opposite side, Ash grabs my arm.
“Stop,” he says.
A wall stretches out along the entire length of the street, topped with tiny spikes. It reminds me of Southgate, how enclosed it was, like a fortress in the middle of the Marsh.
Two Regimentals are patrolling outside of it. My heart leaps to my throat.
“Kiss me,” Ash murmurs. I press my mouth to his, for the first time not thinking about his lips or his body against mine, only aware of his heart hammering in time with my own. I listen for a shout or an alarm to be raised.
Finally, he pulls away. I turn and see the backs of the Regimentals as they round the corner. “Let’s go. Quickly.”
Raven and I hurry along behind him as he crosses the street, running his hand along the rough stone. He stops abruptly. “Here,” he says.
I only see more wall. Ash grips something and pulls, and a piece of stone breaks away, revealing a large black combination lock.
“Do you know the combination?” I whisper.
Ash stares at the lock. Several seconds pass. I’m about to remind him that we’re pressed for time, when he begins to turn it, first right, then left, then right again.
The lock clicks.
Ash yanks open a door, completely disguised within the wall.
“Get in,” he hisses. I go first, pulling Raven in after me.Ash closes the hidden door behind us.
I turn and pull up short. The companion house isn’t quite what I was expecting. Six short redbrick buildings are scattered around a large green lawn. Winding gravel roads weave through them, and there’s a pond to my left that’s beginning to freeze over, surrounded by little copses of trees. Gas lamps are set at intervals throughout the grounds.
It’s actually very pretty.
“The station is on the other side,” Ash whispers. “This way.”
We follow him down one of the roads, gravel crunching under our feet, the heels of my shoes wobbling. Everything is still and shadowy.
Suddenly, the back door of one of the houses opens, freezing us in our tracks, as a figure steps out onto the path in front of us. There is the scratchy sound of a match being lit, then the end of a cigarette flames up like a tiny ember. The figure sees us and laughs.
“Been out to the Row again, Till?” he says. His voice is deep. “Madame’s out but Billings is on patrol. You better get them inside quick.”
“Rye?” Ash says, moving forward. The figure steps toward us into the dim light. He’s a young man about Ash’s age, but taller, with dark skin that reminds me of the lioness. Tight black curls frame a very handsome face with broad features. His eyes, like chips of flint, are wide with surprise.
“Ash?” he says. “What—how—what are you doing here? The whole city’s looking for you! And what’s with your hair?” He glances from me to Raven. “This is a pretty strange time to start experimenting with working girls.”
“They’re not working girls,” Ash says. “We need to get to the train.”
“The train’s gone,” the boy named Rye replies, frowning. “It’s in the Smoke.”
My heart sinks. What do we do now?
“Will you help us?” Ash says. “We need to hide. Until the train gets back.”
Rye takes what I feel to be an inordinate amount of time before answering. He takes a long drag of his cigarette and exhales a thick stream of smoke. Then he flicks the cigarette into the darkness. “Sure, man, I’ll help you out. You’re going to have to tell me how you escaped from Landing’s Market with about a thousand Regimentals crawling all over the place. Come on.”
We follow Rye inside, to a hall that smells like dried flowers and wood smoke, then up a flight of stairs and down another hall. My body is tense, my nerves coiled up like watch springs. I don’t know who this boy is, but I’ll trust him if Ash does. But there are so many other boys living in this place. I felt much safer at the warehouse.
Rye opens a door, switches on a light, and ushers us inside.
We walk into a very large,
“Stop,” he says.
A wall stretches out along the entire length of the street, topped with tiny spikes. It reminds me of Southgate, how enclosed it was, like a fortress in the middle of the Marsh.
Two Regimentals are patrolling outside of it. My heart leaps to my throat.
“Kiss me,” Ash murmurs. I press my mouth to his, for the first time not thinking about his lips or his body against mine, only aware of his heart hammering in time with my own. I listen for a shout or an alarm to be raised.
Finally, he pulls away. I turn and see the backs of the Regimentals as they round the corner. “Let’s go. Quickly.”
Raven and I hurry along behind him as he crosses the street, running his hand along the rough stone. He stops abruptly. “Here,” he says.
I only see more wall. Ash grips something and pulls, and a piece of stone breaks away, revealing a large black combination lock.
“Do you know the combination?” I whisper.
Ash stares at the lock. Several seconds pass. I’m about to remind him that we’re pressed for time, when he begins to turn it, first right, then left, then right again.
The lock clicks.
Ash yanks open a door, completely disguised within the wall.
“Get in,” he hisses. I go first, pulling Raven in after me.Ash closes the hidden door behind us.
I turn and pull up short. The companion house isn’t quite what I was expecting. Six short redbrick buildings are scattered around a large green lawn. Winding gravel roads weave through them, and there’s a pond to my left that’s beginning to freeze over, surrounded by little copses of trees. Gas lamps are set at intervals throughout the grounds.
It’s actually very pretty.
“The station is on the other side,” Ash whispers. “This way.”
We follow him down one of the roads, gravel crunching under our feet, the heels of my shoes wobbling. Everything is still and shadowy.
Suddenly, the back door of one of the houses opens, freezing us in our tracks, as a figure steps out onto the path in front of us. There is the scratchy sound of a match being lit, then the end of a cigarette flames up like a tiny ember. The figure sees us and laughs.
“Been out to the Row again, Till?” he says. His voice is deep. “Madame’s out but Billings is on patrol. You better get them inside quick.”
“Rye?” Ash says, moving forward. The figure steps toward us into the dim light. He’s a young man about Ash’s age, but taller, with dark skin that reminds me of the lioness. Tight black curls frame a very handsome face with broad features. His eyes, like chips of flint, are wide with surprise.
“Ash?” he says. “What—how—what are you doing here? The whole city’s looking for you! And what’s with your hair?” He glances from me to Raven. “This is a pretty strange time to start experimenting with working girls.”
“They’re not working girls,” Ash says. “We need to get to the train.”
“The train’s gone,” the boy named Rye replies, frowning. “It’s in the Smoke.”
My heart sinks. What do we do now?
“Will you help us?” Ash says. “We need to hide. Until the train gets back.”
Rye takes what I feel to be an inordinate amount of time before answering. He takes a long drag of his cigarette and exhales a thick stream of smoke. Then he flicks the cigarette into the darkness. “Sure, man, I’ll help you out. You’re going to have to tell me how you escaped from Landing’s Market with about a thousand Regimentals crawling all over the place. Come on.”
We follow Rye inside, to a hall that smells like dried flowers and wood smoke, then up a flight of stairs and down another hall. My body is tense, my nerves coiled up like watch springs. I don’t know who this boy is, but I’ll trust him if Ash does. But there are so many other boys living in this place. I felt much safer at the warehouse.
Rye opens a door, switches on a light, and ushers us inside.
We walk into a very large,
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