Allie pulled Sylvain’s hand. When he met her gaze she pressed her finger to her lips and pointed to where she’d seen the movement.
Instantly alert, he turned to look in the direction she indicated. He let go of her hand and dropped down into a crouch peering intently into the woods. But she could tell he saw nothing.
‘I don’t …’ he whispered, glancing up at her.
Then the man moved again. It was little more than a flicker of darkness amid the green.
‘There,’ she whispered, crouching down next to him.
Close together, they peered into the forest. The trees, shaken by the rising storm, danced around them.
She felt Sylvain’s body tense as he saw the figure. But then he relaxed again just as suddenly.
‘A guard,’ he said. He sounded absolutely certain.
‘Really?’ Allie peered into the woods. But the man had disappeared. ‘You’re sure?’
Sylvain stood up straight; she followed suit.
‘I got a good look at him. I’ve seen him with Raj before,’ he said. ‘I’m not really surprised. The guards know there’s a meeting this afternoon. Raj probably asked him to keep an eye on us. Well, on you, anyway.’ His face grew more serious. ‘Do you realise you’re followed all the time now?’
Allie’s stomach dropped. She shook her head.
The guards were everywhere, yes, but it had never occurred to her they might be there for her. But now things clicked into place. Guards in the corridors, on the lawn, on the stairs, in the classrooms and the dorms… she couldn’t remember the last time she’d turned around and not seen a black uniform somewhere within view.
They began walking down the path again, more slowly now.
‘I know you don’t like it but as long as you’re safe,’ Sylvain said, ‘that’s what matters.’ Allie knew he was right, but the incident still left her feeling invaded. She was watched all the time? What about last night on the roof? Sylvain was certain they weren’t watched but… What if they had been?
The idea made her queasy.
Ahead, the chapel wall loomed into view. Its ancient stone covered in grey lichen but just as sturdy as when it was first constructed centuries ago. Here the path curved left to follow the line of the wall. Nearby Allie knew there was a stream, crossed by a stepping-stone bridge. But they didn’t go in that direction. Instead, they carried on to an arched wooden gate. Sylvain held it open for her, latching it behind them with a metallic clatter.
Beyond the gate a small, stone chapel stood, surrounded by the dead.
The church was overlooked by an ancient yew tree, huge and eternal, its gnarled roots so old they’d climbed out of the ground like a tangle of prehistoric vines.
This was Allie’s favourite place at Cimmeria. Some part of her longed to climb the tree’s long branches as she and Carter had done in the old days, and hide from the world.
But those days were over.
The grass stood high in the churchyard; some of the shorter gravestones were overgrown. Even the tallest were half hidden.
Allie looked around in dismay. It wasn’t like Mr Ellison to let things go.
‘Why is it like this?’ she asked, gesturing at the graveyard.
Sylvain followed the direction she indicated with muted interest. ‘There aren’t enough people around to help the groundskeeper. He let the churchyard go to seed so he could focus on his other work.’
His explanation made Allie’s heart heavy.
She knew Mr Ellison would hate letting it go like this. He cared about every bit of his job.
It was only a little thing, but it bothered her.
It bothered her more that Sylvain didn’t seem to know his name.
She wanted to tell him Mr Ellison was more than just a groundskeeper – he was a wise and caring man. He’d helped her deal with her grief after Jo died. He’d raised Carter after his parents were killed.
But Sylvain was standing in the chapel door, looking at her expectantly.
Now wasn’t the time. Hiding her doubts, she followed him inside.
16
Sixteen
It was dim and cool inside the church. Allie squinted into the shadows.
Dust motes danced in the faint light trickling through the stained-glass windows. A single breath could send them spinning.
She could make out the medieval paintings on the walls but it was too dark to see the damage Nathaniel’s knife had done the previous winter.
A small group had gathered on the front pews near the altar. As her eyes adjusted, she saw Zoe and Isabelle. Raj Patel stood nearby with a woman she couldn’t remember seeing before.
