Watershed (29 page)

It was the first time I'd seen Alex since our night together, and she gave no acknowledgement that it'd even happened. It was done, the time for pleasure past, and I'd been given no opportunity to see or talk to her, to dissuade her from her course of action. Wishful thinking had no place here. But there were other ways, so if this was what she thought she wanted, then I'd give it to her. In spades.

‘Before we go, we need to get a couple of things straight,' I told Ballard and he looked at me, his eyes narrowing, not expecting any last-minute bargains. ‘You want authentic, then I'm in charge. We walk when I say; we stop when I say. No second-guessing my decisions, no arguments. Until I hand you over to Cade, I call the shots. Agreed?'

His jaw ticked, but in the end he nodded. ‘Agreed.'

‘Good.' I gestured to Alex. ‘In that case, she wears no cloak, carries no pack and she'll need to be tied.' When he frowned and before he could protest, I said, ‘They're always bound. He'll expect chafe marks on her wrists, bruises. And signs she's been gagged. Garrick's fucking good and he'll know if something's up just by looking at her. If Alex wants to play the part, she needs to look the part.'

Ballard was clearly distressed by the idea, and Tate sighed.

‘He's right,' Alex said, speaking for the first time. She reached out and cupped her brother's cheek. ‘If we're going to do this, we do it properly.'

He looked at her miserably. ‘Alex –'

‘Yes,' she insisted and, turning to me, shrugged off her cloak and held out her hands. ‘Do it.'

I'd expected her to argue, to show the first signs of fear, of doubt. But there was nothing. Just calm and resolve. But I was determined too, and I unfurled the coil of thin rope at my hip. Cutting off a short length, I made a slipknot, hooked it over her thumbs and pulled it closed, before looping the ends around her wrists and binding them securely. She pulled on it a little and frowned.

‘Shouldn't it be tighter?'

I shook my head. ‘Your hands'll swell soon enough, and the rope's gunna cut into your wrists. But don't flex. If you do, you'll draw the slipknot.'

She stared at her hands, then glanced at me, a mixture of pity and disgust. ‘Very thorough, aren't you?'

‘This is just the beginning, Alex. You can still back out.'
Damn you for making me do this.

She straightened then, drawing herself up. She'd realised my intent. ‘No, Jem. Finish it.'

I tethered the rest of the rope around her waist. Picking up her cloak, I cut a rough strip from the hem. It was bizarre, doing this in front of her brother and Tate, almost like we were kids in some Citadel square playing at make-believe, and at the end of the day we'd all go home unhurt. Except this wasn't make-believe. This was as real as it got, and I was pretty sure I was the only one who understood it.

‘Turn around,' I said, and when she did, silently, I pulled the cloth roughly between her lips. Ballard hissed and, for just a second, Alex struggled, but I jerked her head back, tying the gag tight.

Scared yet, Alex? You should be.

‘Take out anything of use in her pack – water, food – and we'll carry it ourselves,' I told Tate.

Alex watched as I took her knife and tucked it into my belt, but made no sound. She was my prisoner now, at my mercy as I'd been at hers for so long. Strange how our positions had so quickly reversed.

I nodded at Ballard. ‘Right. Get us out of here.'

And so I'd followed him through the tunnels to the world above, pulling Alex behind me. But now it was my turn to lead, and with a slow sigh I approached the group, gathering the rope in my hands. Just another life in my hands. Passing Ballard and Tate, I turned Alex and shoved her hard, so she stumbled and almost fell. Ballard growled, but Tate stopped him, maybe understanding why.

‘Move,' I told Alex, pushing her again.
And damn you all.

I hadn't given a whole lot of thought to the return journey, to how difficult I'd find it travelling with three others – and only one of them gagged – but in those first couple of hours, until we settled into it and adjusted to each other's ways, I wished I had. Coz for all the heed Ballard gave to my instructions, I might as well have saved my breath.

First he questioned our direction. I'd said south, he pointed out; my terse reply, ‘Also said west, dickhead,' didn't please him and it took a few minutes for Tate to calm him down enough for me to explain our need not only to avoid the road, but also any other travellers who might have similar ideas. A blessed but sullen silence followed, for a few hundred metres at least, before he began talking to Tate – or at him, it was hard to tell the difference – his low muttering getting louder and more irritating with every step. Had it been daylight, with the wind free to do its thing and scatter Ballard's words with the rest of the hot air, I might have managed
to ignore his incessant whispering. But in the still of the night, that sort of benevolence was beyond me. And maybe I wasn't alone in that, because my request that he shut the fuck up before I fucking gagged him too wasn't taken too kindly, and we wasted more time while he blustered and I stood my ground and Tate tried to placate us both. Only Alex remained apart, patient and distant, as though she'd left the part of her that might've cared back at the mine, safely buried. Or maybe it'd moved on ahead, was already at the gates of the compound, preparing itself to deal with what she thought to expect.

‘Over there,' I whispered. ‘Behind that outcrop. See it?'

Tate lay prone beside me, staring into the gloom. The moon lent plenty of light, but he was having trouble seeing what I did. Then the hood moved, grey on grey, and he nodded.

‘How many?' he asked.

‘Three. One Watchman for sure. The other two, I don't know.' I stared at the rocks, thinking through my options. ‘C'mon.'

I slithered back silently and Tate copied me, only a little louder. We clambered down the bluff to where Ballard waited, holding Alex's tether. She looked exhausted, ready to drop, but I dismissed the stab of pity, burying it deep. There'd be time enough for that.

