The Enemy (43 page)

G
odzila was asleep in Ela’s lap. She was gently stroking his head and talking to him about Sam.

“I wish he was here, Godzil a. I real y miss him. I don’t like to think that I might never see him again, but every day I forget a little bit more about him.

What he looked like. How he spoke. It’s like he’s slowly disappearing. What I remember most is that he was smal . I’d do anything to make him come back.”

Godzil a yelped and wriggled out of her arms. He jumped off the bed, and El a chased him over to where Whitney was standing at the open bal room door, looking off down the East Gal ery.

Whitney saw Godzil a and grabbed him. She looked angry. “Who’s supposed to be looking after this dog?” she asked. El a looked like she was about to cry. “I’m sorry,” she said. Whitney’s expression softened. She handed the puppy to El a.

“Just keep him with you, darling,” she said kindly. “Al right?”

“Al right.”

As El a went back to her bed, Maeve came over to join Whitney.

“See anything?” she said.

“Not a lot. No, wait a minute, here comes Pod.”

In a moment Pod came bustling into the dormitory with two of David’s guards.

“What’s going on?” said Maeve. “There’s people running everywhere.”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” said Pod. “Some royals have escaped, that’s al . It’s a bit of a drag. We need some of your group to, like, come and help round them up, yeah?”

“Nothing to worry about?” Whitney exploded. “With grown-ups on the loose?”

“They’re harmless,” said Pod.

“No grown-up is harmless,” said Whitney.

“So why don’t you come and help look for them?”

“No way. I’m taking the kids somewhere safe, man.”

“Listen.” Pod offered Whitney a big cheesy grin. “It’s no big deal. Nothing to get upset about, yeah?”

“I’m taking everyone outside the building. Now. Into the yard.”

“You won’t be safe out there,” said Pod. “We’ve cal ed al the guards in to look for the royals.”

“We can look after ourselves, thank you very much,” said Whitney.

“No—you should stay here,” said Pod, trying to sound like he was in control. “If you keep the doors closed you’l be fine.”

“You don’t tel us what to do, rich boy,” said Whitney. “We’re going to the parade ground until this is al over. End of story.”

“Actual y, I real y do think you’l be a lot better off in here.” Pod’s smile was slipping.

“Like I care what you think,” said Whitney. “With Blue and Maxie not around, I’m in charge. And if I say we go outside, we go outside. When you’ve found your precious royals we’l come back in.”

Pod planted his feet wide apart and folded his arms. The smile had become a superior smirk now.

“You are not in charge here, actual y, babes,” he said. “I am.”

“Who you cal ing ‘babes’?” said Whitney, and she belted Pod hard in the stomach. He gasped and doubled over in pain. The two guards sprang to life, raising their rifles, but Big Mick and another of the Morrisons fighters had been standing ready. They seized the guns and wrenched them out of the boys’ hands.

“We’re going outside,” Whitney said coldly to the two guards. “You stay here and look after Pod.”

Pod had col apsed on to the floor and was sitting with his back against the wal , clutching his bel y.

“It’s al right,” he groaned. “Let them go.”

T
hree royals shuffled down a long corridor lined with paintings of past British kings and queens. They looked bewildered. David was waiting for them, one of his guards at his side. Apart from his freckles and a red flush across his cheekbones, David’s skin was bone white. He was absolutely livid.

He held up his hand.

“Stop!” he shouted, his voice firm and clear.

One of the royals moaned. It was the young man with the bloated face. He was the son of a duke. He’d once been something of a party animal. Now he was a shambling wreck whose brain was so riddled with disease you could hardly even cal it a brain anymore. It was just a tangle of damaged nerve endings, randomly firing off, as if someone had poured water into a fuse box.

He walked on.

“I command you,” David said, louder this time, “to stop.”

Stil the royals staggered down the corridor. Whining, stiff-legged, red-eyed.

The guard turned to David. Scared. “They’re not going to stop,” he said.

“They wil stop,” David snapped, and he stepped forward.

The young royal sped up, his arms stretched out. Drool was pouring from his open mouth and had soaked his filthy shirt.

There was a deafening bang, and the corridor fil ed with smoke. The royal went down, a bul et in his skul .

“You idiot!” David yel ed, wrenching the gun from the guard’s grasp. “That was the Marquess of Tavistock!”

He battered the guard to the floor with the butt of his rifle.

“You can’t go shooting them, you moron,” he said. “We need them alive. They’re no bloody danger.”

Another royal, a middle-aged duchess, grabbed hold of David’s sleeve, and he angrily shoved her away. She hit the wal and gulped with surprise.

David hauled his shaking guard to his feet. “Grab hold of them and drag them back to their room, for God’s sake,” he commanded. “Just don’t let them bite you.”

Jester appeared, running down the corridor with Rose.

“Any sign of the rest of them?” he cal ed out.

“Not yet,” said David. “It’s only a matter of time, though. They won’t have gotten far. They’re too stupid. But how the hel did they get out?”

“The door was forced,” said Jester.

“Was anybody guarding them?”

“Not as far as I know. We don’t always keep a guard on them. And with two of your boys tied up at the sick bay . . .”

“So someone let them out?”

“Looks like it.”

“Could it be the squatters?”

Jester shrugged. “It could be the Hol oway kids. Maybe they’re up to something.”

“I want you to find whoever did this, Jester, and I want them punished. Properly punished.”

“Okay.”

