Nightshade City (14 page)

Suddenly, a nearby door slammed. She jumped to her feet and peered around the red bricks. A long, white car idled in front of the brownstone. The driver, clad in a fitted black suit, jumped out and dashed towards the back of the car, opening a door. A tall Topsider got out. He had a lean build and wavy hair, the color of sweet potatoes. The Topsider stretched on the sidewalk as the driver hurriedly brought his bag up to the front door, whizzing by Mother Gallo’s head. The Topsider handed the driver some rolled-up bills. “Thanks, sir, appreciated, as always. Have a good weekend, what’s left of it, anyway.” The red-haired Topsider waved as the car drove off.

Trotting up the stairs, the Topsider rummaged through his overcoat pocket. As he fumbled, Mother Gallo positioned herself just under the doorsill, only inches away from his shiny wingtips. Finally retrieving his keys, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. He picked up his bag, banging it into the door, and entered the home. Mother Gallo entered, remaining hidden under the dangling suitcase.

They were in a small vestibule. With the suitcase still hanging precariously over Mother Gallo’s head, the Topsider pushed the inner door open with his foot. Setting down his keys and luggage, he stole up the stairs. “Honey, Ramsey, I’m home!” he called out. Mother Gallo dashed out of the vestibule and into the house.

“Daddy!” shouted a child’s voice from upstairs.

Mother Gallo immediately started her search for Juniper’s hole. She quickly found the room Clover had mentioned—the only one facing the street. She could see what little light the sky had to offer pushing under the door’s gap.

She eyed the width of the opening under the door. Having grown rounder in recent years, she was a bit worried, but she was no match to Juniper’s bulk. If he could manage his way under, so could she. She removed her blue sash, sucked in her belly, and pushed herself through the gap. Relieved, she took a deep breath; then, restoring her sash and dusting herself off, she scrutinized the room; artist’s paints and charcoals lay strewn about the floor, easels leaned here and there—an artist’s studio. One
of four corners,
she thought, heading towards the window Clover spoke of.

There it was—the hole. She felt the opening’s smooth edges, devoid of splinters, a near-perfect circle. “Juniper Belancort, I’d know your work anywhere,” she whispered to herself. Her spine shivered, and her skin rose in tiny goose bumps. She could smell Juniper in the air.

Vincent and Victor spent their first day in Nightshade City dead asleep. Virden and Cole had set them up with cots and bedding, but they would have gladly slept on the floor without complaint after dragging themselves to bed well after the sun had risen Topside.

Vincent’s sleep was deep and dreamless. The sound of his brother snoring finally woke him. He rolled on to his back and put his arms behind his head, not ready to leave his comfortable bed. He stared at his brother, still sound asleep. So young at the time of their parents’ deaths, Victor had few memories of them. Vincent had sworn Juniper to secrecy regarding the death of their family. He felt his brother would not yet be able to handle the facts behind their family’s murders. Juniper agreed.

Whimpering in his sleep, Victor’s pink tongue dangled out of his mouth, along with a spindly thread of drool, which had connected itself to his lower jaw, vibrating wildly every time he blew out a snore. It made Vincent laugh out loud, which woke Victor.

Victor stretched his long limbs, a goofy smile on his face. He had dreamed of the sparkly little Petra, with her blond fur and glittery eyes.

The boys happily relaxed in bed, until a far-too-energetic voice called from the corridor. “Boys, are you awake?” It was Juniper. “You’ve slept the day away. It’s late, and there’s plenty of work to be done.” Juniper had not been awake long himself. He opened the door and stuck his head inside, regarding both boys still in their cots. “Do I need to trudge to Lex County and drag back a rooster to wake you lazy rats up?” The boys chuckled, still too comfortable to move.

Juniper entered carrying a woven basket with a dotted blue cloth over the top and a large brown jug. The brothers sluggishly sat up. Victor let out a prolonged yawn, stretching his arms over his head.

