Renegade (23 page)

I don’t even need to reply. ‘Did you not listen to a word she said?’ Iris thunders, turning to Faith. ‘Look at her face. Where do you think she got those bruises from? Do
you think she’s lying that it was a Kingsman who did it?’

Faith touches the mark with expert timing and winces slightly, even though I’m pretty sure it no longer hurts.

Evan looks at her and shakes his head. ‘I’m not saying that . . . it’s just, maybe there was some confusion?’ He points towards me. ‘If all the Kingsmen thought she
was a traitor, perhaps they got a bit rough because of that?’

‘Don’t be so ridiculous.’ His wife turns her back to him.

He looks clueless trying to defend a regime he doesn’t understand, simultaneously turning the room against him. I feel slightly sorry about my manipulation. I needed him to look foolish
because a person
should
look silly if they are attempting to defend the King. I realise Opie’s father has lived through a war and thinks that the way we live now is better than what
went before – but at this moment it is more important that he believes what we are telling him. For some, gentle reasoning would do it but I have known him for too long. This humiliation and
slap down via his wife is the only way.

Opie’s father stares towards me, his head shaking back and forth. ‘So are you saying that every Offering that has ever been sent to the castle has either been killed or
traded?’

‘Yes.’

Hart speaks up. ‘Of the thirty Offerings from my year, there were just two left by the time Silver arrived.’

Evan’s reply is spluttered and confused. ‘But why would the King do that? I mean . . . he’s the King.’

He has asked one of the few questions we can’t answer. Only the King knows why he does it all – but I doubt even he can explain his actions. I suspect it is partly madness and,
ultimately, he does it because he can. If no one stops a person from behaving in a certain way, then who’s to judge what is wrong?

I shake my head. ‘There’s something else.’ I take my mum’s hand. ‘There’s going to be a second Offering. They announced it last week and made the draw
yesterday. They’ve changed the criteria so it isn’t based on the Reckoning this time and they’ve lowered the age limit.’

I feel Mum’s fingers tense around mine as she draws me to look at her. I give her a gentle nod to confirm her thoughts before saying it out loud. ‘Colt has been chosen. He’s
supposed to be in Martindale this morning to be taken away.’

Mum grips my hand so tightly that I have to pull away.

Evan leaps to his feet. ‘We should get going now then. We all know the penalty if you don’t submit yourself.’

Nobody else moves until Iris stands and slaps her husband across the face. ‘He’s dead anyway,’ she rages. ‘If he stays here, he’s got a death sentence; if he
becomes an Offering then you’ve already heard what goes on.’

I feel my mother trembling at the phrasing, but she is right: Colt is marked to be killed regardless.

‘We’re not going back to Martindale,’ I say firmly, taking charge. ‘There’s plenty of rainwater to gather here and as long as you store it sensibly, you’ll
have plenty. Food is more of an issue but I know you brought lots with you. As soon as spring comes, there’ll be berries and fruits on the trees and there are animals to hunt. Between you
all, you’ll get by.’

Everyone around the circle nods, even Opie’s father – but it is Opie himself who actually notices what I’ve said. ‘
You’ll
get by,’ he repeats.
‘Aren’t you staying?’

I feel my mother’s head swivel to face me. ‘I’ve got somewhere else to go. If everything goes well, I’ll either return here or, hopefully, we’ll be free to go
home.’

‘Where are you going?’ Opie asks.

I start to reply but then stop myself. ‘It’s better if I don’t tell everyone. You never know what might happen. If you don’t have information, you can’t be forced
to give it away.’

‘I’m going with you.’

Opie states it as a fact, not a question. Imrin spins to look at him, although they still don’t say a word to each other.

‘You’re
not
going,’ his father says.

‘You can’t stop me,’ Opie replies dismissively.

‘I’m your father and you’ll do what I say.’

Opie doesn’t reply but he shakes his head.

‘I’ve got a few things to sort out and then we’re going when it gets dark,’ I say. ‘If any of you need to ask anything then I’ll be around.’

I hope Imrin and Opie don’t take that too literally as I have no intention of discussing anything unrelated to where we are heading with either of them.

