the entrance hall and up the main staircase. But he’d only taken a few steps before he got the scent of someone, then spotted Marcus himself on the first half-landing between floors, looking through a high window at the moonlit gardens. Will continued up the stairs cautiously, and stopped only when he had reached the same landing.
Without turning away from the window, and sounding quite calm, Marcus said, “Heading to my room? I’m not there.”
“So I see.”
“I knew it would be you. I just knew.” He turned to face Will. It was clear he had no memory of Will being in his room. “He told me never to look into your eyes.”
“So why do you?” Marcus shrugged, as if to say that he’d looked Will in the eye before so what did he have to lose. “How will you tell him, about seeing us tonight?”
“In the maze? I’ve already told him. I write in a book he gave me, and somehow, when I write in that book, he says it’s like he can hear what I’m thinking.”
So that was it, but why was he telling Will so readily about Wyndham’s magic, why being so open in general? Will compared Marcus’s behaviour now with the way he’d acted back in November and could only concludethat the boy sensed some connection with him. In turn, Will suspected Wyndham had underestimated the confidence and independence of this recruit.
Marcus gently rubbed the faint scar on his cheek as he thought things over. “You could kill me, I suppose. I’ve seen what you can do, but he’d only send someone else.”
There it was again, that remarkable lack of fear Will had first witnessed down by the river. But it also seemed that Marcus didn’t know there were other people in the school working for Wyndham – he imagined himself a sole spy who’d have to be replaced if he was killed.
“I could kill you, it’s true … or you could just stop spying for him.”
Marcus looked out of the window for a moment, then turned back to Will. “It’s an amazing place this. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks and it’s like my old life never happened. Books!” He laughed. “Who knew I liked books? And chess. All of it. See, I stop working for Mr Wyndham and I’ll be right back where I came from, and I don’t ever wanna go back to that.”
Will nodded, accepting his logic, and it was odd because this boy was his adversary, but he couldn’t quite treat him as an enemy. He had a strange respect for Marcus Jenkins, no less than if he was a friend playing at being an opponent, at chess, or fencing, or some other amiable pursuit.
“What do you know about the crows?”
“The dead crows?” Marcus grinned and said, “Was that you?”
Will smiled, but didn’t answer and said, “Were you in Eloise’s room?” Marcus shook his head, looking confused. “Promise me you won’t do anything to hurt her. Spy on me all you like – just promise me that and I’ll leave you alone.”
Marcus looked offended that Will would even think him capable of such a thing, and said, “I’d never do anything to hurt Eloise. We’re both in Dangrave House.”
Will smiled again, touched by the boy’s loyalty to a school house he’d belonged to for just a few weeks.
“I’m leaving now.”
Marcus nodded and took that as his cue to leave too, but he stopped after climbing a few stairs and said, “Were you an Earl?”
“I still am.”
Marcus smiled, bemused by this in some way, and said, “I won’t tell him we spoke. It’ll only make him suspicious.”
He turned a second time and disappeared silently up the stairs. Will watched him go, then headed to the school office and phoned for a taxi to take him back into the city.
13
W ill walked out to meet the taxi at the gates. It was after midnight and the roads were empty so he heard the car approaching from some distance, saw its lights cutting between the trees, growing in intensity.
When the driver saw Will near the gate he looked nervous, pulling to a stop and lowering his window just
Without turning away from the window, and sounding quite calm, Marcus said, “Heading to my room? I’m not there.”
“So I see.”
“I knew it would be you. I just knew.” He turned to face Will. It was clear he had no memory of Will being in his room. “He told me never to look into your eyes.”
“So why do you?” Marcus shrugged, as if to say that he’d looked Will in the eye before so what did he have to lose. “How will you tell him, about seeing us tonight?”
“In the maze? I’ve already told him. I write in a book he gave me, and somehow, when I write in that book, he says it’s like he can hear what I’m thinking.”
So that was it, but why was he telling Will so readily about Wyndham’s magic, why being so open in general? Will compared Marcus’s behaviour now with the way he’d acted back in November and could only concludethat the boy sensed some connection with him. In turn, Will suspected Wyndham had underestimated the confidence and independence of this recruit.
Marcus gently rubbed the faint scar on his cheek as he thought things over. “You could kill me, I suppose. I’ve seen what you can do, but he’d only send someone else.”
There it was again, that remarkable lack of fear Will had first witnessed down by the river. But it also seemed that Marcus didn’t know there were other people in the school working for Wyndham – he imagined himself a sole spy who’d have to be replaced if he was killed.
“I could kill you, it’s true … or you could just stop spying for him.”
Marcus looked out of the window for a moment, then turned back to Will. “It’s an amazing place this. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks and it’s like my old life never happened. Books!” He laughed. “Who knew I liked books? And chess. All of it. See, I stop working for Mr Wyndham and I’ll be right back where I came from, and I don’t ever wanna go back to that.”
Will nodded, accepting his logic, and it was odd because this boy was his adversary, but he couldn’t quite treat him as an enemy. He had a strange respect for Marcus Jenkins, no less than if he was a friend playing at being an opponent, at chess, or fencing, or some other amiable pursuit.
“What do you know about the crows?”
“The dead crows?” Marcus grinned and said, “Was that you?”
Will smiled, but didn’t answer and said, “Were you in Eloise’s room?” Marcus shook his head, looking confused. “Promise me you won’t do anything to hurt her. Spy on me all you like – just promise me that and I’ll leave you alone.”
Marcus looked offended that Will would even think him capable of such a thing, and said, “I’d never do anything to hurt Eloise. We’re both in Dangrave House.”
Will smiled again, touched by the boy’s loyalty to a school house he’d belonged to for just a few weeks.
“I’m leaving now.”
Marcus nodded and took that as his cue to leave too, but he stopped after climbing a few stairs and said, “Were you an Earl?”
“I still am.”
Marcus smiled, bemused by this in some way, and said, “I won’t tell him we spoke. It’ll only make him suspicious.”
He turned a second time and disappeared silently up the stairs. Will watched him go, then headed to the school office and phoned for a taxi to take him back into the city.
13
W ill walked out to meet the taxi at the gates. It was after midnight and the roads were empty so he heard the car approaching from some distance, saw its lights cutting between the trees, growing in intensity.
When the driver saw Will near the gate he looked nervous, pulling to a stop and lowering his window just
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