Ivy: Daughter of Alice

by J. A. Armitage

  I looked up at the Pinnacle clock. The scaffolding that the workers had put up was still there, along with the ladders that the workers used to make it to the higher levels.

  “The ladder,” I pointed, yelling at the people around me. “Quick!”

  Instead of using it to escape, a man with a scar down one side of his face pulled the ladder from where it was fixed to the scaffold and broke it across his knee. He broke it in a few more places and passed around wooden stakes as makeshift weapons.

  Another scream sounded as the Hearts charged again. Several bodies were lying on the ground, blood seeping from their bellies. I scanned the place where Raven had been, unable to breathe as I saw him striking a Seven of Hearts over and over again with his cane, knocking aside the spear that it was jabbing at him.

  A wooden stake, splintered at one end, was pushed into my hand by the man with the scar down his face. “Protect yourself.”

  I nodded, gripping the stake in one hand and my pocket watch in the other. I scanned the area again for the others. Across the crowd, flames flew from Gaia’s fingertips. Genie fought beside her, and he must have disarmed one of the Hearts because now he used its spear as his own. Close to them, Alice and Wit were both crouched on the ground. I started toward them, then Alice sent something flying. Wit was digging up the cobblestones with his cane, and Alice was pulling up the loose stones and pelting them at the advancing Hearts.

  On the other side, I saw the four men who had come first to Raven’s house the other night. Although Gaia had told them that we’d hoped to have no violence, they’d come prepared anyway, because all of them were fighting with their batons.

  Several beautiful ladies had hitched up their skirts and were using knives they’d concealed in their garters to defend themselves. Others threw shoes or jabbed at their attackers with the pointy end of elaborate headdresses. Their perfect faces were pulled into expressions of terror, anger, and grim determination.

  A woman, whose face was badly scarred by the pox, swung a stone, striking a Heart in the back of the head as it tried to attack Pearl.

  I put a hand over my mouth as I saw my sister, almost skewered by a Four of Hearts. My throat closed up, as the Heart crumpled, falling to the ground at Pearl’s feet.

  Pearl stared at the Four of Hearts, then at the woman who had saved her. A look of astonishment passed over her face; she pulled the woman into an embrace, whispering something in her ear.

  The woman pushed Pearl away, bending down to pick up the spear that the Four of Hearts had dropped when it fell. She pushed it into Pearl’s hands and pointed. Pearl’s look of astonishment, became determination. She and the pox-marked woman let out a scream as they charged a Heart together, holding their weapons aloft.

  “Watch out!”

  The scream alerted me just in time. I swung around to see a Ten of Hearts lunge at me. At the last moment, I stepped aside, and the spear missed me by a fraction. Then Chesh was next to me, his teeth bared. He leaped on the back of the Heart, grabbing it around its neck.

  I rushed forward to help Chesh, raising my wooden stake to use it like a baton and brought it down hard on the Heart’s chest plate. It made a hollow sound that echoed through the square, but the impact didn’t appear to hurt it. I raised my arm again, bringing the stake down on the Heart, again and again.

  Chesh was banging the Heart on the metal helmet over its robotic head. Then he reached forward to cover its eyes with his hand. The Heart stumbled, as though disoriented, then it spun, trying to dislodge Chesh from its back.

  As it spun, it’s arm knocked me to the ground and I went flying backward, hitting the back of my head on the cobblestones.

  I blinked, seeing double for a moment. Then I scrambled to my knees, just in time to see the Ten of Hearts jab the point of its spear over its shoulder, skewering Chesh through the shoulder.

  “No!” I jumped to my feet, picking up the wooden stake and rushed at the Ten of Hearts as Chesh fell to the ground. The Heart pulled the spear from Chesh’s shoulder, making him scream in pain again as he curled up in the fetal position, clutching his shoulder.

  I rammed into the front of the Heart before it had the chance to whirl its spear around to fight me off. The force of the impact of my body against the Ten knocked it backward, sending it sprawling on the cobblestones. For a moment, it was like a beetle on its back, waving its arms and legs in the air.

