Children Without Faces, page 15
What could he do at all?
“No, we’re not. Not anymore. Good-bye, Toby.” Dani squeezed between two crates and vanished from sight. Her words rang in his mind, paralyzing him, and it wasn’t until he heard the warehouse door clang shut that he could move again.
He’d been wrong, too — he had more tears to cry. Angrily, he swiped at them, furious at her, at himself, at the whole damn town. If that’s the way she wanted it, fine.
There was always the Thicket — that’s where kids like him went when they had nowhere else. Someone there would care, someone there would help him free the others.
They had to, or Toby would truly be alone.
21
The rock hit Toby in the stomach, pain exploding from the impact. He doubled over, arms wrapped around his injured gut, just in time to catch a glancing blow on the top of his head. Stars exploded around him, and he dropped to the ground.
“You killed him,” Leaf snarled, and the world spun, threatening to tilt Toby off of its surface. Above him, he saw her bare feet padding forward, somehow stable on the wobbling surface. She stooped and picked up a large rock from the ground, her legs bent underneath the weight. “So I’m gonna kill you.”
“He may be alive,” Toby gasped, and her legs paused, an arm’s reach away from him. Groaning, he pushed himself up to look her in the eyes. “I’m going to get him back.”
It didn’t look like she’d slept since he’d last seen her. Matted hair hung in her eyes, and her shirt was ripped and filthy. Well-defined muscles strained in her arms as she kept the large rock up. She bared yellow teeth in a snarl, and took a staggering step forward. “What’s keepin’ you, then?”
“I came here first, to check on you and tell you what happened,” he said, and he got to his feet, not willing to look away. “You deserved to know.”
“You took your damn time about it! It’s been a whole blasted day.”
“I was out. They threw me into the ocean, ’n I almost drowned. I came as soon as I could. Honest.” Toby lifted his chin, and didn’t move away. If she dropped that rock, she’d crush his feet without needing to aim. Whatever. “He’s not dead.”
“How do you know?” she whispered, and twisted to drop the rock away. Toby’s relief dropped as well when he noticed she still held her slingshot.
“I don’t,” he admitted and hoped his voice sounded strong. “But we found other kids alive down there, and they got taken weeks ago. I take it none of them have come back up?”
Leaf shook her head. “None of them.”
“Yeah, alright.” He turned and started down the twisted broken street, heading north.
“Where are you going?” Leaf demanded, and the sound of her slingshot spinning started up.
Toby didn’t stop. “I’m getting Pip. Trip hid her before we left, ’n I’ll bet she’s still there, alone, prayin’ that he’ll come back for her. Someone’s gotta tell her that he ain’t, not yet.”
The slingshot stopped, and after a long moment, Leaf spoke in a broken voice. “What do you care? She ain’t yours.”
That made him stop and look over his shoulder in disbelief. “She’s just a kid, ’n she’s alone. That makes her as much mine as it makes her yours. You comin’?”
The girl snorted and shoved the slingshot into its loop on her rope belt. “You’ve got a lot of strange ideas, Wharf Boy. But yeah, I’ll come along.” She took a few scrambling leaps and landed next to him, already walking.
All this moving around the Thicket gave Toby a better sense of the place. Likely, he’d still’ve gotten lost without Leaf there to subtly guide him, but not as bad as that first day. It felt like an eternity ago, getting lost and found by Leaf and Kale.
Was the gap-toothed boy still alive, like he’d nearly promised? It made sense for him to be, but Toby knew that there weren’t any guarantees. He’d destroyed two of Grim’s vessels, and then Aaron had banished and sealed the demon away. Would the Rider summon more demons to do his bidding? If he did, he’d need another host, and he had several ready bodies waiting to be loaded with demonic energy.
The thought made Toby gulp. Leaf glanced at him, frowning. “Whatcha muttering?”
“Just praying,” he said, feeling foolish. The gods hadn’t done anything for him yet. Aaron had called on Daivat, and what good had that done? No god spoke for him at his trial when he got wrongfully accused of murder. No god was going to intercede for Toby now that the whole town — people who knew him since he was little — thought he was a kinslayer.
