Renegade (31 page)

‘You’ve lost, Xyalis,’ I say forcefully. ‘Open the door or we’ll make you do it. None of us wants to hurt you.’

‘I thought you wanted what I wanted?’

‘I don’t.’

‘But you want to kill him?’

‘Maybe. Not like this. If that’s all you want, why would you do it this way? You have guns, knives and swords – plus access to his security system. When I connected the
teleport doors, you could have sent your guards through to try to kill him.’

He shakes his head, tearing at his hair. His reply is a mixture of laughter and despair. ‘It wouldn’t have hurt him enough. Can you imagine the agony of feeling your body boiling
from the inside?’

He breaks into a grin, showing his teeth and the insanity that has gripped him. I should have seen it before; the signs were there.

‘Why is it so important to hurt him?’

Xyalis spreads his arms wide. ‘Because this is the life he’s left me. Hiding underground, trying to link together tinpot nobodies. I should be running an empire.’

It has taken all this time but then it dawns on me. ‘The reason you left wasn’t to do with Victor, was it? You’d helped install him as King because
you
wanted to be in
charge. You thought he would be a puppet and that you’d be running things. You weren’t offended by what he was doing, you were offended that he wouldn’t listen to you.’

He shrugs and kicks the floor, not bothered that I know. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’

It is true – I don’t have that need to control other people. I haven’t craved the life I now have. I never wanted to be followed by people that listen to what I say and still
don’t know how I can cope with the responsibility that brings. My bad decisions put an evil weapon in the hands of someone willing to use it – and left Imrin at the mercy of the King
and Minister Prime. When Xyalis says I don’t understand, he is right – I don’t know why anyone would desire that power.

‘Open the door now,’ I demand.

He looks away from me dismissively. ‘You’re so brave with your soldiers at your side.’

At first I am too shocked to reply. Is that what Opie and Faith are to me? Henchmen? Cadets? People who get their hands dirty?

I stumble over a reply but Faith cuts across me. ‘I make my own decisions.’

Opie sounds even more forceful. ‘I’m here because I want to be. Imrin wanted to be here too.’

It feels strange hearing Opie say Imrin’s name.

Spurred on by his taunts, I am suddenly an afterthought as Opie and Faith take charge. They move towards Xyalis, who looks nervously from one to the other and holds his hands in the air. He
sidesteps along the console, his hand hovering over the top of a green button.

‘It’s that one,’ he says.

‘Press it then,’ Opie replies.

Xyalis steps away, grinning. ‘You do it.’

Faith strides forward up the steps and starts scanning the console. ‘It does say “door” over the button,’ she calls, turning to face me. I watch Xyalis, trying to read in
his face if this is some final trick. He is staring at the ground, hands behind his back.

‘Press it,’ I say.

Faith leans forwards and pounds the button with the palm of her hand. Instantly the door hisses upwards. Opie and Faith turn to head towards me but, as they do, Xyalis suddenly comes alive,
launching himself sideways with an agility I would never have imagined. No longer is he snivelling and begging for us to reconsider, he has been waiting for his moment.

I try to shout but the words catch in my throat and it is too late anyway. Xyalis skids across the metal floor and grabs the knife from Faith’s belt. She turns, primed and ready to react,
but he is already ahead of her.

No warnings, no threats, no second chance, no emotion and no mercy.

Xyalis strikes the knife into Faith’s chest and then kicks her viciously, sending her bouncing down the cold, hard steps as blood sprays onto the floor, the knife still embedded in her
chest. Xyalis launches himself towards the safe as Opie and I are frozen.

The whites of Faith’s eyes stare across the room at me and then, as her eyelids flicker closed, Xyalis rolls away from the safe with a gun.

A drop of Faith’s blood dribbles from his hand to the floor as he extends the weapon until it is pointing at me. His words are calculated, the madness gone. ‘It’s time you gave
that back, Ms Blackthorn.’

