The Perimeter (21 page)

‘
Deus lux mea est
– God is my Light
.

Dum vivimus servimus
– While we live, we serve
.’

Up until now he’d been going along with things because of the benefits of this place, the safety and security it offered. But now he realised he needed to truly commit. The birds served nature. Nature was their god. Jamie would be like these joyful goldfinches. He would follow his God. He would let James Grey dictate his life, because it would be easier that way. He would stop worrying and wondering and just accept what came to him. The mantra filled his thoughts and a smile lit his face as he continued walking across the dew-sodden grass, the hopeful sound of birdsong in his ears.

Chapter Twenty Four

Riley

‘You nearly finished?’ Luc asked.

‘Not yet,’ I replied, running a cloth through the barrel of my Magnum. ‘Still got another one to do after this.’

It was late evening and we were sitting cross-legged on the floor of one of Pa’s underground storerooms cleaning our weapons and sorting out ammunition supplies. Although faced with an impendingly dire situation, I had never felt happier. Since this afternoon, everything had taken on a brighter hue, a less sinister aspect. The rations were low, but we would manage. The weather was harsh, but spring would return. An army was coming, but Luc loved me.

Luc loved me. And I loved him. And nothing else mattered.

With Luc I could face a hundred FJs.

Throughout the perimeter, work continued at a fevered, panicked pace. Everyone pitched in no matter what their age – children, adults, the elderly. No rest, no sleep. With only the briefest breaks to eat.

We had sent two copters out that evening to see if they could spot FJ’s army. We knew they marched by night and so it would be almost impossible to spot them, but we had to try. We needed to know how far away they were. How much time we had left.

Would FJ really have the nerve to attack if he didn’t get what he wanted? i.e. me and Grey. We would soon find out, as Grey was dead and Liss wasn’t about to betray me to her psycho brother. FJ would be a fool to attempt an outright attack on the perimeter. We could last out for weeks in here. Months. But then I remembered the sight of Grey’s men surrounding the Ringwood Perimeter – the dead guards and the rigged explosives – and a drop of doubt tainted my conviction. My moment of worry was blotted out with a long deep kiss from Luc. His hands cupping my face. His touch tangling my thoughts. This thing with FJ had become an inconvenience rather than a fear, taking me away from where I wanted to be. Here. Now. In this kiss.

Luc and I broke off at the approach of footsteps.

‘This way.’ Pa’s voice. He ducked his head to enter the subterranean room. Behind him came some of our guys from the perimeter, along with Luc’s Uncle Rufus. In their arms, they carried stacks of wooden crates.

Luc gave me a rueful smile and jumped to his feet. He took some of the crates from Pa, stacking them with the others against the wall.

‘Luc,’ Rufus said, putting the crates on the floor and holding out his arms. ‘Not too old to give your uncle a hug are you?’

Luc grinned and complied.

‘Is that you, Riley?’ he said. ‘Wow, what a stunner you’ve turned into.’

I blushed at the compliment. Luc’s uncle had always been over-the-top. But in a good way. I laid down my weapon and got a hug too. It had been ages since we’d last seen him. The room grew crowded as several more men and women appeared, laden with crates upon crates.

Rufus was rumoured to be a weapons manufacturer – either that or an extremely competent arms dealer – but it was something he would never confirm or deny. Knowledge like that was dangerous to his health. He didn’t even tell us where he lived – as much for our own safety as his.

‘Are you staying?’ Luc asked his uncle.

‘Sadly, no. I’m needed elsewhere. But I’ll come back if things get too hairy, okay?’

Luc nodded. ‘What goodies did you bring us?’

‘Ammo mainly. But there are a few hand guns and I also managed to get hold of some grenades.’

There was a moment of stunned awe at this revelation.

‘I know, I know,’ he said, hands up in false modesty. ‘I’m a superstar genius, right?’

‘I’d have to agree with you, Unc,’ Luc said. ‘Those could come in very handy.’

‘Good. Well, sorry to drop in and run, but I have to go. Great to see you guys. Take care of each other and I hope to God you don’t need to use any of this stuff.’

We hugged again and he turned and made his way out of the room.

‘Riley,’ Pa said, before leaving. ‘Can you get this ammo distributed to all the guard posts on the wall?’

‘Sure. Anything else?’

‘That’s it for now. It’ll take a while. Come and see me or Eddie when you’re done.’ He singled out four of the men who had entered the room with him. ‘Wait here. Riley’ll tell you where these boxes are needed.’

And so the rest of the night was spent distributing ammunition and counting and allocating weapons. It was a mammoth job. One of too many. I hoped that if FJ did show up, it wouldn’t be anytime before his expected date of Christmas Eve.

