Watershed (46 page)

Fine words, but finer still was what he hadn't said; he'd give nothing away until he was sure of Cade, and even then I reckoned there was plenty he'd keep hidden. A lifetime's habit was a hard thing to lose.

‘This is ridiculous! What you're proposing is a war,' said Cade.

‘Isn't that what you wanted, Commander? Or were we all mistaken?' Taggart cocked his head, and Cade stiffened.

‘What we wanted was a revolution.'

Taggart took his time replying, maybe as confused by this logic as I'd been by Ballard's. But if Cade was going to show shades of the greatness Tate had talked about, I reckoned this was the time to do it.

‘All I'm saying is we need to bury our differences. Join forces before the Tower picks us off one at a time. And before word gets out to those we don't want knowing,' said Taggart.

Cade stiffened again at that last remark; clearly he understood Taggart's meaning. But there was a long silence before he asked, ‘Can I see the message?'

‘Don't you dare help them,' Alex hissed.

‘This ain't about you helping us, lass. This is about us helping each other. Like we showed you upstairs,' said Taggart. Ignoring her growl, braving her knife, he walked across and held out the message to Cade. A sign of trust. Or a push to persuade.

I watched Cade puzzle over the piece of paper, the one the Tower assumed had been sent to him, but hadn't made it through. Taggart watched too, his eyes fixed on the other man's face, and I wondered if he was thinking what I was.

‘Well?' he asked at last, calm enough but not wanting to waste more time than he had to. Cade looked up with a frown, before folding the paper, once, then again, like he was trying to make it vanish.

‘The port's been sealed off. No access in or out. And something about a black Guard?'

‘What something?' Taggart asked.

‘That's all it says. “Black Guard, abort, abort.”'

Somewhere on the stairs, Garrick cursed and a Watchman bellowed. It seemed things were going well. But Taggart frowned.

‘Fenton said they'd been expecting Quinn to take the Port. So why seal it off?' he asked. ‘And who the hell sends a message to abort by foot?'

The first I could only guess at, but the second I was sure of. ‘It was never intended for Cade.'

‘Of course it was,' the man himself insisted. ‘All messages come through me.'

Maybe it was time to point out his need to start using the past tense, but I figured he'd learn soon enough.

‘Not this one,' I said, and saw his sudden scowl; some people just didn't know when to let go. ‘Taggart's right. Something urgent like that, Quinn would've sent it by camel, or at least used the road. But he didn't. He sent it across the hills.'

‘To the mine?' Taggart asked.

‘Maybe. Amon was there. He knew the route I was taking.'

‘So Quinn tries to make contact with Ballard. Only that just leads us to another why.' He gave a nod and filed it away for later, maybe for Garrick to chew on.

‘There's something else,' I said. ‘Reed was going on about people dying of thirst. Protecting the water would be a good reason to close the Port. But it doesn't explain why they were so pissed Quinn didn't do what he was supposed to.'

‘No, it doesn't,' Taggart agreed.

‘Unless they wanted it to happen,' I said slowly, trying to remember. ‘Reed said something about the – I dunno, the dread of thirst being worse than dying of it? What if they wanted to make it look like the Disses had succeeded?'

‘What would be the point?' Taggart said. ‘If the Tower wanted to withhold the water, all they'd have to do is stop running the Catchers.'

‘Yeah, but that wouldn't make them too popular, would it? What if this whole thing isn't about the Disses at all? What if it's all about the water?'

There was a long silence before Taggart muttered, ‘Shit.'

Shit indeed, I thought. Had all Ballard's efforts, all those wasted lives, Connor and Tate, had it all been for nothing?

But Taggart moved on. ‘What about the other thing? The black Guard?' he asked.

Cade shook his head, having nothing to offer, and Alex glowered, not wanting to share. So I did it for her.

‘On the way up to the settlement we ran into a big group of Guards,' I said, and Cade twitched, surprised or maybe just disappointed that he was only now finding out another thing he hadn't been told. ‘Heading south, southeast. I reckon that's why Fenton was so interested, why he kept asking what I saw. Ballard told me those Guards never showed at the settlement. So where were they going?'

‘How many?' Taggart asked.

