elbowed him in the gut.

  ‘That “arrogant sod”, as you so aptly put it, is Thomas Gale. He’s practically royalty – you must have heard of him. Calling him out on his lack of manners is like putting a Shoot me sign above your head.’

  Fox’s eyes widened, and he glanced back over his shoulder.

  ‘I expected him to be … taller,’ he mused. He paused suddenly, looking over at Cat. ‘Didn’t you say your father was going to betroth you to a Marcus Gale?’

  Cat nodded, shuddering at the mention.

  ‘Thomas’s second son. He’s fifteen, and one of the most awful boys I’ve ever met. And I’ve met you,’ she added, a slight smile letting him know she was teasing. Still, he feigned hurt, holding a hand to his chest as if wounded. ‘But yes, that was Father’s plan. As you can see, it didn’t work out so well. Alice,’ she called, surprising Fox at the abrupt turn in conversation. ‘How willing would you be to go alone around here?’

  Alice stopped, looking at her curiously.

  ‘Alone? Why?’ she asked. Cat pointed over at a small café full of women sipping tea and eating tiny sandwiches.

  ‘Mrs Gale’s housekeeper is sitting just over there, the brunette in the grey skirt and green corset over her blouse. If you could get a cup of tea and listen to some of the women, you might learn a lot. But obviously it’s not the type of place to let in ruffian teenage boys,’ she added with a small grin.

  Alice straightened her blouse nervously. She was visibly steeling herself, and nodded, holding her head high.

  ‘I’ll meet you back at the ship,’ she told them before walking off. Cat and Fox watched as she went calmly into the café, sitting at a table as if she’d done it every day for years.

  Fox grinned proudly.

  ‘The woman has guts.’

  ’That she does,’ Cat agreed with a smile, ‘but she’ll be fine in there. Let’s go, we don’t have much time.’

  She reached out, grabbing him by the arm to urge him towards a narrow alleyway.

  ‘Time for what? Where are we going?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m taking you to the smithy. His apprentice is a blabber-mouth, and he’s in charge of gate maintenance. After that I have a quick errand to run.’ She wasn’t sure when she’d next get the chance.

  ‘What sort of errand?’ Fox’s voice was suspicious, and he stopped in his tracks. ‘Planning on dropping home to see your father? I’m sure if you asked nicely and married that Gale boy, he’d take you back.’

  Cat smacked him across the face before he could say anything more.

  ‘How dare you! When will you get it through your thick skull that I wouldn’t go back for all the money in the kingdom!’ she hissed, taking a step closer to him. ‘I’m not going to sneak off, and I’m definitely not marrying Marcus Gale! Now, come on.’

  She practically dragged him the rest of the way to the smithy.

  ‘I’ll meet you back here when I’m done,’ she told him, and he raised a copper eyebrow.

  ‘If you say so.’ Huffing, Cat ignored him, turning back to sprint towards the high wall separating Greystone and Government Housing. She had to be quick, if she didn’t want to be caught out.

  Chapter 11

  It took barely any time at all for Cat to get to the tree she usually used to sneak back into her house. Fox’s words were ringing in her ears as she ran; how could he possibly believe she wanted to go back to her father? Did he not know her at all? Seething with anger, she scrambled up the tree and over the wall, easily crawling through the loose fencing panel behind the bushes. Her father was supposed to be at work; she could only hope he was sticking to his schedule.

  The spare key was exactly where it usually was, and as Cat didn’t have a lockpick with her she dug it out from beneath the flowerpot, unlocking the door with a quiet click. The house looked strange after her time away from it, and the extravagance she had grown up with suddenly made her nauseous. Leaving her muddy boots beside the door so as not to leave footprints all over the house, she raced up the stairs, heading straight for her mother’s room.

  ‘Mother, I –’ She trailed off as she pushed through the door, eyes widening. All her mother’s things were there, her photographs on the shelves and her clothes in the wardrobe, but the bed was empty, the sheets turned down. Cat stepped forward, running a hand over the blanket at the foot of the bed. Where was her mother?

  ‘Mistress Catherine.’ Cat startled at the voice, whirling around to see Samuel standing in the doorway. He looked a little worse for wear, but was still functioning well. ‘You have returned.’

  ‘Not for long, Sam, and you mustn’t tell Father I was here. I just came to pick up a few things, and have a look around. I … Where’s Mother?’

  ‘Mistress Elizabeth is gone,’ Samuel’s voice was blank, and a lump rose in Cat’s throat.

  ‘Gone? You mean … she’s in the hospital, right? With the doctors?’

  ‘Mistress Elizabeth is gone,’ the mecha repeated. Cat didn’t ask again, not sure she wanted clarification. Surely it couldn’t have happened so soon. The women had said Elizabeth was on her way out, but not … not dead. She had to be in the hospital.

