Take Back the Skies (11 page)

Fox took the lead and dragged her down a side alley, and through several more until he evidently deemed them far enough away from the guards to stop. Cat panted, trying to regain her breath while her head resonated with white-hot pain. She dropped the coat to the floor, the remnants of her jumper and shirt falling off her too, and she saw Fox freeze, his eyes widening. Opening her mouth to ask what was wrong, the words died in her throat, goosebumps rising on her arms as she realised that she was standing in the alley in just her undershirt, and Fox's eyes were fixed firmly on her chest.

Fox gaped, staring at her incredulously.

‘I can explain,' she stuttered, head pounding.

‘I think I can manage without an explanation,' Fox retorted stiffly, not taking his eyes off the area where her thin undershirt clung to her skin. ‘How long did you think you could hide that one, hmm?'

‘I was going to tell you,' Cat insisted feebly. She was still trying not to be sick, and Fox's accusing stare wasn't helping. Bending to grab the coat from the ground, Cat shrugged it on and wrapped it tightly around her. ‘I didn't think you'd let me stay if you knew.'

‘Maybe you were right,' the redhead muttered, glaring at her. ‘Storms, I should have let the guards have you.' Before she could respond, Fox turned on his heel, coat flaring out behind him as he left Cat alone in the alley, ruined clothing at her feet. A faint sob bubbled in her throat, but she swallowed it down, clenching her jaw in determination. Just because Fox had reacted badly didn't mean the rest of the crew would do the same; she had to at least try and convince them to let her stay. And that meant getting back to the ship before half past five.

Tentatively reaching up to check the wound on the back of her head, Cat grimaced as her fingers came away wet with blood. She could do nothing about that now, though. She noticed the peak of the clock tower just above the building to her left, and headed towards it, hoping to eventually reach the courtyard.

She was in luck, ending up at the edge of the Eastern side within a few minutes of walking. There were still three guards around the fountain, and she nervously edged out into the main courtyard, staying hidden behind a crowd of women who were walking in the direction she needed to go. There was a chance the guards wouldn't recognise her, but her arrest had caused a fair amount of noise. It wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

It took her a lot longer to make it back to the shipyard than she'd anticipated, but at last she stumbled over to the
Stormdancer
, wanting to cry with relief that the ship was still docked. Dragging herself up the gangplank, she spotted Ben and Matt playing cards on deck. They looked up when she approached, and Cat's heart sank; their expressions said it all. Fox had obviously made it back before her.

‘All right, girlie,' Matt greeted, getting to his feet. ‘Storms, you look awful. Fox said you'd had a bit of a bump, but if I'd known you were hurt this bad I'd have gone looking for you myself!'

Ben frowned, moving over to examine her head wound.

‘He told you, then?' she said, resignation in her tone.

‘He did,' Matt confirmed, an unreadable expression on his face. ‘Why didn't you tell us sooner?'

‘Boys are more useful. Girls are weak, helpless and only good for cooking, cleaning and pleasing men,' Cat replied without missing a beat, repeating what had been drilled into her from a young age by her father.

‘Well, that's a load of rubbish' Matt muttered, rolling his eyes. ‘Come on, lass, let's get you below deck. I want Alice to have a look at that head of yours.'

‘You're not going to make me stay in Siberene?' Cat asked. Ben smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder gently. There was blood on his fingers from her head, and it smeared on her coat.

‘Of course not, Cat. We're not that cruel. Now, come on, it's cold out, and you need to sit.'

‘Wait,' Cat said abruptly. ‘I want some answers first. If I'd known the truth to begin with I wouldn't have got caught.' She told the two men how she'd overheard the Anglyan men, squinting as her vision doubled. Matt and Ben shared an uneasy glance, Ben biting his lip.

‘You'll get your answers,' the blond man promised. ‘But inside, after Alice has seen to you. You've no doubt got concussion and you're in no state to stand out here chatting.' He glanced pointedly at her legs, which were shaking with the effort of keeping her upright.

‘I'll carry you down,' Matt offered, making Cat scowl.

‘Don't need to be carried,' she insisted. ‘Not a helpless little girl.' The large man ignored her, hoisting her into his arms with ease.

‘Humour me.'