‘Half a contingent, at a guess. And that's rough. But there could've been more I didn't see. And you'd need a real big out-of-the-way place to hide that many of them.'

‘A place like the Port?' Taggart suggested.

‘That's what I'm thinking.'

Cade blustered by the wall. ‘You Watchmen aren't the only ones who use those hills. And why would any Guards have to hide? What would be the point?'

Taggart eyed him, his forehead crinkling. ‘I don't know, Commander. You tell us.'

As Cade fidgeted, I watched Alex, willing her to look at me, but she kept her head lowered. There was a sudden clatter
on the stairs, closer, and then a string of curses; I recognised Garrick's voice.

‘One more thing,' I said, because it was best to face it head-on and get it over with. ‘Wherever they were headed, whatever they'd been sent to do, I reckon they would've taken down the mine after we left. And they would've had help from someone inside.'

‘No!' Alex cried, and I knew she was thinking of her infirmary where she'd worked so hard, all those wounded and all their carers.

‘Think about it, Alex. Ballard wouldn't have given up Connor. Neither would Tate. But someone did. Someone else who knew. Someone you trusted. They took Connor to use against me, and then they torched the place.'

‘Sorry, lass, but he's right,' Taggart said, any attempt at sympathy doused by hard practicality. ‘And you can bet the same thing's happened to your other bases too.'

‘You don't know –'

‘Yeah, we do, Alex,' I cut in. ‘Coz we'd have done the same thing.'
Do Unto Others.

‘
We,
Jem?' she asked, her eyes hard and her voice as cold as the air had been upstairs. Any hopes I might've had that she'd sit by my bedside and tend to my wounds like she had before were fast disappearing. ‘Are you still one of them? Even now, after everything that's happened?'

‘Don't, Alex.'
Please don't. Not now. Not here.
‘We know some of the Disses got clear. Let's just find them and then we'll deal with the rest, okay?'

But I wasn't holding out a lot of hope on either count; anyone who'd managed to get out would've scattered, and any ideas Alex might've had about future dealings probably weren't going to include me.

‘And what about Tate and Connor?' she asked. ‘Or have you forgotten about them too?'

I stared at her for a minute, unbelieving. ‘Look at me, Alex. What the fuck d'you want me to do?'

She wasn't given the chance to reply. ‘They'll be fine,' said Taggart, and both of us turned, surprised.

‘Where are they? In the Tower?' I asked, dreading the reply.

‘Not even in the Citadel, Jem.'

‘How d'you know?'

‘How d'you think?' he countered, and I cursed inwardly. Garrick. ‘He's had Mack out there since yesterday, keeping an eye on the place.'

‘Then get them!' Alex demanded. ‘Rescue them, and show us we can trust you.'

‘Reckon we've done that already, lass.' Taggart stared her down. ‘And any rescuing will be done by Jem. He's earned the right. Once we're clear there'll be no coming back here, and I ain't about to bring in any more bodies. We're talkin' a few days, no more. We keep the Tower distracted, and the two of 'em will keep.'

I would've gladly waived my rights if I thought it'd do any good; I was as keen as Alex to see Connor safe. ‘A shitload can happen in a few days, Taggart. You'd better not fuck this up.'

‘When have I ever steered you wrong, lad?'

‘You really want that list, old man?'

He just shot me one of his bleak smiles and turned to Cade. ‘What was the plan if things went wrong?'

‘Nothing was supposed to go wrong!' he snapped, and maybe his embarrassment was justified because after so many years in the planning, having no contingency was just downright fucking stupid. I thought back to the meeting at the mine and all the reports I should've read but hadn't; I couldn't recall the details. Ballard might've been blinded by his own vision, but he hadn't been a fool. He'd never have gone into this without some kind of backup. Tate would've known, but he wasn't around, and Alex was staring at the ground again, scuffling her feet a little, suspiciously quiet.

‘I think your wife knows,' I said to Cade, and when Alex lifted her head and glared at me, I saw her dismay; twice betrayed. But Cade just looked confused. ‘If Quinn thought there was any chance of that message getting through he'd have waited around for a reply. So where would he be, Alex?'