She grunted and nodded. “Yeah, I feel the same way about them. No one’s gonna look out for us but us.”
Toby thought that over on the way and, when they got close, he spotted the stack of barrels that led below. From here, Trip had to have left her close. Scanning around, Toby started toward a low crumbled wall. Rocks tumbled from underneath his feet as he hauled himself up onto old rotted floorboards.
“See anything?” Leaf called.
It was dark up here, and Toby peered around, then shook his head. “Nah, gotta get higher,” he called back. The rough wall stretched up to the roof, and he barely managed to get up without breaking his neck. Already, his heart raced, and all the names Dani would’ve called his foolishness came to mind.
Those, he pushed away, just like she’d pushed him.
The Thicket stretched out around him. North lay the forest; Cold Harbor everywhere else and the sea beyond that. This was his home, it always had been. He’d never left the gates, never gone more than a span away from the house he’d been born in, and yet he felt a hundred leagues away now. This was another world, one that felt strange and deadly.
Wasn’t it more of a home than one that had completely rejected him?
Swallowing, Toby scanned the ruined and fused buildings for some sign of life. Cupping his hands at his mouth, he called Pip’s name as loud as he could.
Leaf snorted below. “She ain’t gonna come out for you.”
“She might,” Toby said, hoping it wasn’t all bluster, and called again. And again.
“Shut it,” Leaf said, looking antsy. “Bigs are gonna hear you, or worse. Scream like that and you’ll just get yourself killed.”
“I ain’t leavin’ her alone,” Toby snapped, and he carefully made his way along to the other edge of the roof. The alley gap between this building and the next wasn’t large, and he crouched and jumped. His boot broke through the old thatch, and he yelped, scrambling for a hold.
He caught himself, got up, and called again. Slowly, he made his way through the Thicket, calling Pip’s name until finally, a small brown head poked up through the roof of the next building.
“Why you callin’ me?” Pip demanded, her expression darkening. “Where’s Trip? I’m hungry. And I’m hiding!”
Toby swore as he patted his pockets. He hadn’t thought to take the rest of the bread Dani had given him; how could he be so dumb? “I’ll get you food.”
A familiar snort came from behind him, and Leaf ran and jumped to Pip’s roof with considerably more grace than he’d displayed. “Dullard. Coming all this way without food. Lucky for you I have some.” She flashed him a grin, and pulled out a raw parsnip. “Here, Pip. All for you.”
The little girl grabbed the long white tuber and started gnawing at the end, but the worried look didn’t leave her eyes. “Where is he?” she demanded again, swallowing. “Where’s Trip?”
Toby looked down at the street and gulped, then flung himself over the gap. His boot caught on the edge of the roof, and he stumbled forward, palms up to catch himself. He grunted as he landed in a heap at Pip’s feet. “He’s not here, Pip. Not yet. Look, I’m gonna take care of you.”
Pip took a small step back and looked at him doubtfully, clutching the parsnip to her chest. “Trip said I ain’t to trust no one.”
“But you’ve gotta,” Toby said, sitting back, hoping that it showed he wasn’t going to grab her. Glancing at Leaf, he jerked on her pants to get her to follow suit. She did, but with a roll of her eyes. “You don’t have to be alone, Pip. None of us do. We can have each other, we can all watch out for each other.”
“That’s your plan?” Leaf demanded, her arms folded across her chest. “What, you going to be the brother of everyone here?”
“Sure,” Toby shot back, chin lifting. “Why not? We all need family. The problems we have now are bigger than me or you, but they might not be bigger than all of us. If you want to get Kale back, we’ll need to work together; if we want to bring Trip up, we’ll need help.”
A small hand on his arm made him look up into Pip’s huge eyes. “I trust you,” she said, and offered a gnawed parsnip. “Get Trip back?”
“Yeah, I will, kid. Promise.” He held out his hand, and the girl shoved parsnip into it, which proved sticky with drool. Steeling himself, Toby forced a grin and took a bite.
“Well, clearly you’re insane, and serious,” Leaf said, then sighed. “And I’m desperate. What’s the plan?”