Groaning as the world spun on its axis, Cat buried her head against Matt's chest. She was hardly aware of him
carrying her below deck and through to the galley, opening her eyes as she was deposited gently on the bench.

‘Oh, Cat,' Alice sighed, coming into her line of vision with a frown on her face. ‘What have you got yourself into?'

‘I didn't want to lie,' she insisted quietly, eyes half-shut. ‘Tell Harry. I never wanted to lie to you. It was safer, but I didn't want to.'

‘I know, lass.' That was Harry's voice, though she couldn't see him in the room. ‘Just let Alice sort you out.'

‘Answers,' Cat reminded pointedly, opening her eyes wider to give Matt a prompting look. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sat opposite her.

‘I don't know what to tell you, lass,' he admitted, shuffling over as Ben came to sit beside him.

‘The beginning is usually a good place to start.' Fox's voice made her jump, and she turned to watch as he entered the room. Wincing as Alice poked at a particularly tender spot, Cat didn't let her gaze drop from him, the expression on his face making her heart clench with guilt.

‘There you are! I've half a mind to take you over my knee. you're not too old, you know!' Alice exclaimed, fixing the redhead with a stern look. ‘What were you thinking, leaving the poor lass on her own with a wound like this in the middle of the city?'

‘She lied to us!' Fox protested, only for Matt to interrupt him with a scoff.

‘Like we've not been lying to her in return!' he argued, turning to Harry. ‘We need to tell her, Harry. She knows too much.'

‘How can we trust her?' Fox shouted. ‘She's lied to us about this – what else don't we know about her?'

‘My name is Catherine Elizabeth Hunter,' Cat declared loudly, staring Fox dead in the eye. ‘And I ran away from home because my father is an arrogant git with delusions of grandeur and plans to betroth me to some brutish boy I can't stand.' She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nausea. ‘Now, can you please stop shouting? I have one
hell
of a headache.'

‘Hunter?' Ben repeated, brows furrowing. ‘Nathaniel Hunter's daughter? You're a government brat?'

‘Oh, brilliant,' Fox remarked sarcastically, pacing up and down the galley. ‘Now we know we can't trust her!'

‘I hate the government just as much as you do!' Cat argued, making him snort.

‘I sincerely doubt that,' he replied, voice cold.

‘I didn't ask to be born government,' Cat murmured, turning imploring eyes on Harry. He was the captain; it was his word that would decide her fate. ‘I hate my father, I hate his associates, I hate the whole bloody aristocracy. Make of me what you will, but if you're going to get rid of me I ask you to do it here rather than in Anglya. If my father finds me, he'll kill me.'

‘Hold on a minute,' Matt soothed, holding up a hand. ‘No one said you're going anywhere, lass. Let's just take a minute to talk this over
rationally
.' There was a long silence, and the dark-haired man let out a slow breath. ‘So Cat's a girl. I don't see how that could be a problem – we're not the type of crew who believe all women belong in the home. And so what if she's government? She's not done anything but help us since
she arrived. Storms, Fox, she doesn't even
know
about the war! Don't blame her for the faults of her elders, she's just a sprog.'

‘So she's staying, then?' Fox spat, looking at the rest of the crew. ‘You're keeping her, even though she could be a government spy?'

‘William Michael Foxe!' Alice exclaimed, to Cat's surprise. William was Fox's real name? Somehow it suited him. ‘How dare you! I thought we'd raised you better than to judge someone by their birth. I thought your
parents
had raised you better.'

Fox flinched at her words, and Cat could hear Ben and Matt wince in unison.

‘Well, it seems I'm outvoted,' Fox muttered angrily. Not looking at Cat, he turned on his heel and made for the door, slamming it shut behind him. Alice sighed, smoothing a hand over Cat's blood-matted hair.

‘Don't listen to him, poppet,' she urged. ‘He's just sore on certain subjects. Now, I'm just going to get you some ice.' She got to her feet, slipping into the kitchen, and Cat looked up at Harry.

‘I still want answers,' she insisted. ‘Trying to make sense of it all … it's making my head hurt.'

‘I don't think that's the reason your head hurts, lass,' Matt remarked, making her laugh softly.

‘Making my head hurt
worse
,' she corrected. ‘Siberene looking like this, everything those Anglyan men were saying … it doesn't add up.'

