Phoenix Burning (18 page)

Toby was sitting next to Arthur at the dining table, but this time they weren’t talking. Toby’s gaze was fixed on the door as he waited for Ayla.

With every unappetizing mouthful he felt the pressure of eyes lingering on him from across the room. He refused to acknowledge them: Uzuri, Lenka, Moira, Bianca, Summer.

“Is she all right?”

“Leave it, Cezar.” Toby jabbed at a piece of chicken – it tasted like ash in his mouth.

Mother Hesper sat at the head of the girls’ table. Once more she pushed the food around her plate without eating, her thin arms protruding from her robes like sticks. Father Dahon sat at the head of the boys’ table. Each piece of meat reached his lips unerringly, yet he chewed messily, making loud slurping noises.

His thick black brows came together when the door slammed open.

Toby’s attention snapped across the room to Ayla striding forwards, not a hint of discomfort on her face.

She sat in the chair that had been left empty for her between Uzuri and Lenka. Then she deliberately used her left arm to pull her plate towards her.

Arthur raised his head. “She’s all right then.” He seemed relieved. “I couldn’t help … you understand?”

Toby nodded. “I get it.”

“I couldn’t leave Summer.”

“Summer’s not a baby.” Zahir spoke up, his red-rimmed eyes blinking in the lamplight. “She’s as determined to win as the rest of us.”

“And she will – I’ll make sure of it.” Arthur speared his meat so viciously that his plate jumped on the table.

Father Dahon pushed his empty plate to one side, rose to his feet, nodded to the group and walked out of the dining hall.

There was a brief silence then, gradually, conversation restarted.

Toby looked at Arthur. “If you lose, you forfeit your tongue; if you win, you lose your sight. You’re OK with that?”

“Of course.” Arthur frowned. “That’s what we’re here for.”

The others nodded.

“Isn’t it…?” Arthur stared at Toby, his gaze sharpening.

Toby tensed. “Yes, of course. It’s just that now it’s happening … it’s scarier than I expected.”

“As long as Summer keeps her tongue.” Arthur looked across the room. “She can’t play the flute without it.”

“We all want to keep our tongues,” Matus snapped.

“You think it’ll hurt – going blind?” Cezar whispered, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“It doesn’t take long.” Arthur smiled at him. “Less than a minute if the Sun’s out.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Then it can take all afternoon,” Matus sneered. “But we’re in Gozo – the Sun’s always out. Praise the Sun.”

“Praise the Sun,” Toby echoed. He stared at Cezar again. The boy was rubbing his eyes.

“Your family needs the money badly, huh?”

“We all do, don’t we?” Brody had already cleaned his bowl and was peering hungrily at Toby’s.

“To the elders, the money will be welcome,” Zahir said.

“Sure,” Matus muttered.

Toby sighed and, remembering his own words about getting on with people, pushed his bowl to Brody. “Here.”

Brody looked stunned. “Th-thanks.” He grabbed the food as if he was worried Toby would change his mind.

Toby turned back to Ayla, tuning the other boys out.
She was eating slowly, taking her time, still using her left hand, determined to show that there was no issue. None of the girls were speaking.

“I’m not sure I can manage another trial,” Cezar whispered. “I wish this was over.”

Despite his memory of the darkness challenge, Toby welcomed the lightlessness of his cell.

He lay with his eyes on the ceiling, waiting for the familiar click of his door locking. As soon as the sister had completed her rounds, Toby reached under his thin mattress for the fork tine he had hidden there. He closed his fingers around the comforting sharpness of it. The fact that the tine was still there suggested to Toby that this might be a good enough hiding place for the inverter. Of course if the relic was discovered missing, the guards might well search the cells and, if they did, the first place they would look would be under the mattress.

Toby rolled to his knees and crawled under his bed. The dirt floor was hard, but he used the tine to scrape away at the floor nearest Ayla’s wall.

The whole time he worked he listened for a telltale sound of the hatch in his wall being opened. His shoulders tensed at every noise and sweat beaded his forehead.

After maybe an hour, Toby had managed to dig a small hole, but it wasn’t nearly deep enough. With a sigh he got back to his feet. The ground was too hard. There was only one thing for it – he had to wet the hard-packed earth.

Pulling his bed as quietly as he could, Toby created a space between the wall and the bedframe. He quickly checked the hatch, worried that the noise might have called someone to check up on him, but it remained closed. Wishing he had drunk more at dinnertime, he wet the ground as swiftly as he could, then shoved the bed back into place. He paced for a few moments, waiting for the moisture to soak in, hoping he had hit the right place, then he crawled back underneath to dig once more.

Eventually Toby was able to plant the inverter in the ground and pat mud back over it. It wouldn’t hold up to a thorough search, but it was better than the alternatives.

He hopped back on to his bed, feeling jumpy, as if he felt the presence of someone behind his wall, but there was no movement. Toby closed his eyes, wiped his hands on his trousers and tried to sleep, but he couldn’t settle.

