Nada's Escape

52- Temporary.

Waking up from a nightmare of crawling along a stone tunnel filled with blood, I shiver convulsively. Dreadful Huntsmen, I curse. With the taste of bile in my throat I roll onto the floor, crawling across to the en suite. Dawn rays stab at my retinas as I stumble round looking for a piece of paper. I find a crumpled bookmark and cracked ballpoint under the fridge and place myself at the table to finally, finally, begin a proper plan.

Transport. Food and water. Navigation.

Under transport I add a few lines. Learn to drive? Easiest to learn? Camels? /Brumbies.

Did a feyfly put the symbol on my hand? Can I really break magical oaths? Can Finley help us?

Well the answer to the last question could answer our first three problems. So I pull on a pair of sensible shorts, take a couple of slices of bread to eat and start on the journey to Finley's. Crossing in front of the Academy, Darcell approaches me and I increase my pace to try and outrun him. I'm still shaken at the bloodthirsty way he took down the mother bear last night.

"Shove off." I bark when it's clear I can't outrun him.

"Woah, what'd I do?" He asks. I fold my arms and luckily he doesn't follow me. He yells something indistinguishable as I enter the street to Finley's house. I spend several minutes knocking politely on Finley's door and then banging. Frustrated, I finally make my way to his family home, making sure to take the back streets so as not to cross before the Academy again. As I walk up the porch steps to a door too tall for an ordinary human I pray that his father isn't home.

"He's not home." Someone calls after several knocks on the gargantuan door. Poking my head around the sweeping arches of the veranda I notice Darcell leaning out of the third storey window of the house next door. I instantly retreat behind the arches again, stop following me!

"They left before dawn." He calls. I refuse to answer, waiting until I hear the slam of a window frame. Even though Darcell's disappeared from the window I leave Finley's family porch on the opposite side. I stomp along the remainder of the street, a cauldron of acid bubbling away below my breastbone.

Yes he was leaving today, but before dawn? I had no idea. If I'd known I would have said something last night. Carved out a bit of time after the barbecue with the girls. There is still so much to say, so many mysteries to be solved. I'd even broken his oath to the council, so there was nothing stopping him speaking up. If only he'd said something.

I spot Amy sitting on the lounge swing on the veranda of a great house of white wood. Her legs swing idly, a more child-like a motion than I've ever seen from her.

"Nada!" She grins and pats the space beside her. I step onto what must be Percival's veranda with caution. It feels like a world of worms. This feeling becomes a certainty as Amy points offhandedly at a plate of warm croissants.

"We've got so much to tell you. Macie's been telling Percival all morning that we really just want to do our own thing. He seems to think he's in total charge of our activities whilst the rest of the council is away. You know we always thought Percival such a push-over, with all his pandering to worm-like qualities?"

Intrigued, I nod as I take careful bite of a croissant. Amy continues obligingly, "Behind all that he's like a brick wall, unable to see past the end of his nose. He insists that we all have to come and 'practise our letters' in his main hall today. You'll have to come and see Macie, she twists words like Shakespeare, I can't explain it any better than that."

I can only stand about ten minutes of watching Macie duel with Percival over breakfast. She doesn't so much twist words as arrange her sentences in such a way as every one of her ideas sounds like Percival's. Her ideas are pretty reasonable too.

She proposes that the most recent batch of ex-Seveners forms a society, the young warriors, to train and support each other. Amy whispers in my ear that this will give us the cover to meet and organise our escape. Macie also promises to give Percival an agenda of their activities each day so that he knows what we're up to, even if he's not supervising.

In the end Amy and I leave the two of them to it and explore rest of the large house. We're looking for maps mostly, but I'm also after information about enthralment. Can Huntsmen really enthral each other? It seems there's nothing to find on the first floor except dusty furniture in seemingly unused rooms. Macie finds us just before we risk it upstairs and updates us on her plans for the day.

"Stacey's sponsor left this morning on mission, so we should make up another bed for her in the Warrior Circle - that's what we're calling the little cul-de-sac where you're staying. We also have to set up a roster, make sure one of us is visiting Penny, Lisa and Lily every day." Macie lowers her voice for the next few words. "I know Penny and Lisa are trapped by their oaths but I'm hoping we can still look out for them. And if we can find a way to release them, it will be all worth it."

"And we'll drive a bus across the desert." I mutter.

"Right. We can also start looking through the library," Amy ignores my comment. "Making notes of directions outta here and ways to release initiate pledges. And I think we should organise an expedition into the archive facility." I am tempted to broach the subject of my own experience breaking oaths, but I remind myself to test it on an initiate ribbon first.

Looking up, I find Amy and Macie watching me, grey and hazel eyes.

"What?" I ask, missing something.

"You don't think it will work, do you?" Amy asks. I peer around Percival's back staircase.

"Not here," I hiss, and hustle Amy out through all the rooms to the street. I set off towards the Warrior Circle and begin talking low over my shoulder.

"Escape? It's easier and harder than ever before." I say, thinking of all the girls we'd like save. "I think we have to move fast before they catch on that we're not pledged to obedience."

To my surprise both Amy and Macie begin replying in the negative. "But what about-"

"We can't be caught if-"

I hush them both as we cross in front of the marketplace where Mildrith sits reading a book with a surly expression.

"It's probably better if we discuss this tomorrow." Macie offers. "We're organising a hike around the gardens to get everyone adjusted. We can talk out there. Speaking of, I have to organise some gear, I'll see you girls later." I frown at Macie's retreating form, pink skirt fluttering about her knees.

"I shouldn't be surprised that she's so comfortable among the Huntsmen, but..." I shake my head.

Amy laughs, "Better clear me out a bed in the circle too, else she drives me insane."