Dogchild

by Kevin Brooks

  As I caught his eye, he called out again.

  Can you spare a second, Jeet?

  I glanced round, looking for Kite, but she wasnt there. I looked all around, trying to find her, but I couldnt see her anywhere.

  Wheres the Captain? I asked Muqatil, who was standing beside me dipping a length of cable in a pot of black paint.

  Gone, she said without looking up.

  Where?

  Muqatil shrugged. She didnt say.

  Did she say how long shede be?

  Half an hour.

  When was that?

  When she left.

  Her voice was blank – neither spiteful nor amused – and when I looked at her for a moment and saw the same blankness in her eyes, I knew I wasnt going to get anything else out of her. I glanced around again, scanning the whole storehouse for any sign of Kite, then I walked off and went over to Cruke.

  Hede stopped now and was waiting for me, but before I reached him he started moving again, carrying on across the storehouse. I increased my pace and caught up with him, and as we walked side by side towards the tunnel entrance, he awkwardly reached into the wooden crate – briefly holding it with just one arm – and brought out a spool of fuse wire.

  Just make out like weare talking about it, he said, passing me the spool.

  What?

  Pretend weare talking about the fuse wire, okay?

  I took the spool from his hand and unwound some of the wire as we walked, studying it closely as if Cruke had asked me a question about it.

  Whats going on? I started to say. What do you want —?

  Not now, he said. Wait til weare in the tunnel. Just keep looking at the wire.

  We didnt speak again until wede reached the bottom of the slope that leads down into the tunnel. Although we were only 20 feet below the surface, the cacophony of noise from the storehouse above suddenly sounded a long way away, and in the relative silence of the tunnel, the ringing in my ears – which I hadnt been aware of before – was deafening.

  The tunnel up ahead of us was empty.

  Cruke glanced over his shoulder, then began to speak.

  Slow down a bit, he said quietly. I want to get this finished before we get to the cavern.

  We both slowed our pace to a steady walk, then Cruke got straight to the point.

  You know Ime a Councillor, dont you? he said.

  I nodded.

  Well, you need to know that representations have been made to the Council about you and Chola Se, he continued. The townspeople dont like you being together, and a lot of them have made official complaints.

  What dont they like about us being together? I asked.

  Come on, Jeet, dont be stupid. You know what Ime talking about.

  I just want to know their exact words, how they actually put it.

  Cruke sighed. Youre dogchilds. Dogchilds shouldnt mix. And they certainly shouldnt breed. Its not only not right, and unhuman, its dangerous.

  Dangerous?

  You could go wild again. You could go back to being dogs. He looked at me. Thats what theyre saying, all right?

  I nodded.

  He glanced over his shoulder again, then carried on.

  When representations from the public reach a certain level, the Council is legally bound to act upon them. In some cases this means that a Councillor will propose a motion on the subject, and then all 6 of us have to debate the motion and vote on it.

  He paused for a moment, looking slightly awkward, perhaps even embarrassed.

  In this case, he went on, clearing his throat, the motion calls for sexual relationships and/or cohabitation between dogchilds to be made a crime.

  There wasnt any doubt in my mind who would have put forward this motion, but I asked Cruke anyway, just to make sure.

  It was proposed by Deputy Pilgrim, he answered. And the vote was a tie – 3 for, 3 against.

  Really?

  You sound surprised.

  I am.

  Weare not all as bad as you think, Jeet, he said. Some of us still have the guts to stand up for what we think is right. The trouble is – and this is really what I came here to tell you – because the vote was tied, we now have to continue the debate until someone changes their mind and we get a majority vote either way, and Deputy Pilgrim has made it perfectly clear that if the motion isnt carried, those who continue to oppose it will face serious consequences.

  And I suppose that means it will be carried? I said.

  He nodded. Pilgrims threats dont bother me, but Solarin and Talmud – thats the other 2 who voted against the motion – theyre not going to stand against the Deputy.

  He shrugged, and I got the feeling that part of him despised them for their weakness, but another part of him felt sorry for them and didnt want to hold them to blame.

  Anyway, he said, I just wanted to warn you really. Theres going to be another vote in a day or 2, and theres no doubt Pilgrim will get his way.

  So that means that if I carry on living with Chola Se, we could both be locked up for breaking the law?

  Its worse than that, Ime afraid, Cruke said. All it would take to have you arrested is an allegation of a sexual relationship. And once Pilgrims got you locked up---

  I looked at him, wondering if he knew about Yael, or if he was just saying that Pilgrim was capable of anything. It was hard to tell. There was something about him – something that only the dog in me could sense – that made me think he was hiding something. It was too deeply hidden to tell what it was, but whatever it might be – good or bad, right or wrong – I got the feeling that he was shaped by it. I was almost certain it had nothing to do with Yael though, and even if I was wrong, there was no time to think about it anyway. I could hear the sound of people working in the cavern now – an echoed swirl of hammering and drilling – and when I looked up I realized wede almost reached the end of the tunnel.

  Why are you telling me all this? I asked Cruke.

