‘Wouldn’t Nathaniel just follow us?’
The headmistress shrugged. ‘Possibly. But perhaps not. You see, if we left Orion and Cimmeria voluntarily, he’d have no reason to pursue us.’
‘Then he’s won,’ Allie said flatly.
‘That’s what we’d want him to think.’ Isabelle gave her a meaningful look. ‘Once we’re out of his reach we will find a way to undermine him. To destroy everything he builds. To defeat him.’
Allie let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She felt suddenly numb.
‘So the same fight would continue.’
Isabelle shook her head emphatically.
‘No, Allie,’ she said. ‘A new fight would begin. For the soul of everything. With us in the drivers’ seat.’ She leaned forward. ‘This is what I mean when I talk about losing cleverly. To come back and win another day.’
Allie hated how plausible it sounded. The idea that this war with Nathaniel could go on, even after they’d lost Cimmeria, was more than she could bear right now. With Lucinda still to be buried, and Carter…
She straightened. ‘What about Carter? You’re not giving up on him are you? Because I won’t go anywhere without him.’
Isabelle held up her hands. ‘No,’ she said. ‘No one is going anywhere without Carter. We need to get him back first and then we leave. That’s what I’m focusing on now. Please believe me. I would never do anything that would hurt Carter.’
It was a good plan. Or rather, it was the least-worst plan.
Even so, Allie hated it. You can have all kinds of fancy words for losing, but whatever you call it, you’ve still lost.
On the other hand, getting away – starting over. That was enticing. Leaving Nathaniel behind, at least for a while. Escaping. Being safe.
The thought was almost inconceivable. And she wanted it as much as Isabelle did.
However, she couldn’t imagine how this could be explained to the other students. They seemed so defeated. So exhausted. If she told them Isabelle’s big plan was to lose really, really well…
They’d give up. The way she kind of wanted to give up now.
They had to find a way to make everyone believe losing really was victory.
She could hear no sound at all coming from the corridor. The school was quiet as a church. So her voice seemed startlingly loud when she spoke again.
‘We have to get Night School going again.’
Isabelle’s head jerked up. ‘I’m sorry?’
Now that she’d said it, Allie knew this was the answer. ‘You’ve cancelled training, and classes,’ she said, urgency strengthening her voice. ‘Bring them back. Get everyone back to work. Right now.’
The headmistress looked taken aback. ‘Allie, after what happened to Lucinda, I really believe we need a few days to mourn.’
But the more she thought about it, the more Allie was certain she was right. Having nothing to do was making everyone feel hopeless.
‘Don’t you see? We don’t need time to cry. Crying is losing. We need to get to work. When we work – when we train in Night School – we feel powerful. We are powerful.’ She took a breath. ‘Besides. If we’re going to get Carter back we don’t have days to wait. We have to get started right now.’
Isabelle still appeared doubtful. ‘But the teachers are exhausted. The students are demoralised…’
Allie didn’t waver. ‘Then let the teachers sleep tonight. Tomorrow, they should teach. The students are depressed because they think we’ve lost. Worse,’ she said, ‘they think we’re giving up. We need to make them understand we’re still fighting. We still have a chance… Because we do.’
5
The next morning, when Allie walked down for breakfast, a hand-written notice was posted on the door of the dining hall.
* * *
Normal lesson schedules resume today at
9 a.m. All students are expected to
attend classes as per the Rules. Night
School resumes at 8 p.m. Henceforth,
ALL students at Cimmeria Academy
are to train with Night School.
THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS.
* * *
‘What’s this?’
Katie leaned over Allie’s shoulder to read the letter.
‘All students at Cimmeria Academy are to…’ She read the words aloud, dismay growing with every word.
‘Not me, of course.’ She looked at Allie, her face a perfect mask of disbelief. ‘She can’t mean me?’
Allie knew they were friends now, and she should be sympathetic, but she grinned at her and turned into the dining hall.
Suddenly she was ravenous.
Katie followed on her heels, panic making her voice rise. ‘You volunteer for Night School. That’s the way it’s always been. They can’t forcibly enlist you. This isn’t the army. I am not a conscript.’
Rachel and Nicole were already at their usual table as the two of them walked up, Katie in mid-complaint.
Seeing Allie’s pleased expression and Katie’s outrage, Rachel’s eyebrows winged up.