We worked until we were done. I managed to get about three hours sleep from 4 am to 7 am, and then when I opened my eyes at the sound of the alarm clock, my first thought was of Luc. I smiled and curled into myself for a moment, allowing myself the brief luxury of remembering yesterday’s journey back from The Walls, before flinging back the covers and preparing for the day ahead.

I opened my blackout blinds and had to shield my eyes. Another bright, crisp morning. A day for walking in the woods, for talking in the sunshine. A day for lovers, not a day for war. But we had no choice in the matter. Trouble was coming to our door and we had to deal with it head on. No point hoping for the best. Not in this world. My room was freezing as usual, so I showered briefly, enjoying the heat of the jets, and threw on some warm clothes.

As I came down the stairs, Pa was coming in through the front door. The skin beneath his eyes bruised from lack of sleep.

‘Morning, sweetheart. Did you manage to get any shut eye?’

‘Yeah, a few hours. You look like you could use some too.’

‘Later,’ he said. ‘I’ll just have a coffee and rest my eyes for a minute or two.’

I followed him into the kitchen where a note from Ma rested on the table:

Morning darlings, Gone to the crèche with Liss and Annabelle, see you later xxx.

Rather than build defences or distribute supplies, Ma had volunteered to help look after the babies and toddlers while their parents worked at securing the perimeter. She had wanted me to help out too, but there was no way I was sitting inside with a roomful of babies. Not with everything else that was going on. It looked like she’d roped Liss and Annabelle into volunteering with her today.

Pa sat at the table and sipped his watery coffee, while I put some porridge on the stove.

‘Want some?’

‘No thanks.’

‘Well I’m making you some anyway,’ I replied. ‘You have to eat.’

He nodded vaguely.

‘Did the copters get back?’ I asked. ‘Did they spot them?’

Pa shook his head. ‘I didn’t expect them to. FJ’s not stupid. He’ll have his army marching through the woods, under cover where we can’t see them.’

‘They’ll have to come out sometime,’ I replied.

‘Yeah, but it’s catching them when they do. They’re sneaky buggers.’

‘What do you need me to do today?’ I asked. ‘Are we on track? D’you think we’ll be safe enough in here?’

‘Truthfully?’ he replied. ‘I don’t know. All we can do is keep up with the prepping. We should have done a lot more a lot earlier. The type of warfare we’re facing takes years of planning, not days.’ He closed his eyes for a moment.

‘So what can I do? Shall I help Luc out with . . .’

‘. . . Eddie and Luc left early on a supply run.’

‘What? They’ve left the perimeter?’ My head swam at the news. It had been okay when Luc and I were outside together. But now he was out there without me. If anything happened . . .

‘Eddie heard some chatter on the radio.’ Pa interrupted my worries. ‘Something about a trading convoy travelling east of Christchurch. He thought it was worth a shot to try and track them down. Seems to think he can get to them before lunchtime. If they’re trading decent food supplies, it’ll be worth paying over the odds to get the lot. We might need it if we get . . . trapped in here for a while.’

‘What time did they leave?’ I asked.

‘Bout fiveish this morning.’

I did a quick calculation in my head. That meant they’d been on the road for about two and a half hours already. They should have caught up to the convoy by now and then it could take two or three more hours to negotiate a deal and load up the trucks. Then another two hours to drive home. Hopefully they should be back by 2 pm at the latest. I would have to swallow my fear and get busy to take my mind off it.

I had an idea of my own I wanted to try and I couldn’t work out whether it was completely stupid or whether it was genius. I was originally going to run it past Luc first, but now I’d have to tell Pa instead.

‘Can I borrow the horse box trailer and your AV?’ I asked.

‘Why? What for?’

‘I’ve got a plan.’

Chapter Twenty Five

Jamie

‘You are sure this is the one?’ The Voice of the Father asked the guards.

‘Yes, sir,’ one of them replied with a subservient nod.

In the hallway of a very grand and impressive house, Matthew scrutinized Jamie through narrowed eyes. Jamie recognised the disciple, but apparently Matthew did not recognise
him
.

‘If it is you, you look well,’ Matthew said. ‘Very well indeed. Stronger. Unrecognisable from the wretch you once were. Are you the one who came here as ‘Jamie’?’

Jamie nodded.

‘And now you are known as Jacob?’ Matthew continued quizzing him. ‘You confessed your sin to me? A particular sin involving a young girl?’

Jamie felt his cheeks colour with shame and nodded.

‘Very well,’ Matthew said, apparently satisfied that he had the right person. He turned to the guards. ‘You may leave him with me.’

They hesitated.

‘Did you not hear me? Leave.’

