‘Teach me more self-defence.’
‘OK. Good idea. We’d better change into some trackies.’ He moved the mugs out of the danger zone.
Meri pulled a pair of navy blue tracksuit bottoms from her chest of drawers. ‘I miss U-Can.’ U-Can was the training robot who had provided them with a distraction so they could get out of Perilous’ London headquarters. Kel had painted his face to look like their old sports teacher.
‘Me too: he’s a good rig and I’ve let my skills rust without him.’
‘You think he’s OK? They didn’t scrap him because he got in their way?’
‘Meri, Ade might not have shown you his best side…’
She coughed and lowered her voice in imitation. ‘You mean like “sit in a cage or die, Miss Marlowe”? Yeah, he was rather lacking in charm last time we met.’ Ade had been her friend until he found out she was Tean.
‘…but he’s not going to take it out on a piece of gym equipment.’
‘Good.’ She stretched. ‘But what about Theo?’
They’d not heard from Meri’s guardian since he was taken hostage at New Year. Kel had promised Meri that the Perilous would release Theo once he was no longer useful as leverage, but they were yet to get confirmation this had happened.
‘He won’t be hurt. They might be sitting on him, hoping to trace any communication you make. You’ll just have to wait for Sadie to get us word that he’s safe.’
Meri’s comp-punk friend had some serious high-level skills on computers. She’d unwittingly betrayed Meri’s position to Ade through her then boyfriend, Lee, one of Ade’s team. Now Sadie knew not to let anything slip out to Ade and his people. ‘I just hate not knowing. And there’s no word of Saddiq or Valerie either. It must be because they’re still holding all of them.’
‘Pity the poor guard who has to keep those three in check. They’ll be getting their revenge.’
‘But they have jobs and normal lives. Does Ade even consider that? If they don’t turn up soon, they’ll be unemployed.’ Meri wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. The mere fact that they knew her had ruined their lives, just as it had spoiled Kel’s. He was now estranged from his father and sister because he had chosen her and that same decision also put him in conflict with his former best friend, Ade.
‘Stop beating yourself up about it, Meri,’ Kel said sternly, ‘and take your frustration out on me.’ He crouched in the ‘ready’ position and beckoned. ‘See if you remember what I’ve taught you.’ He’d been teaching her kick boxing, saying that the longer reach of her leg meant that she could keep some distance from an assailant. Someone of Meri’s diminutive size would be at an instant disadvantage if she got near the fists of most men.
Meri got in a few good kicks, blocked by Kel’s palms before making contact.
‘That’s good. Don’t be shy about going for the groin. This is self-defence, not competition rules.’
She had to laugh at that. ‘First I make you go supernova and now you want me to emasculate you? Kel, I didn’t realize you were a masochist.’
He gave her one of his smiles that made the back of her knees go weak. ‘Sweetheart, if I thought there was any chance of you doing that, I’d let you know.’
She flicked a kick, testing his word. He caught her heel a centimetre short of real damage.
‘Good one. That would’ve found the target on most people.’ He kept hold of her foot, making her hop. ‘But if they do this, then you are in trouble. What’s your next move?’
‘I’m kinda stuck.’
The wretch tickled her sole. ‘Really?’
‘Stop it! That’s torture—against the Geneva Conventions.’
‘But I’m a merciless Perilous. How are you going to make me stop?’
‘I guess I’d have to try to push against your grip?’
‘That’s right.’ Thankfully, he stopped tickling. ‘We can’t try it without crash mats, but you could jump and plant your free foot in my midriff, use the pressure of my hand, and launch yourself backwards. It’ll surprise the hell out of an opponent and you’re likely to get free. Then what?’
‘I recover and run.’
‘Yeah.’ He kissed her big toe then dropped her foot. ‘Ninja assassins only exist in computer games. Most of us are better off running if we’re attacked.’
A polite knock on the door interrupted them.
‘Yes?’ called Meri.
‘Dinner is served, Miss Marlowe,’ answered the steward.