  Pushing the thought away forcefully, knowing she didn’t have much time, Cat set about rifling through the drawers, looking for anything helpful. Had her mother known anything about the truth of the war? She had been best friends with the queen; surely if Mary had confided in anyone, it would have been Elizabeth. Still, if Elizabeth Hunter had known what the government was up to, it wasn’t visible in any of her possessions. She didn’t keep a journal, or any sort of written account. No old letters to her best friend, just a small stack of photographs. Cat pocketed one of them, a faint smile on her face as she looked upon her five-year-old self in the arms of King Christopher, Prince James on the floor with an arm wrapped around his father’s leg. The king had been a kind man, and a fair ruler from all accounts. It was truly a shame, his disappearance.

  Coming up with a frustrating lack of useful information, Cat gave up, pocketing two framed photographs and o
ne of her mother’s necklaces. With any luck, Nathaniel wouldn’t notice them gone, or would assume Samuel had tidied them away somewhere.

  Her next stop was her father’s office, her heart pounding as she crept into the room. She wanted to ransack the entire place, look in every nook and cranny for information. But she was short on time, and Nathaniel would notice even a hair out of place in his domain. She had to leave the office exactly as she found it. Leafing carefully through piles of paper, Cat searched for some sort of record or flight plan for the Collection ships. Collection wasn’t her father’s area, she knew, but surely he had some sort of information on it? He had information on everything.

  Surprised and dismayed to find only dull meeting reports, and expenses records for the government offices, Cat glanced up at the ornate silver clock on the wall. She wasn’t willing to risk it; if her father even thought for a second that someone had been in his personal office, he’d triple security in all the government areas. They’d never get into the compound. She had stayed too long, anyway. The crew would be wondering where she was.

  Still, she figured she had a few more minutes to spare, and went upstairs to her room, nudging the door open. It was exactly as she had left it, though Samuel had clearly been in to tidy. A grin on her face at being back in her bedroom, Cat crossed to dig out a leather satchel from beneath her wardrobe, throwing the wooden doors open to look at her clothes. It would be wonderful to have some clothing that hadn’t previously belonged to Fox, even if she could only wear it on the ship.

  All of her dresses and skirts were far too government-looking for her to even consider bringing, but she packed the few outfits she used when going out disguised as a boy, and some of her more ragged breeches and shirts. They fitted her better than Fox’s clothes did. Adding some undergarments to the bag, she set about grabbing some of the more personal items which she hadn’t been able to take when she’d first run away.

  She packed a photograph of herself and her mother, on one of her good days, back when Cat was nine. Her mother’s hair was still blonde rather than grey, and her pale cheeks were dimpled with a smile. Cat also seized some of the jewellery her mother had given to her just a few months before, knowing she would never wear it again. It was Ingate family jewellery – her mother’s family – and Elizabeth had been determined that if her husband married again after her death, his new wife would never have it. A stuffed toy dog Cat had been given as a baby went into the bag, after she’d run her fingers over his floppy velveteen ears. He’d been a gift from the king and queen upon her birth, and her favourite toy throughout childhood. She just couldn’t let Fox see him; the teasing would be endless.

  With one last look around her room, eyes lingering wistfully on the tall bookcase stuffed to bursting – she would take far too long if she decided to choose only a handful of books to take with her – Cat shouldered the satchel and left, wondering if she would ever return again. She doubted it.

  ‘Are you leaving again, Mistress Catherine?’ Samuel queried, waiting for her in the hallway as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘I’m afraid so, Sam. I am sorry I can’t take you with me, but … I’m safe, and happy, where I am.’ Safe was a relative term, but the specifics were too complicated to explain to the mecha.

  ‘Then all is well,’ Samuel replied, bowing his head with a faint creak. He needed maintenance. Cat wished she had the time to do it; storms knew Nathaniel never would.

  ‘Goodbye, Samuel. Look … Look after my mother when she returns, won’t you?’ Cat didn’t give the mecha a chance to respond, but shoved her boots back on and slipped out of the house, locking the door behind her and replacing the spare key. Within minutes she was climbing the trellis and over the wall, back on the Greystone side. Dusting off the knees of her trousers, she hitched her satchel further up her shoulder, running to see if Fox was where she’d left him. She only hoped he hadn’t gone back to the ship and told the crew she’d abandoned them.

  Luckily for Cat, Fox wasn’t far from where she’d left him, leaning against a lamppost with his hands in his pockets.

  ‘It’s about time you showed up,’ he said by way of greeting. ‘I was beginning to think you’d wandered off for good. What’s in that bag?’

  ‘Just some things,’ she replied evasively, tugging on his sleeve to get him walking back in the direction of the shipyard.

  ‘Things from where?’ Fox eyed her shrewdly, realisation dawning. ‘You went home, didn’t you?’

  ‘It’s not home,’ Cat murmured. ‘Not any more.’