“And where the bloody hel ’s Pod?”

“Last I saw him he was heading for the bal room.”

“Right. Come with me.” David strode off down the corridor.

“Where are we going?” said Jester, hurrying after him.

“To the bal room.”

B
ig Nose was faling asleep. His head kept nodding forward and jerking him back awake. He could hear people moving around in the palace below and wished he could join them. It was very quiet up here. No sound came from behind the door. The murmur of voices from the sick bay had died away. He was utterly, utterly fed up.

He closed his eyes for a moment. The sound of hurrying footsteps died away. He was drifting off again. Dark fizzy milk fil ed his head. Bubbles swam and burst. He had a brief flash of a memory. Being on vacation in Florida. A giant Mickey Mouse.

Mickey cal ed out his name. His head jerked forward; he opened his eyes with a grunt.

There were two boys standing there.

Two of the newcomers.

He recognized one. It was Achil eus, the one who’d been in the fight with the squatter. He’d missed that as wel . The other one was tal and skinny with a messy Afro.

“What are you doing up here?” he said, struggling to look like he was on top of things.

“The royals have gotten out,” said Achil eus.

“I know.”

“They need your help. It’s wild down there, man.”

“I’m not al owed to leave my post.”

“We’l take over,” said Achil eus. He and his friend were casual y edging closer as they talked. But casual y enough for Big Nose not to notice.

“You can’t,” he said, standing up and leveling his gun. “You’re newcomers, you might try to—”

The boy had been concentrating on Achil eus; he knew his reputation. The other boy looked too laid back to be much of a threat. Suddenly, though, he moved. And with startling strength and speed. Before the guard knew it, the newcomer had him pinned to the wal his rifle trapped, uselessly, between their bodies.

“Don’t make a sound, cowboy,” said Lewis, and he grinned at him. “Or I’l bust your face.”

Big Nose nodded.

“We’re not very good at this sneaking-up business,” said Achil eus. “We should have just rushed him.”

“Take his gun,” said Lewis, “before he shoots me in the foot.”

Inside the room, Maxie and Blue had silently forced the window open and were seeing if there was any way they could remove the bars that blocked it.

They turned together as the door swung open.

One of the guards from outside, the one with the big nose, stumbled into the room. Behind him came Lewis and Achil eus, who was carrying the guard’s rifle.

Maxie set her face into a cold mask. “What do you want?”

“It’s like that scene in
Star Wars
,” said Lewis. “We’ve come to rescue you.”

Maxie laughed without much humor.

“Straight up,” said Achil eus. “And you’d better hurry, we ain’t got much time before David realizes what’s going on.”

“I don’t get it,” said Maxie. “I thought you were on his side.”

“That prick?” said Achil eus. “You got to be kidding me. The only side I’m on is
my
side. And as I see it, that’s your side too, Maxie. And yours, Blue.”

“You can count me in,” said the girl from the museum.

“Who’s she?” said Achil eus.

“I’l explain later,” said Maxie. “Al you need to know for now is that she’s coming with us.”

“Fair enough.”

“Where’s everyone else?” said Maxie.

“If it’s al gone according to plan, Whitney should be waiting for us outside on the parade ground with the other kids. We’re al going over the fence.

We’ve had to keep it quiet in case David found anything out. So far so good.”

“But David’s bound to find out what’s going on,” said Maxie. “He’l try and stop us.”

“We created a diversion,” said Lewis. “Let out his pets. With any luck the palace bozos are going to be way too busy to notice we’ve gone until it’s too late.”

“My man,” said Blue, and he gave Lewis a hug.

Achil eus looked at Maxie. “You want a hug?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.”

They went to the door and checked that the coast was clear.

“Wait!” Big Nose shouted, and they turned around, ready for anything.

“Take me with you.”

“What?”

“I’ve had enough of David’s crap. Please. Take me with you. He’l only punish me if I stay.”

“Fine with me,” said Achil eus. “But if you try any funny stuff, Big Nose, you’re sausage meat.”

Five minutes later the six of them burst out through the front arch onto the parade ground, where they found the entire Hol oway crew assembled in battle formation, ready to leave. Maxie laughed and whooped and tilted her face up into the rain to shout “Yes!” at the top of her voice.

Paddy the Caddy hobbled over to Achil eus, struggling beneath the weight of his golf bag and Achil eus’s shield.

“You need your spear yet, Akkie?”

“Not yet, caddy boy. Give me one of them cans, though.”

Whitney gave the order, and the whole group marched toward the already open gates. Maxie could hardly believe it. Ten minutes ago everything had looked hopeless. And now they were walking to freedom.

It wasn’t over yet, though.

As they were trooping out onto the road, there came a shout from the balcony.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

It was David. He had Jester and five guards with him. The guards were training their rifles down toward the block of kids.

“We’re off,” said Maxie. “You blew it. That’s al you need to know.”

“I don’t think so!” David shouted. “You go any farther and I’l order my guards to open fire. And don’t think I won’t, because—”

There was a sharp crack and one of the guards fel back with a cry.

He’d been hit by a slingshot. From this distance it wouldn’t kil him, but it sure would hurt. Maxie looked around. Ol ie was already fitting another steel bal into its pouch and pul ing back the rubber band. His skirmishers were with him. The next moment a hailstorm of shot was rattling up onto the balcony.

David’s guards ducked down and cowered behind the parapet, Jester ran back indoors, and David was left crouching behind a pil ar.