Chapter Twenty-Four Noah

Once the door was closed behind them, Evelyn turned on a flashlight and led them farther into the tunnel. They walked for several minutes, stopping when they reached a second door. When Evelyn opened it, Noah could hear voices on the other side. He began to understand. Instead of walking across the square itself, in full view, the tunnel had brought them to the library via an underground route. It was a far safer entrance, and made Noah feel a lot more secure about the place they were about to enter.

"Come along." Evelyn beckoned to them, before disappearing through the door.

Noah followed her with caution, towing Ella behind him. Her hand trembled in his. The room on the other side of the door was large and filled with a haphazard mixture of tables and chairs. Most of them were empty, which made sense with the late hour. On the other side, Evelyn stood talking to a dark-haired woman. Their expressions were serious, but the unfamiliar woman's face broke into a smile as she spotted him.

"I see you brought us some new allies." Leaving Evelyn, the woman moved towards him, her hand outstretched. Ella released Noah's hand and took a step back. "I'm Robyn. Welcome to the Bellator Resistance."

"H-hi." Noah hated that his voice faltered. He accepted the hand, shaking it more firmly than was necessary. "Thanks for…" he glanced around the room, "well, for having us. I'm Noah," he added hastily, "and this is Ella."

"Come in." The woman moved immediately to Ella, recognising her reluctance. "We don't bite!"

Ella said nothing, but allowed herself to be ushered into the room.

"I"d better go." Evelyn moved past them to the door again. "There's still Kemp to take care of."

"No rest for the wicked, eh?" Robyn nodded. "Stay safe. Try not to worry about…" Noah knew she was referring to the conversation they had overheard between the guards. "It might come to nothing."

"Let's hope so."

As Evelyn closed the door behind her, Robyn returned her attention to Noah and Ella.

"Come this way," she called over her shoulder, leading them towards another door at the back of the room.

With no other choice, they followed her. Inside, a familiar woman with silver hair was waiting behind the desk. Noah smiled in recognition. Unlike the last time he'd seen her, her hair was pulled back severely, but her eyes glittered with the same intensity.

"Noah!" She peered at him. "It is Noah, isn't it? Paulo's brother?"

"It is, yes. Hi, Madeleine. This is Ella." He noticed Robyn close the door behind them. "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you too." She stood up and circled the desk. "Just the two of you?"

"Yes," Noah replied. "For now."

"We weren't sure exactly how many to expect."

"Flynn felt we should start small. See how it goes."

"Always was a sensible man." Madeleine stopped right in front of Noah, narrowing her eyes.

Noah opened his mouth to tell her about Jacob, then closed it again. Perhaps it could wait until tomorrow, when they were more rested. The Resistance leader was a formidable woman, more so now that he didn't have Paulo to protect him. Right now, she was staring at him in quite an off-putting manner.

She seemed to size him up, her gaze roving over him from head to toe. Taking hold of one of his arms, she circled it with her fingers, nodding with apparent approval when they almost met on the other side. Finally, she took hold of the sweatshirt he was wearing and pulled it in tightly around his waist.

"What–?" he gasped, taking a step back.

"Yes, I think you'll do nicely." She let go of him, glancing over at Robyn, who had been watching her with amusement. "Oh, stop it. I just wanted to check that they'd sent someone who'd fit the bill. No good sending a great hulking oaf like Jacob or Paulo. They'd make useless drudges."

Turning her attention to Ella, she screwed up her eyes. "And we'll need to place you somewhere too, I suppose. I have a few ideas, but it will depend on where you might best blend in." She paced around his friend, who shrank away from the scrutiny. "Won't be as tricky, what with you being female, and all." She peered into Ella's face. "What are you good at?"

"I do all kinds of jobs in Eremus." Ella stood taller. "I'm experienced in foraging, preparing food, cleaning, I've supervised the children, trained others." Her courage failed. "But perhaps those aren't useful skills here." Madeleine said nothing and Ella sucked in a breath. "I can read and write fairly well. I help Anna in the medcentre occasionally, though Noah has more experience in that department."

"That's all good to know." Madeleine narrowed her eyes. "I was thinking about–"

"Madeleine!" Robyn interrupted. "Our guests have come a long way. They must both be very tired." She cast a sympathetic glance at Ella and Noah. "And, I'm guessing this is a lot for you to take in right now." She leaned closer. "Don't worry, we aren't going to send you straight out into the city to fend for yourselves. Not tonight, anyway." She waved them away as Noah shot her a panicked glance and Ella gasped. "Kidding. I'm just kidding."

"It will need to be soon, though." Madeleine had retaken her seat behind the desk, not seeming to share Robyn's sense of humour. "After tonight, things are really going to ramp up. If you're truly going to join us, and be of use, it needs to be sooner rather than later."