  Does it matter?

  Yeh, I said, it does.

  We stopped at the opening to the cavern.

  Ime a Fighter, Cruke said simply, lowering his voice and glancing around the massive underground chamber. I might be retired now, he went on, but Ime still a Fighter. Its what I am, what Ile always be. And thats why I respect you for what you did.

  He turned and looked me in the eye.

  You went into the Dau camp, alone, and you brought back one of our people. That takes some doing. And it deserves respect.

  He shook his head, and I could see the pent-up anger in his eyes.

  The town should be thanking you, not treating you like dirt. Its wrong, whichever way you look at it. Its just wrong.

  He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

  I wish there was more I could do to help put it right, he said. And I promise you that Ile do whatever else I can, but for now---well, at least you know whats going on. Its not much, I know. But its better than nothing.

  I was just about to thank him when he reached across, took the spool of fuse wire from my hand, and started moving off into the cavern.

  Watch yourself, okay? he said, looking back over his shoulder.

  You too, I told him.

  He smiled, and just for a moment I saw the hidden truth in his eye. And then he was gone, into the echoing clamor of the cavern.

  After Ide left Cruke, all I wanted to do was go and find Chola Se and leave town straightaway. We couldnt stay here anymore – if we stayed, we were dead – and there was no way I wanted to stay anyway. The townspeople were making official complaints, Cruke had said. They didnt like us being together---they were worried we might breed---we might go wild again---we might go back to being dogs---

  Well, to hell with them, I muttered, heading back through the tunnel. To hell with them all.

  By the time Ide reached the exit though, the storm of rage crashing through my head had begun to die down, and as I climbed the slope back up to the storehouse, I was thinking clearly enough to realize that if I left with
Chola Se right now, almost immediately after meeting with Cruke, Ide be as good as sentencing him to death. Pilgrim was going to find out that Cruke had talked to me – there was no doubt about that – and if I left with Chola Se straightaway, Pilgrim would know that Cruke had tipped me off about the vote. He wouldnt be able to prove it, but Pilgrim doesnt need proof. He just needs to know. And hede know. And Cruke would pay the price.

  I couldnt let that happen.

  So instead of rushing off to find Chola Se, I just walked back through the storehouse to the sectioned-off area, and went back to work as if nothing had happened. Captain Kite had returned from wherever shede been, and 5 minutes after Ide come back, she came over to me and asked me where Ide been.

  I was helping Cruke with something, I told her.

  Cruke?

  I didnt like telling her the truth, or at least part of the truth, but I knew shede already know about Cruke – Muqatil or Ovan would have told her Ide left with him – so there was no point pretending I hadnt been with him. I just had to make up a reason why.

  There was a problem with some fuse wire, I told her. Cruke asked me to help.

  What do you know about fuse wire?

  I know all sorts of things, I said, smiling at her. Youd be surprised.

  It was a stupid thing to say, and I probably shouldnt have said it, but later on that night, when I was telling Chola Se what had happened, it had made her smile, so it was worth it in the end.

  We were in our room at Starrys house, sitting on the floor in front of the fire. Chola Se had cleaned up my stab wound again – licking away all the dried-up blood – and once shede examined the cut and was satisfied it wasnt infected, she began rebandaging my leg with a fresh strip of cloth.

  Tell me what Cruke told you again, she said. The bit about the vote.

  I knew she didnt actually need me to go over it all again – shede taken in every word the first time – and I guessed her real reason for asking me to repeat it was to make sure I understood what it meant to us. She neednt have worried though. Ide already been over it so many times – endlessly replaying Crukes words in my head – that I knew what it meant to us as well as Ide ever known anything. There was only one thing it could mean. As long as Cruke was telling the truth, and I couldnt think why he wouldnt be, we had no choice but to leave town as soon as possible.

  What else could we do?

  There was no doubt that Pilgrim was going to get his way, and once the vote was passed – making relationships between dogchilds a crime – wede be arrested and thrown into prison. And we both knew what that meant. Wede end up like Yael – found hanged in our cells.

  So if we wanted to carry on living, and carry on being together---

  We have to leave, dont we? Chola Se said. We cant stay here anymore.

  I looked at her. Her face was pale in the light of the flames, and despite the fiery determination that burned in her eyes, I knew she was just as frightened as I was.

  We should have gone when you said, I told her. Ime sorry. I should have listened to you.

  You did listen. And I listened to you. Thats the way it works, Jeet.

  Yeh, but I was wrong, wasnt I? I should have —

  It doesnt matter what we should have done. All that matters is now, okay?

  Yeh.

  Weare going, arent we?

  Yeh, I said, taking hold of her hand. Weare going. We have to.

  We smiled at each other then.

  We were going---

  At last.

  We were going home.

  When Chola Se had finished bandaging my wound, I got up and walked around the room, testing my leg. It was still quite stiff, but it felt strong enough, and there was virtually no pain at all.

