‘Is everything okay?’ Annalie asked. Of course, she had heard the whole conversation.
Essie nodded, her eyes shimmering. ‘It’ll be good to go home again,’ she said.
Exit strategy
Essie shared her news with the others over dinner in the canteen.
‘Like rats deserting a sinking ship,’ Will joked. ‘You’re the first rat.’
‘This ship isn’t sinking,’ Spinner put in.
‘You can come and visit me,’ Essie said. Now that her heart was set on departure, she was already starting to miss her friends.
‘So what about the rest of us?’ Annalie asked. ‘Do we know where we’re going?’
Spinner scrunched his face up. ‘I have a few ideas,’ he said. ‘Right now, I’m keeping it loose.’
‘Do we have to have a destination?’ Will asked. ‘Couldn’t we just keep sailing?’
‘We’re going to Violeta,’ Blossom said.
The others looked at her, surprised.
‘Why there?’ Spinner asked curiously.
‘It has castles and palaces and cakes. It’s the best place in the whole world.’
‘How do you know?’ Pod asked.
‘The destination book. On the ship every cabin had one. It told you about every place we stopped so the passengers would know whether they wanted to get off the boat and visit.’
‘Could you read the destination book?’ Pod asked, surprised.
‘No. It had pictures.’
‘Violeta’s a beautiful city,’ Spinner said.
‘Good biscuits,’ Graham added, nodding.
‘But it’s expensive. And it’s a very…bureaucratic sort of place.’
‘What does that mean?’ Pod asked.
‘If you don’t have papers, it’d be very difficult to find work or a place to live,’ Spinner explained. ‘They certainly wouldn’t let you go to school there.’
‘Fine by me,’ Blossom said, meaning school.
‘Is it like Norlind?’ Pod asked fearfully. ‘They’re very sticky about papers there.’
‘Most of the Northlands are pretty sticky about papers,’ Spinner said.
Blossom could tell which way the wind was blowing. ‘You promised we could go to Violeta,’ she said accusingly to Pod.
‘I know, but…’
‘We can go to Violeta,’ Spinner said. ‘Eventually. But you can’t live there. I’m sorry.’
Blossom scowled.
Sola came to join them. ‘Our exit strategy’s all organised,’ she said. ‘At dawn tomorrow, a camel train will take you back across the desert to Kinle Bay. I put in a report to the mistress of the temple about the feral dogs. The religious people can be a bit slow to get going, but hopefully they will have sent someone out there to chase them off. We’re all Kinlemotukinle’s creatures, but still, you can’t have them terrorising people in the temple grounds.’
‘What about the shadow whale?’ asked Will.
‘One of my cousins will meet us at the Bay. He knows how to handle the whale.’
‘He won’t hurt it will he?’ asked Annalie.
‘Of course not,’ Sola said, looking scandalised. ‘Then another one of my cousins will escort you out of Sundian waters. He knows a guy who knows a guy who can help you avoid the naval patrols and get you past the barrier without tripping it.’
‘Are there that many naval patrols really?’ Will asked. ‘We didn’t see a single Sundian ship when we were sailing down the coast.’
‘You got lucky, then,’ Sola said. ‘They’re out there. And if they catch you, they’ll throw you in jail forever.’
‘We’d better not let them catch us, then,’ Spinner said. He looked around at the kids. ‘Better get your gear together. We’ve got an early start in the morning.’
It didn’t take them long to pack. When they were finished, it still felt too early to go to bed. Essie and Annalie drifted up to the rooftop observation deck to look at the stars. The desert night was freezing, but this time they’d brought blankets.
Spinner and Sola were already there. ‘I’m going to miss this place,’ he said, reaching out to Annalie and tucking her under his arm. ‘You fell on your feet here, Sola.’
‘It’s very special,’ Sola agreed. ‘It’s hard to believe it still exists. But that’s what it was built for.’
‘Are you coming with us when we go?’ Annalie asked.
Sola shook her head with a smile. ‘There’s nothing calling me back to Dux. I love my job and the work we’re doing here. And even though I wasn’t born here, I feel connected to Sundia. I can’t imagine living anywhere else now. My mother always said—’
But they never had a chance to find out what Sola’s mother always said, because a harsh voice suddenly cut through the night. ‘Hands up! You’re under arrest by order of the Admiralty!’
Marines came pouring out the door, rifles trained on the four of them; still more came swarming up the outside of the Ark on ropes. They were surrounded.
‘Hands up or I’ll shoot!’ barked the voice.
Spinner, Sola, Annalie and Essie put their hands up.
A man sauntered through the door and onto the observation deck, tall and barrel-chested, dressed in a leather jacket.
‘I’ve been waiting a long time for this,’ said Beckett.
Putting the band back together
‘Hello, Beckett,’ said Spinner.
‘Spinner. It’s been a long time.’
‘Not long enough,’ said Spinner.
‘You’ve got very enterprising kids,’ Beckett said, turning to look at Annalie. ‘Where’s your brother?’
‘The kids have nothing to do with this,’ Spinner said. ‘Your business is with me.’
‘That’s not strictly true though, is it?’ Beckett said. ‘She’s got the research.’
‘No, I don’t,’ Annalie said.
‘Enough of the silly games,’ Beckett said impatiently. Quick as lightning, he grabbed Annalie; suddenly, there was a gun to her head. ‘One of you has it, and you’re going to give it to me. Or the clever one dies.’
‘Don’t give it to him!’ Annalie cried.
Beckett’s grip on her tightened. ‘Be quiet,’ he said. ‘The grown-ups are talking now.’
‘Let her go,’ Spinner said.
‘I will,’ Beckett said. ‘As soon as you tell me where you’ve hidden the research.’
For a long moment, the two of them glared at each other, old friends who were
