We run through the city, bending through alleys, squeezing our bodies through narrow passageways. The footsteps of the Gems and the thrash of the helicopter blades grow dull and tired, unable to navigate the city like the Imps. Perhaps we will make it to the river in time for my friends – all four of them – to reach safety.
‘Thanks for saving me.’ I struggle to breathe and talk.
‘I was hardly going to let him shoot you.’
‘How did you know Saskia would slit his throat?’ I ask her.
‘She flashed her knife at me and I just knew. Thorn stabbed her once, he told me, and I’m guessing Saskia isn’t the forgiving type.’
I smile, because it’s more than that – Thorn isn’t the only one with parental urges. And Saskia and Matthew’s loyalty plants a warm glow in my chest.
We wriggle under a makeshift roof; a piece of corrugated iron slung low between two pillars of rock. The mud oozes between my fingers and slips beneath my knees.
‘So what’s happening now?’ Katie asks, emerging into the open air and scanning the skies for helicopters. ‘Is it the river bit?’
‘Yeah.’ The others are far enough ahead not to hear, so I brief her as we run. ‘Willow and Rose tried to escape across the river in a rowing boat, and that’s what you’re going to do, you and the others. You can hide in No-man’s-land until I hang tomorrow. It should be safe there.’
‘Didn’t Willow and Rose get captured on the river?’ She stumbles on a mound of broken concrete.
‘Yeah, but I think you’ve got time to make it across before the soldiers arrive.’
She steadies herself and sucks in a huge mouthful of air. ‘What about you?’
‘I’ll wait to meet the soldiers on my own.’
‘Sounds risky.’
She’s got a point, so I don’t waste my breath arguing – I need it too much right now. My legs have started to ache and my throat feels hot and sore.
‘Where’s Alice? Still banging Willow?’ she asks.
I feel my mouth pull tight – it’s a question I don’t want to answer. ‘No. She screwed the lot of us instead.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She told the Gems our movements – she’s trying to get me killed so I can’t complete the canon and take her away from Wonderland.’
Katie loses her step again, mutters ‘Pork sword’ into the night, and grabs my hand in solidarity. ‘Are you sure? Alice can be a bit of a numpty, but surely that’s taking it a bit far.’
‘It’s the only explanation.’
‘Really? I just find that a little hard to believe. Something else must be going on.’
I shake my head; a stubborn gesture.
‘And where’s Nate?’ she asks.
Now this is the question I’ve really been dreading. ‘Dead.’ The word expands to fill my head, knocking me off balance.
‘No!’ It sounds more like a scream than a word, so loud the others turn to check we’re OK. ‘What – what happened?’ Katie asks.
‘The Gems happened.’ My voice sounds so angry, so full of hate, I’m reminded of Thorn. I run to the rhythm of her sobs, unable to offer any comfort as I have only bitterness and regret in my heart. I look at the moon – fat and plump just a few days earlier, and now just a sliver in the sky – and I vow to keep my friends safe, to get them to No-man’s-land before surrendering.
I won’t let them die too.
Little ambient light spills from the sky, but Saskia and Matthew navigate the streets with ease. For the second time tonight, I feel hugely grateful for their help – I don’t think I’d have found my way to the boats on foot.
The Gem bombs haven’t reached this far, and buildings sprout from nowhere, blocking our path, throwing us off course. We move around them, keeping the stench of fish close, and the occasional glint of the water even closer.
‘This way,’ Saskia shouts.
We exchange no words, but simultaneously begin to drop towards the water’s edge. It’s the same bay as in canon; an outcrop of stone concealing an area of silt. We find the tiny fleet of rowing boats, nestled in the mud beneath sheets of tarpaulin. The smell makes me think of camping trips with my parents and Nate. His face all ruddy and pink in the light of the campfire, a drizzle of hot marshmallow stuck to his chin. That black hole threatens to reappear, so I blink back my tears and focus on the task at hand – helping Saskia set torches in the empty rowing boats.
‘Decoys,’ Saskia says.
We launch the boats into the river.
‘Thank you,’ I manage to say, my breath heavy. ‘For what you did back at the church.’
Saskia rubs her collarbone, the place where Thorn sliced her all those years ago. ‘He’s had it coming for a while. Nothing to do with helping you and your dopey mates, you know that, yeah?’
‘I didn’t set us up,’ I say, watching the torches bob into the distance, like will-o’-the-wisps or jack-o’-lanterns.
‘Of course you didn’t. You’re sodding useless.’ Only one boat remains. ‘You guys ready?’
‘Yeah,’ Ash says.
I don’t tell them I’m staying on the shore, I don’t have time to explain or argue. And I just can’t stand the thought of saying goodbye to Ash. I’ve already had to say goodbye to Nate, and that’s quite enough for my lacerated heart. We splash through the shallow water. Saskia and Katie scramble into the boat, the wood creaking and slipping beneath their boots. Katie perches in the stern and manages to smile at me, even though the green of her eyes looks dull and tired.
I scrabble with the rope while Ash and Matthew lean into the stern. The ground whips away and the vessel bobs free. Ash and Matthew clamber in, spraying cold water on to my hands and face. Ash leans forward and offers me his hand. I hear the dull, oceanic roar of the Gem helicopters. They’re early. No, not early – any time gained navigating the sewers was lost when Thorn tried to kill me and the Humvee exploded.
I ignore Ash’s hand and keep on pushing the boat. The water reaches mid-thigh.
‘Come on, Violet,’ Ash says.
The helicopters grow louder, the water reaches my waist, and I just keep on pushing.
‘That’s deep enough,’ Saskia says.
The current decentralizes my balance. But I don’t stop pushing.
‘Good luck, Vi,’ Katie says, her voice shaky and small beneath the night sky.
‘Just stay alive, OK?’ I reply.
She nods.
Ash reaches for me, almost toppling the boat with his weight. I grasp his hands and gaze into his face, taking one last look into the palest blue eyes I’ll ever see. ‘That secret I’ve been keeping?’
Confusion touches his features. ‘Yes?’
I smile. ‘It’s always been you.’ And with one final push, I watch them drift away.