Allie’s brow creased. She turned a slow circle as if expecting to see more people in the dusty corners, but the small chapel was otherwise empty.
Could it be that Isabelle trusted so few people? Behind her, the church door crashed open. Everyone fell silent as Carter and Nicole stumbled in. Nicole’s hair blew around her face in a dark cloud as Carter pulled the door shut with effort.
‘The wind’s really picking up,’ Carter said over his shoulder as he forced the door into place. ‘I think it’s about to storm.’
Allie’s eyes were drawn to the words painted above the door behind him in gothic lettering. It was the school’s motto.
Exitus acta probat.
The result justifies the act.
‘Everyone is here.’ Isabelle’s voice echoed off the stone walls, forcing Allie’s attention to the front of the chapel. ‘We should begin.’
They filed into the pews like churchgoers; the headmistress stood by the altar, a huge iron candelabra towering over her left shoulder, unlit. Through the windows, Allie could see the trees swaying beneath swirling clouds. The air felt pressured. Heavy with anticipation.
Isabelle began without preamble. ‘Lucinda has been in touch to say Nathaniel is increasing his efforts to force the board into a no-confidence vote. Our supporters have received threatening phone calls, their children have been harassed. One MP who supports her was denied a seat in Cabinet.’ Her serious gaze swept the small gathering. ‘The Chancellor has openly joined with him now and, although the Prime Minister is hedging his bets, he’s stopped taking Lucinda’s calls.’ She sighed. ‘I must be honest with you. It looks bad.’
Nobody seemed surprised by this. Her next words, though, caused a stir.
‘It would appear Nathaniel is aware that Allie has returned to us. He’s contacted Lucinda directly asking for a parley.’ She hesitated, as if deciding how much to reveal. ‘For a variety of reasons she has declined. This may be why someone attempted to break into the school grounds last night.’
Allie’s heart stuttered. Next to her, she felt Sylvain’s body stiffen.
‘Are you serious?’ Carter’s tone was sharp.
Isabelle nodded. ‘Very.’
Concerned voices swirled around Allie, but she tuned them out. She thought of the person she’d glimpsed in the woods. How some part of her had been disappointed it wasn’t Nathaniel. Wasn’t someone she could fight.
Even now she knew she should be afraid, and she was. But she was also eager. Ready to fight back.
‘What exactly happened?’ Nicole’s French-accented voice pulled Allie back to the conversation. ‘How close did they get?’
‘Raj,’ Isabelle said. ‘Please explain.’
The security chief stepped forward. His familiar face made Allie feel better instantly. Rachel’s father was the kind of man who exuded calmness in all situations. The more severe the crisis, the calmer he seemed.
‘There was an attempted intrusion last night, just after two in the morning.’ The Yorkshire accent he’d never lost stretched every word. ‘Someone tried to open the gate using a remote electronic device. Luckily, before any damage could be done, the hack was blocked by Dom, here.’ He gestured at the woman Allie had noticed earlier. She sat on the front row with her back to the rest of the group.
She leaned forward to get a better look at her.
/> The woman was younger than she’d first thought, probably no more than twenty, and slim, with short-cropped black hair, smooth skin the colour of coffee and stylish narrow glasses.
As Raj talked, she sat, legs crossed, in a relaxed posture, but Allie noticed she tapped her fingers in a subconsciously nervous gesture.
At the front of the room, Raj was still talking. ‘When we reinstituted tech a few months ago, Dom thought to put a block on every electronic device on the grounds, including the front gate. They all respond only to signals directed to them from inside the school building,’ he explained. ‘At the same time she programmed a tracker into them, so any attempt from outside the school is logged and traced. Thanks to her, we know which device was used, and where the signal came from.’
‘Awesome,’ Zoe whispered approvingly.
‘Where did the signal come from?’ Carter asked.
Raj motioned for Dom to answer.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Dom stood and turned to face them. Her clothes were androgynous – skinny trousers, a loose, white shirt and what looked like a man’s blazer, worn unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up. She seemed out of place in this setting.