‘Thanks. We’ll be right along.’ Meri plucked at her T-shirt. ‘I’d better hit that shower now. You want it first?’
Kel grinned. ‘I didn’t break a sweat fighting you. I’ll just change into something more formal.’
‘I know I’m no U-Can.’
‘As if I’d want to wrestle a droid when I can have you.’
Conversation over dinner had all the energy of a lorry with a drained battery limping along to a charge point. Head delegate, Derwent Lackland, sat at Meri’s right as the guest of honour, Kel on her left. The chair next to Kel was empty as it was every night. Other members of the council occupied the rest of the seats but they refused to talk about what would happen when they arrived at Atlantis, not with Kel present. That left general topics of conversation and as they were all decades older than her and Kel, she struggled to find any common ground. She could hardly ask them if they’d seen any good music vids lately.
‘Bitterly cold today,’ she said once the soup was cleared. She hadn’t liked the taste but had felt it rude to leave it. The chef had said he’d made it especially for her as he knew she liked tomato and basil.
‘You should take more care of yourself. We saw that you went out on deck after the meeting, risking a chill.’ Derwent broke his roll and buttered it. A beefy man with the dark red hair of his Scottish ancestors, he reminded Meri of a Highland bull. All he needed was a pair of curling horns. Not a thought she should speak out loud though.
‘I was fine. Kel kept me warm.’ Yes, Derwent, she dared say his name. After all, he was sitting right next to her. Enough dancing around. ‘Have you given any more thought to what Kel can do on my council when we get to Atlantis?’
Tegel Waller, Derwent’s deputy and an irascible German from Munich, snorted and pushed aside his soup bowl. ‘Your council?’
‘Isn’t it mine?’ Meri could feel Kel’s foot press hers in warning. ‘You said I could appoint my own advisers.’
‘Obviously, Perilous are excluded from holding any office.’
Meri toyed with her uneaten roll, breaking it into smaller and smaller pieces. ‘Did you hear that segregation ended in the USA in the 1960s? And apartheid in South Africa in the 1990s? I’m not going to allow any country where I am in charge take such a massive step backwards into the worst attitudes of the twentieth century. We don’t discriminate on grounds of race.’
‘You govern with the permission of the people, not in spite of them, young lady.’ Tegel hadn’t liked her from the start. That was OK: the feeling was mutual.
‘Then we’ll have to put it to the vote, won’t we? Accept Kel as an equal or we leave and go somewhere else. I don't think you’ve quite grasped that I’m not giving up my principles to be your leader. Being head of the Tean nation wasn’t my childhood dream. I won’t lose anything by turning my back on it.’ A waiter appeared at her shoulder with the fish course. ‘Thanks, but I’m not hungry.’ Rage had that effect on her.
‘You’d reject centuries of tradition, something your parents died to protect, just because you are indulging in a teenage romance?’ marvelled Derwent.
‘It’s not a teen romance.’ Should’ve worn the bullet-proof vest tonight, obviously, thought Meri. She was coming under fire from all directions but Kel.
‘You’re eighteen, so that is exactly what it is.’
Meri hated it when her emotions were dismissed just because she was young. They didn’t know the first thing about her or how deeply she felt about things, yet still they claimed to see th
e secrets of her heart more clearly than she did. ‘I’m disappointed you are all so slow to get that message. I’ve never hidden my intentions.’ She topped up Kel’s glass from the water jug in front of them and poured herself some. She was feeling very thirsty. The soup had been too salty. ‘Water?’ She offered the decanter to Derwent.
‘No, thank you. I don’t share utensils with a Perilous.’
Enough already. She rose. Kel’s touch on her arm was the only thing that stopped her storming out.
‘Meri, it’s no good. You aren’t going to persuade them to change this way,’ he said softly. “They’ve had millennia to develop these attitudes.’
‘She isn’t going to persuade us to change, full stop,’ declared Derwent. He swallowed his forkful of fish. ‘This is good cod. You should try it.’