"Just having you here is an excellent start, though," Robyn chimed in, noting Ella had paled. "It shouldn't be too difficult to prepare and place the two of you." She turned to Madeleine. "Evelyn had some new intel which we should discuss. And the others will be back soon. Shall I get our guests settled? Then I'll come back and talk to you?"

Madeleine frowned. "Alright. But don't be long. You'd better put our male visitor in the storeroom." She turned to Noah. "My apologies, but I don't think it would go down too well with the women here if I were to place you in one of the shared bedrooms."

"Of course not," he murmured. "Don't worry, I'll sleep anywhere."

Madeleine was already turning back to the screen in front of her.

"Come on, then." Robyn ushered them out the door.

A moment later, they were standing in the shared area once more.

"We call this the hub." Robyn waved a hand across the room. "It's where we gather to eat, chat, and so on. You hungry?"

"No," Ella said, as Noah was about to say the opposite. Closing his mouth, he decided not to undermine her.

Robyn caught his eye. Changing direction, she moved to open a cupboard in the kitchen area at the front of the room. When she returned, she was holding a chocolate bar. She pressed it into Noah's hand.

"That should keep you going til breakfast."

"Thanks." Noah found himself warming to her. "Appreciate it."

She winked at him. "It's nothing. Now let's get you a place to sleep."

As they crossed the hub, a short woman burst in from the opposite side. She took in the newcomers, a look of suspicion crossing her face.

"Great work tonight, Blake." Robyn smiled.

The woman grunted something as she passed, heading for the office they had just left.

"Don't mind her," Robyn muttered, "She's always like that. It's nothing personal." She glanced at Ella with concern. "You look like you're about to collapse." She led them back to the hallway they'd entered through. "The storage room's this way."

Ella hurried to catch up. "Couldn't…" she faltered.

Robyn stopped. "What is it?"

"Um… I don't want to be any trouble, but is there some way I could stay with Noah, just for now?" Ella chewed on her lower lip. "I'd be fine in the storage room too."

Robyn burst out laughing. "It's tiny. We won't fit you both in there." Ella's face fell, and Robyn leaned close. "Listen, don't you worry. Most of us are very friendly. I promise, we'll look after you, and I'll make sure someone brings you right back to Noah here in the morning."

Halfway down the hallway, Robyn stopped. Pulling open another door, she revealed a storage space. Both sides had shelving from floor to ceiling. The only free space was a small rectangular section of floor in between.

"See what I mean?" Robyn rolled her eyes as she turned to Noah. "Would you mind waiting here while I take Ella to the dorm rooms?" She shot him an apologetic smile. "Most of our residents are out right now, but they'll be back soon."

"No problem." He stepped back into the store room. "I'll wait here, out of the way."

"Great. I'll bring down some bedding for you in a few minutes." She turned to Ella. "Ready?"

"Sure." But as Ella was led further down the hall, she turned back to Noah, her eyes filled with concern.

"See you in the morning." He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile as she disappeared down the hall, hoping she would manage to get at least some sleep.

Peering around the space he had been allocated, he contemplated his own exhaustion. He wasn't used to much in the way of comfort, so the floor would be fine, but he did wonder how the other women might react to him. Robyn had seemed quite concerned that he stay out of sight until his presence had been explained.

Would it frighten them so much, having a man in their space? He remembered his first encounter with Faith and decided it would. What if one of them came across him by mistake? It was a store room. Surely many of them used it.

Leaving it open so he could see, he stooped to study the door, hoping it might have a sturdy bolt. He would definitely feel more secure knowing he couldn't be disturbed while he was sleeping. But though the door did have a lock, it looked like one which required a key. A key Noah was pretty certain Robyn wouldn't allow him to have.

A noise further down the hallway startled him. Expecting Robyn's return, he was alarmed to see another door much closer to him begin to open. He tensed, stepping back inside the store room to avoid startling the newcomer. Easing the door closed, he waited in the darkness, feeling foolish.

For a moment, there was silence. And then, the sound of footsteps, moving towards him. Noah froze, praying they would go right past. But they didn't. He heard them stop right outside the door and his heart sank. His intention had been to stay out of sight to avoid frightening the woman. But if she opened the store room door to find a man hiding in the darkness, it would be so much worse.

There was a clicking sound. Noah imagined the handle turning. Hardly daring to breathe, he wondered what he should do next. Attempt to hide? Call out to the woman, alerting her to his presence?

But it was too late.

The door was opening, the crack of light widening. He blinked at the sudden brightness. The figure on the other side seemed young, a similar age to him. Her head was bent over a handheld device of some kind, a tumble of hair falling over her face.

She reached out absentmindedly, hitting a switch on the wall to his left. As the store room was flooded with light, Noah braced himself. But when she finally looked at him, he was just as shocked as she was.