‘It was a short-range device, so it would have originated from just outside the gates – either the woods or the road.’ She had an American accent. ‘The individual could have been on foot or in a vehicle but they didn’t stick around long enough for us to find out. We sent the guards out immediately and they were already gone when they arrived.’
Allie studied Dom with curious eyes. This was the new tech everyone was talking about. For some reason, she’d expected her to be a guy. She’d also expected her to be older. And much less cool.
She seemed to know what she was talking about, but Allie was nonetheless surprised Isabelle had allowed her into the inner circle so quickly.
She glanced around the group – everyone sat still, watching Dom with respectful expressions. Whoever she was, and wherever she’d come from, she’d won them all over.
‘Are you certain they were trying to get into the grounds?’ Sylvain asked.
Dom turned to him.
‘Not necessarily,’ she conceded. ‘We can’t be sure of their plan. They could have been testing our defences. Or merely trying to unnerve us. Either way, they left frustrated. Our security system held.’
‘This is the first attempted incursion in three months.’ Raj nodded to Dom, who sat down quickly as if relieved to be finished talking. ‘Given what you’ve heard from Lucinda, we believe this is no coincidence. It’s more likely this is the beginning of the next phase.’
‘You mentioned a parley,’ Allie said. ‘Why isn’t Lucinda meeting him? Isn’t that the only way to resolve this?’
Isabelle and Raj exchanged a look she couldn’t read.
‘She cannot accept his conditions,’ the headmistress said after a brief hesitation. ‘It would be too dangerous. They’re still negotiating.’
Before Isabelle could elaborate, Carter spoke. ‘You’re increasing patrols?’
Raj inclined his head. ‘We’ve cancelled all non-emergency leave.’
Allie thought of what it had been like here a few months ago. Nathaniel’s guards dragging students out of the school. Hiding in the cellar for hours. Emerging to find the school empty; Rachel kidnapped, Jules gone.
‘It’s starting again,’ she said. ‘Isn’t it?’
The others turned to look at her.
When Isabelle responded she chose her words carefully. ‘Nathaniel indicated to Lucinda that he intends to take the school. He will not give up.’
It had grown darker inside the church. Outside heavy clouds blackened the sky. As Allie looked through the window, the first rain drops hit the roof like fists knocking.
The storm had arrived.
When the meeting ended, Allie gathered with the others by the door. They needed to leave in small groups again and they were waiting for Raj’s signal. The rain still fell and the air smelled damp and musty.
‘Who is this Dom person anyway?’ She kept her voice low. Dom was with Isabelle and Raj by the altar.
Zoe blinked at her owlishly. ‘She’s a genius.’
Allie made an impatient gesture. ‘Yeah, but where did she even come from? Why does everyone trust her so much? What kind of name is “Dom”?’
‘She’s from the American organisation,’ Nicole explained quietly.
‘Oh,’ Allie said. ‘She’s from Pegasus?’
Zoe rolled her eyes. ‘Prometheus.’
‘Allie.’ Across the chapel, Isabelle was waving her over to where she stood with Raj and Dom. ‘Could we speak with you?’
Leaving the others at the door, Allie walked down the aisle. Her footsteps seemed loud in the hushed room.
‘What’s up?’
Raj waited for Isabelle to speak. No one introduced her to Dom, who studied Allie with eyes that seemed to miss nothing. Up close she looked even hipper. Suddenly Allie’s school uniform seemed juvenile.
‘We’ve just been discussing how much to tell you,’ Isabelle said quietly. ‘I’m generally opposed to alarming you unduly but Raj and Dom disagree, so …’
Whenever people don’t want to tell you something, the thing they don’t want to tell you is always bad.
Allie’s stomach tightened.
Seeing the concern on her face, the headmistress held up a cautioning hand. ‘Please don’t worry. It’s all under control. We just … need to talk to you.’ Isabelle’s eyes swept the church as if ensuring no one could overhear her. ‘We think you should know what’s been happening behind the scenes. The reason Lucinda refused to accept Nathaniel’s invitation to meet. It was because of the conditions he demanded.’
