And they were leaving, that much he knew for certain. He had been debating it for days now, but the unexpected appearance of the giant centipede had decided him. Staying in the city was too dangerous. Things were changing, some of them visible, some that he simply sensed. He didn’t think they should be around to see how it would all turn out. It was time to fulfill the vision, even if he wasn’t certain how to do so. It was time to take his family and find the home the vision had promised them.
That meant convincing Tessa to come with them. He didn’t know how he was going to do that, either. He only knew he would have to find a way. He would meet with her tonight, at their prearranged place, and he would tell her what he was going to do. Then he would convince her in whatever way he could, using whatever means were necessary, to come away with him.
He went to work with Owl and Sparrow, gathering up the supplies and equipment they would need to take with them, making preparations for the move upstairs. Chalk and Fixit returned shortly after to say they had found a suitable place. On going with them to inspect it, Hawk found it adequate, a series of rooms with more than one exit, not too far up, not too exposed, a perfect compromise. It wasn’t as secure as the underground, but then the underground hadn’t turned out to be all that secure, either.
By the time Panther and Bear returned carrying the Weatherman on a makeshift litter with River trailing after, they were ready to install the girl and her grandfather in a room that was physically isolated from the others, but still close enough that they could be protected. The Weatherman looked the same, still covered in purple splotches, still feverish and unresponsive. River hugged Hawk and told him how much it meant to her that he was doing this, and he hugged her back and reminded her again that they were family and must look out for one another. Panther slouched around muttering that they had all lost their minds, that taking chances was becoming a way of life and he, for one, wanted no part of it. Then he pitched in with the rest of them to haul supplies up the stairs to their new quarters.
It took them all day to finish their work. By then, Owl had examined the Weatherman and done some more reading on types of plagues. She thought she understood the nature of the one the old man had contracted and how best to treat it. She instructed River on what to do, using a combination of medicines she already had, if only in limited quantities, liquids to keep him for dehydrating and cold cloths intended to bring down his fever. It was rudimentary, but it was all they had. Hawk promised to speak with Tessa about it when he saw her that night, already knowing that it wouldn’t make any difference, that he was not going to allow her to go back inside the compound, even for additional medicines.
By sunset, the Ghosts had everything pretty much in order and had settled in for the night. Cheney was back guarding the doors, his strength returned at least in part, and Hawk had established a schedule for two-hour guard shifts until dawn. There was no point in taking chances, even knowing how reliable Cheney was. It would only be for a few days, and then they would be gone from the city and everything would change. He tried thinking of what that meant and failed. He knew he couldn’t hope to foresee everything, even though he desperately wanted to end the uncertainty. He would have to take their departure and their journey one day at a time and hope that he would discover what he needed to know along the way. It was a big risk, but he had the feeling that staying put and hoping for the best was a bigger risk.
Sometimes, you just had to trust in things. He believed that if they stayed together and looked out for one another, that would be enough.
It was deep twilight when he left the building for his meeting with Tessa.
From the weapons locker, he took one of the prods and a pair of viper-pricks along with his hunting knife. He considered taking Cheney, as well, but he was worried that the big dog might not be fully recovered and did not wish to put him in harm’s way until he was. He had made this journey many times, and he knew how to go in order to stay safe. He would just have to be extra careful.
“Keep everyone inside,” he told Owl, bending close so that the others couldn’t hear. “If anything goes wrong, don’t separate—stick together.
I’ll try to be quick.”
She gave a small nod, but her eyes reflected her misgivings. “What will you do if she won’t come back with you?”
He hadn’t talked to her about what he intended, but Owl could read his thoughts as easily as she could read her books. She knew what he was going to attempt and what he was up against.
He smiled reassuringly. “She’ll come.”
“Promise me that if she chooses not to—no, wait, let me finish-if she chooses not to, you will come back anyway. You won’t go into the compound and you won’t hang around waiting for her to change her mind.”
Her eyes searched his, waiting. When he hesitated, she said, “We need you, Hawk. We can’t do this without you. Promise me.”
He understood. He bit his lip, looked at his feet, then said, “I’ll come back, I promise.”