They turned and walked out of the front door. Jamie didn’t blame them for not wanting to leave Matthew alone with him. How did they know Jamie wasn’t dangerous? They hadn’t even searched him for a weapon.

‘Follow me, Jacob. I have need of you.’

Jamie followed Matthew up the wide wooden staircase, curious, but reminding himself he was here to serve and not to question. The rich scent of wood and polish made him suddenly nostalgic for a forgotten time and he briefly ran his hand along the smooth dark banister, before letting it drop back down to his side.

They reached a wide landing and Matthew walked up a couple more steps and into a room. Jamie followed him inside. The room was beautiful. Gorgeous. The most lovely space Jamie had ever seen in his life, steeped in luxuries from a long ago era. Irrationally, its beauty made him want to weep, but of course he did not.

A huge picture window dominated the room, framed with bronze velvet curtains; a tranquil view of jewel-green grass, trees and sky beyond. The warm elegance of the place was even more startling to Jamie after the basic quarters he’d become used to at the arena. Paintings of landscapes sat inside gilt frames and a long gold mirror gleamed above a mahogany chest. Carved chairs and upholstered sofas sat upon intricate rugs, which in turn sat upon a thick cream carpet. Jamie realised his grass and mud-stained feet were now soiling this impossibly pale floor covering and he wondered if Matthew would notice.

The disciple bade him sit in one of the carved chairs. Jamie did as he was told and watched Matthew walk across to the window and gaze out. He seemed even more imposing than the last time they’d met. More sure of himself, if that were even possible.

‘Tell me your confession again.’

Jamie’s throat went dry and his heart sped up. Again? He thought all that was behind him. That once he’d gotten everything off his chest the first time he would never have to think of it again. That was how it was supposed to work. Right? But then he remembered this morning’s goldfinches trusting to nature, and the promise he’d made himself to trust to God and His disciples, so he choked back his fear and began to talk.

‘I accidentally killed a girl. I broke into her garden. Into her poolhouse.’ Jamie’s voice sounded strange to his own ears. He wasn’t used to talking. ‘She saw me and I was scared she’d run off and get her parents so I tried to stop her, but she fell backwards through the door. It was glass – the door, I mean – and a piece of it fell out of the frame and into her throat.’ Jamie said the words, but he tried not to think of their meaning. He tried to keep the warriors’ chant in his head to stop the image of the girl seeping into his mind. ‘She died. Instantly. And I ran off.’ Jamie bowed his head, shame revisiting him once more.

‘Remind me, where did this happen?’ Matthew asked, still turned to the window.

‘At the Talbot Woods Perimeter.’

‘When?’

‘A while back. A couple of months I guess. It was the day before I met Mr Carter.’

‘Do you know the name of this girl?’

Jamie swallowed. ‘No,’ he said. Did Matthew know the girl? Was that why he was here?  Jamie didn’t want to know her name. In fact, if Matthew told him her name, Jamie was quite sure he would break down. But the disciple changed the subject and Jamie was able to breathe once more.

‘You know Our Father has been taken.’ Matthew turned away from the window to face him.

Jamie nodded, twisting his hands in his lap. ‘I’ve been praying for him.’

‘He was attacked. Viciously attacked. His vocal chords are permanently damaged. And now he has been abducted. The people who did this will be punished.’

‘Do you know who they are?’

‘Do not question me.’

Jamie bowed his head, conscious that he had overstepped the mark. But Matthew didn’t seem angry. Strangely, he seemed almost elated.

‘I am The Voice of the Father now,’ he said softly.

Jamie looked up at Matthew, who was unable to fully conceal his pride. No wonder the boy appeared so confident and commanding. He was in charge of the whole sodding place. Jamie didn’t know whether to be flattered to have been brought to his attention, or terrified that he was here under scrutiny.

‘Will . . . Will Our Father be okay?’ Jamie asked, unable to stop himself. ‘Will we be able to rescue him?’

‘Yes, when the time is right,’ Matthew replied. ‘But now you may resume your training. It suits you. You will do well as a soldier. I may have further use for you. Expect to return.’ Matthew turned back to the window and signalled to someone outside, beyond Jamie’s view. ‘My brothers wait in the courtyard. They will return you to your duties.’

Jamie stood uncertainly, but Matthew remained with his back to him, and so he left the room and made his way down the stairs, out into the courtyard where the two men were waiting. They accompanied him back to the arena where he rejoined his brothers in the arena to continue praying for James Grey’s safe return.

Jamie still had no idea what this morning’s visit had really meant. Why he’d been summoned to a private meeting with Grey’s top disciple and why he had been asked to repeat his confession.

