The Inevitable Eclipse

Chapter 9 - It's Personal

    Hawk's grip was tight. Ivy took that, as she took most things, as a challenge. She squeezed his hand just as hard and only let go when he did. She had the urge to shake out the pain in her hand, but she would not give him that satisfaction.

    Hawk turned to the address the crowd of masked faces. Ivy considered him for a moment, he was tall and broad, a halo of curly blond hair. Achilles, she thought, or perhaps Icarus. "Ladies, gentlemen, the scrapings from bottom of the barrel, I want you to extend a very warm welcome, to the newest member of this dysfunctional family, Sparrow!"

    The room exploded into cheers, a pat on her back so vigorous that she almost toppled forwards, tankards were raised, someone shook her hand.

    The energy pulsed through the room, setting something inside her alight. The members of The Night Fall were right there, they were tangible things in front of her, not some vague threats or the destruction that swept the city.

    They were there and they were cheering for her.

    Void was right beside her the whole time, with one hand on her shoulder and a grin on his face. Pride, she quickly realised. He had been the one to bring her there and she had passed Hawk's test. Would they blame Void for it when that very moment, the moment when they let a wolf into the sheep pen, exploded back in their faces? He had been the one to open the gate, after all.

    "Alright, alright," Hawk said over the noise, the shadows on his face subsided for just a moment. Long enough for Ivy to see the exact grey of his eyes, something familiar about them. "Let's make some introductions shall we?"

    "Sure!" Ivy said brightly and made a note to try her hardest to remember all of their faces, what she could see of them anyway, so when they were all lined up at the end of it all, she could point each and every one of them out to Clarissa. Then lock the bars and finally free Tenebris from their grip.

    "I'm sure you already know the face of The Night Fall, our pretty picture boy, Void."

    "Excuse me? I am not your 'picture boy'."

    "Fine," Hawk crossed his muscular arms across his chest. "This is our symbol for the new tomorrow, hope and rebellion personified. Is that better?"

    "Yes, thank you."

    Ivy giggled, if only to please them and win their favour. The quickest way to a man's heart was not through his stomach, but through his ego.

    "This is Owl, our intelligence." Hawk led them across the room, rubbing shoulders with the lowest of criminals, to a girl who sat alone in the corner, hunched over a laptop.

    Ivy followed him through the people. There had to be at least fifteen people in that small room alone. Was that everyone?

    She smiled at the girl in the corner, hoping some of the kindness she was trying to imitate reflected in her eyes. "Hi."

    The girl looked up from her laptop. Between the masks and the dim light, it was hard to make out any defining features, but even with the limited view Ivy could see the girl's auburn hair braided back, large, round, dark eyes and a scattering of freckles. Most of her face was hidden by the same navy mask as the rest of them, but it had slipped down her nose just a little. She quickly adjusted it and looked up at Ivy, clearly examining her the same way. Eyebrows furrowed in a way that Ivy had seen before, when she wore a different mask, the face of someone, not so subtly, trying to figure her out. But Ivy was an expert at camouflage.

    "Hi!" She said, her voice was light, but she was guarded. Ivy had sat through enough meetings with Clarissa and her officials to know when there was a lack of trust.