Matthew nods. ‘He listens to Saskia.’
‘He doesn’t listen to anyone, arrogant jerk.’ Saskia glances at my tense face and tries to smile. ‘But he won’t kill your mate, promise. He likes her I reckon, as much as Thorn can like anyone.’
I hold on to these words, and just hope Katie managed to befriend him, at least enough to stop him from killing her, but not so much that he tried it on. I shudder when I think of what a difficult position Katie’s been in, the role she may have had to play. And I just can’t lose Katie. These past few days, I’ve realized just how much she means to me. Not just because of Alice’s betrayal, but because it’s always Katie I’ve longed to tell when something’s gone wrong. It’s her voice, punctuated with hilarious swear words, that I’ve imagined telling me it will all come good. Alice has been my best friend since I was four, a history which can’t be ignored, a history which practically elevates her to sister status. But if I were to walk into a room completely oblivious to the past thirteen years, my friendship slate wiped clean, it would be Katie I’d choose to slam tequila with, not Alice.
I let my eyes skim over the forgotten, ghostly street signs, the monotony of the grey and the thwack of my step eventually stilling my mind. The sun slowly moves across the sky, its rays barely penetrating my skin. That’s when I first notice it, a flash of grey fabric in my peripheral vision. The tiny hairs on my arms stiffen and I have this overwhelming sense that somebody’s watching me, following me. I get a soft flicker of hope in my chest. Maybe, just maybe . . . but I can’t bring myself to even think it, because if I’m wrong, I will experience that crushing disappointment all over again.
Nate fishes some undiscovered bread from inside his overalls and hands it out. Saskia grabs a piece and gives half to Matthew. ‘We can eat as we walk,’ she says.
A few crumbs fall from Nate’s mouth. He looks at me and grins. ‘Hansel and Gretel made it home, didn’t they?’
‘Yeah, but the birds ate the crumbs,’ I reply.
Saskia jabs me in the back. ‘Who said you could speak?’ It sounds aggressive even for her – she’s worried about seeing Thorn too.
‘So how did they get home?’ Nate whispers, after a tokenistic pause.
‘They killed the witch,’ I whisper back.
‘Shhh.’ Saskia jabs me in the back again.
‘Tempting,’ Nate says.
We both giggle.
By the time the church spire comes into view, hunger and tiredness have weakened my limbs, and I have to concentrate really hard not to cry. That flash of grey hasn’t reappeared and I left the flicker of hope behind with Nate’s breadcrumbs.
We approach the church, the scent of fish thick in my nostrils. Just the sight of those porthole windows, the gothic spire, and I get this pain in my stomach, this tightness in my throat. Saskia and Matthew push through the wooden doors and I follow, Nate’s hand wrapped in mine. Thorn leans against the altar, just like in canon. I’d forgotten how beautiful he looks, his dark skin gleaming in the evening light.
‘I hear you’ve arrived empty-handed, Violet,’ he says.
He must have received word from Alice. All the fear and tiredness seem to lift, and that anger hardens in my ribcage again. He’s the one who sent her. If it wasn’t for him, the canon would be on track and the rebels would be about to discover Willow peering through the rusted keyhole in the church door. It was a heart-wrenching scene – Willow all roughed up and hauled into the church to face Thorn. The hurt expression on Willow’s face when he saw Rose with the rebels and finally realized her true identity.
My brow sets in a determined line. Because of Thorn, Willow is currently feeling up my bestie. ‘I take it you mean those Gem secrets?’ I say. ‘He chose Alice, by the way.’
He laughs. ‘Ah, so the Gem lookalike won in the end. I thought she might.’
I weave through the desks and stride up to him, pushing myself on to my tiptoes so I can meet the glare of that single, lavender eye. ‘Do you remember your conversation with Baba?’ I whisper so the others can’t hear. ‘This is bigger than just getting those Gem secrets. It had to be me that Willow fell for. You sabotaged me.’
Thorn places two heavy hands on my shoulders, forcing me to take a step away. ‘I see your stay in the manor has made you bold.’
I catch myself. He’s a brutal psycho after all. ‘Sorry . . . I – I just thought Baba explained it all.’
‘She spoke in riddles. She always does.’
‘But she knows things—’
‘I am the rebel leader, not Baba, and when a Gem lookalike fell into my lap, I chose to cover my bases. You failed this mission, not me, and certainly not Alice.’
It sometimes amazes me how quickly I can feel weak again – all the strength draining from my body, my arms dangling by my side, my eyes itching with tears. I look at my boots and clutch my head, trying to think of what to say next. I need to see Baba. I swallow hard and open my mouth, but the sound of the door bursting open silences me.
A group of rebels haul someone into the building, muffling his shouts and steadying his blows. That soft flicker of hope returns ten, twenty, thirty times stronger, beating its wings like it’s going to burst from my chest. I look at Nate and can’t help but smile. In spite of Alice, in spite of everything, I did it. Willow chose me. The canon is back on track.
Thorn looks at me and begins to laugh. ‘I take it back, Violet. You aren’t empty-handed at all.’
The tussle ends and the rebels part. But it isn’t Willow bowed on his knees, a ribbon of blood streaming from his mouth. It’s Ash.
‘Ash, Ash.’ I hear my voice shout his name. I lurch towards him, but Thorn pulls me back.
Ash looks up, his eyes vivid blue, staring from the pink of his beaten face. I gasp at the sight of his blood, and my hand touches my own cheek as though I can somehow feel his wounds.
‘Do you know this Imp?’ Thorn’s breath catches against my ear.
I nod. ‘He’s a friend.’
‘And why is your friend sneaking around my church?’
Ash raises his voice. ‘Violet? What is this?’ He looks at me and then at the rebels. He wears the exact same look Willow wore in canon – hurt, betrayed.
A rebel whacks him in the temple with the butt of a gun. He splays on the floor.
‘Stop it! Please!’ I shout. I can’t believe I dragged him into this mess.
Saskia steps forward. ‘He’s just a kid from the Harper estate who’s sweet on Violet, that’s why he’s here.’
Thorn walks towards Ash with slow, purposeful steps, accentuating the rhythm of his speech. ‘And now he’s just a kid who knows where Rebel Headquarters is, and what we all look like.’
Ash manages to scrape himself off the floor, rocking back into a kneeling position. ‘Who am I going to tell?’
‘Some Gems work for the Imps,’ Thorn says, ‘and some Imps work for the Gems. Not everyone is true to their own.’
I follow Thorn, nausea rising in my stomach. ‘Please, Thorn. He’s no threat to you.’