  ‘I bet you told your lord father everything about us.’ Cat paused, glaring at Fox as he spoke, wishing she could shout at him once more without causing a scene.

  ‘He wasn’t even there, if you must know! Besides, if I told him everything, I’d be in just as much trouble as you, wouldn’t I?’ Fox didn’t seem to have an answer to that, and his silence made her grin smugly. ‘I went back to get some things from my room, and snoop around my father’s office. There was nothing – no mention of Collections, nothing but useless paperwork.’

  ‘Sometimes a lack of evidence is as damning as evidence itself,’ Fox said, frowning. ‘He probably keeps it all hidden somewhere. If you’ve been sneaking about since you were a wee’un, he must’ve known to keep anything truly incriminating where you’d never find it.’

  ‘You’re probably on to something there,’ Cat mused. ‘Anyway, did you hear anything at the smithy?’

  Fox grinned wolfishly, a slight spring in his step as they crossed out of government territory. ‘Eventually, yes. East Gate is faulty,’ he relayed. ‘Apparently there was a bit of a riot out there after the last Collection, and one of the gear plates got broken. The apprentice was complaining that the replacement won’t be here for two days yet.’

  Cat beamed at his words, feeling hope rise in her. That made their entry so much easier.

  As they turned a corner, a flash of silver and black caught Cat’s eye, and she froze, throwing out an arm to halt Fox. A little way ahead of them, two guards walked side by side, sporting distinctive long black coats with silver adornments, a silver armband around the left bicep. Collection officers.

  She felt Fox’s hand grip her shoulder, and the pair of them watched silently as the two officers stepped up to the door of a crumbling brick house, knocking sharply. A woman answered, her face draining of colour immediately upon spotting the uniforms.

  ‘She’s not thirteen yet!’ the woman cried, but the guards remained impassive.

  ‘Our records state otherwise,’ one of the guards replied as his partner pushed his way past the woman and into the house. Cat’s heart was in her throat as the woman began to sob, shouting her protests at the two men, who ignored her, the guard at the door restraining her. It wasn’t long before a second set of cries joined the woman’s, and the guard reappeared with a squirming dark-haired girl in his arms. There was no way that girl was over thirteen.

  ‘No! Please, don’t take my daughter!’ the woman begged, falling to her knees as the guard released her to help the other man with the girl, who was kicking and screaming. By this point, several people were watching from their own doorways, blank-faced. Collections were routine enough to not draw much attention, though there were still plenty who couldn’t look away.

  ‘We should leave,’ Fox murmured quietly, hand squeezing Cat’s shoulder as they watched the two guards march the girl away, leaving the mother on the floor in her doorway, sobbing into her hands. ‘If the officers are about, we don’t want to risk being on the streets alone.’

  Tearing her eyes away from the distraught woman, Cat nodded, swallowing back the lump in her throat and following Fox as he crept towards a narrow side alley. Soon they were far enough away to no longer hear the woman’s cries, but they echoed in Cat’s mind the entire way back to the ship.

  Back on the Stormdancer, they slipped straight below deck, Cat darting away to deposit her bag in her room and compose herself before meeting with Fox to head ov
er to the galley. The three men were sitting around the table, a large blue paper spread out in front of them. Ben had a notepad on his knee, and a pen in his left hand.

  ‘Morning! How did your little snooping trip go?’ Matt asked cheerily, looking up. There was an ink smudge on his cheek.

  ‘Rather well, actually. Although Cat’s knowledge of the upper-middle class is disturbingly intimate,’ Fox declared, swinging his leg over the end of the bench beside Matt, peering over the blueprint. ‘And yours?’

  ‘Equally well. We got more blueprints of the three upper levels of the main building from a friend who owes me a favour, as well as schematics for all four entrance gates. We were just wondering which one would be the easiest to go for,’ he replied.

  Cat sat beside Harry, and leaned forward to get a better view of the blueprint.

  ‘East Gate,’ she told them. ‘Fox found out that the gears are jammed, and it’s going to take at least two days for a replacement gear plate to arrive. It’s practically an open door. And these blueprints will be useful, though I’ve been in the upper two levels and there’s nothing of interest there. It’s mostly offices, conference rooms and apartments for anyone working through the night. I was never allowed into the ground-floor level, so it’d be a good place to start. I know more than enough about the habits and backgrounds of the higher class government workers, though. Father always said that the best weapon is information,’ she said.

  ‘I might not agree with your father’s politics, but he seems like a smart bloke. Where’s Alice, anyway?’ Harry asked.

  ‘She went into the café where Mr Gale’s housekeeper was having tea. Thomas Gale is a very important man – if anyone’s likely to know anything about the government’s plan, he will. She should be back soon,’ Cat assured Harry, who didn’t look too pleased at the prospect of his wife alone in Greystone.