Part 25 (1/2)

*It's not her I'm worried about,' Zoya says quietly.

Lida looks me straight in the eyes. *I don't know anything about witch stuff, Pipa”'

*My name's Rain,' I interrupt suddenly. *I'm not a pipsqueak . . . or a runt.'

*Fair enough. Rain it is, then. You seem normal to me, so I'm putting these superst.i.tious delusions down to battle fatigue, or maybe the excitement of getting a Hero of Rodina medal has scrambled your brain. Whatever. The important question is, what now? Our last ac-reqs were to lie low and keep the lights on till Long Night's over. We're to eke out fuel blocks and food as long as we can. Meanwhile, Mossie's got us knitting to keep us warm now temperatures are teasing the freezing mark.'

*That's crazy!' I burst out.

*Because witches don't like knitted knots?' asks Mossie, half offended.

*Because you could be doing something! You could run blockades, bomb the Crux, keep up morale a” show them we're down but not out!'

Lida shakes her head. *You've been out for four days. You've no idea what's happening in the city. It's like this attack of ma.s.s hysteria just because the sky's gone dark. People are literally going mad without Aura and without daylight.'

Fenlon nods. *They say a Scrutiner was attacked on the street when he tried to stop people breaking into the People's Number Ninety-four Museum to liberate old G.o.d-house bells.'

*Not Reef?'

Lida explodes with frustration. *We have absolutely no idea who it was, or where Reef Starzak is. That's my whole point a” there's no one to connect to and ask. At least we're used to being out at night without lights and going without Aura for hours at a time. Everyone else is out of their heads.'

*So take advantage of this experience. Do something to save the city!' I persist.

*Do what?'

*Whatever you can. What about spreading word that we don't just have to sit and wait for defeat? We can rise up and fight, with bare fists like Yeldon if there's nothing else. Forget Aura! This is Rodina we're fighting for a” our loved ones, our way of life, our homeland. Fenlon, how many Storms are currently operational?'

Fenlon folds his arms. *Define operational. If you mean ready to fly, get shot at and crash, then I can have nine, maybe ten, ready in an hour.'

*Only nine?' I can't believe it. *Did we lose so many while I was out of it?'

*What's with all this we and our stuff?' snarls Yeldon. *Whose side are you on anyway, weird girl? What's your plan of action?'

I rub my eyes, which are still heavy and sore. *Can you spare a Storm for me? I need to get to the Mora.s.s.'

Lida laughs at that, a harsh sound. *Hadn't you noticed? The Mora.s.s has come to us!'

She's right. The school has become a garden. The bioweave walls are bulging with vine stems. Leaves are bursting beneath the ceiling lights, turning everything faintly green.

Mossie says, *It started a few days ago and keeps getting worse. People tried burning it and the fires just got too out of control. The only good news is, it must be attacking the Crux as much as us.'

*Who says it's attacking?' I ask. *They're just plants, growing where you don't want them.'

When Papi speaks his voice is gruff. *Last Long Night it was the same. Trees sporing everywhere and these flowers sprouting. Back then we just yanked the weeds out and got on with it. That was before we knew there really were . . . witches . . . walking around like normal people.'

*But they're not normal,' Yeldon insists.

Zoya wants to know, *What are you going to do when you get back to the Mora.s.s, Pip?'

*Anything's got to be better than sitting around here waiting for the Crux to stop praying for the light to s.h.i.+ne again. I thought I might try to defeat the enemy army, save the city and end the war a” something like that.'

Now they all look at me as if I'm disconnected as well as deviant, which, since Uncle Mentira took my keypad, is pretty much the literal truth.

*You want to defeat the Crux army?' mocks Lida. *Are you really that powerful?'

*I've no idea. There's only one way to find out . . .'

I turn to go . . .

*Not so fast,' Lida says. She pulls her lighter-box from a pocket and deliberately flips it open in front of me. *One message did come through from Aura. We've had the highest-priority instructions to contain you here if you should happen to appear, using whatever force necessary.'

Yeldon smiles with satisfaction. *Apparently witches do have some vulnerable points . . .'

I nearly crumple to the gra.s.s-growing floor. All it will take is one strand of my hair from my pillow, my hairbrush, cut from my head, then . . . unbelievable agony.

The crew move closer. They move as one. They are, after all, loyal citizens of Rodina. Bred to obey. To belong.

Click, click, click, Lida flips the lighter-box lid. Then she smiles.

*As I've said, the orders are to use force, but how can I help it if you turn violent and overpower me with some abnormal witch power?'

*Violent? I haven't touched you!'

Lida steps aside and hands me the lighter-box. *Having made me your first victim of brutality, I hope you don't somehow manage to force Fenlon to let you steal a Storm.'

Fenlon grins. *There's one already fuelled and armed.'

I stare at them all.

Fenlon coughs. *Er, any time soon would be good for the breakout, Aranoza. I can't stand round here being a hostage all day. I have got other things to do, you know.'

Mossie is suddenly at my side, taking off her coat and slinging it round my shoulders. *How dare you wrestle these warm clothes from me, you monster?'

Petra joins her. *I'm appalled you knocked me to the ground and made me give you this good-luck hug.'

Yeldon shakes his head in disbelief. *You're all letting her go? You're acting like she can be trusted, when we've no proof she won't destroy us all too? Fine! Take a Storm if you have to, but don't expect the rest of us to break faith with Aura by helping you after that. We're loyal citizens of Rodina Nation. You're a deviant creature of some kind. Go back to the Mora.s.s where you belong!'

Where I belong . . .

That has a nice sound to it.

I go west. Light frost dusts my wings. Gunfire flashes as I break the blockade. The Crux are distracted by attacks from Sea-Ways civilians, who are braving the dark and their own indecision to fight. The people I thought of as my parents are somewhere down there, creating a diversion so I can fly free.

I don't fly alone. Eye Bright the corvil perches on my shoulder. Zoya scrunches in the nav seat behind me, wearing everything she owns and still s.h.i.+vering.

*You didn't have to come,' I tell her.

*I really did,' she insists.

*You could've stayed with everybody else, arguing about whether to do nothing, or next to nothing.'