Renegade (7 page)

He tells me they had their blindfolds removed after being brought to the room and that they were given something to eat and drink. We both understand why they couldn’t show us the route
into their hideout and no one seems to have been hurt. It is nice to hear him speaking without that speckle of fear under his words – but then he spoils it by asking if I think my mother is
safe. I sit up and open my eyes, telling him that I think she and Colt are fine, but it is Opie who falls into my head. His hands, his arms, his eyes.

Opie and Imrin.

The others are either asleep or pretending to be as I pack the tortoise back into my bag. ‘It’s from your story,’ I tell Imrin when he questions why I have it. At first I think
he is going to say something else but he smiles in the way he used to when we first met. The way that makes me feel as if I am the only person who matters.

Imrin and Opie.

‘I have to find Knave,’ I say. ‘Stay and tell the others that we’re safe here. Frank is being looked after but he’s not in a good way. I’ll be back
later.’

I wonder if he is going to ask if he can come but he nods and ties my bag shut. ‘I’ll look after the tortoise for you,’ he says with a grin.

The corridors are empty but it doesn’t take me long to find the intersection and I trace the steps back towards the room where I was first introduced to Knave. He is there with Vez as I
knock and let myself in.

‘We have water if you want to wash,’ Knave says.

‘Do I look that bad?’

Even Vez smiles. ‘It’s the smell I was worried about,’ Knave replies, winking.

Vez apologises for how we were treated the previous evening but I tell him I understand. Of the two, Vez seems more like the adult but it is clear from the way he looks at Knave that the blond
man is in charge. There are more questions as they ask how I slept, before offering me some water to drink, which I greedily accept. It is only when Knave asks how my body is feeling that I realise
my legs do not hurt any longer. The dull ache in my shoulder is still there but I have become so used to it that it barely registers any more.

Eventually, Vez pulls the table away from the wall and we sit next to each other looking at two connected thinkpads.

‘These don’t work on the regular network of thinkpads,’ Knave says, pointing towards a red spot on the screen. ‘This is your map. There are eight other rebel groups
marked on here but we only know of five of them. I’m not sure if that means there are more of us than we thought, or if the Kingsmen captured or killed someone acting individually and mistook
it for something it wasn’t.’

‘They’re all in the South,’ I point out.

Vez nods. ‘There are other rebels around the country but it’s better if we don’t know too much. If someone is captured, they have nothing to tell.’

The two men look at each other, before glancing back to me. ‘I know you were scared by the coverage I showed you last night,’ Knave says. ‘But we also think it could be an
opportunity. We are slowly getting organised but people are worried for their families and themselves. It isn’t easy standing up against the King.’

I shake my head, missing their point.

Vez leans across the table, his voice low. ‘You’re the person who can bring us all together.’

‘How?’

‘Everyone thinks you tried to kill the King.’

‘But I didn’t.’

They glance at each other again before Knave replies. ‘No one else needs to know that. As soon as we tell the other rebel cells that we have Silver Blackthorn on our side, they’ll
know that we stand for something.’

I look from Knave to Vez. Their eyes are fixed on me expectantly. ‘I’m not who you want me to be. I’m a sixteen-year-old girl.’

Their excitement is unaffected. ‘You’re already who you need to be just by being here,’ Knave replies.

The red dots on the screen blink hypnotically as I sense Vez and Knave’s expectation.

‘I’m not going to do it,’ I say as firmly as I can.

For a moment, neither of them says anything but I look up to see the same fire in Vez’s eyes that I saw before I knew his name. The danger from when he was in the woods, asking who I was.
‘Why not?’ he asks.

‘Because I don’t want to. I didn’t come here for me – I came because I wanted everyone else to be safe. You haven’t told me a plan, all you’ve said is that
you have people who want to fight. But what’s the point in fighting when the King has men and weapons that can wipe out entire towns and villages? This isn’t a war you’re going to
win by fighting. I thought you’d have a plan that was . . .
different.
’

Vez starts to speak but Knave cuts him off. ‘Do you have a better idea?’