  I leaped onto it, hitting it with the stake in my hand. It jabbed at me with its spear, but this time, I grabbed the spear in my spare hand and pulled. The Heart lost control of the spear, and I snapped it in half, wedging a splintered end into the visor of its helmet.

  Sparks flew, and the Ten of Hearts jerked, then went still.

  I paused, panting as I stared down at the Heart. Slowly, I slipped off the square plate of its body and banged it over the head once more with my stake, for good measure. Then I spun around to see Chesh.

  He’d disappeared.

  I scanned the area, but there was no sign of him. There were lots of little battles, people fighting against Hearts. The Hearts no longer hemmed us in, though, and as I looked around, I saw the battles were uneven—with two or more people fighting each Heart.

  Around the edge, where the Hearts had formed a perimeter, now, the city guards had arrived—apparently summoned by the action—and were fighting alongside the vampires. Beautiful and unbeautiful were fighting alongside each other with vampires among them.

  I grabbed a spear lying on the ground and gripped my wooden stake in the other. I rushed to join the group battling the remaining Hearts, pushing them away from the center of the city.

  Raven was with the group, and the knot in my stomach loosened a little to see he was unhurt. Then, I noticed Alice among them too, still holding a chipped cobblestone in her hand, and she was yelling orders at the guards.

  “Drive them all the way to the gate,” she commanded. “Take Twelfth Avenue, drive them out of the city, then close the gates.”

  I ran past, coming to stand alongside Raven. He glanced at me as he confronted a Heart, jabbing at it with his cane.

  “Drive the cane through its visor,” I yelled over the noise. “It’ll drop like a stone.”

  Raven glanced at me again, then did as I’d said. The Heart fell backward, slamming to the ground, a shower of sparks coming from its mechanical eye sockets.

  Raven grinned at the sight, then glanced at me.

  “I thought I told you to get behind me,” he said.

  I grinned and stood next to him, jabbing at another Heart with my spear. “I’ve never been very good at doing what I’m told.”

  Raven and I stood, shoulder-to-shoulder, both brandishing our weapons in front of us, slowly advancing on the Hearts to force them backward along Twelfth Avenue.

  The Hearts drew back to attack again, as though they’d been programmed to go only forward.

  Suddenly, the remaining Hearts suddenly went completely still.

  I blinked, looking sideways at Raven, who shrugged.

  The remaining Hearts turned, in unison, and started marching down Twelfth Avenue toward the perimeter wall. They fell into straight rows, and with their footsteps sounding in time, the Heart army left the city as they had arrived.

  “Close the gates,” Alice ordered. Her voice was commanding, and she stood erect with her head held high, but her hands shook, and the pallor of her skin betrayed her shock and exhaustion.

  It took ten of the city guards, lending their body weight to push each gate closed. The metal squealed on its rusted hinges as the gates protested being moved.

  I struggled against the urge to put my hands over my ears as the gates groaned, then finally closed with a thud. As soon as the gates were firmly shut, Alice strode forward, pulling out a chain hidden under her shirt. She slipped the chain over her head, then held up a large brass key.

  A guard rushed forward with a ladder, offering to take the key from her, but Alice resolutely shook her head. Instead, he held the
ladder as Alice climbed the rungs.

  When she reached the top, she pushed the large key into the keyhole. With a click, the gates were locked. Alice sagged against the metal of the gates, then started to make her way back down the ladder. She took each rung much more slowly than she had done on the way up.

  When she reached the ground again, her hands were shaking.

  “Mother?” I walked towards her, aware of Raven following closely behind me. I reached out to take his hand as I walked, reaching out to Alice with the other. “Are you alright?”

  Alice pushed a lock of grey-blonde hair out of her eyes. She didn’t answer but turned to Captain Walsh.

  “I want guards posted at every watch along the wall. If those Hearts come anywhere near this gate, I want to know.”

  Captain Walsh bowed to her. “As you command, Madam President.”

  He hurried off to carry out her orders, and I moved toward her. Alice held up a hand, then closed her eyes, shaking her head. She was on the edge of breaking down.

