Ash and Quill(50)

His words faded and left a creamy, empty page behind.

He didn't have to wait long for Brendan's reply to appear, as if an invisible pen wrote in fast, looping letters. Da says hi. Hopes your limbs are all attached. I did try to get you a message. Intercepted by Beck. We've made offers for your return. Brendan didn't express anything about his own worries, but then, he wouldn't. That wasn't how things worked between the two of them, identical in looks, far from it in temperament.

Generous of you, Jess wrote. Where are you?

Close, Brendan replied. Assuming no one else can read this?

Just us.

Good. Because what I'm about to tell you stays quiet, yeah? Santi's company is here. His lieutenant found some Burners in London to question and found out where you'd gone. She got the whole company sent to duty on the wall.

Jess stared at the words for a long, long moment. He didn't quite know how to take that in. They've joined the High Garda encampments? They're here?

Just said so, Brendan agreed. I'm with them. We're hiding in plain sight, brother.

You said Santi's lieutenant . . . Zara? Jess wrote the name with too much pressure and nearly broke the tip of the quill. You can't trust Zara. She's loyal to the Library. Nearly killed the captain, before.

Yeah, she told me. She's dead sorry about it. Changed her mind after the Artifex Magnus decided to execute a few of her soldiers for disloyalty. She's not the only one who's turned on the bastard, plenty of unrest erupting all over these days. Details later. I trust you have bigger questions.

A full High Garda company would be a blessing, no doubt about that, but Zara Cole? Santi's lieutenant hadn't seemed all that trustworthy the last time Jess had seen her. In fact, she'd been willing to shoot down every one of them, and all hail the Archivist.

But beggars couldn't be choosy, if the beggars wanted to live out the day.

We need a tunnel out of here, Jess wrote. And didn't like the delay. It took a solid minute of molasses-slow time before Brendan's answer appeared.

Yeah, well, he said. Little bit of a problem with the tunnel.

What problem?

We don't have one.

I know. It belongs to the Comprehensive.

No, there is no tunnel. The Comprehensive destroyed the last one after the High Garda twigged to its location. They haven't finished digging the new one yet. No way out through a tunnel. I'm sorry.


      ///
       
         
       
        

Jess . . . hadn't expected that. At all. We need that exit, brother. We need a way out. They must have something!

You'll find a way, Brendan repeated. When you do, tell me where. We'll get in position to cover you. If you can wait a few weeks-

We don't have a few weeks. We'll be dead long before then. Jess paused and then wrote, I think we have to do it today.

TODAY?! Brother, this is not making me feel calm.

Jess let out a little huff of a laugh, too quiet to be heard. Me, neither, Scraps. Me, neither. But have faith.

He waited for Brendan's usual comeback. It was always the same, with varying degrees of anger: Don't call me Scraps.

But instead, when the message appeared, it said, God be with you, brother. Get me a message when you can. And then, after a blank line: Don't go and die on me. I wouldn't know how to tell Da.

That, Jess thought, was as close as he was ever likely to get to an I love you from his own brother.

He put the feather in place and closed the book, and sat for a while, drinking in the stillness, the quiet.

When he was ready, he added Thomas's blanket over Morgan's body. She was deeply asleep. She'd never looked so alone, he thought, and he hated Wolfe, purely and completely, for doing this to her. He wanted to crawl in beside her and hold her, but there wasn't time. There never is, he thought bitterly. And for one wild moment, he wanted to just forget it all, close his eyes, and pretend for another hour that it wasn't all moving too fast.

"Jess. With me." Scholar Wolfe was standing in his doorway.

Jess followed him. As he did, he saw that Dario's bunk was empty, and so were Glain's and Khalila's. "Where is everyone?"

"Off on business," Wolfe said. "Inside."

Jess stepped into the cell Wolfe shared with Santi. Despite the repairs, it had a glassy, melted look to the stone, and there was still a faint, cloying smell of Greek fire here that made him want to cough. Santi, seated on his bunk, noticed. "Not so bad once you get used to it," he said. "You've been in touch with your brother?"

Jess looked down at the Codex he still held, with Glain's boot leather binding it, scarred and rough with use. "He says the tunnel's not an option."

That got Santi and Wolfe to exchange a fast, grim look. "Narrows our options to one," Santi said. "The wall. But that means we have to fight our way out of a High Garda camp. I don't like those odds."