THE CLEARING (17 page)

Chapter Thirty

*

I barely noticed our journey through The Close to the North Canonry where Connor and Liss were being held. My mind was too full of what we were about to do. Annabelle took us a circuitous route, up close to the walls and hidden within the shadows of dark silent buildings and autumnal trees. Above the spattering rain and the gusting winds, the sound of a rushing river soon became audible.

We were soaked to the skin but I didn’t care about that; the weather helped keep us concealed. Several times, we had to slip out of view as the occasional hooded figure glided into view, but we were making progress, gradually drawing closer to the cathedral. Soon Grey’s impressive house towered before us like a fairy tale castle.

We had approached the rear of the building, but it was still magnificent from this angle, even in the dark. I made out one solitary light in an upstairs window. The rest of the house was an eerie silhouette of pointed roofs and chimneys, dwarfed only by the cathedral spire behind it. The mansion and its grounds were encircled by a razor-topped red brick wall, but the house was visible through a set of spiked wrought iron gates, its dark lawns spread out before it. We stood well back, bowed and shivering behind a clump of bushes.

‘How did you break out of there?’ Luc whispered to Annabelle.

‘One of Mary’s keys opens the back gate,’ she replied. ‘I had to time it right so the guards didn’t see me.’

‘Let’s hope Mary don’t wake up and notice her keys have gone missing,’ Denzil said.

I tapped Denzil on the shoulder and pointed as one of Grey’s creepy guards came into view. He drifted slowly past the back gate, like a ghost, the wind pulling at his robes, making them swirl and billow.

‘I think there are four of them guarding the outside of the house,’ Annabelle said. ‘Plus two at the front gates.’

‘We’ll leave those two till last and take the patrols out first,’ Denzil said. ‘Riley, I’ll need you to distract them one by one. Okay?’

I nodded.

The guard had disappeared around the corner, but after a few seconds another one came into view.

‘Annabelle, give Riley your cloak. Riley, we’ll go round the side, where it’s less exposed. You distract the first guard - pretend to need his help or something - and I’ll clock him over the head with my revolver. Not very sophisticated, but it should work.’

‘What do you want me to do?’ Luc asked.

‘Help me drag the bodies into the trees over there.’ Denzil pointed to a nearby copse. ‘Then we’ll secure them. There’s twine in my backpack. Once we start this thing we’re gonna have to move really quick in case any of ‘em wake up. Are you ready, guys?’

I was more than ready. I was itching to do this. As I pulled Annabelle’s sodden cloak around my shoulders, I briefly wondered where my fear had gone. I raised the deep hood over my head and nodded to Denzil.

‘Be careful,’ Luc said.

In the small delay between patrols, we darted around the side of the house, keeping to the trees and bushes. I made out the receding shape of one of the guards drifting away towards the front of the house. As soon as the next one appeared around the corner, Denzil nodded to me. The blood whooshed in my head as I stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the guard, my hands clasped together to stop them trembling,

‘Please can you help me?’ I called out. I didn’t want to speak too loudly in case I attracted the attention of one of the other guards, but I had to make myself heard above the wind and rain.

The guard stopped and turned around to face me. His hand went immediately to his waist where I saw the glint of a sword. But his fingers curled around his pistol. Before he had a chance to draw it, Denzil had come up behind him and cracked him on the head. He crumpled to the ground and Denzil and Luc dragged him back into the trees, out of sight. I ran back with them, my heart thumping. Surely it couldn’t be that easy?

Another guard came around the corner, but I wasn’t ready for him. We’d only just reached the trees. I let him pass and waited for the next one.

When the next hooded figure appeared, I called out to him as before. He stopped and turned, tilting his head to the side, his hood a faceless void. He went down as easily as the first. The next two were exactly the same.

We had incapacitated all four guards. Luc and Denzil dragged the last body into the bushes while I stood watch. But then I heard a shout behind me:

‘Halt! Show your face.’

I froze for a second before turning around. It was a fifth guard. I had to think fast.

‘Oh please,’ I cried, approaching him. ‘You have to help me. My mother has collapsed and I need a doctor.’

The figure hesitated. But his earlier cry had alerted another guard who now appeared around the corner.

‘What are you doing out here at this late hour?’ the guard said.