‘You'll get your answers, sprog, I promise,' Harry assured her. ‘But not tonight. You need to rest. I'm not having you
get even more worked up with that head of yours. Tomorrow morning, we'll explain everything.'

Cat made a face, and Matt chuckled.

‘It's for your own good,' he insisted, reaching over the table to squeeze her shoulder. ‘Harry and I need to get this old girl up in the air, anyway. It's getting late. Ben will keep you company until Alice sends you off to bed. Goodnight, girlie.'

‘Night,' Cat murmured, managing a brief sleepy smile. ‘And thank you, Harry. For letting me stay.'

Harry chuckled.

‘Did you really think I could just leave you behind, after seeing how you've wrapped my crew round your finger? Storms, girl, if you've forgotten, Fox actually went back to stop you getting arrested! He might be sour now, but he doesn't do that for just anyone.' He winked at her, squeezing her hand where it lay on the table. ‘Get some sleep, Cat. I'll see you at breakfast.'

The two men left, and Cat turned to the only other person in the room. Ben was staring at her with a nonplussed look on his face, and Cat couldn't help but ask.

‘You knew, didn't you?' she said.

‘I had my suspicions,' he admitted with a nod. ‘I figured if you were hiding something, you'd tell us in your own time. But …' He paused, biting his lip. ‘I had a little sister once. Sophie.'

Cat gasped, eyes widening in horror. She didn't need to ask what had happened to her; she was the second child in a common family.

‘Oh, Ben, I'm sorry,' she breathed, reaching over to slide her hand over his. ‘How long ago?'

‘Six years,' he replied, swallowing thickly. ‘She was one of the earlier ones.' He looked up, meeting her gaze, and managed a half-smile. ‘I've been wondering why you seemed so familiar … now I know. You remind me of her,' he confessed.

Cat looked at him in surprise.

‘I do?' she queried, and he nodded.

‘She was always trying to prove she could be just as good as us boys, if not better. Always beating me at games, despite being five years younger,' he told her with a fond grin. ‘Even beat Matt a few times.' He didn't say any more when Alice walked back in, a watertight bag full of ice in one hand and a bowl of warm water in the other, a dish towel over her shoulder.

‘Have the boys gone to get us airborne?' she queried, earning a nod from Ben as she sat down beside Cat once more. ‘Good, we need to get moving. Cat, dear, this is going to sting.'

The warning came mere moments before the damp dish towel was pressed to Cat's head wound, and the girl yelped, jolting. Alice tutted, and Ben stifled a grin, hand still in Cat's.

‘Well, you won't need stitches,' Alice declared once she was done, allowing Cat to press the ice to her head. ‘But I'll want to keep an eye on that over the next few days.'

‘I just want to go to bed,' Cat admitted. The lantern hanging from the ceiling was sent swinging as the ship jolted upwards, and Cat fought against the surge of nausea.

‘Of course, dear. Keep the ice with you, it'll help you sleep easier. Ben, walk her back to her room before you go
to relieve Harry, would you? This bloody ship is bad enough to walk in on its own, let alone with a head wound.'

Helping Cat up, Ben slid an arm around her shoulders, keeping her steady.

‘Goodnight, Alice. Thanks for cleaning me up.'

‘You're very welcome, lass. Sleep well,' Alice replied fondly, giving her one last smile before Ben walked with Cat out of the galley into the corridor.

‘I'd offer to carry you, but despite being older than Matt, I don't quite have his build. At least it's not far,' the curly-haired man mused, a wry smile on his face.

‘You're older than Matt?' Cat asked, surprised.

‘By two years,' Ben confirmed. ‘I'm twenty-four, he's twenty-two. How old are you, by the way? I've been assuming thirteen for obvious reasons, but if you're high-born that's not really an issue.'

‘Fourteen,' Cat told him. ‘Fifteen in four days, actually. And trust me, if I weren't my father's only heir, he would have shipped me off to wherever Collected children go years ago.'

Ben frowned at her words, and she gave him a pointed look. ‘I'm not stupid, Ben. You might not be telling me anything, but I can work some things out for myself. Those men in Siberene talked about kids in the lower levels, whatever that means – clearly not all of the Collected are going to war.'