My eyes switch from him to Faith’s limp body as blood begins to ooze from her chest. It is my fault this has happened. As I turn back to Xyalis, his hand tightens around the gun, twitching
but without hesitation.

And then he pulls the trigger.

The bang is so loud that I instinctively crouch, covering my head. The bullet bounces around the metal walls until it lodges somewhere I cannot see. My ears are still ringing
as Xyalis focuses the gun back on me. ‘It’s loaded,’ he says needlessly. ‘Now give me the tube back.’

I want to move but my legs feel as if they have lead tied to them. My throat is raw and as I try to speak, I only manage a cough. Imrin is captured and Faith is dead – both because of me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Opie step forcefully towards Xyalis but he twists to cover him with the gun.

‘Don’t be stupid, boy,’ Xyalis spits, walking down the first two steps away from his console. ‘Throw your weapons over here,’ he adds.

Opie glances towards me but I can barely even see him; Faith’s limp body is the only thing I can focus on. There is a clatter of movement as Opie tosses his knives to the ground in front
of Xyalis.

‘Good,’ the man says with a nod. ‘You too.’

It takes me a moment to realise Xyalis is talking to me. Without looking away from Faith, I try to pull the knife from my belt but it sticks on the leather catch. I wrench as hard as I can until
it pops free and, for a second, enjoy the feel of the hilt in my hand.

‘Drop it,’ Xyalis demands, turning the gun back to me.

I wonder if there is any chance I could fling the weapon across the room towards Xyalis. Is my aim that good? I know it isn’t and that I would probably end up getting Opie or myself shot.
I toss the knife on to the floor, where it slides and rests against Opie’s weapons close to Faith’s body.

‘And the other one.’

I crouch and take the knife from my ankle holder, flicking it towards the others. The only weapon I have now is the one that will also kill everyone who has the same blood type as the King
within twenty miles of here. I don’t know if that includes Xyalis, let alone me and Opie – if it works at all.

Xyalis takes another step forward until he is on the bottom step. His gun is fixed on me. ‘Now give me the weapon.’

‘No.’

I feel the bullet fizz past my ear a fraction of a second before I hear the bang echoing around the room. This time I don’t crouch.

‘I’ll happily use this to take it from you.’

‘Do it then.’

He edges closer to me, until he is level with Faith. I stare towards her body, consumed with despair at the people I have let down. We were all she had left and look at where it got her.

Xyalis’ finger tightens on the trigger.

‘I’m not bluffing, Ms Blackthorn.’

He takes two more steps forward and is close enough for me to see the individual hairs on his finger. I can sense Opie watching, wondering if he should move but I know anything he does will be
suicide. I try to think if there is a way I can get him out of here, even if I’m stuck.

Xyalis adjusts his aim until the pistol is pointing at my head. ‘Last chance. Hand it over.’

‘I’m not giving it to you.’

‘I’ll take it anyway after I shoot you.’

‘Shoot me then. You’ve already left one of my friends in Windsor and killed another.’

He doesn’t falter. ‘I’d rather not have to kill you.’

‘If you want your weapon you’re going to have to.’

I cannot read his expression; it is fixed and emotionless and yet he hasn’t pulled the trigger. Perhaps he is wondering if I am more use to him alive or dead.

I spread my arms and open my palms showing him I am no threat. If he wants to kill a second teenage girl then he can.

I breathe in through my nose, enjoying the feel of the air as it fills my throat. Before I can take my next breath, it feels as if time has stopped again. Faith’s eyes pop open, a pained
gasp sticking in her throat. Xyalis turns in surprise at the sound but Faith is too quick for him. She scoops up two of our discarded knives, slamming the first into Xyalis’ foot and slashing
the second across his throat as he keels over.

He is dead before he hits the floor.

Time speeds up as I rush towards where Faith is trying to sit up. Opie has an arm around her, supporting her weight, but he doesn’t know what to do any more than I do.