‘Please, come and help me. My mother, she’s over here . . .’ I turned to lead them into the trees where the others were hidden.

‘Wait.’

I stopped and the man took a firm hold of my arm.

‘You wait here,’ he said to the other guard. And then he walked with me into the trees, now gripping my arm so tightly it hurt. Once we were out of sight of his colleague, he received the same treatment as the others, as Denzil knocked him out.

‘What are we going to do about him?’ I said, tilting my head towards the waiting guard. I could see him standing there, his body hesitant, nervy. He took a step towards the trees, but I could tell he wasn’t sure what to do.

‘As long as there aren’t any others, we’ll wait,’ Denzil said. ‘Let him come to us.’

But the guard had other ideas and after a few more moments’ indecision, he turned and ran. Denzil didn’t hesitate. He took off at a sprint and tackled the man to the ground. They slid across the sodden grass. Luc ran after him but I stayed with Annabelle, realising that if they got caught, they might need us to free them.

‘I’m sorry,’ Annabelle said. ‘There are usually only four guards patrolling outside. They must’ve put more on since Liss tried to escape.’

‘It’s not your fault,’ I said. ‘We couldn’t have done any of this without you.’

I chewed my nails and watched the tangle of figures on the ground, praying no one else would appear from around the corner. Rain dripped from my hood and ran in rivulets down my face. I couldn’t make out who was who. ‘They’ll be okay. They’ll be okay,’ I said, more to reassure myself than anything else.

After what seemed like an eternity, Luc and Denzil finally subdued the guard and carried him over towards us. They dumped him next to the others.

‘We’ll have to be quick now,’ Denzil said. ‘Those guards on the front gates will be wondering where the patrols are. Riley, you’re gonna have to do your thing.’

I nodded.

‘Annabelle, Luc, wait here,’ Denzil said. ‘We’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Luc, secure them guards with twine. Any of them buggers wakes up, you put ‘em back to sleep again.’

‘No problem. Be careful, Riley. You too, Denzil.’

I followed Denzil along the side wall. We stopped at the end and Denzil peered around the corner. He immediately pulled his head back.

‘The front guards; they’re coming this way.’

‘Lie face down on the ground like you’re hurt,’ I said. And before Denzil had a chance to stop me, I ran around the corner.

The front of the house was obscured by a towering brick wall in front of which lay a grassy expanse. Two guards had been heading in my direction, but they stopped mid-stride at my approach. Their hooded figures momentarily frozen beneath a swaying tree, the rain hammering down around them.

‘Quick!’ I called to them. ‘Come quick. One of your guards is hurt. He’s here on the ground. He needs help.’

My skin crawled at their faceless stares. But my words hit home and they took the bait. I led them around the corner where Denzil lay inert on the ground. The guards passed in front of me to examine the figure.

‘That’s no guard,’ one of them said, his voice deep and monotone.

As he spoke Denzil span around and kicked upwards, catching him on the jaw. At the same time I was able to bash the other one on the back of the head with my revolver. But the blow wasn’t strong enough to knock him out and the gun slipped out of my hand, tumbling into the wet grass.

The guard staggered and put his hand to his head, but he soon recovered and went straight for his sword. Before he could draw it, I pulled out my knife. I knew the theory, but I’d never actually plunged a blade into living flesh. I’d have to do it now. It helped that I couldn’t see his face. I stabbed him with all the force I could muster, catching him in his side, making him stagger and fall to the ground. I held the bloody knife in my hands, staring at it. Denzil had already rendered the other guard unconscious. I hadn’t seen how.

I was out of breath, but Denzil was calm, dragging the two bodies out of sight. The one I’d stabbed was clutching his side, groaning. My side throbbed in sympathy, but I told myself not to have any compassion for these people. They were kidnappers and murderers. I wiped the dripping blade on my jeans and re-sheathed it. Then I retrieved my revolver from the ground and followed Denzil back around the house to the others. We still had much to do.

‘I hope no one was looking out any of them windows,’ Denzil muttered.

Luc stepped out of the trees and wrapped his arms around my soaking body.

‘You’re okay,’ he said.

‘I think I killed one of them.’

‘Don’t think about that,’ he said. ‘Think about freeing Lissy and freeing Connor and getting that evil bastard Grey. We’re going to save a lot of lives, okay?’ He pulled back and looked me in the eye. ‘You did what you had to.’

