He shook his head in sudden, furious impatience. ‘Besides, I have no plan worthy of the name. I have an idea, certainly, but I have no way of carrying it out. I do not know enough yet. I need more time—’
‘There is no more time,’ Rye said, suddenly knowing it was true. ‘The daylight skimmers are ready—we heard Brand tell the Master so! And if the test is successful, the Master himself will come here. He will see you, Sholto! He will know you are not the real Vrett! Our only chance is to—’
He broke off, and looked up. He could have sworn that he had heard a tiny chittering sound, coming from somewhere above him.
All he could see was the small, dark disc of the air vent in the ceiling. The chittering sound came again. Then there was a little thud, and a furious scrabbling sound. The wire mesh masking the vent bent, quivered, bulged, and abruptly burst open. And Sonia screamed in shock as a small, chattering streak shot from the open vent like an arrow and plunged deep into the pocket of the black coat hanging around her shoulders.
‘By Nanny’s b-beard!’ gasped Itch. ‘A clink!’
Sonia had thrown off the coat in panic. It lay in a heap on the floor, heaving slightly. Crunching noises were coming from the pocket.
‘It is Four-Eyes’ clink!’ Rye exclaimed. ‘I cannot believe it! She followed me all the way here just to get the last of the hoji nuts!’
‘Sshh!’ hissed Sonia. ‘Listen!’
Rye froze. So did everyone else. And in the silence they heard a low, ghostly whisper drifting from the air vent.
‘Rye! Rye, are you there?’ Rye’s heart leaped.
‘Dirk!’ Sholto gasped, his drawn face suddenly alive.
Rye moved hurriedly to just below the air vent and looked up. ‘Dirk!’ he called softly. ‘Where are you?’
A gasp of relief sounded through the vent. ‘On the roof,’ Dirk’s voice whispered. ‘Bones found a rope. The clink led me straight to this air vent.’
Bones? thought Rye in amazement. Then he shook his head. This was no time for idle questions.
‘I cannot see a way of getting you out,’ Dirk whispered. ‘The cursed place is sealed tight. I had been hoping to find an answer on the roof, but there are no trapdoors, and the air vents are no bigger than my hand. I will keep looking. But in the meantime, Rye—here!’
There was a soft, sliding noise, and the little brown bag of powers dropped from the open vent into Rye’s outstretched hands.
A ripple of sound ran around the cell as Sonia caught her breath and Bird’s people shrank back, crossing their fingers and their wrists.
‘The hood,’ Dirk was whispering from above. ‘Do you still—?’
‘Yes,’ Rye managed to say, touching the silken folds on the back of his neck. ‘I have it.’
He became aware that Sholto had come into the cell and was standing beside him, but he could not tear his eyes from the bag. He could hardly believe it had returned to him. With trembling fingers he tied the frayed ends of the broken cord together, and pulled the knot tight.
‘Bones found it lying beside the track,’ Dirk said. ‘It is a miracle he saw it. I pray it will help. Rye, is Sonia with you?’
‘Yes,’ Rye said. ‘And Sholto.’
‘Sholto!’
‘Greetings, brother!’ Sholto drawled. ‘It seems that neither of us is dead, despite all reports to the contrary.’
He grinned broadly as a stream of astounded curses hissed from the air vent. But the grin quickly faded.
‘Dirk, listen!’ he said rapidly. ‘There is something you must do. It is vital, brother! Are you listening?’ ‘Yes,’ said Dirk cautiously.
‘You cannot help us, I promise you. Leave here now! Find your way home, as quickly as you can. Tell the people to abandon the city—break through the Wall and get out.’
‘Break through the Wall? Sholto, are you—?’
‘Listen to me! If the Warden tries to stand in your way, rouse the people to rebel against him. You can do it, if anyone can. Tallus will help you. People close to the Keep could use the Doors to escape, if the Warden can be made to see reason.’ ‘But—’
‘Dirk, the skimmers are being bred to attack in daylight as well as by night. And they are being bred to fly in the cold of winter, as well as in the summer heat. The time is coming when nothing will stop them—nothing!’
‘It is true, Dirk,’ Rye burst out. ‘The new skimmers are here. I have seen them!’
‘Outside the Wall the people will have some chance of survival, especially if you are leading them,’ Sholto went on, his voice very cold. ‘If they stay inside it they will have none. Do you understand?’
There was dead silence. Then:
‘I understand,’ Dirk said, his grim voice echoing hollowly down the narrow shaft.
Sholto closed his eyes briefly, and everyone in the cell could see some of the tension that had held him rigid draining away.
‘Go, then!’ he murmured. ‘Go in safety. Tell our mother that Rye and I …’
He could not finish. He pressed his thin lips together and looked down.
‘I will tell her,’ Dirk said softly. ‘Sholto, I have listened to you, now you listen to me. Trust Rye. Much has changed since you saw him last. He can help you more than you know.’
With that, he was gone.
Rye stood motionless, desolate, gripping the little brown bag. Sonia slipped her arm through his. ‘You had better go too, Rye,’ she urged. ‘You and Sholto.’
‘And you, Witch,’ Chub urged.
But Sonia shook her head. She bent, picked up the coat still lying on the ground, and slipped it on, ignoring the chittering of the clink in the pocket.
‘Give me your cap, Rye,’ she ordered.
Rye pulled the dark cap from his head and silently handed it over. Sonia pulled off the orphan’s helmet and jammed on the cap in its place.
‘There,’ she said, buttoning the coat up to her throat. ‘Now if I lie down and pretend to sleep, the guards will think I am you. We are almost the same height, and they have never seen me standing upright.’
Rye met her determined eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘Whatever happens, we will be together at the end,’ he said evenly. ‘We will be back as soon as we have done what we have to do.’
Sholto was looking stunned—almost afraid. ‘This is madness!’ he muttered. ‘You are all putting too much faith in me.’
‘We are putting our faith in Spy and his magic,’ said Bird, and Sholto stared at her in startled confusion.
‘I hear boots,’ Bean growled. ‘Guards …”
There was no more time for argument.
In moments Sholto and Rye were outside the cell, Sholto had sealed the door, and Bird and her people were lying huddled together with Sonia, pretending to be asleep.
But now they could all hear the tramping feet, very near.
Sholto looked around quickly. ‘Hide in those shadows, Rye,’ he hissed, pointing to a dark corner beside the cell. ‘Stay very still. I will try to turn their attention in the other direction.’
Rye pulled open the neck of the brown bag. He put on the horsehair ring, and slid the armour shell onto the tip of his little finger.
Sholto looked down his nose. ‘By the Wall, Rye, what is this? Surely you do not believe that charms will—’
‘Take my arm,’ Rye said, and pulled the hood over his head.
22 - The Dispatch Area
Sholto’s jaw dropped as his brother vanished before his eyes. Speechless with shock, he made no protest as Rye dragged him out of the path of the approaching guards, whispering to him not to make a sound. But perhaps it was only when the guards had tramped by them without a glance that Sholto realised he was as invisible as Rye, for he looked down at his own hand with such a comical expression that Rye almost laughed.
‘How is this possible?’ Sholto breathed, when the guards were well past. ‘How does a simple piece of fabric baffle the eye? It must be something to do with the way it reflects the light! By the Wall, Rye, where did you—?’