Chapter Ten Noah

Things were tense the next morning at breakfast. Jacob point-blank refused to speak to Paulo when he approached him. Instead, he took his meal to a table in the corner where he sat, his head bent closely with Sarah, Carl and Denton. The group's body language was hostile, their faces dark. Not a single citizen approached them during the meal, and, when they had finished eating, they left without a word to anyone.

Despite Noah and Paulo bringing back a decent catch the previous day, things were still difficult. The fish had proved a welcome addition to their dwindling supplies, but Cora had salted and saved most of it, serving up a thin, watery stew for dinner, which had satisfied few. But at times like this, rationing was key. They couldn't blame the cook for the situation.

Ella's note was still burning a hole in Noah's pocket. Today was the day, he decided, that he had to deliver it. After finishing his tiny portion of oatmeal, his eyes scanned the canteen for Mick. He'd checked the schedule. The older man was supposed to take the Danforth students their breakfast.

Unlike Jacob's close supporters, he was a man who Noah had always gotten along with. And since the recent attack on the tunnels, Mick was struggling to cope with a shoulder injury. This, Noah was sure, was the way to approach the situation.

"Hey, Mick." Noah sidled over to the man's table with a smile. "How're things?"

"Not bad, considering." The older man shrugged, gesturing to his arm. "Bit of ongoing pain, but…"

"You been to see my ma?"

"Sure. But you know how things are at the moment. No painkillers to spare." Mick shrugged. "Can't be helped."

"Can I do anything?" Noah cocked his head to one side. "To help you, I mean. Did I see you on the schedule to take supplies to the prisoners this morning?" Mick nodded. "I could do that for you. Let you have a bit of extra rest."

Mick shooed him away. "Don't be daft, lad. I'll be fine."

"Honestly," Noah pressed him, "I'm happy to do it." He bent closer to the man's ear. "You'd be doing me a favour, to be honest. I'd like a word with one of the girls."

Mick eyed him closely. "'Bout that girl who ran away?"

Noah hesitated for a moment, before deciding to tell at least part of the truth. "Yes, if you must know. I want to ask the others some questions. That's all."

Mick stared at him, considering. "Alright. If that's all you're after. I suppose I would appreciate the extra down time."

"Thanks!" Noah grinned, already on his way out. "Enjoy the rest."

The cave was quiet when Noah pulled away the barrier. So quiet, he thought there might have been no one inside at all. But when he poked his head in through the entrance, the prisoners were sitting or lying in various positions around the space.

"Morning," he called, reaching down to grasp the tray that held the girls' meals.

He stepped inside and placed it on the ground. For a moment, nobody moved.

"Everything okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Noah?" The voice came from the opposite side of the cave. "That you?" Helen pushed herself to her feet and came forward.

Surprised that the usually quiet girl was the first to come forward, Noah managed a smile. "It's me."

Helen crept closer. "Is… everything alright out there?"

He knew she was asking about Ella. As he considered how to respond, Avery stood up and crossed the cave towards him.

"About time." Bending down, she took a large slice of bread from the plate. "We're starving in here."

Noah rolled his eyes at the exaggeration. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He wondered how she'd feel if she knew that starving was a realistic prospect.

Catching the sarcasm in his tone, she flushed. "Thanks." She bent to help herself to some of the oatmeal. "This looks…" she paused, as though searching for a word to describe the meagre portion, "good."

"Avery, make sure you–"

"I know, I know, Professor. Take a fair portion." Avery stood up and thrust the bowl in her teacher's face. "Happy?"

"Yes. Thank you for being considerate."

Tight-lipped, Avery retreated to the other side of the cave.

Noah turned back to answer Helen's question as the other girls gathered around the food. "Things are okay, I guess."

Helen stepped closer to him, dropping her voice low. "It's just that I haven't seen Ella for a while now. Is she–?"

"She's fine." Noah met her gaze. "Well, not exactly fine, but…" He fished in his pocket for the note and pressed it into Helen's hand. "Here. This should explain." He glanced around at the other girls, thankful that they were paying too much attention to the food to notice. "Maybe read it later."

"Thank you." Helen pushed the folded piece of paper into her pocket, but her worried eyes stayed on Noah's face.

Noticing Helen's expression, Professor Kemp abandoned her bowl of oatmeal and crossed the cave to join them. "Something wrong?"

Noah beckoned them to move a few steps closer to the door. Aware of Avery's ever-watchful eyes on them, he kept his voice low.

"Jacob's blaming Ella for Faith and Diane's escape." He heard Helen's sharp intake of breath. "Can I ask… I mean… did any of you know about it in advance?" He glanced between Helen and Kemp. "I don't believe that Ella helped them. Did any of you?"

Kemp glanced at the girls. Though most of them were tucking into their oatmeal, Avery and Farrah had shuffled a little closer. They were definitely listening.

Gesturing to the entrance, Kemp raised her eyebrows. "Could we…?"

"Sure."

Ignoring Avery's tut of annoyance, Noah ushered them into the tunnel. Once out of earshot, Kemp continued.

"We've talked about this a lot over the past few days. No one here knew anything about their plans. As you know, I didn't want Faith to go back. I'm devastated that she has." The usually calm woman twisted her hands together. "They would never have told me. And, honestly, if they'd told any of the others, I'd know."

"How?"

The professor turned her shrewd eyes to him. "As you've just seen, this is a small space. Very difficult to keep secrets. If the others had known, they'd have battled to stop them or rallied to join them. There was none of that. They kept it very quiet."

