Read Revolution (Chronicles of Charanthe #2) Page 58
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Eleanor had deliberately chosen a low roof that was easy to climb onto, and Lauren was already perched on the tiles, face hidden again by the cowl of her cloak, when she arrived. They settled down in a gutter between two peaked rooftops; from the ground they were invisible, and the workshops were empty by this time of day so no-one would hear them.
“Is this a place you often use for meetings?” Lauren asked. “It seems... unusual.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever been here before,” Eleanor said. “A regular spot would be a bad idea, for reasons that should be obvious.”
“I thought the revolution had moved out of hiding. Everyone knows the approximate borders of the rebel districts, these days.”
“That’s a bit different. Most things aren’t this sensitive. For most things a friendly tavern is fine, but we can’t even trust our friends with this.”
Lauren had been absent-mindedly rocking a loose tile to her left, but she stopped to look straight into Eleanor’s eyes. “None of them?”
“None.”
“Let me get this straight. Yesterday you told me I couldn’t go back into the rebel districts. Now you’re telling me you’re going to let them think, if they pass me in my uniform, that I’m just another Imperial slave.”
“You know the Shadows, so you understand as well as anyone what you’re getting in to. Every gap between you and us makes you safer. We can never guarantee there won’t be a leak – that there isn’t someone we think is one of us, who’s actually spying for the Empire. So until you’ve finished you can’t tell anyone who you are.”
“So if I end up in a fight... then what? If they don’t know me?”
“It depends. Try to choose your missions so you don’t cross the path of the revolution, if you have a choice. What rank are you? Whose unit do you work in?”
“One star – same rank I had in the Specials, which doesn’t translate to much choice over anything. But I’m under Karl and looking towards the mountains, so unless you’re planning on moving in the south it should be okay.”
“That should keep you well clear of difficult situations, then. As for wandering around the city in your uniform – the only ones who’d dare take on the Shadows are Association, and I’m the only one who’s been spending much time in Almont lately.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine, I just didn’t realise I’d be so cut off.”
“You’ll be horribly isolated, so you need to be extra careful. Don’t be tempted by the friendship of your enemies.”
“I would never!”
It was another moment of fierce determination, and it caught Eleanor by surprise. There were times when Lauren seemed nervous and unsure of herself, and then she had these flashes of absolute certainty. As if it was physically impossible to have a friend with opposing views. Eleanor thought of Raf, and wished that were true.
“Everything’s black and white in your eyes, isn’t it? Good and bad. But there are some good guys in the Shadows. Capable, bright, sweet.”
“They’re still the enemy.”
“And you know that, but they can sound very reasonable when they try. They’ll be nice to you. They’ll give you every opportunity to believe what they say.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Good.” It was easy to picture Lauren spending time with her old friends – chatting and drinking with the Venncastle crowd, or playing dice in the barracks – and it felt very, very important that nothing developed further. There was too much danger there. “A few other things. Don’t try to communicate with us, even – especially – when you really want to.”
“Especially?”
“The times you most want to get a message through are probably the times that there’s most at stake, but you can’t risk it. We’ll have to agree on somewhere that you can leave your updates.”
“Here?” She fingered the loose tile again. “I could tuck a note under the corner.”
“Do you have a waterproof pouch – sealskin, or something – to protect it if it rains?”
Lauren fished around under her shirt and pulled out a small wallet of tarred skins. “Will this do?” She tested it under the loose tile, where it slid almost completely out of sight.
“Perfect. The first thing I need you to do is find out what happened to my tame Assessor. She’s called Lucille, she was picked up a couple of days ago.”
“Lucille the assessor? I don’t suppose you know her ID number?”
“M-R-eight-one-J-two-three-L-D-M.”
“Okay. Anything else you can tell me?”
“She was working at the College in Almont, she had a list of students ready for me, and then someone came for her. I don’t know exactly who, but someone official – they put the fear of death into the staff. I need to know what’s happened to her. Plus anything else you can tell me about the Shadows’ plans, of course. Leave a note here every new moon, and I’ll come by to collect it and leave more instructions.”
“When do I see you again?”
“You won’t, as long as it’s going well. We can’t risk it.”
“And if it goes badly?”
“I’ll give you an emergency code word in case of trouble.”
“How does that work?”
“It’s your one way ticket back into the revolution. If you need to skip out of the Empire’s sights in a hurry – if your life’s in immediate danger – this will get you past any checkpoint.”
“Sounds like a good system to have.”
“Thankfully, we don’t need it often. You can have code word river. Don’t write it down, don’t even say it until the day you need it. It’ll only work once, and it’ll tell everyone that you’re in trouble. And then they’ll tell me.”
She nodded, mouthing the word in silence.
“All set?”
“And if I need to – what? I just say it instead of the regular response to a challenge at the border?”
“Just say ‘code word river’ to any rebel guard. Frankly, even someone who’s not in the guard should know what their role is... I’m surprised you hadn’t heard of it yourself. It’s easy for civilians: don’t panic, and find a guard who’ll know what to do.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” Eleanor smiled. “Good luck, Lauren. You’re doing an important job for us.”
They went in opposite directions across the rooftops, Lauren north into the Marble Quarter to resume her place in the Shadow Corps, and Eleanor west towards the markets, the rebel district, and her bed in the Old Barrel Yard.
As she tried to sleep that night she wondered what she’d agreed to. She remembered her own days in the Shadows, how hard it had been to live that double life, and she wondered whether Lauren really knew what she was getting into. Well, it was too late for second thoughts. She’d succeed or – the alternative didn’t bear thinking about, so Eleanor curled on her side, pulled the blankets tightly around her shoulders, and tried not to think too hard.