  “Come, Mother. Let’s get out of here.”

  I put an arm around her waist, coaxing her back down the avenue and away from the scrutiny of those who had helped drive the Hearts out of the city, and those who had come to watch as they’d marched out of the gates of their own will.

  “Wit was setting up an area to treat the wounded,” Alice said, her voice breathless. “I should go to him.”

  “You should sit down,” I murmured. “Take a moment.”

  “My people need me,” Alice said. The steel in her voice returned, and I knew there was no point fighting her.

  A slight glow appeared above the buildings in the eastern sky as a new day dawned. My fingers entwined tighter between Raven’s, as I put one arm around Alice’s waist.

  “We’ll go together, then.”

  The sky was lightening as we walked back down Twelfth Avenue. The avenue was quiet—not unusual for this time of day—but there was an eerie quality to the quiet that made my chest tighten with unease. The lamplighters were out to extinguish the street lamps as the morning dawned, though the sun hadn’t yet popped into the sky. It wouldn’t be long, though. I looked at Raven.

  “Don’t you need to go home?” I whispered.

  Raven looked up at the sky, frowning. “Soon, yes.”

  Apprehension twisted in my stomach as I looked at the glow above the buildings. “What happens if you get caught out?”

  “Then I’ll be sorry, I wasn’t more careful,” he replied, but he gave my hand a squeeze.

  Approaching the center of the city, we saw the first stretchers carrying the injured. Raven stopped a man with a false leg, at the head of a stretcher.

  “Where are they taking them?” he asked.

  The man didn’t stop as he replied. “Dr. Lapin’s ordered that the worst of the injured be taken to the hospital for treatment. I’m taking this one there—but I don’t know if there will be enough beds. Those with less serious injuries are being treated where they lie on the cobblestones.”

  I thought immediately of Chesh—were his injuries so severe that he’d been taken to hospital, or was he one of those left to languish on the cobblestones? And what of Pearl? Of Gaia and Genie? What had happened to them?

  Raven nodded. “Where is Dr. Lapin?”

  “Still under the Pinnacle clock,” the man replied, turning his back to us as he continued limping on his way.

  “Wait!” Raven called out, and the man stopped. “If there aren’t enough beds, take the injured to this address.” Raven pulled out a calling card and tucked it into the pocket of the man’s coat. “There’s plenty of room. Dr. Lapin will attend to him there, directly.”

  I stared at Raven, suddenly appreciating his calm but authoritative demeanor. It was easy to imagine this man taking charge of an underground movement helping the people living in the tunnels, and those vampires starving for lack of blood stocks. A natural leader.

  “We need to see Wit,” Alice said, straightening. She looked slightly less pale in the rosy morning light, or perhaps she was recovering from the shock of the night.

  We continued down Twelfth Avenue and into the city center. As the avenue widened and the circular marketplace came into view, I gasped at the sight. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people were laid out on the ground. Others knelt by their sides, cradling heads in their laps or grasping hands as though holding onto them for dear life. The sounds of pain filled the air.

  So many injured. And these were the ones deemed not serious enough to be taken to the hospital.

  “There he is!” Alice spotted Wit almost immediately, and she let go of my hand as she strode over to see him. Raven and I followed closely behind, stepping between the people lying on the ground.

  A smile spread across Wit’s face as Alice walked up to him. “You’re alright, my dear,” he said and reached out to grab her hands, pulling her towards him.

  “You are in your element, I see,” Alice replied. “We saw some being stretchered to the hospital.”

  “The doctors there can tend to the worst of the wounds,” Wit said, the smile slipping from his face. “The hospital can take no more, though, and these people require attention too.”

  “I’ve ordered for the overflow from the hospital to be taken to my house,” Raven said. “Take these there too—as many as need a bed. The superficial wounds can be tended in place,” Raven looked around doubtfully. “But these injured look like they need more than just a few kind words.”