The parsnip tasted sharp in his mouth, and old, and it was all he could do to swallow it. Thankfully, Pip took it again and went back to gnawing on it, squirming her way into his lap. She felt so light and cold; Toby fought a lump of emotion. Severine, if you care at all for the small ones, watch her; or else.
“We’ve gotta stop Aaron from getting burned. He’s the one that stopped the demon, so we need him to take on Rider. They’re accusing him of raising Grim.”
“Oh yeah, I heard of that,” Leaf said, shrugging. “How are we gonna do that?”
“We’ve gotta tell ’em about the tunnels, and the Rider.”
That got a snort. “Yeah, they won’t believe us. We’re nobodies.”
“Sure, but…they might believe Dani. She said they wouldn’t cause she’s a girl, but she’s wrong. I know they will. Especially because she’s Thatcher’s kid — that’s gotta count for something!
“Look, Leaf. You watch Pip, and if you know anyone else that can help, get them. Tell them I’ll pay, whatever you think is fair. I don’t care, I’ll come up with it, swear by Iustyn.” Carefully, he untangled himself from Pip, his lap and chest colder with her gone. “I’m gonna go get Dani on our side again. She’s got to have cooled off by now.”
Leaf nodded slowly, and looped an arm around Pip’s shoulders. The small girl offered up what was left of the parsnip with a big smile. “Nah, keep it,” Leaf said. “Alright, Wharf Boy. I’ll do it. Meet you at the barrels when the sun is right there.” She pointed to a spot in the sky. “Don’t be late.”
“Deal,” Toby said and made his way over to the edge of the building. The boards underneath his feet groaned, and he yelped when they snapped, spilling him over the edge. He tumbled down, clipping his hip a board. It spun him around, and he smacked into a pile of spiky leaves.
Off to a great start.
Picking leaves out of his rear, Toby limped down the street. Why, when he had to fight demons and stop a man from getting burned to death, did he think that facing an angry Dani was going to be the hardest part?
22
Being dead was damn tricky.
Cold Harbor seemed wrapped in a cloak of suspicion, and Toby felt unfriendly eyes on him more than once as he ran through the town. Adults that he’d always ignored suddenly seemed threatening and dire. Who would recognize him and haul him before the Watchers?
Thankfully, their attention seemed diverted. Adults clumped throughout the city, their heads bent towards another, jawing away. Aaron’s name was on their lips, and the talk was of his death at dusk. Fire in the Government Square.
The thought made Toby sick, and the taste of bile rose in his mouth. At least he had time, but gods, it wasn’t enough!
As he approached Dani’s house, he slowed. The large building’s curtains were drawn, the shutters shut to block the cold wind. Something moved in the main room, shadows thrown against the curtain. Dani, if she was home, would be up in her room.
Going through the front door was impossible. There was no telling what Mr. Thatcher would do if he knew Toby was alive. Best avoid him if he could.
Keeping low, Toby sneaked up to the side of the house, then started to climb up the worn, uneven bricks. He’d done it before, but not often. There’d never been too much need to avoid Dani’s da.
Up at the top, Toby dug his fingers into the handhold and leaned toward Dani’s closed window. He could reach the catch to the shutters, so he fumbled with it until it unlocked. Then, he pushed them open and — ribs aching — hauled himself over, and tumbled gracelessly into the dark room.
“Go away,” Dani said, her voice soft and broken. Toby blinked, squinting in the darkness. Her room was a mess, clothes thrown about, and broken shards of pottery scattered over by her dresser. Flowers splayed there, crushed and wilted.
She was a blanket-wrapped hunched form on her bed, the straw mattress large and thick in the corner. The whole room smelled stale, in bad need of airing. Something sharp and bitter lingered there, twisting with candle’s smoke, and Toby thought he could almost see it as a haze.
“We need to talk,” he said, keeping his voice as quiet as hers had been. He moved closer, so they wouldn’t need to shout.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Not even of leavin’?”
“No,” she said, finally. “Not of that; never of that. Just go, Toby.”
A door slammed downstairs, and Dani flinched and froze, her face obscured by shadow and blanket. Heavy footsteps thudded on wood, and the whole house seemed to still, impacted by the blows.
