Watershed (45 page)

‘Come on, Jem,' she urged, fierce and determined. ‘Keep moving. Keep going.'

But I couldn't. The long passage seemed endless, curving and curving, and every breath was harder and harder, my brain screaming orders, my body doing its own thing. The wound in my thigh felt like it was opening up further with every step, my chest too battered to fill with the air I needed, and all I could do was lurch to a stop, the wall my new friend, supporting my weight.

‘Give me – a minute. Please!'

She looked back, despairing, and we both heard the clamour: gunshots, the clash of metal, roars of triumph and screams of defeat. She was right to worry. The Watch were holding on, giving us the time we needed, but there was no knowing how long they'd last, or if and when that alarm would sound, bringing fresh Guards.

Shit.
I sighed and pushed myself off the wall, limping a few more steps, resting, then limping again. Slow going, but at least we were moving. And she didn't urge any more, just stayed with me, her hand light on my arm. But she kept looking back too, searching for any sign of her husband.

‘You should've run,' I told her.

‘I couldn't leave you.'

Five more paces and another stop. ‘I gotta ask. The knife. How – when?'

‘Ballard.' There was so much misery in that single word, and I remembered her bent over her knees, weeping for her brother.

‘Fuck, Alex, I'm sorry. I couldn't –'

‘I know.'

Another five, and I paused again. ‘Kinda pissed you did it without me, though.'

She gave a small, strangled sob. ‘Don't joke. Not now.'

‘Yeah. Sorry.' I managed seven steps before sagging against the wall, fighting for air and trying not to think of the fifty or so still to go. Fuck! I was never going to make it.

‘Jem – what Garrick did – what's going on?' she asked.

‘I dunno,' I said. It wasn't a complete lie, but this wasn't the time for difficult questions and harder answers. ‘We'll find out soon enough.'

She eyed the passage ahead uneasily, then twisted back again; there was still no sign of Cade, and I watched her draw the cloak tighter around her body.

‘Here,' I said, straightening a little to fumble with my belt and pull it free. Mindful of her wound, and with shaking hands, I fastened it around her as gently as I could. I had no idea why Reed hadn't used his knife on her again to torment me; I was just thankful he hadn't. ‘Better?'

Alex nodded and gave a weak smile. ‘Yes.'

‘Then let's do this.' Somehow finding the strength, I began hobbling again, one hand to the wall, the other on her shoulder to lessen the pain in my leg, and I kept my eyes down, grunting with every pitiful step while the noise behind us began to fade. Finally we were making some progress, following the curve and feeling faint hope. Until Alex stopped dead.

‘Oh my God.'

Hearing it, feeling the sudden tension in her body, I looked up, expecting the worst, knowing I was in no shape to deal with it. But worst is a relative thing, and sometimes what you'd hoped never to face appears at just the right time to help. I could see the gate up ahead, and the dark opening to the stairs – the passageway no longer empty, filled not with Guards, but with Watchmen. Half and half, Garrick had said, the first to attack, the rest to defend; all part of the plan I hadn't been trusted to know.

A single shout, and a couple of them sprinted towards us; a faint click as Alex opened up her knife.

‘Don't,' I said, grabbing her wrist and forcing it down.

She struggled, angry, determined, afraid. ‘No! I can't go down there again.'

‘Yes, you can,' I said, and turned her to face me. I pressed my mouth to her forehead. ‘With me. We'll go together, okay?'

The Watchmen were nearing, still shouting at us to move, but she wouldn't, or couldn't, instead craning to see past me, to what she knew was still behind us.

‘This is the only way, Alex. You'll be safe. I –'

But I wasn't able to finish and she was given no more time to argue. Both of us cowered, the piercing wail of a horn shrill enough to drown thought and word. The alarm had finally been sounded.

