Burn Bright - By Marianne de Pierres Page 0,68

the chamber threatened to strangle Naif, as if someone had looped a rope over her head and left her to hang. She tried to stop gasping for breath. Someone would hear her. Someone must …

But the Ripers’ attention belonged to Modai. He let out a curdling howl and launched himself at Lenoir.

Lenoir met him chest on and gave a powerful slicing chop into the side of Modai’s neck. Modai staggered back, gargling as though his neck were broken. Yet somehow he stayed upright.

The attack brought a rush of release from whoever controlled the chamber and the Ripers leapt at each other. Brand went for Lenoir, Modai for Test in a savage interchange of clawing nails and freakish strength. Screeches filled the cave as the opposing factions tore into each other with the ferocity of wild animals.

Able to breathe again, Naif ran across to Markes and unscrewed the manacles. Neither of them spoke but Naif hooked her shoulder under his and urged him towards the stairs. She resisted looking back for Lenoir in the bloody clash. She would know what happened to him. She would feel it. As she and Markes staggered up the stone steps she sent Lenoir a single thought. Survive.

Charlonge met them halfway up. She took Markes’s other shoulder and together they helped him up through the sliding trapdoor into the corridor.

‘Which way?’ said Charlonge.

‘I know,’ Markes panted, touching the new Circle tattoo on his temple. ‘I have an inner map now.’

His clipped directions were the only words that passed between the three of them as they stumbled along the concentric corridors until they reached the main meeting chamber. Jaime had gone but a lone figure waited there, hunched over in the pews.

‘Naif!’ Suki sprang up and ran over to help. She stared at Markes. ‘Pig-cuss! What happened to him?’

‘Ripers,’ said Naif. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I went to Vank. Someone saw you and Charlonge take the kar to Syn. When I got here Jaime told me you’d gone to a meeting in the Dominion.’ Suki pulled out her knife. ‘Had to scare her silly to find that out. She said you wouldn’t come back. I told her you could look after yourself. I’ve been waiting for you.’

Naif’s stomach tightened into a cramp of fear. ‘Why?’

‘Rollo thinks you’ve been kidnapped by Brand and taken to Danskoi. He’s gone off to tell the League. He says they’ll find you. That you know someone important in the League.’ She bit her lip. ‘Do you? Or is he fou?’

Naif took a deep breath and glanced at Charlonge. ‘He’s not fou, Suki. My brother Joel … he’s Clash.’

‘Your brother is Clash?’ Suki gave a low whistle. ‘No wonder you didn’t want to talk about it.’

‘I didn’t know until we saw them outside the club when the Night Creatures took that boy.’

‘No one goes to Danskoi,’ said Charlonge. ‘Not even the League. It’s forbidden.’

Naif stared at Suki. ‘Where did Rollo get that mad idea?’

‘That girl of yours,’ Suki pointed an accusing finger at Markes. ‘She came and told him you’d been taken there.’

‘Cal!’ said Naif and Markes in unison.

‘Why would she do that?’ asked Charlonge.

‘I told him not to trust her. She’s loony over you.’ Suki pointed her finger at Markes again. ‘She saw you leave the party and thought you’d gone off together somewhere, so she made up a story to get Rollo all crazy worried. She pretended Brand had taken you to Danskoi. If Rollo and the League and the White Wings went there after you, she knew the Ripers would punish them and then the gangs would hate you. She doesn’t like the fact that everyone thinks you’re a legend.’

‘How do you know all that?’ asked Naif.

Suki balled her fists and waved them in the air fiercely. ‘I know liars. So I waited until they’d gone and I made her tell me the truth.’

Markes looked at Naif. ‘I-I’m sorry, I never thought –’

‘We’ve got to stop him,’ interrupted Suki. ‘The Ripers will take him – all of them.’

‘Maybe we can get there before them.’

‘Maybe.’ Suki’s eyes lit with hope.

But Markes began to tremble fiercely, as though shock had finally claimed him. ‘The Ripers are down there fighting each other. When they’re done they’ll kill us all anyway,’ he said hoarsely. ‘There’s nothing anyone can do.’

Naif rounded on him. ‘We don’t know what will happen. If Lenoir wins then it will be all right.’

And if he doesn’t? None of them said it but the question hung heavily between