squads can hunt her as well – not to mention the reward.’
There is a snigger. ‘I wouldn’t mind a bit of that myself. Have you seen what they’re offering? A year’s worth of rations and promotion to Elite.’
Imrin gasps at the revelation, which is enough to make everyone else uneasy. It is perhaps no wonder that Faith’s parents betrayed us given what is on offer. In a warped display of
parenting, they might even have been hoping their daughter would be made an Elite. The other thing that occurs to me is that Knave and Vez’s plan is already in action whether I want to be a
part of it or not. People are already seeing me as something I’m not. I certainly didn’t kill six guards and the tan fruit that paralysed the King was unlikely to kill him. The myth is
already eclipsing the truth.
‘I’m sure we’ll get something if we bring her in,’ the first Kingsman says. ‘Those capture squads are just getting in the way. Did you hear what happened out
West?’
‘I’ve been on crackdown – tell me anyway.’
‘After the reward was bumped up the night before last, the streets were packed. It was hard work around here because there were all these people out after dark. We sent most of them home
because everyone was tripping over each other – but it was worse in other areas.’
‘What’s the point of hanging around the towns and cities? She’s not going to be hiding here, is she?’
I suppress a smile at how close they actually are.
‘You’re probably right but it doesn’t stop everyone trying to find her,’ the first Kingsman says. ‘Someone spotted some girl with dark hair out after sundown. One
guy shouted “there she is” and then all these groups set off chasing her. By the time our lot arrived, they’d strung her up from some pillar outside the town hall. Some bloke was
saying he was the one who killed her, so he deserved the reward.’
‘Idiot.’
‘The girl’s mother came out on the streets and was all over the place. She was grabbing onto the girl’s feet, crying and saying they’d got the wrong person but this guy
was still going on about how he deserved the reward.’
‘That’s what happens when you have these fools trying to do our jobs.’
‘We hung him next to her as a message to tell them all to calm down in future. She didn’t even have that silver streak.’
There is no sympathy in either of their voices for the girl or her mother; instead it is derision that someone has done a job badly. I can barely breathe and feel overwhelmed at the fact a girl
was murdered because she was mistaken for me.
‘Makes you think, doesn’t it?’ the first man says, moving his weight from one foot to the other. ‘We’ve got all these people out on the streets looking for her and
the Minister Prime was up here yesterday too. I saw him going into the North Tower but apparently he spent time in all four. What was he doing? I’ve never seen him here before.’
‘Who knows? It’s been a strange week.’
If what he says is right, it means Middle England is all the more important – although it doesn’t help us to find Rom. Faith crosses the room silently and sits closest to the door.
I’m not sure if she’s trying to hear better, or if something else is going on. She is looking in the opposite direction to where the Kingsmen are standing and I don’t want to risk
making a noise by trying to attract her attention.
‘How was crackdown then?’
The second Kingsman laughs. ‘I was out yesterday in a town just across the border in the East. There were a few problems with food last week so we went in big style to put a few of them in
their places.’
‘I’ve not been on crackdown for weeks,’ the first one replies. ‘You begin to get a bit itchy for it when you’re left on patrol.’
More laughing. ‘You’re right about that. It’s been a quiet month but we made up for it yesterday. We set fire to this house in the centre. As soon as the men came
There is a snigger. ‘I wouldn’t mind a bit of that myself. Have you seen what they’re offering? A year’s worth of rations and promotion to Elite.’
Imrin gasps at the revelation, which is enough to make everyone else uneasy. It is perhaps no wonder that Faith’s parents betrayed us given what is on offer. In a warped display of
parenting, they might even have been hoping their daughter would be made an Elite. The other thing that occurs to me is that Knave and Vez’s plan is already in action whether I want to be a
part of it or not. People are already seeing me as something I’m not. I certainly didn’t kill six guards and the tan fruit that paralysed the King was unlikely to kill him. The myth is
already eclipsing the truth.
‘I’m sure we’ll get something if we bring her in,’ the first Kingsman says. ‘Those capture squads are just getting in the way. Did you hear what happened out
West?’
‘I’ve been on crackdown – tell me anyway.’
‘After the reward was bumped up the night before last, the streets were packed. It was hard work around here because there were all these people out after dark. We sent most of them home
because everyone was tripping over each other – but it was worse in other areas.’
‘What’s the point of hanging around the towns and cities? She’s not going to be hiding here, is she?’
I suppress a smile at how close they actually are.
‘You’re probably right but it doesn’t stop everyone trying to find her,’ the first Kingsman says. ‘Someone spotted some girl with dark hair out after sundown. One
guy shouted “there she is” and then all these groups set off chasing her. By the time our lot arrived, they’d strung her up from some pillar outside the town hall. Some bloke was
saying he was the one who killed her, so he deserved the reward.’
‘Idiot.’
‘The girl’s mother came out on the streets and was all over the place. She was grabbing onto the girl’s feet, crying and saying they’d got the wrong person but this guy
was still going on about how he deserved the reward.’
‘That’s what happens when you have these fools trying to do our jobs.’
‘We hung him next to her as a message to tell them all to calm down in future. She didn’t even have that silver streak.’
There is no sympathy in either of their voices for the girl or her mother; instead it is derision that someone has done a job badly. I can barely breathe and feel overwhelmed at the fact a girl
was murdered because she was mistaken for me.
‘Makes you think, doesn’t it?’ the first man says, moving his weight from one foot to the other. ‘We’ve got all these people out on the streets looking for her and
the Minister Prime was up here yesterday too. I saw him going into the North Tower but apparently he spent time in all four. What was he doing? I’ve never seen him here before.’
‘Who knows? It’s been a strange week.’
If what he says is right, it means Middle England is all the more important – although it doesn’t help us to find Rom. Faith crosses the room silently and sits closest to the door.
I’m not sure if she’s trying to hear better, or if something else is going on. She is looking in the opposite direction to where the Kingsmen are standing and I don’t want to risk
making a noise by trying to attract her attention.
‘How was crackdown then?’
The second Kingsman laughs. ‘I was out yesterday in a town just across the border in the East. There were a few problems with food last week so we went in big style to put a few of them in
their places.’
‘I’ve not been on crackdown for weeks,’ the first one replies. ‘You begin to get a bit itchy for it when you’re left on patrol.’
More laughing. ‘You’re right about that. It’s been a quiet month but we made up for it yesterday. We set fire to this house in the centre. As soon as the men came
Similar Books