I look from Hart to Jela, Pietra and Faith, making sure I acknowledge each of them. ‘I can’t begin to thank you for everything you’ve done getting me here. You know where
we’re going next. If you want to come, you’re welcome, but if you want to stay, there’s no better or safer place. Just make sure you say goodbye before I go.’

I push myself up, nodding towards Opie’s dad. ‘Can I have a word?’ He seems surprised but slowly gets to his feet and follows me out of the hut.

I peer around, making sure nobody else is in earshot. ‘I need to know that you’re going to stay here and look after everyone,’ I say.

He stares at me harshly, probably wondering why a sixteen-year-old girl is telling him what to do. ‘You’ve put my family in a lot of danger,’ he replies.

I nod and stare at the ground, letting him see that I am sorry. ‘I know, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. I hope you believe what the reasons were. There were six of us
in there who have lived through this. You can’t think we’re all lying.’

I can see he is weighing it up in his mind. ‘I don’t know what to think . . .’

‘We’re going tonight. If you don’t want Opie to go then I’ll tell him to stay. Whatever you think of me, he’ll listen. I’m not saying he should go or stay,
but I do think he should be allowed to decide. He told me it was him who brought you all here and kept you safe, so I think you owe him something. Whether he stays or goes, you’re the one
everyone looks to here. My father died a long time ago and you’ve got all those wonderful sons who think you’re the best thing around. Then there is my mum and my brother too. Everyone
here needs you so much more than they need me.’

He begins to nod and it is almost scary how quickly I have manipulated him. Imrin calmed him down, Faith wound his wife up, Iris embarrassed him, making him feel like he was an outsider, and
then I gave him the role he wanted all along. He gets to be a dad not only to his own sons – but to the entire campsite.

He lowers his voice. ‘I won’t stop Opie going with you if that’s what he wants.’

‘Thank you.’

‘And I’ll make sure everyone stays here safely.’

‘If Opie comes, someone else will have to learn how to hunt. Samuel would be perfect. It’s something you could do together – provide for everyone.’

He nods again, more enthusiastically this time. ‘You’re right,’ he says, before stumbling over his next sentence. ‘I, er, hope everything works out for you.’

‘Thanks.’

He steps away from me, calling for Samuel, ready to tell him of his new role. With that taken care of, I send Opie out to gather me some spare parts, much like the old days, as I set myself up
to work atop a car bonnet. I spread out the parts he brings and dismantle a selection of thinkpads, trying to salvage anything that could be useful. Through the afternoon, everyone comes to say
their mixtures of hellos and goodbyes. Hart is the first, asking what time we are leaving and saying he’ll be ready. Jela and Pietra follow shortly afterwards, holding hands and standing
slightly away from me.

‘Do you mind if we stay?’ Jela asks. I turn and grin, stepping towards them and wrapping my arms around the pair. ‘It’s your mum,’ Jela adds. ‘She’s
brilliant. She’s trying to turn this into a proper little society. It reminds me of the place I had to leave before we were moved to the city.’

‘I’m really pleased you’ll be able to help,’ I say. ‘Just keep an eye on Opie’s youngest brother . . .’

Pietra interrupts. ‘That Imp kid?’

I burst out laughing at the irritated look on her face. ‘What did he do?’

‘He had this bean that he said was magic. He was trying to sell it to me and when I told him I wasn’t interested, he pinched me on the leg, called me a name that I shall not repeat,
and ran off.’

I try to look sympathetic but can’t manage it. ‘I’ll have a word,’ I say. ‘He’s a bit of a handful.’

Jela is managing not to laugh much more successfully than I am but we hug again as I tell them I’ll see them before I leave. I’m glad they are staying – I’ll miss them
but they deserve some normality in their lives.

Just as I am beginning to get somewhere with my work, I see Imrin hovering nearby. At first I ignore him but his presence is distracting. ‘You can still talk to me,’ I call over, not
looking up.

He seems reluctant as he crosses towards me. I continue to focus on the inner workings of a thinkpad.

‘Do you want me to come with you?’ he asks.

‘It’s up to you.’

He sighs and rests both hands on the bonnet. ‘That’s not what I asked.’

I finish removing a tiny screw and turn to face him. ‘I’d like you to come with me. We’ve done all of this together and it isn’t just about me. If it wasn’t for
you, I wouldn’t be here.’