“I see I’m not the only rat lagging today. The halls are all deserted. Rats are still recovering from last night’s merriment.” Juniper opened the basket, revealing honey biscuits and bitonberry corn bread. The boys eyed the food ravenously. “Ah, you’re hungry, I see! Well, c’mon, then, I’ve got fresh goat’s milk as well.” He uncorked the jug, plunking it on the wooden table. He took a seat and rubbed his paws together eagerly. “Now, boys, we’ve got many things to do before the day is done. Lunchtime has come and gone. These pastries are from Cole’s wife, Lali, who I think would be quite shocked to learn that her breakfast biscuits were being had for an early dinner—highly improper!”

The boys sat on opposite sides of Juniper, all three tearing into the biscuits like mad dogs. “All right, boys, let’s eat like we mean it, then we must go to the main hall—I mean Nightshade Passage,” he said, winking at Vincent.

“What’s going on?” asked Vincent.

“You’ll find out soon enough. First things first, just eat now,” said Juniper, stuffing a generous chunk of corn bread in his mouth.

M
OTHER
G
ALLO HAD NO IDEA
how far she had traveled. The tunnel felt like it went on forever, far deeper than the Catacombs.

She had always thought that if she ever saw Juniper Belancort again, it would be as a phantom haunting her dreams—what
could
have been. She tried to be angry with him, alive all this time, never getting word to her. In her heart she knew he did it to safeguard her. She would have surely followed him Topside. She would have followed him anywhere, no matter how dangerous. Trillium’s Topsiders exterminated rats by the hundreds. It amazed her that Juniper had survived all this time.

A few years after the Coup, she met Mr. Gallo and the pair wed and had a family. Life was hard in the Combs, but they had each other to lean on. She wondered what the last eleven years had been like for Juniper. Had he been lonely? He
did
have freedom Topside. In that way he was lucky. Freedom to choose means a great deal when you don’t have it.

The corridor started flattening out and widening. She heard voices overlapping, but was unable to make out their words. Her heart beat in time with her footsteps as she raced down the corridor. The dim light grew brighter with every stride. She stopped and caught her breath, listening to the now-audible conversations ahead of her—some sort of debate.

“The earthworms have agreed to the plan. We’ve set it in motion, and it’s already working,” said a male voice.

“Yes, it’s the only way of getting into the Combs for now,” agreed a female, loudly.

Another rat barked back at them harshly. “Killdeer and Billycan have all the entrances on lockdown. No one can go in or out without proper authority. All we have are the earthworm holes and the old corridor behind Ellington’s. There
has
to be another way! Things are moving too slowly. Until the earthworms dig more tunnels, we are at a standstill!”

“Now, everyone, we all need to calm down,” said a reassuring voice, coming from farther into the room. “The earthworms are excavating as fast as they can, much faster than we ever anticipated. They listen for the signal in the chosen Catacomb quarters and dig directly to it, burrowing a hole through the floor of each room and straight back to us. They have yet to miss a mark. If we push them too hard, they’ll become anxious and end up digging into the wrong quarters, putting everyone at risk. That will be
our
fault, not theirs. Now, the melody that Virden chose is ideal. The worms identify its tempo quickly, following it all the way from Nightshade to their
precise
location in the Combs. My friends, Loyalists of Trilok, just as it took time and perseverance for Killdeer and Billycan to steal what belonged to us, it will demand the same time and perseverance for us to take it back. The only difference is that time is on
our
side now.” The rats
began to speak amongst themselves, discussing the pros and cons of their stratagem.

Mother Gallo quivered. “Juniper!” she whispered. She waited in the shadows of the tunnel, not sure how to make herself known. The crowd of rats faced away from her. She could see only tails, backs, and shoulders. Juniper stood on a platform, well above the others, the only rat facing in her direction, just as captivating as he’d been all those years ago. It was little wonder why he was leader.

She exited the shadows and walked into the light. No one noticed her. Juniper carried on with the discussion, answering questions and listening to proposals. The meeting was an open forum. “Any other thoughts?” Juniper asked the assembly. Mother Gallo seized the opportunity.