Making it to the last step and through the gate, I slid down the wall with relief, taking the flask thrust at me by one of the Watchmen and draining it, breathing in the familiar close air and letting my eyes adjust to the brighter gloom; ahead and to each side stretched the rounded tunnels I knew so well, a hundred or so metres away was my cot and, kneeling at my feet, gripping my hand in hers, was the woman I wanted more than any other. It was strange, but I felt as though I'd come home.

We could hear the clamour above us: Garrick barking out the orders and, as at the other gates, a steady pounding of metal on wood as the door was barricaded, sealing out any Guards and shutting us in. Alex watched anxiously as, one by one, Watchmen spilled into the tunnel to crowd the space: Piggott first, the rest behind him. Last was Taggart. And Cade. Crying her relief, Alex dropped my hand and leapt up to hug him. I watched her draw him away, across the tunnel to the far wall; watched and let it happen, still not getting it, but not worrying too much about it either. This was her right and whatever he had with her, it wasn't what I had; whatever she sought from him, it wasn't what she took from me. There'd be time enough later to deal with the rest.

Looming over me, silent and grey, Taggart gave a rough pat to my shoulder. A done-good acknowledgement, a thank you, maybe relief, I didn't know.

Garrick burst through the gate, blood-soaked and grinning. ‘Reckon they're onto us?' he asked Taggart.

But the old man was counting heads. The Watchmen were blowing hard, a few of them torn. Banging and shouts still echoed from the top of the stairs. ‘Dillon?' he asked.

‘Gone,' Garrick replied shortly, before dismissing the rest of the men with orders. There'd be no rest for the wicked. Then, crossing to me, ignoring my protests, he hauled me to my feet and inspected every wound, his fingers not gentle.

‘You're a fucking mess,' he pronounced, without apology or explanation. ‘Gunna need to dress those burns. And I'll be using that needle again.'

Like fuck he would.

‘See you finally listened,' he said, and his smile was wide. Garrick was always happiest when he was sure of others' misery. ‘You did all right.' It was the only thanks I was likely to get.

‘So what now?' I asked him. ‘How the hell do we get out of here?'

‘Ways and means, Jem,' he replied, enigmatically.

And right on cue, Cade started with the demands, banging on as loudly as the Watchmen were doing upstairs: what was going on, why was he there, did Garrick realise what he'd done?

Garrick turned slowly, maybe more menacing than he needed to, a stranger to subtlety. ‘Well, would you look at that?' he said. ‘Must be end o' times, coz there're Disses in my compound.'

Cade tightened his hold on Alex, pointlessly protective. ‘What do you intend to do with us?'

‘That depends on how well you cooperate,
Commander
.'

‘We'll never cooperate with you,' Alex retorted. Whether it was having Cade at her side, or because she already had plenty of
indignation of her own, her fear had gone and the knife was out. After everything she'd been through, she was preparing to stand up to Garrick and I didn't know whether to be proud of her, or fear for her.

‘I wasn't talkin' to you, so shut up,' said Garrick. ‘The only reason you're here is coz of Jem. It's your husband we want. And I'd hate to think I just lost a man for nothing.'

‘You lost a man?' she sneered. ‘A Watchman? I just lost my brother!'

‘Cry me a fucking Sea.' Eyeing her knife, Garrick's eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘You'd better put a leash on her, Cade. Or I will.'

I was waiting for Taggart to step in and take control but, just as he had back in Garrick's office, he seemed content to stand back and let it play out. This was trial by fire, Watch-style, and maybe it was a good thing to get it over with. Fewer nasty surprises later on.

‘If you're seeking our cooperation, this isn't the best way to go about it,' said Cade. That superior tone was back, grating on already frayed nerves.

But Garrick just laughed. ‘Oh, I dunno. Seemed to work real well for you when you had Jem up there in the Hills.' It was a fair point.

‘What we did was nothing compared to what you just made him go through,' said Alex.

Glancing at me, Garrick shrugged. ‘Jem knew what he was up for. Took his punishment and now it's done.'