Unless there was something that needed doing with the boiler, Toby usually slept in a room with almost fifty other pirates: those who weren’t on watch or working night crew. He was used to sleeping in a crowd, but not to being watched while he did so. Now his shoulder blades itched
and his whole body was tense. He couldn’t fall asleep knowing that at any time someone could be peering in at him through the hatch in his wall, watching, listening.

He turned the fork tine over and over in his fingers, worrying at the metal like a comforter.

“Ayla, are you awake?” he called eventually.

There was a pause before she replied, but there was no hint of sleep in her voice. “Yes – but we can’t talk here.”

“I know.” Toby fell silent.

Making up his mind, he rose and felt for the hatch. He found it despite the gloom and his fingers patted the splintered wood, feeling for the edge. He jammed the tine, so no one would be able to slide it open from the other side. Finally he would be able to fall asleep.

It still took what felt like hours.

“Is it morning already?” Matus staggered out of his cell, rubbing his eyes.

Toby slipped the fork tine into a hole he had created in the hem of his sleeve and joined the others gathering in the corridor. If anyone went to check his hatch they’d find nothing wrong.

Ayla smoothed her lopsided hair with her right hand. Toby noticed that she winced when she had to move her left.

“Did Hideaki give you anything for the pain?” he whispered.

Ayla shook her head. “Nothing to take away. It gives me an excuse to go and see him again later.”

“Do you have your…?”

“Shut up!” Ayla glanced at Mother Hesper, who had stopped trying to rouse Cezar and was watching them with narrowed eyes. She lowered her voice to almost nothing. “Hideaki has it.”

Toby nodded as Cezar joined them. He looked tearful and his eyes were redder than Zahir’s, as though he had been crying all night. Toby’s heart clenched at the sight: Cezar was totally unprepared for the day ahead. Would he be next to go to the altar?

Bianca saw the same thing Toby had and grabbed Cezar’s arm. “Didn’t you get any rest?”

“I’ll be fine.” Cezar shook her off, but when Mother Hesper herded them towards the courtyard once more, Cezar’s limp was more pronounced than ever.

As Ayla was in the cell nearest the door, she was first on to the sanctuary steps. Toby could not see past her, but as soon as the light hit her, Ayla froze and then back-pedalled.

“What is it?” Alarmed, Toby caught her elbows before
anyone else could see her retreat.

Ayla was shaking. “Do you think they had this planned already, or is it specially for me?”

“Get a move on,” Bianca snapped. “We all want to see.”

Ayla turned to Toby. “I-I don’t think I can do this.” Her usual composure had been shattered. Toby clutched her tighter as the others crowded into the doorway behind them.

“Get outta the way.” Moira shoved and Toby stumbled.

“Walk with me.” He pushed Ayla gently. She resisted and Toby had to wrestle her on to the top step and into the light.

At first he was blinded by the morning glare, but finally saw what had terrified his partner. “Ashes,” he muttered.

He and Ayla stood motionless on the top step as the others shoved past and lined up in the dust. He jumped as Mother Hesper’s hand landed on his shoulder.

“Is there a problem?”

“Of course not.” Toby shook his head, but Ayla spun around in sudden fury.

“You did this on purpose, you skeletal witch.”

Toby leaped between them and opened his arm. “Ayla, no!”

Mother Hesper merely raised her eyebrows. “If you don’t want to take part in the challenge, I understand. Your decision will be honoured.”

Ayla’s head snapped up, momentary relief clearing the cloud from her face. “You mean I don’t have to do it?”

“Wait, what? How is that fair?” Lenka started back up the stairs.

“Of course it will be an instant forfeit, and you and your partner will go to the altar,” Mother Hesper continued.

Ayla clamped her jaw tightly closed.

“Well?” Mother Hesper tilted her head. “What’s your decision?”

Ayla remained silent, trembling against Toby’s chest. He stiffened.

“Fine.” Ayla stepped away from them both. “I’ll do it. If you think you can break me with this, you don’t know me.” Her face was pale, but she marched down the stairs, past the waiting teens and right up to the mountain of dry kindling that was piled in the centre of the courtyard.

Part of Toby was impressed. “Where did you get so much combustible?” he murmured.

Mother Hesper smirked. “Pilgrimages … offerings from the sea … our own plantations on Gozo. We have riches you’ve never dreamed of.”

Toby began to follow her down the steps. “So this was already planned, you didn’t put this on because you saw Ayla’s injuries?”

Mother Hesper said nothing, simply swept past him
and raised her arms. “A circle has been drawn around the bonfire.”

Toby squinted at the ground. Sure enough, a line had been etched in the sand.

“Sit on the line,” she continued. “The first one to move further away will lose the challenge.”

Toby jogged to Ayla’s side. She stood by the line, trembling slightly. “Sit on my right. I’ll shield your left side as much as I can.”

Ayla curled her lip. “I’ll be fine.” Her spine was straight and the long half of her hair lay against her back. Toby looked at it with a sinking heart. She couldn’t even pull her hair in front of her burns to protect the sensitive skin from the heat.

“Here.” Toby pulled off his shirt. “Wrap that round your left shoulder on top of your own shirt, it’ll give you added protection.”