The Faintest Ink (Watty Winner 2015)

Chapter Fifty-Six

With a heavy thump, Viridian squeezed back through the window and landed on the studio floor.

Hope rushed to his side and helped him up. "What did you see?"

Viridian wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He was breathing heavily. "The riots are all of Dakley. Perhaps ever further into the city. I couldn't see where they ended."

"Riots?" gasped Hope.

"The city's gone mad. It's like... I don't know. It's as if everyone's been drugged."

Hawth looked down at her feet. She'd wanted to leave this poor family's home since she saw the infected citizens crowding the street. She had to get back to the citadel to warn Straw and Larst, but they wouldn't let her go.

They'd swept the house top to bottom to find the eldest daughter, Blossom. The twins brought her back to the kitchen, each clinging on to one of her hands, and since then neither parent had let any of them out of their sight. Including her.

"It's too dangerous out there," the mother, Hope had said. "You're to stay here with us."

Now they were all hiding in the attic, waiting for everything to die down outside. They'd heard broken glass downstairs, but no one had managed to get through the boarded up windows. At least, not yet.

She couldn't believe what was happening. She'd thought that the burning of the books would make the people turn against the masters, not each other. They should be revealing in their freedom, not creating a new kind of prison for one another.

It was as if they didn't know. They felt the break of the chains - the release of their thoughts and feelings - but could not identify the cause. She had to get out there and talk to them before it was too late.

"It's not poison, or drugs, or madness," she said. "It's the masters."

Hope gasped and performed the move of fearful subjects up and down the country - the closing of the ears to block the sight of this twisted world, and brushing the ears so that they could not hear the truths being spoken. "Stop. Stop talking right now."

Hawth shook her head. "Please don't do that. There's no one to hear you. Not any more. The books have been burnt."

"Blossom, cover your ears," ordered Hope. Then she turned on Hawth. "You will stop speaking. I will not have my family in any more danger. Or I will turn you into the street myself, by the gods I swear I will do it."

"Hope, calm down," shouted Viridian, reaching out for her, but she stepped out of his grasp.

"Calm down! Are you mad? You were not named in the sight of the gods, you have no idea what is is to fear the masters. You risked this family going under their scrutiny once before, and I forgave you because I knew that you didn't understand. Not really. You didn't grow up with this fear clutching at your heart at every moment of every day since you were twelve years old. But that was your warning. You will not do it again. I have fought too hard to make a life for myself, with you, and with my children, and I will not give that up. So, you will never tell me to calm down again."

Viridian raised his hands, showing her his palms. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry. But..."

"But?" laughed Hope. "Did you not listen to what I said?"

"It is Hawthorn that we're not listening to. She says the masters are gone."

"What are you talking about? How can the masters go?"

"I don't know. But I've seen our neighbours out their smashing our windows and I don't think that could happen if the masters were still in control."