“Juniper!” she called out, almost choking on the name. “I’m afraid time is
not
on your side.” All heads turned towards her. “Minister Killdeer has moved up the Grand Speech. He knows something is afoot in the Combs. He has planned the speech for midnight—tonight—Rest Day. Killdeer is presenting your niece Clover to the Catacombs. She is to stand at his side. Afterwards, she is to carry out her Chosen One duties. You
must
get her out of the Combs tonight.” The sight of Juniper pressed on her chest like a brick. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. Try as she might to hold back tears, her eyes grew wet, burning as she and Juniper locked eyes.

Everyone stared at her in silence. Juniper’s confident expression dissolved. His mouth and ears dropped. His proud tail fell limply to the ground. He stood frozen on the platform. Looking towards the back of the room, he strained to see her. The assembled rats parted like cornstalks bending in the wind, all trying to catch a glimpse of the strange female rat.

“Madelina,” whispered Juniper. “Maddy … is that you?” Juniper
walked to the edge of the platform, grabbing Victor’s shoulder for support as he bounded to the ground. He walked slowly to the back of the room. The fur on his neck bristled. He stopped just a step away from her, afraid to move any closer. “Madelina Bostwick, is it truly you?”

“Yes, Juniper—it’s Maddy—it’s me.” She timidly reached out and touched his arm, feeling his wiry coat. She never thought she’d touch his disheveled mahogany fur again. She studied his face, muddled with scars, the patch over his eye. She winced, imagining the suffering he must have endured.

As if waking from the dead, Juniper’s face burst into an exuberant smile, his eyes lit up with joy. “Maddy, my Maddy!” he shouted. He grabbed her shoulders, his heart racing as he felt her soft coat. “It’s you! It really
is
you!” He threw his generous arms around her and hugged her tightly. Mother Gallo squealed in surprise as he plucked her off her feet.

Vincent and Victor observed the exchange. “Who
is
she?” asked Victor.

Cole, who was standing in between them, replied. “That’s the love of old Juniper’s life.”

“Bostwick Hall,” remembered Vincent. “I asked Juniper who Bostwick was, and he said a rat the Saints had other plans for.”

“Yes, you’re right. Maddy Bostwick, Juniper’s Maddy. Juniper has several regrets in this life, as do we all, but his biggest regret was leaving his girl behind, letting her think him dead all this time. Those two were sweethearts up until the Coup. When Killdeer announced him dead and no one questioned otherwise, Juniper made the tough decision to let her be, to let her get on with her life. He knew it was safer for her that way. The
only
time I ever saw Juniper shed a tear was on Maddy’s wedding day. She is his one true love.”

Vincent thought about his father’s theory on the subject of love. Juniper’s world must be beginning and ending all in the same breath, just like his father had told him.

Juniper spoke rapidly, as if she might vanish into thin air if he stopped. “This is so hard to fathom, but it’s really you! Maddy, how did you find me? So, you’ve met my niece, Clover—beauty, isn’t she? What did you say about her? The moment I saw you, my ears stopped listening!” Juniper still held her firmly, fearful of letting her go. She gently pulled free, gathering herself and smoothing her tousled coat.

“Juniper,” she said, “you must listen to me now. Clover’s future depends upon it. She is in dire trouble and needs you desperately. Killdeer is giving his Grand Speech in Catacomb Hall
tonight
at midnight. For some reason he’s moved up the date, deciding to present Clover to all of the Catacombs—to stand at his side—and to carry out her Chosen One duties immediately following the proceedings. The poor dear is petrified. She has no way out of her quarters. There is a Kill Army guard at her door at all times. No one is allowed in without direct authorization from Billycan. Juniper, something has to be done and done
now.”

“I should have known they’d pull something like this,” said Juniper. “Maddy, how did you come to know all this? You must have risked your life getting this information from the Ministry.” Mother Gallo’s entire face fell. Her ears sagged downward in shame. “Madelina, what is it?”