I pause, thinking, wishing I did. ‘Not yet.’ I don’t want to give either of them time to contradict me, so add quickly: ‘What’s the problem with your
communications?’

Vez is angry but trying to hide it and Knave answers. ‘We don’t know. We usually have test signals once a week, which are designed to let each other know we’re still here.
We’ve not heard anything in four weeks. Sometimes there are glitches and certain pockets are cut off but we haven’t heard anything from anyone.’

‘Did you say everything was centralised in Middle England?’

Vez turns to Knave, apparently annoyed he has given up the information, but the blond man ignores him. ‘We have a contact in the North building at the Middle England junction. Their code
name is Rom.’

‘You don’t know who it is?’

‘No, it’s safer that way. They help our groups talk to each other but we’ve not been able to contact them either. We think there’s a problem in Middle England, as opposed
to with the other rebel groups, but we don’t know for sure.’

‘I’m good with electrical things. If I go to Middle England, I can try to fix it after finding your Rom.’

Vez laughs dismissively but Knave remains silent.

‘Where I grew up, there were all sorts of abandoned electrical items,’ I add. ‘I learned how electronics worked and built things of my own. In the castle, I set up that
broadcast and helped to get everyone out.’

They don’t seem as impressed as I’d hoped.

‘Do you trust me?’ I eventually ask.

They both shake their heads. ‘It’s not about trust,’ Knave replies. ‘A lot of lives rely on people like Rom. We don’t know who he or she is, so why would you be
able to find them, let alone sort out our problem? For all we know, Rom is dead.’

I’m not sure how to reply but Vez cuts in. ‘If she can’t be who we need her to be, then an enemy’s enemy . . .’

He could be saying that we should be allies but I understand what he means underneath that – if I won’t do what they want, then I am disposable.

I stand, knowing there is nothing more to be said. I only know what I have seen on screen and in the brief moments I passed through on the train. Middle England is perhaps the most defended
place in the country after Windsor Castle and isn’t a place where we’ll be able to keep a dozen people safe. ‘Will you look after everyone I leave behind?’

Knave nods.

‘We’re happy to share what we have with you,’ I say. ‘But any food you can spare for us to take would be appreciated. I’ll see you in an hour.’

* * *

As I re-enter our room, half-a-dozen people start chattering at once. They want to know if I am okay and if we are safe. I tell them everything I know, saying that I think we
can be secure here but that if anyone wants to leave, they will be allowed to as long as they don’t mind being blindfolded as they are led out. Nobody moves, which in one way is flattering
and wonderful but in another again makes me realise quite how much responsibility I have for everyone.

Nobody says it but there is the obvious question hanging between us: what now?

I don’t tell them about Knave and Vez wanting me to be their figurehead; instead I say that I am going to Middle England and that I need a small team of people to help me. Everyone
volunteers to come but I don’t need to be particularly adept at reading expressions to know that some would much rather stay in the relative safety here. Faith and Imrin are my obvious
companions and Jela is someone who is hard to turn down. She more than anyone has a score to settle with the King but taking her means it would be tough to say no to Pietra. I tell Hart he should
stay to recover but he assures me he is fine and says he will follow anyway. The fact he stifles a cough while replying isn’t convincing but he leaves me little choice.

I tell Bryony that she should stay safe and she nods an acceptance I know is also relief. She takes Pietra’s hand, hugs her tightly and tells her that she is forgiven for her betrayal at
Windsor Castle. Pietra hugs her back, tears streaming down her face.

After that there is nothing more we can say. Pietra dries her eyes while the rest of us pack our bags and head through the corridors.

Knave meets us at the intersection but there is no sign of Vez. Instead there are two others I don’t recognise. They help us fill our bags with food and water, before Knave presses my
knife into my hand and offers the others their choice of blade.

‘We don’t have much,’ he says. ‘But you can bet most people out there will have some sort of weapon.’

He tells me again about the capture squads, that there was more about it on the screen last night and that we shouldn’t trust anyone. I tell him we will wear blindfolds on the way out if
he wants us to, but he shakes his head.