Even though she’d said not to worry, Allie knew her well enough to recognise the anxiety in Isabelle’s eyes, and the way her hands moved restlessly at her sides.
‘What conditions?’ she asked.
‘You.’
The word seemed to hang in the air.
‘He insists you’re at the parley,’ Isabelle continued. ‘Obviously, Lucinda sees this for the trap it most likely is and has refused. But he’s not backing down. They’re at an impasse. Because of this, we expected Nathaniel to retaliate. Last night’s attempt was just the start.’
An awful sense of trepidation settled over Allie. Parleys were meetings between enemies, intended purely for negotiation. There was no logical reason for Nathaniel to want her there. Unless this wasn’t really a parley.
It was typical of him to use trickery and lies. To play games with people’s lives. He never seemed to tire of it. When it came to Cimmeria – to her – he was a machine. He came back and back and back. Relentlessly. He didn’t care who got hurt. Who died. He would never give up. Never stop.
It had to stop.
Feeling suddenly tired, she raked her fingers through her hair, pressing her fingertips hard against her skull.
‘So now more people will get hurt because of me,’ she said tonelessly.
All they’d been through over the last year, all the running and hiding, the fighting and dying. And for what? Nathaniel was inches away from taking over the Orion Society. He was so close to victory he must be able to taste it. And once he won, everything was lost. He would reshape the country in his image. Behind the protective curtain of the powerful organisation he could do whatever he wanted. Use his power to hurt people who couldn’t fight back. Change the government. Change people’s lives. They would never know his name. Never recognise his face. He would live in the shadows, a puppet master pulling the strings.
‘That’s where we come in.’ Raj leaned forward to catch her gaze. ‘We’re working very hard to keep him out, and we’ll continue to do so. We’ve been successful for three months …’
‘I’ve been away for three months.’ Allie’s anger boiled over and her voice rose. ‘He’s been too busy chasing me around the world to mess with you.’
‘Allie, there’s no reason to
overreact …’ Isabelle began but Raj kept talking as if she hadn’t spoken.
‘We’ve brought in extra guards,’ he said, as if this changed everything. ‘And we’re increasing the number of patrols.’
In despair, Allie lowered her head to her hands. Was he delusional? More guards? More patrols? The grounds were vast and wooded, with hills, lakes and forests. You could hide an army out there. And sometimes it seemed Nathaniel had. Last time he’d brought a helicopter. What were they going to do if it came back?
Throw stones at it?
‘It has worked before, Allie,’ Isabelle said.
Allie whirled on her. ‘It has failed before, Isabelle. And it will fail again this time.’ She looked back and forth between them, cold with anger. ‘You keep doing the same things over and over again hoping people don’t die this time. I just don’t …’
Her raised voice echoed off the old stone walls. Across the chapel the others turned to stare at them.
She cast them a desperate look. That was enough. Sylvain and Carter crossed the room to join her and the others followed right on their heels.
‘What’s happening here?’ Sylvain looked around the group for an explanation.
‘Tell them.’ Allie turned to Raj and Isabelle, her hands on her hips. ‘Tell them how you’re going to stop Nathaniel with more guys in black. Tell them your amazing comms system will keep us alive when he comes for his revenge. They deserve to know what’s about to happen.’
‘What exactly is going on, Isabelle?’ Carter stepped forward until he was standing beside Allie.
‘It’s insane,’ Allie said.
‘You’re being childish,’ Raj retorted, his tone sharpening. ‘This is the system.’
‘Can someone please explain—’ Sylvain began.
‘Stop this.’ Isabelle’s voice echoed off the stone walls. They all fell silent. ‘This conversation is pointless. This is the way it has to be. We don’t have any alternative.’
‘Yes, you do.’ It was Dom’s voice. They all turned to her. Her gaze was on Allie. ‘The alternative is standing right in front of you.’