  Wit nodded. “These aren’t the worst of them, but I’m afraid their wounds will get infected without proper care, cleaning and bandages. I’ll take up your offer, Mr. Cappello. If you can arrange for the transportation of these injured, I’ll attend to them there.”

  Raven nodded. “I’ll get started.” He looked at me, as though he was about to say something, but I shook my head.

  “No need to explain,” I said. “I’ll be along when I can, but…” I looked up at the sky again, then gave Raven a pointed look. “Don’t you need to get inside?”

  Raven frowned, glancing towards the horizon. “Yes,” he whispered. “But I can’t leave without helping. I’ll be careful. I’ll take the tunnels.”

  Raven went to leave, taking a look around, then he stopped. “These people look like they’ve lost a lot of blood.”

  “Most have. The worst are at the hospital, as I said. The hospital supplies are running low because of the blood bank shortages. There won’t be enough blood for everyone that needs it.”

  Raven glanced at me, then at Alice, before giving Wit a wry smile. “I know a guy. Perhaps he can sort out a solution to the blood problem.” He walked away, calling out to a scarred man that I recognized from the tunnels, starting to give instructions.

  “What can I do?” Alice asked Wit, bringing me back to their conversation. “Each of these people fought to protect our city. I want to do something to help them.”

  Wit put an arm around her shoulders, drawing Alice close to him. “Walk among them. Thank them. Notice them. It will make all the difference.

  Alice gave him a small smile before moving away to bend over the first woman she came across. It was the pox-marked woman who had saved Pearl’s life. I startled to see Pearl sitting next to her, holding her hand.

  “Mother!” Pearl exclaimed. As she looked up at Alice, I saw the tears staining her face. “This brave woman is Mary Ann. She saved my life.”

  Mother knelt down and took Pearl’s face in her hands, examining her for any injuries. Pearl shook her off.

  “I’m fine, Mother. It’s Mary Ann. She won’t stay awake.”

  “I’ve got this, Mother,” I said. “You need to see to the others too.”

  Mother nodded, glanced once more at Pearl, and kissed her on the top of the head before walking away to speak with the other injured.

  I looked down at Mary Ann, noticing a trail of blood that ran from her eyebrow to her chin. I knelt down next to her, lay one hand on her shoulder, and held a hand out to
Pearl.

  “Was she hit in the head by one of the Hearts?”

  As the words came out of my mouth, I noticed a pool of blood underneath Mary-Ann’s leg. I bent over to see better, pulling the threadbare and now blood-stained fabric of her skirts aside for a better look.

  Pearl was shaking her head. “I think she’s going to die. I don’t know what to do.”

  I put my hand on Pearl’s cheek, looking up at her. “There’s a place where they can take her so that she’ll get the medical attention she needs.”

  “The hospital?” Pearl asked. “But they don’t have any more beds. I heard someone else say so.”

  “Not the hospital. Somewhere else. I’ll arrange for someone to move her. Make sure you go with her—she’ll want to see a familiar face when she wakes up.”

  Pearl’s eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought she might refuse, not wanting to go to a place where there might be sick, unsightly people. Then Pearl looked down at Mary Ann, swallowed, then nodded.

  I got up and hurried towards one of the men who had returned with a stretcher, stepping carefully between the people.

  “Excuse me,” I waved at him. “There’s a woman over here. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “I’m not taking anyone to the hospital. It’s full—”

  “I know,” I interrupted. “There’s a house...” I passed the man Raven’s calling card with his address on it. “I need you to take her to that address. Dr. Lapin is seeing patients there, and I believe there is room for as many as can’t be accommodated in the hospital.”

  His eyes lit up. “That’s good news, miss. Shall I spread the word?”

  “Please do,” I said, then pointed out Mary Ann and Pearl. “This is the woman. She needs to be moved there as soon as possible.”

  I waited a moment until I was sure that Mary Ann was safely on the stretcher, before moving through the bodies, searching their faces. Everywhere I looked, I saw the bloodstains on their bodies, the pain etched into their features, the worry on the faces of the loved ones clutching their hands—the dark legacy of the attack of the Hearts.