Men’s voices drifted through the uneven floorboards, muffled by the thick rug spread over Dani’s floor. Curious, Toby crawled over to the edge and pulled the rug back, revealing a thick knot in a board. It looked loose in the wood, and he picked at it.
“Please, don’t,” Dani whispered, almost begging. The mattress rustled.
He glanced over at her, frowning as she came closer. “I want to hear. It could be about Aaron.” He’d been right, the knot came free when he pulled it out, its edges smooth. It looked like someone had used a knife to pry it free, and he smirked, amused by the thought of Dani spying on her Da.
The voices came through now, clear and loud, Mr. Thatcher speaking. “You only get one warning. You’ve gotten sloppy, understand? I don’t tolerate mistakes in my people.”
“All due respect, sir, it wasn’t our mistake that started this whole mess.” The man’s voice made Toby freeze, fear crawling down his spine. Mole, the one that had tried to kill him, how many times? His knife slick and sharp, eager in his hands.
No, it couldn’t be, that would mean that-
The sound of a hand connecting with flesh broke his thoughts apart, and someone staggered loudly downstairs. “Point the finger at me again, in word or in deed, and I’ll make sure you pay for it. Slowly,” Thatcher said, his voice a low rumble. “I don’t pay you to think. I pay you to do what needs doing. You fumbled the first job; you sure you managed the second?”
“Yeah, we managed. Pity the Peach didn’t burn.”
“Did you start that fire?”
“Naw, it was burning when we got there. Was set to do it, but there wasn’t any need. I’ll tell you, boss — those shingle things weren’t catching, even from mage-fire. I reckon you’d never have to replace those.”
“I reckon,” Thatcher drawled, then snorted. “Fortunately, their creator will burn easily, and this town of suspicious pigeons will want nothing to do with such obvious sorcery.”
“What about the woman and her kid? You want me to handle them?”
“No. Don’t go near them. Are you handling the next shipment?”
“Yeah, no need to worry. There’s a bit of a hitch, though. Stranger among the crew, a passenger. All silver-headed and noble-like. But, it’s being handled.”
“It’d better be. Best you be leaving, now.”
Toby fumbled with the knot, pushed it back into the floor and shoved the rug back over it, his mind spinning. What was Mr. Thatcher up to, and what was he doing with Mole? Did he know that the man worked for the Rider?
Or, did —
“You have to go,” Dani said and she grabbed Toby’s shoulder, yanking him around. “Now. My Pa can’t find you here, dummy. You’re supposed to be dead.”
“But I ain’t, and I ain’t leaving without you,” Toby said, thoughts of Thatcher pushed aside. “I need you.” He frowned, wishing it was lighter in the room, so he could actually see her. Her stupid thick curtains blocked out the dim light far too well.
“I can’t help you. I’ve already said.”
“And you’re wrong, Dani. You’re so wrong. You can help if you want, you’ve just gotta be brave enough to stand ’n say what’s true.”
“And what is true? Aaron might not be innocent, did you think of that?”
Toby frowned, and shook his head. “That’s stupid. Of course he is! We met him, did he seem like a mage to you? Naw. Besides, we both just heard your Da say that —”
“I am not going to speak against my Da,” Dani snapped, and she shoved him hard. He grunted, back twinging as he fell back. “How dare you ask me to?”
“He’s killin’ an innocent man!” Toby shook his head, pushing up onto his elbows. “We just heard him. He might not’ve started the fire, but he’s sure lightin’ the one under Aaron. We have to stop him, we’ve just gotta! You’re the only one that can, so you’ll come with me, and we’ll find Watcher Pommel and tell him everything.”
“You’re a kinslayer, remember,” Dani said, turning away. “You can’t go to the Watchers.”
“I’m willing to take that risk. There are kids tied up, being cut on right under the ground, cut away from light and no one knows but us. We don’t have a choice; we’ve gotta stop the Rider, no matter what.”
Light flooded the room as Dani’s door opened, illuminating her as she turned. The blankets had fallen away from her face. Her left eye was swollen shut, the lid dark and split. Bruises marred her face, and along her neck in thick finger-like bands. The color fled her, and she stared stupid with horror at the doorway.
