The Unspoken: Book One in the Keres Trilogy (20 page)

“
We will repair her first then. Listen, Keres. I
’
m going to have to throw magus to help them quickly. It is imperative to my life as well yours that your Play Group is not cognizant of anything.
”

“
I don
’
t think that will be an issue. When I saw them, only three showed any kind of sign of awareness that I was even in the room.
”

“
That means nothing. Showing awareness also shows resistance. And it would not be wise to show too much resistance when racked.
”

Wex had figured that much out within days of being visited by the five in black. He knew to feign compliance in order to avoid further torture. Maybe Wex did not look at me because he was manipulating The Mother in the room. With every fiber of my being, I will that to be true.

“
Zink, do you know anything about five elders dressed in black?
”

Zink stops putting things into his pack. He stands frozen, his hand just touching on a jar of pink paste of the shelf.

“
I do.
”

“
Who are they?
”

“
They are torturers.
”

“
Yes, I know that, but who are they? Are they Unspokens?
”

He whirls around glaring at me,
“
Keres! No!
”

“
They wear black, Zink.
”

“
And they live off the agony of others. They eat the screams of those they mutilate. Does that sound like something Abbot would be a part of? Does that sound like something I would do?
”

“
Training for war and striving for an advantage over our enemies doesn
’
t exactly sound like we preparing to inflict joy.
”

“
We are protection, Keres. We are here to save people.
”

“
From what?
”
I say loudly, flinging out my hands.
“
We should be protecting people from The Mothers, from the five in black, and we are down here in secret underground lair, concocting ink potions and preparing for what? War? Uprising?
”

“
The Mothers are not our adversaries.
”

“
They aren
’
t our allies either.
”

“
I cannot explain this to you-
”

“
Sure, absolutely, I
’
m not yet ready to know.
”
I could kill him right now.

“
I can
’
t explain it because I am not yet ready to know either. In a lot of ways, you are already more advanced than I am. I may have more ink, but you have more power. You
’
ll know our destiny before I do,
”
he says resentfully.

“
Does getting more ink mean I
’
ll be closer to knowing what our purpose is?
”

“
Advancing deeper into understanding magus will give you the tools you need to be ready,
”
Zink recites.

“
Journer feed you that line?
”
I say cuttingly, then regret my sarcasm almost immediately.
“
I
’
m sorry. You are only trying to help.
”

“
We need to get moving. We should go eat now. Food will not be a possibility once we retrieve PG3456; and we need the calories. It
’
s going to be a long, painful night.
”

We perch on a counter in the kitchen methodically eating cans of chicken covered in a thick creamy sauce, trying to occupy our thoughts while waiting out these last few minutes. When the last dregs are gone, I watch Zink wash the dishes, making mental notes on how it is done.

Pushing back through the Warren door, we walk across the hall to Abbot
’
s den. He and Journer are waiting for us with final instructions and advice for Zink.

“
It
’
s your first opportunity to use everything you have been building for the last seven years. Don
’
t waste it,
”
Journer tells Zink.
“
Trust your instincts, do what you can and nothing more.
”

“
And remember to be back on your block before power down. There
’
s no rule against your helping another Play Group, but don
’
t flaunt it,
”
Abbot tells him.
“
And you,
”
turning to me,
“
remember it was your lack of forethought that got them in this position. And only you have the ability to keep it from happening again. The Mothers want to control you, not them. So let them.
”
He hands me a pack,
“
I
’
ve put some things in there that will help them, some water and clear broth. When they have eaten that, give them the bread. Starvation won
’
t have set in, not by a long shot, but it will be better to ease them back to food. They won
’
t be used to going this long without eating.
”

I thank him as I sling the pack over my shoulder. Journer finishes giving Zink last minute advice and we begin our silent walk to the Amendments Spire on the other side of the city. The looming double doors come into view a few minutes before the scheduled release time. We wait, motionless.

“
Will they unchain them at 19:00 or will they leave the building at 19:00?
”
I ask.

“
They will come through the doors at release time. They are probably off the rack already. The Mothers will want time to kiss and coddle them when the punishment is over. As if that will make them forget who strung them up in the first place.
”
Zink
’
s eyes narrow and he makes a face as if a piece of foul smelling rancid meat has passed under his nose.

Picturing The Mothers swarming around PG3456 with rolls of gauze and making kissing noises through their puckered lips makes my stomach drop and my anger rise. I clench and unclench my fists at my sides, trying to remember what Abbot said.
“
Is there a magus for subduing anger?
”
I ask Zink.

“
Emotions can
’
t be controlled by anything but self-will, unfortunately.
”

“
Somehow I figured that.
”

There is movement behind the pristine glass
doors.
“
Get ready, don
’
t rush up to them, wait for my signal,
”
Zink says. He turns his back to the doors and nudges me to do the same. We melt into the small patch of birch trees to the right of the Spire and pretend to be deep in conversation. We hear the doors open, the sound of shoes dragging on the stone entrance, The Mothers cooing their special brand of counterfeit sympathy, and then the doors open and close again. I spin around and start towards them when Zink catches my arm,
“
No, wait.
”

I bite my lip and try to stand still but end up pacing the edge of the tree line like a caged cat. Merit, Wex and Harc are standing, leaning against the stair rails. Their wrists are sloppily bandaged and the blood has been cleaned off their arms. Doe is stretched limp on the stairs and Frehn
’
s hands shake while he tries to lift her head off the ground. The door opens again and several Mothers spill out, pausing to stroke PG3456
’
s hair. They shake their heads as they glide down the steps and up the road leading toward the main gate.

“
Now, go!
”
Zink says urgently.

We race forward, Zink picks up Doe, cradling her in his arms and I hand flasks filled with water to the others. Zink is already walking towards the Quad and Wex struggles to follow.

“
It
’
s alright,
”
I say to them,
“
His name is Zink, he is with me.
”

We follow behind Zink as he carries Doe through the gardens and tree parks, avoiding the roads. He has already laid Doe down on the sofa in our common room by the time the rest of us stagger through the door, Frehn and I supporting Merit between us. There are several patches removed from the legs of Zink
’
s uniform and I can see his tattoos are still glowing. He has already been working on Doe.

“
What
’
s the matter with her?
”
I ask him.

“
Well, they are all dehydrated and hungry. That
’
s why their hands are shaking so badly. Heat up the soup on the fire, Keres, while I change the bandages.
”

While I stir the fire in the grate, Wex begins moving around the room feeling under the furniture.

“
No, Wex, let me. You sit here and watch the soup,
”
I say to him. He has no strength to argue, so he slumps against the hearth and drinks from his water flask slowly. I am crawling around feeling for devices under the table when Zink turns his head to watch me.

“
What are you doing?
”
he asks.

“
Looking for anything that might have been- uh- left for us,
”
I say moving to the decorative wooden trim around the bedroom doors.

“
There
’
s a much easier way,
”
he says standing.
“
Which one is your room, Keres?
”

I jerk my head in the direction of my room and Zink stands.
“
Just give me a minute,
”
he says walking across the common room towards my door. I turn back to Merit and start unwinding the bandage strips from his wrists. The Mothers have not used any ointment and the strip has clotted into the open cuts. He flinches while I try to slowly pull them off.