Meri glanced at Kel who was doing his best to eat the meal that neither of them wanted. She sipped her glass. Every day she hoped it would be different, but each time it ended up like this: her furious, Kel depressed, and the council sneering at her choices. She was so sick and tired of it all. She rested her chin on her hand. Her head felt very heavy. She took another gulp of water, trying to wake herself up. It wouldn’t do to let them see any weakness.
‘Meri?’ Kel had noticed something was wrong. He tried to support her as she slid sideways into him. Her limbs felt like they were made of concrete.
‘Kel?’ Her eyelids fluttered. The last thing she saw was his worried blue eyes.
3
‘Good, that should keep her quiet for a while.’ Derwent threw his napkin on the table and gestured to the steward to remove Meri. ‘I was getting quite tired of hearing her opinions. Lecturing us like she had the right—her all of eighteen. She has no idea what she’s talking about.’
This was bad. Kel hugged Meri firmly to his chest. ‘What have you done to her?’
Derwent shrugged. ‘She’s fine. Just sleeping.’
‘You drugged her?’ His fear bloomed into outrage.
‘Correct.’
‘Why?’
‘So we could talk to you, of course. We’ve tried persuading her the easy way; now we have to resort to the hard.’
He had to rein in his temper. ‘Persuade her of what?’
‘To let you go.’
Kel wanted to keep hold of Meri but Ben pinned his arms. ‘It’s better this way, lad. Trust me.’ Kel was forced to watch as the steward and another crew member carried Meri away. She slumped like a puppet with strings cut. How had he even thought that she had any power in this situation? They were using her, just pretending she was in charge.
‘You’ve got Ben and Francis to thank.’ Derwent gestured to the older man who sat at a corner table watching them with a sad expression. Francis looked like a man witnessing his worldly possessions go up in flames. ‘They vouched for your good sense so we on the council decided to give you a choice.’
‘A choice?’
‘You can’t be as naive as her. You must realize we can’t take you to Atlantis? You represent a risk even knowing that it exists but Francis says you won’t do anything to endanger Miss Marlowe so we can trust you if you give your word that you won’t try to find it, or tell others of its existence.’
Kel knew he shouldn’t be surprised they’d come at him like this, but he was shocked to find the people he thought of as allies were part of this ambush. The taste in his mouth was bitter. ‘I’m a Perilous, remember? I didn’t think you’d trust me at all.’
‘Not normally, but you saved Meredith and you’ve burned your bridges with your own people. We think we can bend this much. The alternative is to silence you permanently.’
‘And that’s what we should do,’ grumbled Tegel. ‘He’s a damn loose cannon. Get on with it, Derwent. We’ve wasted enough time on him already this voyage.’
Derwent smiled grimly. ‘Forgive my colleague. He thinks even breathing the same air as you a kind of insult. Look, son, I know you and Meredith think you are in love.’ He leaned forward, going for the confidential, paternal tone that had absolutely no effect on Kel. Kel had already defied his own father over Meri; he was hardly going to start listening to a complete stranger.
‘Our relationship is none of your business.’
‘But it is. How long do such things usually last at your age? A few months at most? We’re not asking much. We just want you to bring forward the inevitable end and allow Meredith to arrive at Atlantis without you scuppering her chances of being accepted.’
‘She’s already told you: we go together or we don’t go at all.’
Derwent sat back, shaking his head. ‘That’s not the choice being offered. That’s a child’s wish to have her cake and eat it. She is going to Atlantis. You are not. End of story. The choice we’re giving you is either we dump you over the side and let you swim for it in the dark—the coast isn’t that far away, you’ll probably make it; or we take you ashore somewhere pleasant, allow you to write a nice farewell note to your girlfriend and we all agree that you never see each other again.’
‘That’s a choice between different ways of slitting my throat.’
‘It’s much better than that. You end up still breathing.’
Kel clenched his fists. The tactical advantage was all theirs. Meri was out for the count. If he did fight his way out of the room, how could he get her to a lifeboat without being stopped? He could barricade himself with her in their cabin, but then they could just batter down the door and they’d end up at the same point again with the added risk Meri might get hurt in the confrontation.