But shock was rising up in my throat and I felt like I was going to puke.
Got to hold it together, got to hold it together
. I wondered if I had really killed that guard.

‘We’d better go,’ Denzil said. ‘Good job, Riley.’

‘You too,’ I said, faking calmness.

Annabelle was already at the back gate. She pushed it open and we filed through, my mind still re-enacting the moment I’d stabbed the guard. It didn’t feel real.

‘Leave it closed but unlocked,’ Luc said. ‘So we can leave in a hurry if we need to.’

‘There are dogs,’ Annabelle said. ‘But they know me. They won’t hurt you if you stay close.’

Before she’d finished talking, four huge shapes came bounding across the lawn and I tried not to show any fear. Dogs didn’t generally scare me, but these were pretty vicious-looking. Annabelle had said they wouldn’t attack and I hoped she was right. They were large and slim, sleek and muscled with pointed ears. Not like any dog I’d ever seen before. They growled low and bared their teeth, saliva dripping and mingling with the rain, but Annabelle spoke softly to them and they soon calmed down. Then she said something harsh and they whined and trotted away.

‘Whatever you do, don’t come out here without me,’ she said. ‘I’ve only just gained their trust. Liss showed me how. She told me it was important.’

We followed Annabelle around the edge of the lawn, water sloshing in our boots. She led us to a back door and we slipped inside. It was a relief to be away from the constant slice of the rain, but I knew the relief wouldn’t last long.

Chapter Thirty One

*

The back door led us into a kitchen. It was unlit, but an outside light shone through the window, giving everything a ghostly glow. Annabelle beckoned us through into the hall. A staircase led up to a galleried landing, but we followed Annabelle into another room.

It was pitch black in here until Denzil switched on his torch. Annabelle opened a cupboard and passed us each a towel. I peeled off my soaking hood and attempted to dry my face and hair. Next, she opened another cupboard and took out a pile of folded clothes.

‘Guards robes,’ she whispered.

I undid the sodden cloak that Annabelle had lent me and let it drop to the floor. The clothes I wore underneath were just as wet, but there was nothing I could do about that now. I took the warm dry robes and pulled them over my head. The others did the same with theirs, pulling up the deep hoods which hid their faces.

I shuddered. We had transformed into Grey’s disciples and soon, once more, we would be face to face with the man himself. I realised Denzil was speaking. His voice sounded different, muffled behind the hood.

‘Before we get Connor and Lissy, we’ll have to clear the house of guards.’

‘Can’t we get Liss out first?’ Annabelle asked.

‘We need a cell key to do that. Are there any guards down in the cellar?’

Annabelle shook her head.

‘How many guards inside the house? In total.’

‘Not many,’ Annabelle said. ‘Grey doesn’t like them in the house. He prefers them to patrol outside. He only has his two main disciples in here, some servants and the Voice of the Father of course. He sleeps down the hall from our Father.’

‘The voice of the what?’ Luc said.

‘Liss’s brother, FJ,’ Annabelle explained. ‘He’s the Voice of the Father now. Our father cannot speak. He was attacked last month and lost his voice. FJ speaks for him now.’

It creeped me out hearing Annabelle refer to Grey as their father and even worse was FJ’s new name – the Voice of the Father – what was all that about? And then it dawned on me.

‘The fork,’ Luc and I cried in unison.

‘Shh,’ Denzil hissed.

Last time we were in The Close, while we were attempting to escape, Luc had shoved a fork down Grey’s throat. It must have damaged his vocal chords. It was an image I still had trouble shifting while trying to sleep at night. At the time we’d thought it might have killed him, but unfortunately he was still alive to fight another day.

Annabelle regarded us blankly.

‘No time to explain now,’ Luc said.

‘Let’s get the two guards first,’ Denzil said. ‘Annabelle, we’ll need you to show us where to go. Can you do that?’

‘Of course.’

She was braver than I would have been at her age. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her, growing up in such a harsh environment. I wondered how long she’d been here and how come she and Liss had managed to resist the brainwashing.

We followed Annabelle back out of the dark laundry room and re-emerged in the hallway. She pointed up the staircase. Denzil led the way as we crept up the stairs in a tight bunch. When we reached the landing, Annabelle pointed straight ahead. Beyond another small set of stairs lay a door.