‘Just like that?' she said, disgusted. ‘God, you make me sick.'

Another huge grin. ‘I wouldn't worry too much. God makes everyone sick.'

‘That's enough!' Cade snapped. He was happy to leave his wife to fend for herself, but leapt in to defend the Almighty.

Amused, Garrick looked at Alex. ‘There is a bright side, though. What Reed did to you? Probably the only way you'll get old Cade on his knees.'

Ignoring Cade's shout, she lunged, slashing the blade across; Garrick leapt back, just in time. And still Taggart did nothing.

‘Fuck's sake, stop!' I lurched between them, pressed by their fury and terrified Garrick would give way to his instincts and kill her. She had no chance but that wasn't stopping her, and she shuffled to get around me. For the second time, I grabbed at her arm.

‘Let me go!'

‘No, Alex. Put it away. We need him.'

‘You're defending him now?' He voice was high with hurt. ‘He's a monster. Why should –?'

‘Coz he has that fucking message!'

An almost stunned silence followed, only the noise from the Watchmen above to be heard, before Alex twisted from my grasp, hissing her disappointment; if she lost it completely it'd be a hard call to know which of us she'd stab first.

‘Is that true?' Cade asked Garrick, who was looking real pleased with himself. ‘So, that's why we're here. Why you rescued us. Because you can't read it.'

‘Funny, ain't it, the way things work out? Everything goin' along so well, and then we're tripped up by a fucking code.'

Cade smiled, the first I'd seen since that night on the road, and it was no warmer than before. ‘It always pays to be careful.'

‘Don't it just?' Garrick fingered a shirt pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper.

‘Are you shitting me?' I said, staring. ‘You had that on you upstairs? What if they'd got you?'

‘Then you'd all be fucked, wouldn't you? But it ain't much, so let's hope old Quinn didn't dick around.' He handed it across to Taggart. ‘You deal with this. I gotta check up top. Fuck knows what kinda mess they're makin' of wiring those stairs.'

I watched him disappear up the well. His Watch, his compound, and he'd defend it to the last. And I felt a strange relief at that, because I wasn't capable of defending anything; it took everything
I had just to fold myself back to the wall before I toppled onto stone. There was no doubt the atmosphere lightened a bit as soon as Garrick left, but Cade was still ramrod straight and Alex sulked beside him, watching Taggart and thumbing the blade of her knife. I was beginning to wish I'd never given it to her in the first place and I hoped she wasn't planning to do anything stupid; Taggart only looked old.

‘If I decipher that message, what's to stop you from killing us both once it's done?' Cade asked his first sensible question.

‘If all we wanted was the message, we'd have made your wife do it.' Taggart replied, and Alex glared. ‘We've risked everything for this, brought on a storm of shit. But we're down to seventeen Watchmen now, plus Garrick and me. We can't take on the whole Guard, as well as whatever else is out there. So, wherever your Disses are – however many are left – we need 'em. We need you to rally them. That's why you're here.'

A startled silence, before Cade spluttered, ‘You spend years hunting us, and now you want our help? Is this a joke?'

‘I ain't one for jokes,' Taggart replied calmly. ‘Jem here's shown you how far we're prepared to go, and you know what we can do, saw it upstairs. But that was against what, twenty, maybe thirty Guards? We're fuckin' good, but we're no army. We know the Tower, we know the way they think and work. You know the Guard and have the numbers. Put us together and maybe, just maybe, we can stop whatever it is that's goin' on.'

Another silence, while everyone stared and glared at each other and I did my best not to keel over. The cooperation was off to a good start. I was expecting more questions, more whys, maybe a few whens and hows, and a shitload of explanations. But there was none of that. Might've been a whole lot different had Ballard been there.

‘So what is going on?' I asked Taggart, surprised that Cade hadn't thought to.

‘Not entirely sure, lad. But we need to work it out real fast so we can deal with it.'