‘Lad, I can see you’re thinking of resisting,’ said Ben mournfully, ‘but think what she will feel when she finds you gone—no note, nothing to explain your sudden disappearance. We’ll all say that you slipped away in the night and she will think you’ve abandoned her without a word.’
‘No, she won’t. She knows that I’m sticking with her.’
‘Then she’ll believe something bad has happened to you—like it did to her parents. Do you want her to go through that again—months, years of not knowing? Do you want her to hate the only people who can protect her from the Perilous? The break is coming. You can make it gentle or harsh. Your choice.’
‘Ben—’
‘Kel, you might not believe it, but I truly am trying to look out for you both in this. But I’m loyal to Atlantis first and you simply can’t go there. You had it right: believing you could was living in Cloud Cuckoo Land.’
Francis came out of his corner. Kel had wondered when he would have the guts to admit what he thought. ‘You may not credit it, Kel, but Ben and I have been arguing that you should be saved. Others thought you were too high a security risk. This is the best deal we could negotiate. Please take it.’
Frustration and fear boiled in Kel’s chest. He rubbed his sternum, recalling the burn mark he had yet to show Meri. Was there a way out, a way of staying? Meri and he had so many problems to overcome in their relationship and now these people were saying they’d run out of time. ‘Please don’t do this to us.’
‘None of us want to hurt you. Think of yourself as a casualty of war if it helps,’ said Derwent.
That was no fricking comfort. ‘She won’t forgive you.’
‘She won’t know, not if you make her landing a soft one.’
‘If you really love her, you’ll do that for her,’ said Francis.
Ah, the ultimate unfair plea had made an appearance: using his feelings against them both. ‘You’re asking me to…to cut myself in half.’ Kel’s breaths came fast now. He couldn’t panic but he felt so horribly trapped.
‘We’re asking you to let her go gently.’
Kel couldn’t take any more. He got up and walked out. He could feel the Tean Sympathizers shadowing him and there was nowhere to run onboard ship. The lights of France glittered on the port side. A boat had already been lowered, waiting for its reluctant passenger. They thought there was only one course of action.
He had to see Meri. He couldn’t do it t
heir way. Turning, he found his path blocked by Ben.
‘Let me past, Ben.’
‘You can’t see her again, lad. It would only distress her. Francis has your things packed for you.’ Ben dropped a backpack at Kel’s feet. ‘You don’t think this now, but this is for the best.’
If Kel had Meri’s power of burning people with her touch, he was very much afraid he would’ve used it on Ben right then.
‘Write her a note, lad. Don’t make her mourn you. Give her the courage and strength to carry on. What she’s got to face in Atlantis is difficult enough; don’t make her arrive broken.’
Kel knew he was shattering inside. Fragile pieces of his soul were dropping like bits of a plaster ceiling in an earthquake. How would Meri feel when she woke up? ‘You’re killing me—killing us both.’
‘No, we’re saving you.’
Kel spun away with an abrupt swear word, only to come face to face with Francis. The older man held out a pad of paper and a pen. ‘Please.’
There was no choice right now. Kel ripped the pad from him. They’d read what he wrote so nothing explaining their betrayal would get through. Meri and he had not planned any clever codes for this moment, no secret messages, not realizing they were going to be betrayed like this by those who had posed as their rescuers. The only option was a limited honesty. Every word was a little death. He shoved the pad back at Francis.
‘I hope they paid you a hell of a lot more than thirty pieces of silver.’ He picked up the bag they’d already packed. ‘Francis, Ben, have the decency to keep your distance; don’t let her be fooled that you really care.’ He threw the backpack down into the boat, not bothering to warn the men at the oars that it was coming. He followed. The moment his feet hit the deck, the crew pulled for shore.
‘Where do you want us to leave you?’ asked the man at the tiller as the yacht diminished on the horizon and the lights of the shore grew brighter.
Kel couldn’t help himself: he started to laugh.