Silver Secrets

Chapter 34: Bree

I shiver and pull the blanket tighter around myself. The prison isn't that cold, but I've been huddled on the floor for long enough that I can't stop shivering.

I think we've been here about three days. It was daytime when we they brought us here, and we've been given food five times since then, so it must be five evenings and four mornings. I can tell what time of day it is because there's always echoey voices in the daytime, but at night it goes completely quiet. Except the first night.

When I heard all the singing and music I started crying, because I thought they were celebrating killing Clay. Then Eddie told me it was probably a funeral for the werewolf he killed, because when they took us through the big cave with all the fires he saw the body wrapped in sheets and things. It just made me feel worse, though, because Clay won't get a funeral. Nether will Angaret, but I think Clay deserves one more.

Eddie told me about how he killed Angaret. He said Lieutenant Bedauri had cornered her, so Eddie killed her quickly before he could rip her apart. I think Angaret would have hated that, she would have wanted a fight before she died, but I'm grateful to Eddie for not lying to me, because he's really obvious when he does that. Considering we're locked in this tiny cell together, I'm glad he's not trying to lie.

I get up to stretch my legs. The werewolves haven't hurt us, but there's not much to do except sleep and think.

I go over to the door and look out, gripping the metal bars. There are other cells opposite ours, but they're all empty. One torch burns on the wall across the narrow tunnel, and a steady dripping echoes from somewhere down in the darkness. I'd hate to live in a place like this. There's no fresh air and I'd never be able to see the sky.

I just hope I won't have to spend the rest of my life down here.

No. I won't do that. If I have to, I'll escape with Eddie. Maybe when the girl who brings our food comes, I'll kill her somehow. She's tiny and only a little bit older than me. I have strong arms. I bet I could take her out.

A flash in the darkness catches my eye. I press my face up against the bars so I can see it better as it turns into a dim glow.

Normally that glow means food, but the girl only came a few hours ago. I've still got half my meat saved for later. It can't be food.

My heart starts hammering in my chest. Are they going to kill us? Why didn't they just do that in the forest instead of locking us in here?

"Eddie. Wake up," I hiss as the light gets closer. "Someone's coming."

He lifts his head from his knees and blinks at me. "What?"

"There's someone coming down here." Maybe they found River? Eddie said she ran away from the battle.

As the light gets closer, I can see that there's two people. One is wearing a skirt, the other holding a lantern.

It's Melanthe, I realise with a shudder. Melanthe and that woman, the pack leader. Alpha something. Have they come to question us about River? The last time I saw Melanthe, she was supposed to be dead. I'd seen Lieutenant Bedauri stab her and I'd seen her body lying there in the snow as Bedauri dug her grave. Then I heard her voice in my head and thought I was going mad. Until she stood up.

"What do you want with us?" I scream at them as they stop outside our cell. Melanthe flinches, but the woman just stares at me with her creepy werewolf eyes.

Behind me, Eddie jumps to his feet. "Bree, don't provoke them!" he shouts, coming to stand behind me.

Melanthe holds a hand up in front of her. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Yet," the woman growls. "We're giving you a chance to win your life back."

"You're going to kill us?" I whisper.

"You murdered a member of my pack. His name was Aurel. That is punishable by death."

"But we won't kill you if you help us," Melanthe says quickly, glancing at the Alpha.

"What do you want us to do?" says Eddie, his voice low and cracking.

Melanthe comes right up close to the bars, the light from her lantern casting weird shadows over her round, freckly face. "Do you really not know who you've been working for all this time?"

"No," Eddie sighs. "But that's pretty normal. Angaret would have known, maybe."

Melanthe's eyes go distant, before she swallows and says, "The man you're working for is the reason there's no psychics left. His name is Captain Holanan."

"The Captain of the City Guard?" Eddie says faintly.

Melanthe nods.

"But I thought the psychics were killed in an earthquake?"

Melanthe shrugs, chewing her lip. "That's what I thought too, until a few days ago. But he killed them all. And he's still in Moon Bay, after all he did, working in the palace, having a good job and a nice life, and nobody knows or cares what he's done." She looks long and hard at Eddie, and then at me. "I want you to help me kill him."

Eddie hesitates. "But how? If we're caught, we'll be executed."

"You're going to be executed anyway," the Alpha woman says impatiently. "Tomorrow, for killing Aurel. At least, you will." She turns her yellow eyes to me. "We haven't decided what we're going to do with you yet."

My eyes go wide and I grab Eddie's arm. "No, don't kill him!" I blink so I won't start crying and look stupid. "We'll do what you want. Don't kill my brother."

"Bree..." Eddie tries to peel me off his arm, but I hang on.

"We took the letter out of the centaur's satchel," Melanthe says. "It said there was a meeting place for Angaret and Jareth. Is that right?"

"His name was Clay," I say before Eddie shushes me.

"We were going to place a symbol in the city centre, and then meet our employer on the cliff overlooking Moon Bay."

Melanthe nods. "You know, you two seem different from the others. You never wanted to work with Angaret, did you?"

Eddie shrugs. "It was the best I could do with what I had."

Melanthe nods again. "So you'll do it?"

"We will."

"Your sister can stay here," the Alpha says. "It's too dangerous for her to go."

"No!" I cry, gripping the bars so tightly my knuckles turn white. The Alpha and Melanthe both blink at me in shock. "Eddie and me have never been separated before. Never!"

The woman sighs. "Then go. Obviously you'll only give me trouble if you stay." She turns to Melanthe. "Are you all right taking her with you?"

She smiles at me kindly. "I'm sure we'll manage."

"You're leaving tomorrow, at first light," the Alpha says over her shoulder as her and Melanthe start back up the tunnel. "Be ready." 

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A/N: There won't be a second chapter this week even though it's a Bree chapter, as we're nearly at the end of the story. Sorry!