Noah could see the truth in her words. From what Faith had said about Avery, he was pretty sure she'd have wanted to return to Bellator. Farrah, too. But while Helen was frightened of Jacob, he didn't think she'd want to leave Ella. And Mary was so young. She had recently lost her friend and seemed pretty lost. He couldn't imagine the others would have burdened or trusted her with the important details of an escape plan.

He turned back to Helen, whose face was white in the gloom. "Ella's alright. Jacob has her locked up," he gestured back at the cave, "just like you. But not everyone agrees with his actions. We've been talking to him, pleading her case. So far, he… he seems pretty set on punishing her." He reached out and took Helen's hand, pleased when she didn't pull away from him. "We'll keep trying, I promise. Go back inside – eat. Before it's all gone."

Helen returned the squeeze, leaning close to him. "Thank you for…"

"No problem." Before Noah could respond, Helen had released his hand and slipped away.

Once she was out of earshot, Kemp leaned close to him. "Any more news on Faith and Diane?"

Noah shook his head. "We searched the woods for several days after they left. There was no sign of them. And we've heard nothing from the city since we destroyed the entrance to Madeleine's house."

"I'm certain they've gone to look for Sophia. But I don't think they'd march right back to the academy." Kemp looked thoughtful. "They might be reckless, but they're not stupid."

"Where do you think they'd go, then?"

She frowned. "I've been thinking about this. They'd want to stay under the radar. Hide during the day, and move around the city at night, unseen. Try to gain access to the academy, see if they can locate Sophia."

"Would they be able to manage that without being spotted?"

"Perhaps." The professor shrugged. "The school is guarded, but they know it well. I told them a little about the Bellator Resistance. I'm wondering if–"

Noah's heart pounded. "You think they'd try to find them?"

"Well, it would be a safer option than trying to go it alone." Kemp sighed. "But I've no idea how they'd know where to start looking."

Noah recalled his final conversation with Faith. "What if I told her?"

Kemp frowned. "You told her?"

"In the medcave a couple of weeks ago, you were talking about where Madeleine might have gone…"

"You mean the library?"

"Yeah. The last time I spoke to Faith, she was asking me questions about the Resistance." He shifted from one foot to the other. "I didn't see it at the time, but she was obviously fishing for information." Paulo's words came back to him and he felt foolish. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned the library."

Noah braced himself for the professor's criticism. It never came. Instead, Kemp's face was flooded with relief.

"Perhaps it's a good thing. They were obviously determined to go." The teacher shrugged. "If Faith and Diane can locate the Resistance, they'll be in a much better position." Noah thought of the few times he had met Madeleine on raids, and knew Kemp was right. The older woman was extremely experienced and had helped them many times. "They might be able to use their contacts to access key locations, like the academy. Find Sophia."

"You mean there are people who would help them get inside without being caught?" Noah felt hope swell in his throat. "But who?"

"The Resistance has people undercover in many walks of life. People who Danforth has no knowledge of. I was one of them, within the academy. But there was another."

"Another professor?" Noah's eyes snapped to Kemp's as he waited for her response.

"No. The school has several drudges." Noting his puzzled look, the professor paused. "Bellator's serving class? They're bred to serve the women of the city." Noah recalled Paulo telling him about them before their first raid, but he didn't recall ever seeing one. "They work in the larger institutions mostly… aiding the women with menial chores. They wear face coverings, they don't speak… and they're mostly ignored, which makes them excellent spies. There is one in the school in particular that has helped me out in the past. If Faith and Diane can get his help, they might well have a way in."

Noah sagged against the wall of the tunnel. "So that would mean…"

"That they haven't walked straight back into the lion's den?" Kemp raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so."

Relief flooded over him. "That's the best news I've had in a long time. I can't tell you how worried I've–"

He stopped abruptly as the sound of footsteps echoed from further down the tunnel. Heart pounding, he gestured for the professor to return to the cave. But it was too late. Jacob strode towards them.

"You shouldn't be here." He glared at Noah, before turning to Kemp. "And she shouldn't be outside the cave without my permission."

"I'm sorry." Noah searched for an explanation. "Mick was scheduled to bring the breakfast but…" he opted for the truth, hoping it wouldn't get the other man into trouble, "his shoulder's been giving him trouble. I said I'd take the job off his hands… let him have a bit of rest."

Jacob glared at him. "You have no business being in this area. Or talking to our prisoners alone."

Taking the professor by the arm, he escorted her back into the cell. Once she was inside, he stared into the cave, as though checking Noah hadn't brought the girls anything illegal. Seeming almost disappointed when all he could see was a tray of food, he stalked back to his prey. Grasping Noah's shoulder, he spun him around and propelled him back the way he had come. Noah winced as Jacob's fingers dug into his skin.

When they reached the place where the tunnel forked, Jacob stopped. He bent his ear close to Noah's.

"I'm sick of your family disobeying my orders." Noah could feel hot, sour breath on his cheek. "I'm the Eremus leader. No one questions me."

His grip on Noah's arm intensified. Noah had to fight not to cry out from the pain.

"If I find you down here again, you won't like what happens. I don't care who your parents are." He gave Noah a shove. "Got it?"

The expression in Jacob's eyes was fierce, burning, almost manic. Noah took a step back, suddenly very frightened. He nodded, afraid that any words he spoke would betray his fear.

"Good." Seeming satisfied, Jacob jabbed a finger at the main tunnel. "Now get out of here."