He nods but doesn’t seem overly pleased. ‘What about you and me?’

I turn back to the pad, fixing my eyes on a connector switch and trying the connection to trace the power source. ‘I don’t know.’

‘What about you and
him
?’

‘I don’t know.’

He stays next to me for a few seconds longer as I feel his eyes skimming my face. His voice is husky and low. ‘It was clever what you did with Opie’s father.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘You know.’ I don’t reply. I
do
know what I’ve done but I was naively hoping no one other than Faith really understood. ‘He’s already made a
makeshift spear and has been showing Samuel how to throw it,’ Imrin adds.

‘Good.’

‘Do you ever think about how all this started? Was the King a good man one day and then it went to his head over time? People never said “no” to him, so he kept on pushing? He
had people doing whatever he ordered until it became so natural that nothing seemed off-limits?’

I feel an uncomfortable prickling around my ears and refuse to look away from the thinkpad. ‘What are you saying?’

‘You know what I’m saying.’

Before I can reply, he turns and walks away, telling me over his shoulder that he’ll see me later. He has made his point and I realise that he knows me better than anyone, even Opie. I had
been feeling proud of my manipulation but it can be a dangerous thing if you forget where that line is. Have I crossed it? Is this something Opie would ever be able to say to me – or would he
even see it?

Imrin and Opie: my conscience and my temptation.

I am almost finished as my mother arrives. I don’t hear her coming; instead I feel her fingers pulling my hair behind me. ‘Silver Blackthorn,’ she says wistfully, pronouncing
our last name with a long ‘O’ in the middle in the way only she can.

‘I’m sorry I have to go again.’

She rests her head on my back and hugs herself into me. ‘You’re the head of our family now. You do what you need to.’

I turn until I am holding her properly and realise she was right – I have grown slightly since I last saw her. ‘I hope this will all be over soon.’

She sniffles away a sob. ‘I’m really proud of you. Who would have thought my little girl would be the most famous person in the country?’

I laugh at the suggestion. ‘I’m famous because they want me dead!’

She sniffs again, holding me tighter. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. It’s because you’re the one who has been brave enough to say things aren’t right.’

That’s not what was in my mind when I told X that I was after revenge – but the myth that surrounds me is big enough to take in my own mother.

‘I’ve got something to show you,’ I say, releasing her and turning towards the thinkpad on the car bonnet. ‘I’ve had to take five of these things apart to find
enough pieces to make one work and Opie has found all sorts of other odds and ends.’

I flick a switch at the back and push my thumb against the edge of the screen, showing her how to turn it on.

‘This will work as a screen,’ I say. ‘You’ll be able to watch all of the broadcasts from now on. You’ll find that I’m on the news and, although it’s
almost entirely lies, you’ll at least have some idea of what’s going on away from here.’

She takes the device and tries turning it on herself. ‘This is really clever.’

‘I’m going to tell Colt it’s a present for him so he doesn’t get annoyed that he hasn’t got anything. Most of what you’ll want to see will be on after
he’s gone to bed anyway.’

She hands the screen back and brushes some loose hair away from my face. ‘You’re so grown-up,’ she says, before hugging me one final time and saying she is going to round the
children up.

As dusk slowly begins to settle, everyone gathers at the outside of the tepee. Imp clings to one of my legs, Colt clasping the other. They are arguing over who can get me to stay.

There was never any doubt that Faith would come with me and she has her bag on her back and is half-turned away from everyone, anxious to get moving. Opie has said goodbye to his family,
apparently making peace with his father, and has taken Jela’s pack, filling it with all the clothes he had with him, as well as a tarpaulin given to us by his father. He found it in the
rubbish dump on their trek away from the village but it is in a good state and will serve us well. As for Opie, it will be good to have someone strong and fit with us.

Imrin is ready too, although there is clear tension between him and Opie as they look in opposite directions, refusing to acknowledge one another, even though they are next to each other.
I’m still not sure if they have spoken yet.

Lastly, Hart is looking as healthy as he has done since we left the castle. His face still seems pale but he heaves his rucksack onto his back easily, showing strength he’s not had in a
long time.