  What about Cruke? Chola Se said, throwing the old bandage on the fire. Pilgrims still going to find out he talked to you, isnt he? In fact, he probably knows already. So as soon as we leave, hese still going to know that Cruke tipped us off.

  I know, I said. But what can we do? The only way we can keep Cruke safe is by staying here.

  And if we stay here, weare dead.

  Exactly.

  She went quiet for a while then – crouching down in front of the fire, staring thoughtfully into the flames – and I think she was beginning to realize that there was more to us leaving than just what it meant to us. It affected other people too. It had consequences.

  What about Starry? she said quietly.

  Hele understand.

  Thats not what I meant.

  I looked at her, wishing that I didnt have to talk about Starry, but knowing I couldnt avoid it.

  Ile miss him, I said. Hese everything to me---Ile miss him so much I cant even imagine it. But he cant come with us, can he? The dogs would never accept him. And even if they did, hede never survive out there. He can manage well enough here with one leg, but out in the Deathlands---I shook my head. He wouldnt stand a chance. So he cant come with us, and we cant stay here---and thats it really. I dont like it, but thats how it is.

  We dont have to go tonight, Chola Se said. I mean, if you want to spend a bit more time with Starry before we go —

  No, I said firmly. We have to go tonight. We cant leave during the day, so if we dont go tonight wele have to wait another 24 hours, and a lot can happen in 24 hours. We cant risk it. We need to get going as soon as we can. Starry will be back soon anyway, and weve still got to work out how weare going to get out of here. So at least wele see him before we go---

  He should be back already, shouldnt he? Chola Se said. Hese not usually this late.

  I went over to the window and opened the shutters. It was an icy black night, the heat of the day a distant memory, and way out across the sea a bloodred moon was hanging low on the horizon. It was nearly full, just a sliver missing from one side, and the air around it was ringed with a crystal-white halo. The sea was so still and flat that the moons crimson reflection barely shimmered on the surface.

  It was gone midnight, I realized. And Chola Se was right. Starry was usually back by now.

  Do you think hese all right? she asked.

  I remembered him telling us the day before that he was going to do some digging around to see what he could find out about Pilgrim, and only that morning hede said something about Yael – I cant prove anything, hede told us, not yet anyway---Ile know more about it by the time I get back tonight---Ile tell you everything then---

  I was beginning to feel something now.

  Not fear exactly. But something very close to it.

  He didnt say where he was going, did he? Chola Se said.

  No.

  Maybe hese visiting friends or something, she suggested. Is there anyone he sees regularly? Someone close to him maybe?

  I shook my head. He mentions an old friend of his sometimes, and I think he might see them every now and then, but hese never told me who it is. I dont think theyre close though. And he wouldnt be visiting them tonight anyway.

  Why not?

  Because he promised hede tell us what hede found out about Yael tonight. He wouldnt just forget about that. He wouldnt leave us waiting here while he went off to see some old friend of his---he just wouldnt do it.

  Maybe hese just out delivering something? Chola Se said. Theyre working round the clock on some of the battle preparations---maybe someone needed something from Starrys scrap collection, and instead of coming round to pick it up, they ordered Starry to bring it to them---

  Hese been gone for hours, I pointed out.

  Maybe they put him to work on something when he got there.

  Yeh, maybe---

  Ime sure hele be back soon, she said.

  I nodded, but without much conviction. I wanted to believe it was as simple as that, but something inside me was telling me it wasnt.

  I can usually sense a coming presence.

  Whenever Ime waiting for someone, I can usually imagine how its going be when they arrive – the door opening, the look on their face, the sound of their voice---I can pic
ture it all as clearly as if it had already happened. But that night, waiting for Starry, I couldnt see anything. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldnt picture him coming through the door.

  What is it, Jeet? Chola Se said. Whats the matter?

  Nothing, I said, gazing out at the icy darkness. Its just--- its nothing.

  I closed the shutters and turned to face her.

  We need to start working out how weare going to get out of town, I said. Any ideas?

  What about the tunnel we used when we came back from the Dau camp---the little one that goes under the wall?

  I shook my head. There are Fighters watching it all the time. Its impossible to get to it without being seen.

  The sea? The cliffs?

  Wede never make it.

  Its going to have to be the wall then, isnt it?

  As she closed her eyes, her brow furrowed in thought, I wondered if she was just thinking things through – the practicalities of going out over the wall – or if she was thinking back to the night of her abduction, trying to access her vacant memory---

  Had she really been taken out over the wall that night, as Pilgrim had claimed? Or had Pilgrim taken her out through the tunnel? And was that why the tunnel was still fresh with his scent?

  I assume theres some rope in the house? Chola Se said, her eyes open again.

  Yeh, I told her, down in the basement---theres miles of it.

  Right, she said confidently, its simple really. All we have to do is climb up to the top of one of the watchtowers – the West End Tower is probably the best – then fix the rope to the battlements in the turret, throw it over the side, and climb down.

  What about the guard in the tower?

  Wele just have to deal with that.

  Deal with it?

  I dont mean permanently.

  Okay.

  So what do you think? she said.