‘That’s where our Father sleeps,’ she whispered.

‘Can you lock it from the outside?’ Denzil said.

Annabelle nodded and spent the next few seconds locating the correct key. She slotted it into the keyhole but shook her head.

‘There’s already a key in the other side of the lock.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll stand guard,’ Luc said. ‘Stop him escaping.’

Denzil nodded.

‘The Voice of the Father sleeps there,’ Annabelle said, pointing behind us up another couple of stairs.

Denzil mimed a locking action. Annabelle nodded and walked up the stairs. A few seconds later, she turned back, smiled and nodded.

‘And where are Grey’s guards?’ I whispered.

Denzil and I followed her back past Grey’s room; right and right again down a narrow corridor lined with doors. Annabelle pointed to the first door and the then the second. As she did so, the first door creaked open. I went for my gun and Annabelle shrieked in fright.

The man in the doorway wore a plain white robe; he was massive.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked, his voice thick with sleep, confusion clouding his face. We were dressed as Grey’s guards but he must have heard Annabelle’s scream. Then he glanced down and saw my gun trained on his chest. He looked startled but his shock soon turned to anger. His hands flailed around for a moment, then he stepped back and slammed the door in our faces. I should have used my weapon, but it was too late now.

Denzil immediately shouldered his way past us, and charged at the door, turning the handle at the same time. As the door flew open, the guard went for his gun which was hanging over the back of the chair, but Denzil kicked him in the face before he had a chance to grab it. The guard quickly recovered and dived for Denzil, grabbing him in a bear hug so they crashed onto the floor, rolling and throwing punches. After my initial shock, I gathered my wits and slammed my gun down onto the guard’s head.

‘Quick, Annabelle,’ I shouted. ‘Lock the other guard’s door before he gets out.’

‘Already done it,’ she said, as shouts and bangs emanated from within.

Denzil emerged from the first room, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

‘That’s one sorted,’ he said. ‘Nice work, Riley.’

Scuffling noises now came from around the corner. Then a gunshot.

‘Luc!’ I yelled. But before I could run to see what was happening, another shot rang out behind me followed by the splintering of wood. The second guard had fired his way out of the room and seized Annabelle by her hair. He held a gun in his right hand and was about to raise it when Denzil turned and shot him straight through the forehead, spraying blood over the wood-panelled walls.

The fatally wounded man let go of Annabelle, staggered and fell backwards into his room with a dull thud.

Silence descended.

Annabelle cowered on the ground, shaking. I wanted to comfort her, but there was no time. Shouts and grunts came from the direction of Grey’s room and I was terrified for Luc’s safety, especially after hearing that gunshot a moment ago.

Denzil turned to me. ‘I’m gonna check on Luc.’

‘I’m coming too,’ I said, grabbing Annabelle’s hand. I pulled her upright and led her out onto the landing. Luc was no longer outside Grey’s door. He must have gone in.

We now had the added problem that all the commotion had drawn the servants out of their rooms downstairs. Denzil pulled his hood over his face, leant down over the bannisters and shouted: ‘Get back to your rooms! It’s dangerous. Intruders! Lock your doors, Father’s orders!’ Then Denzil disappeared into Grey’s bedroom.

Meanwhile, thuds and bangs were coming from Freddie Junior’s room as he attempted to break down his door. I didn’t think he stood much of a chance unless he shot it open. The doors were solid. No time to worry about that now; I had to follow Denzil and see if Luc was okay. Annabelle had recovered herself enough to walk unaided and followed behind.

The door led into an empty office. Another door lay open at the far end and through it I heard a voice – Denzil’s.

‘Wait here,’ I said to Annabelle. I adjusted my hood and stole through the empty room, my body tensed in anticipation of what I might see beyond the next door. Terrified in case Luc or Denzil had been hurt or worse.

As I stepped through the open door, Denzil’s back blocked my view. I inhaled and stepped around him, my gun trembling in my hands.

Grey was standing behind his bed next to the window, his bedside lamp illuminating him in a long white nightshirt, his thin hair dishevelled. But his face wore a sneer, for he held Luc in front of him, the tip of a knife pointed at his throat.