‘You’ll need to find us again when you return,’ he adds with a smile.

He leads us up a narrow flight of steps which seem different to the ominous echoes under the blindfold from the night before. At the top is a hatch that he unbolts and pushes upwards with his
shoulder and a grunt of exertion. One by one everyone steps outside until it is just Knave and me.

His blue eyes look at me crookedly with fascination. ‘Do you know how many times I’ve left this village since the day I arrived?’ he asks.

I shake my head.

‘Not once. I’ve stayed here and tried to make things happen from this little hole in the ground. You’ve been here less than a day and already you’re happy to trek across
the country to benefit people you don’t even know.’

I feel awkward standing slightly below him on the steps and shrug because I don’t know what he wants me to say. He opens his arms and, without thinking, I find myself embracing him,
letting him hug me.

‘Good luck, Silver Blackthorn,’ he says. ‘I’ll see you again soon.’

As the hatch is slammed behind me, I look down at what appears to be a patch of rubble. A thin layer of gravel and a few larger stones have been stuck to the exit. Even close
up, it would be hard to detect this was anything but another patch of debris. I peer around to see the remains of the church and realise I probably stepped on this exact spot when I was here with
Faith. Even though they took us a longer route in the blindfolds, it was simply to hide their real location.

It’s not the best disguise but I scrape my silver streak backwards and pull the hat down until my head is covered and then we start to head north.

With a smaller group, I am happier about us travelling together but as soon as we cross into a field with a large overgrown hedge shielding it from the road, I tell everyone that I want to wait
here until it is dark and that we should travel at night and rest during the day.

‘How far away is Middle England?’ Jela asks.

‘Probably three nights depending on how quickly we go. If we’re walking at night, we won’t have the sun to guide us, so we’ll have to be smart. My watch is working, so we
can look for landmarks such as rivers.’

‘We’re going to be walking close to my village,’ Faith says, but doesn’t specifically ask if we can make a detour.

‘We can’t risk being seen by anyone that might recognise you,’ I reply. ‘Everyone knows you escaped with me and they’ll assume that if you’re around, then so
am I.’

‘You sent messages to all our parents about getting to safety before we escaped. I know where mine would have headed and they won’t be with other people. If they got it, we’ll
know that everyone else’s family should be safe too.’

I take a moment to consider this and can’t fault her logic. It would be nice to know that my mother and Colt got my instructions. The worst case scenario is that Faith’s family
didn’t get it. From what Knave told me, none of our families has been paraded on screen, which would surely have happened if they had been captured. In the faces of Jela, Pietra, Hart and
Imrin, I can see they would like to know if their loved ones are safe.

‘You’ll have to direct us on our final day,’ I say. ‘We’ll have to be careful.’

I catch Hart’s eye as he coughs and covers his mouth with his hand. I start to ask how he is and then remember how annoying it is when Imrin keeps asking me the same thing.

I tell everyone that even though it is daytime and we have slept recently, they should try to rest as much as they can. I then divide us into watch teams, pairing Imrin with Pietra –
knowing she is the weakest and he is the strongest – and Faith with Hart, thinking that her common sense will compensate for his injury. I take the first shift with Jela because I know she
won’t want to talk about what could happen next.

While the others nestle themselves into the tallest clumps of grass, Jela and I edge along the hedgerow until we are at the top of a slope where we can see for a few miles in each direction. The
sky is mottled with a grey haze of cloud that bobs gently in the breeze. We flatten a patch of grass and use the remaining tall stems to shield us from view. I check the stream that runs along the
length of the field against the map on my thinkwatch, making sure we are still heading towards Middle England and telling Jela which direction we should take that night, if only to clarify my own
thoughts.

‘How do you do it?’ she asks as we settle down to keep watch.

‘What?’

‘All of this. If I had everyone waiting for my next instruction and hanging on my words, it would drive me crazy, but it doesn’t even faze you. One minute we’re being led into
that place under the church blindfolded, and the next you have the main guy giving us food and wishing us well. That took less than a day.’