“Don’t matter,” says Sallow Skin. “He’ll have his own guards. We’d be walking right into our deaths.”
“He’ll be expecting you to escort me,” I say. “We can walk right past the guards to where he’s waiting.”
“And why should we follow you, Lieutenant?” asks the Corporal, getting sarcastic on my rank. “What’s in it for us?”
“Freedom from tyranny!” Ivan says.
The Corporal rolls his eyes. He ain’t the only one.
Ivan tries again. “Because as soon as he’s gone, we take over.”
Less eye-rolling this time, but Sallow Skin says, “Anyone wanna be ruled by President Ivan Farrow?”
He says it to get a laugh but it don’t get any.
“What about President Hewitt?” Ivan says, looking up at me with a weird glint in his eye.
Corporal Pot Belly scoffs and says again, “He’s a boy.”
“I’m not,” I say. “Not no more.”
“He’s the only one a-willing to go after the President,” Ivan says. “That speaks for something.”
The guards look from one to another. I can hear all the askings in their Noise, all the doubts rattling around, all the fears confirming one another, and in their Noise I hear the idea being defeated.
But in their Noise I also hear how it can be saved.
“If you help me,” I say, “I’ll get you the cure.”
They all shut right up.
“You can do that?” Ginger Hair asks.
“Naw,” says the Corporal. “He’s bluffing.”
“It’s stockpiled in the cellars of the cathedral,” I say. “I saw the Mayor put it there himself.”
“Why do you keep calling him the Mayor?” Sallow Skin asks.
“You come with me,” I say. “You help me take him prisoner and every man here gets all the cure he can carry.” They’re listening to me now. “It’s about ruddy time Haven became Haven again.”
“He’s taken it from the entire army,” Ivan says. “We bring down the President, give ’em the cure, and who do you think they’ll start a-listening to?”
“It won’t be you, Ivan.”
“No,” says Ivan, giving me that look again. “But it could be him.”
The men look up at me, up on top of Angharrad, with my rifle and my dusty uniform and my idea and my promises and there’s a rustle thru their Noise as each man asks himself, is he desperate enough to take the chance?
I think of Viola, sitting in the Arena, sitting there as everything I want to save, everything I’d do anything for.
I think of her and I know exactly how to convince ’em.
“All the women are banded,” I say. “Who do you think’s gonna be next?”
Lee’s pulling the last bandages round Viola’s feet when I come back in and her face is looking way less pained.
“Can you stand?” I ask.
“Only a little.”
“Don’t matter,” I say. “Angharrad’s outside. She’ll take you and Lee to find the Answer.”
“What about you?” Viola says, sitting up.
“I’m gonna face him,” I say. “I’m gonna take him down.”
She really sits up at that.
“I’m coming with you,” Lee says instantly.
“No, yer not,” I say. “Yer telling the Answer to call off their attack and yer telling them just how Mistress Coyle works.”
Lee’s mouth sets firm but I can see his Noise roiling in anger over the bomb. He woulda died, too. “Viola says you can’t kill.”
I send her a dirty look. She’s got the good grace to look away.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Lee says. “I’m gonna kill him for what he did to my sister and mother.”
“If you don’t warn the Answer,” I say, “there’ll be a lot more dead people to make him pay for.”
“He can have Mistress Coyle,” Lee says but I can already see other people churning in his Noise, Wilf and Jane and other men and other women and Viola and Viola and Viola and Viola.
“What are you going to do, Todd?” she asks. “You can’t just face him one on one.”
“It won’t be one on one,” I say. “I got some of the guards to come with me.”
Her eyes open wide. “You what?”
I smile. “Got me a little mutiny going.”
“How many?” Lee asks, his face still serious.
I hesitate. “Seven,” I say. “I couldn’t get ’em all to agree.”
Viola’s face drops. “You’re going to fight the Mayor with seven men?”
“It’s a chance,” I say. “Most of the army’s off marching to their final battle. The Mayor’s waiting for me. It’s the least guarded he’s ever gonna be.”
She watches me for a second, then she puts one hand on Lee’s shoulder and one hand on mine and lifts herself to her feet. I can see her catch herself at the pain but Lee’s wound the bandages tight and even if they ain’t bone-fixers then at least they let her stand for a second or two.
“I’m coming with you,” she says.
“No, yer not,” I say at the same time as Lee yells, “Not a chance!”
She sets her jaw. “And what makes either of you think you have a say in the matter?”
“You can’t walk,” I say.
“You have a horse,” she says.
“It’s yer chance to get safe,” I say.
“He’s expecting both of us, Todd. You walk in there without me, your plan is over before you even speak.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You said yerself the Mayor will use you against me if he gets the chance.”
She kisses her teeth as she tests the weight on her ankle. “Then your plan had better work, hadn’t it?”
“Viola–” Lee starts but she stops him with a look.
“Find the Answer, Lee. Warn them. You haven’t got much time.”
“But–”
“Go,” she says again, more firmly.
And we both see her rise in his Noise, we both feel how much he don’t wanna leave her. It’s so strong, I have to look away from him.