Faith’s eyelids are beginning to droop but she musters enough strength to pull the knife out of her chest and drop it to the floor. I press my hands to her skin, trying to push the blood
back into her but it is like a torrent.

She puts her hand over mine but there is no strength behind it.

My words don’t sound enough. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Faith smiles but there is blood in her mouth and she gurgles for breath. I lean in and hold her close, her final breaths whispering delicately across my ear.

‘You make it worth it.’

With that, the life seeps away from her body. Her arms flop to the side as I cradle her the same way I did when we were hiding underneath her bedroom. I start to weep, an anguish building deep
in my stomach. It’s not just her but everyone else we have lost too.

I have no idea how much time passes before Opie scoops me into his arms. ‘We have to go,’ he says. My body doesn’t feel as if it can move but Opie puts both hands on my face,
his thumbs cupping my chin. ‘We’re not going to get Imrin back if we stay here.’

Imrin and Opie.

I wipe the mess of blood and tears from my face and grab our knives from the floor, before helping Opie to lift Faith’s lifeless body.

The beautiful orange glow wraps itself around the horizon as the remnants of black sky slowly turn blue. There are no clouds and the only sounds are the winter songs of the few
birds who haven’t escaped the cold. Their whistles dance into one another, creating a perfect melody as we lower Faith’s body into the hole we have spent the night digging.

I throw in the first handful of dirt before Opie and I cover her with the rest. With my knife I carve the name ‘Faith’ into the closest tree and then we sit against it to catch our
breath.

‘Are you okay?’ Opie asks, snaking an arm around me and passing me a flask of water.

I can’t stop staring at the mound of dirt Faith is now buried under.

‘I killed her.’

‘You didn’t.’

I drink greedily but my throat is still raw. Opie tells me to change my clothes but Faith’s blood feels like a badge of shame I deserve to wear.

‘What are we going to do next?’ he asks, fingers tightening around my waist.

I allow him to pull me closer to him until I can feel his warmth and listen to the rise and fall of his chest. His question is one of the few things I know the answer to.

My voice doesn’t sound like my own. It is strong but I feel broken, as if there are two of me. For now, I have to be the myth that so many people are desperate for me to be. I take my
time, meaning every word I say: ‘First, we get this medicine to Hart, then we get Imrin back, then we take down the King.’

Opie breathes in through his nose. ‘Just like that?’

Sunlight sears through the trees, the birds sing louder, the breeze is cold but I don’t even feel it.

‘Just like that.’

Author’s Note

Out of everything I’ve written,
Renegade
is perhaps the book I had the most fun writing. That’s despite the fact it’s not the story I thought it
would at first be. After finishing the first novel in the Silver Blackthorn trilogy,
Reckoning
, there were always elements I knew would form the basis of this second story. The biggest
change between my early notes and the finished book is the way in which Silver’s companions become such a large part of the tale. Opie and Imrin were always going to be around, but Jela,
Pietra, Hart, the Cotton clan and Faith –
especially
Faith – almost seemed to write themselves at certain points. As such,
Renegade
ended up being far more a story of
friendship and trust than I ever intended and, I think (and hope), a lot better for it.

There are all sorts of people to thank for the fact this book is in your hands. First among these, as ever, are Natasha and Nicola – my editor and agent – who have been big
supporters of Silver ever since I submitted the first draft of
Reckoning
. Without them, if this existed at all, it would be in a poorer form, hidden away somewhere that you, as a reader,
would likely never have stumbled upon.

Then there’s Susan who makes my clumsy meanderings a bit more graceful; Trish, a marvellous and constant bastion of support; and the rest of the Pan Mac crew: Jodie, Stuart and the
ever-wonderful Sam, all of whom have worked incredibly hard to make this series a success.

What Character Are You?
Reckoning Quiz

In book one, Silver Blackthorn takes the Reckoning. It is a coming-of-age test designed to decide a teenager’s place in society.

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