At her mutinous silence, Taggart said, ‘You really gunna undo everything your brother worked for? Everything you say you believe in? Don't go there, lass.'

‘Tell them, Alex,' Cade chimed in. ‘He's right. We need a direction. If Quinn and Amon and the others are out there, we can't just leave them. They need our help.'

But it seemed an age before she muttered, ‘Grady's. They'll be with Grady.'

Cade was still none the wiser, but I didn't waste time thinking on it. I remembered Grady, with his dark skin and his farmer's hands. ‘Near the settlement?' I asked her, already not liking the sound of it.

Another long silence, and a murmur from Cade, before she said, ‘South of the Port.'

But that was no better, because there was nothing south of the Port except empty salted wastelands. Taggart seemed pleased enough though.

‘Then that's where we head,' he said. ‘We'll set up a base and gather in the rest. And we'll take a real close look at that Port.' Then he gave me a nod. ‘Good job, lad.' But his thanks couldn't have been worse timed.

‘I shouldn't have trusted you.' Alex spat the words at me.

‘You can always trust me, Alex.
Always.
'

‘Never again,' she said, low and vicious.

Cade rested a hand on her shoulder. ‘My dear, this is what Ballard would've wanted. We can't just give up. Not after all this time.'

She shrugged him off, contemptuous. ‘You have no idea what Ballard would've wanted. He'd
never
agree to working with the Watch.'

Which was exactly why he was lying dead upstairs. And it was probably a good thing Garrick wasn't around to say so. Alex was at breaking point, and if she tipped it might be enough to break Cade too. So Taggart and I kept quiet. Because it was becoming real apparent, to me at least, that a woman's fury was not to be messed with.

But Cade ploughed on, braver than either of us. ‘Alex, we can't bring him back. He's gone, and we need to pick up and carry on. I know this is hard for you, but we have to work with whatever God gives us. Every tool at our disposal.'

Taggart sighed, kind of long suffering, but I felt a quick chill, remembering Tate's words on the road outside the Citadel.

And Alex wasn't buying it either. Glaring at me, all sorrow and scorn, she said, ‘And you, Jem? Are you doing this to carry on Ballard's fight? Or are you doing it for your precious Watch?'

‘Neither,' I said, and leaving the support of the wall, not caring that Cade was beside her, wanting only to comfort her as I had so many times before, I limped across the tunnel. ‘I'm doing it for you, Alex.'

Too worn out, too beat up, and way too slow to block her hand; the crack of her palm on my cheek was sharp and clean, enough force to turn my head, but the hurt was greater in my heart than on my face. As nasty surprises went, it was a good one. Her colour was high and she was panting a little, maybe from exertion, coz fuck knows she'd packed a punch into that slap. And when I spoke, I kept my voice real gentle, and my eyes real hard, because I reckon I'd taken enough.

‘That's the last time you ever hit me. You hear? The last
fucking
time.'

‘Don't worry, Watchman,' she said, with a small bitter smile. ‘I'll never touch you again.' And she retreated, away from me, away from her husband, to stand alone and out of reach. Belonging to no man.

‘You done?' Taggart asked. ‘Coz we got a long night ahead.'

But they didn't need me for that. Watch and Disses, it was a hellish alliance and I didn't much care any more. And if I couldn't have what I wanted, I'd take what I needed: my cot. Rest. Solitude. Feeling weak and suddenly sick, not wanting to show either as I turned away from Alex, I pulled up to sway in front of Taggart. He didn't try to steady me, but gave a single nod and waited for me to ask what I had to know.

‘What Reed said, about me being chosen from the start? Was that true?'

He didn't hesitate. ‘Yeah, lad. I think it was.'

I didn't reply; just moved on. I had no energy left for the questions that should've followed; everything would have to wait. And, hobbling just as I had back in the mine when Tate had supported me, gentle and strong, I finally reached the tunnel entrance, rounding the corner and gripping the wall to ease my hurt. It wouldn't be the slowest walk of my life, but I reckoned it was going to be the loneliest. And the most painful.

But I'd barely made it a few metres when I heard the uneven beat of boots behind, beside, then in front to block my way. Cade. And I groaned.