‘He's right,' Tate told Ballard, keeping his voice low.

Ballard swore. ‘From the settlement?'

I shook my head. ‘No, they'll have come up from the Citadel. One Watchman, the other two probably raws. Trainees. Been tracking us since we passed the settlement, so I reckon they've been waiting a few days. Garrick knows which direction I'd take. He's checking up.'

‘Why? That's not usual, is it?' He was alarmed by this development and I smiled.

‘No. But it's not just me he's watching. It's you. He wasn't happy about being kept in the dark and he'll be trying to find out more about you, any way he can.'

He thought about that and sighed. ‘So what do we do?'

‘Take 'em out,' I said, surprised he'd even asked.

‘Is that wise?' Tate rumbled.

I stared at them both, angered again by all the questions. ‘You still don't get it, do you? This isn't one of your stupid games. It's exactly what he'd expect me to do. If I don't, he'll skin me alive and you can forget about your little coup. He knows I'd spot them eventually, and any Watchman who lets himself get tailed back to the compound ain't worth shit.'

‘So he'd sacrifice three for one?' Ballard mused, unconvinced. ‘Just to test you?'

‘Yeah, he would. I warned you. But then, I guess that makes him a better man than you, eh Ballard? Three's not as bad as seven, is it?'

He twitched at that, and Alex watched us both. I wondered then if she knew about Anders, about the cost her noble self-sacrifice had demanded.

‘We'll wait for a bit,' I said. ‘They're expecting a rest stop, so we'll give 'em one. Then you three continue on, due south. I'll catch up with you later.' Ballard opened his mouth to argue, and I stopped him dead. ‘My rules. So shut the fuck up.'

‘I see time spent in our company hasn't improved your vocabulary,' he said, annoyed.

‘Not one fucking bit,' I assured him. ‘Now, do whatever you need to do. But be ready to move out when I give the order.'

Tugging on the rope, I hauled Alex away to the edge of the clearing and pushed her to the ground. Loosening the gag, I pulled it from her mouth, and she ran a dry swollen tongue over parched lips, working her jaw.

‘D'you need to use the pot?' I asked, but she shook her head.

Pouring some water into the gourd, I held it to her mouth. ‘Rinse before swallowing.' I was patient, letting her take her time, watching her throat move as she swallowed, mouthful by mouthful. ‘More?' I asked when the gourd was empty, and she nodded.

Her hands were already swollen, the thumbs dark. Despite her best efforts the slipknot had tightened, but I made no effort to loosen it.
She must look the part
. And she did, her face grey and drawn and dirtied by the gag, her eyes weary, almost defeated. But this was the least of it, and if she couldn't handle the journey she'd never make it with Garrick. I wondered how long it'd take her to realise her mistake.

Pulling out some dried meat, I tore it and fed her slowly, just as I'd fed Connor back in the mine, but she had trouble chewing, her jaws already sore from the gag and the muscles cramped, so I swapped the meat for bread.

‘Listen to me,' I said. ‘I'm going to take out the two recruits first. They won't know shit anyway. But I want to question the Watchman. If it goes wrong, you and the others get back to the mine. Forget about me and forget about the plan, coz it'll blow up for sure. Just lie low and wait for another opportunity. Okay?' Reaching behind, I pulled out her knife and tucked it back into the sheath on her hip. ‘Just in case.'

Raising her swollen hands, she brushed my face. ‘Make sure nothing goes wrong, Jem. And not just for our sakes.'

I studied her for a minute, then shrugged. ‘Kinda past caring now, Alex. What happens, happens. Just do as I say.'

‘I'm sorry,' she whispered.

‘Not sorry enough to change your mind though.'

She shook her head. ‘No.'

I sighed, and glanced over my shoulder at Ballard and Tate, seeing both of them crouched together. I pulled her to her feet. ‘C'mon. I need to get going.'

Holding up the gag, I waited for her to turn around so I could refit it. ‘You know why I have to do this, don't you?'

‘I know why you think you have to,' she replied.

‘Damn it, Alex –'

‘Shh,' she said. ‘No more talk.' Leaning in, she pressed her mouth to mine, pulling back too quickly for me to respond and turning her back to me. I retied the gag, a little less tight this time, and led her back to her brother, handing him the rope.

‘Give me a quarter-hour, then head out, quick and quiet,' I told Ballard. ‘Due south. No deviations, no waiting. If I don't catch you up by dawn, assume I've failed and cut Alex loose. Turn west for two hours, then north and get back to the mine. Understand?'

He nodded, silent for once. Tate patted me on the shoulder and I handed him my pack.

‘See you soon,' I said, and without looking back I crossed the clearing, the staff balanced on one shoulder. Choosing my path with care, I circled wide, only slowing once I'd doubled back to come up behind the trio. I didn't know which Watchman had been sent, had no idea how good he was, but I was betting Garrick wouldn't have sent just anyone, and a couple of years in the job was all it took to become a decent tracker. Truth was, had he been alone, chances were I might've missed him. It was the other two who'd given it away.

Grateful we weren't already further south where most of the trees had burned, giving no cover, I moved from one trunk to another, toeing the ground before trusting my weight, trying not to break any branches underfoot. It was easy enough to keep silent, but the moonlight proved both a bonus and a problem, and I sought every shadow, making sure my cloak and hood were drawn as cover.