Jamie awoke to the sound of bells. He opened his eyes. It was still dark. In their damp quarters, his brothers stirred around him. What were those bells? They grew louder. A fire? Some kind of alarm? He sat upright and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. And then the bells stopped for a moment and a voice called out:

‘Awaken, Warriors of Our Father, and prepare for Battle. Awaken, Warriors. To arms!’

The bells started up again, louder still, and a hooded figure appeared in the doorway, holding a lantern and swinging a hand bell. Calling them to battle. The disciple’s body merged with the shadows, making him appear a giant, filling the doorframe, as the bells filled the room with their insistence.

Jamie rose from his place on the ground with a thumping heartbeat and a swooping sensation in his stomach. This was it. After weeks of training, they were finally to go into battle. He and his brothers stood, all eyes on their brother in the doorway. The figure moved away, calling along the corridors, ringing the bells and rousing Grey’s Warriors from their slumber.

So today would be the day they would mount a rescue operation. They would take back their Father and stamp out the hostile forces who threatened their way of life. Warriors and trainees alike were to fight, and this evening they would leave the training ground. To travel by night and rest by day.

In their chilly quarters, Jamie and his brothers spent the morning kneeling on the ground to clean and sharpen their weapons. He found these familiar tasks soothing and he tried not to think too hard about using these deadly arms for real against a flesh and blood enemy instead of the usual cloth dummies and distant targets. But he would do what had to be done. He would make Grey’s abductors pay for their wrongdoings.

They ate lunch in their quarters and then began packing their kit. They were issued with ammunition, new warmer under-clothing and water bottles. Extra ammo and supplies would also be brought along in supply vehicles. The day was almost done and Jamie felt the tension and anticipation in the air around him. No one spoke, but the atmosphere was fevered – part anticipation, part fear.

They were ready.

He and his brothers donned their warriors’ cloaks and packs, left their quarters and made their way out into the vast, cold arena. Jamie’s breath flowed before him like soft warm pillows. But that was something he couldn’t think about, for he had a full night’s march ahead of him before he could rest his head again. Torches blazed around the outside of the arena, though remnants of light still hung in the sky. Once the day fully gave way to the stars, they would abandon their training ground and head south.

Rising up into the night, the faint sound of the chant began to wend through the ranks. Inspiring and calming. A call to arms. A prayer for the righteous. Along the rows of soldiers this grid of sound, swelling from a barely audible hum into a menacing battle cry. Jamie’s voice merged with his brothers and his mind cleared as he prepared to leave the arena. He would put one foot in front of the other, like his brother before him and his brother behind. A movement in the ranks broke his meditation.

Two robed men. Matthew’s guards.

This could only mean one thing – that Jamie was to be summoned once more for an audience with The Voice of the Father. Was it his imagination or did these guards seem more deferential this time? They did not grab his arms or prod him in the direction they wanted him to move. Instead they had bowed and gestured that he follow them.

His warrior brothers did not so much as glance his way as he was led from the arena. Jamie was used to their apparent lack of curiosity by now. If it had been someone else being taken away, he too would have been careful not to stare. The Voice of the Father had warned him that he would be summoned again, so this shouldn’t have come as too much of a shock. But why now? At this crucial time.

The two guards flanked him as they left the training ground, but it felt like they were accompanying him, rather than guarding. Jamie was dressed for war, with a full complement of weapons, but Matthew’s guards did not asked him to disarm. He was surprised when one of them spoke:

‘The Voice of the Father requests your presence in The North Canonry.’

It was bewildering to him. What could he, Jamie, have to offer at a time like this? What could Matthew possibly want with him?

Out of the arena, without his brothers around him, Jamie felt the full force of the cold night air. It sharpened his senses and set his mind racing. Yet again, something was about to change in his life. He could feel it. But he didn’t yet know if would be a great thing or a terrible thing.

Their footfalls crunched across the frosty ground and the night wind sliced through his cloak. He picked up a familiar scent and, sure enough, three horses had been tethered outside the main entrance. The guards mounted and bid Jamie do the same. He stroked his horse’s nose, put his foot in the stirrup and swung his other leg over the saddle.

‘We ride to The Close,’ one of the guards said, before disappearing across the water meadow.

They galloped through the crisp darkness, stopping only to let themselves through the many gates. Jamie wished they could have kept going all night, enjoying the warm solidity of the horse and the chill wind on his cheeks. But all too soon they were within The Close, trotting along the narrow pathways and cantering over the wider grassy areas. Before long, the horses’ hooves clopped to a halt outside the house Jamie had previously visited. He assumed it was where Matthew lived. The guards dismounted and Jamie did the same, patting the neck of his steed, reluctant to give her up and discover his fate.