The Bones of Ruin

by Sarah Raughley

  “Rule two: There are two areas in which battles and acts of aggression cannot take place under any circumstances. First, Club Uriel at Pall Mall Street, where the gentlemen responsible for these esteemed festivities gather. And second, this theater, open to all champions at any hour of the day and night.” Fool swept his hand across the musty air. “You may think of them as neutral zones. Those who desire respite would do well to come here.”

  “Oh, how wonderful,” cried the old woman behind them before letting out a hacking cough.

  “Rule three: Your esteemed Patrons, who are fortified with the utmost of security and protection, hold the right to change and add to said rules at their discretion as the game unfolds.”

  “What? Bollocks! So then what’s the point of having rules at all?” Max barked, causing the actress to jump a little where she stood.

  “Calm down, Maxey, you’re scaring the little dove,” said Bately, looking behind him with a smirk that earned a hateful glare from Max.

  Fool was unperturbed. He cocked his head, touching the rim of his top hat. “It is this in exchange for the illustrious future that awaits you should you succeed.”

  Selling an illustrious future seemed quite ironic for a cult that believed in the impending end of the world. The money was nothing more than cruel bait to lure in desperate players willing to amuse the rich and powerful.

  No. This tournament had a deeper meaning. If not for the club, then for the Committee, who, through their painstaking research, truly believed the world would soon end.

  Who among us will lead? Adam had asked at the British Museum. Instead of slaughtering themselves, they would slaughter others. Whichever team was left standing would receive their prize money, and their Patron would win the right to guide the regeneration of mankind.

  Nonsense. No, it was insane. What did the “regeneration of mankind” even mean? If the world was ending, then there was nowhere to go—that is, if the world was truly ending. Iris needed more proof. More important, she needed to find the proof for herself.

  But not today.

  “The first round begins this very midnight,” continued Fool.

  Iris’s heart thumped in her chest.

  “Midnight?” Cherice squeaked behind them.

  Iris’s gaze slid toward Bellerose’s guard by the wall.

  Entering stage left were two clowns, one in red and one in white, each holding a small golden treasure chest. They danced and twirled, stopping center stage with a deep genuflection.

  “The rules of this round are simple,” said Fool.

  The red clown opened his box. Inside were seven golden tickets.

  “First, you will choose a number. And then—”

  The white clown opened his.

  “Each team will choose a key in the order of the numbers on your tickets. The key must be in the possession of one member at all times. There are seven, forged of different materials: diamond, ruby, coal, sapphire, emerald, iron, and gold.”

  Iris couldn’t see them from here. She sat, uncomfortable and waiting, in her seat.

  “At half past eight, a train will be leaving from King’s Cross to take you to the destination of the first round. There, starting at midnight, you will have three hours to steal a key from another team and return to Club Uriel with a set of two. That will determine your success. Oh, and as for how you obtain the second key? Well, that will be left up to your discretion.” Fool shivered with excitement.

  Iris tensed, suddenly and keenly aware of the other Fanciful Freaks sitting and listening to Fool in this otherwise empty music hall. Her only solace was the pact. As long as Team Hawkins stayed true to their pact, she had less to worry about.

  Then again, any rule can be broken. Iris stiffly remained in her seat.

  “Remember,” said Fool, “stay alive and you move on to the next round, even if you don’t obtain a rival’s key. But stealing a key will be to your extreme benefit. And that is for certain.”

  “I have made up my mind, dear Fool!” said the actress. “I will join this merry game.” She stood at the edge of the stage, her whole body bursting with excitement. This really was simply a job to her; if she truly knew this was all real, she would either be terrified or grinning evilly like Fool surely was behind his mask. “I shall build my team, and after we succeed, I will be rich beyond my wildest dreams! Oh, Fool, do you have any advice for a young girl such as me?”

  Fool gave his advice, but not to her. He looked directly at the crowd. Maybe Iris was imagining things, but she could feel his gaze on her when he spoke once again. “Try very hard not to die, my dear little rabbit.”

  The actress scrunched up her face in confusion. “That wasn’t in the script,” she hissed. But as the play had come to a close, begrudgingly she bowed anyway. The curtain fell. The players disappeared.

  All vanished but the two clowns with their chests of treasures.

  One member of each team began to line up in front of them.

  “I’ll get it.” Jinn walked to the stage without hesitating. Getting the key was all well and good, but soon they’d have to decide who among them would carry it. If she possessed the key, she might inspire the others to target her assuming she was the weakest of the three. They didn’t know she couldn’t die—at least she didn’t think they did. And she would rather have them target her than either Jinn or Max.

  Hawkins’s hatred was palpable as he stood behind Bately waiting for his ticket and key. Bately couldn’t care less. This tournament would be the perfect excuse to settle an old score.

  Henry waltzed up to the stage with a confidence that exceeded his young age. Meanwhile, the ghost-skinned man finally moved. Putting out his cigarette on the red chair in front of him, he crushed the stick between his fingers, letting it drop to the floor before leaving the hall without a word. His partner, the priest, drew ticket one, grabbed the charcoal key, and then left, muttering as he passed.

  “For the sake of His sorrowful passion,” was all Iris heard.

  Bellerose’s guard did not take the key, but rather one of the scruffy-looking men who seemed to be part of her team. As the girl left the hall, Iris could feel her watching.

  Eventually Jinn, who’d drawn the number four, returned with a ruby key. Red as the ram, shining under the stage lights. It was small, with two perfect rings overlapping and interlinking; a sun and its shadow, perhaps—one passing the other. On its head rested a small crown to which a silver chain was affixed. It was as beautiful as it was extravagant.

  Stranger still, Iris felt drawn to it. The two rings pulled her into them as if teasing her with a whisper. A sun and its shadow…

  “Carriages await outside to take you to King’s Cross,” said the red clown once all the teams had chosen their keys.

  “Then if you’ll please,” said the white clown.

  Bowing, they exited stage left with a twirl.

  The seconds ticked away. And midnight drew near.

  22

  THE TRAIN SPED OUT OF London in the middle of the night. Each red-and-gold-painted rail car was finely furnished and built for long travel, with tables, upholstery, gold roping, and leather seats. They were expensive cars, made for politicians and the wealthy. Clearly a donation from Club Uriel. A luxury train ride—and a last supper of sorts for some.

  Each team had taken their own car, with guards placed to ensure they kept to the rules—no mayhem until the appropriate time at the appropriate venue.

  Team Hawkins and Team Iris had to keep a lower profile. That’s what Iris realized. They couldn’t announce their pact to the rest of the teams, not so early in the tournament. It would come in handy during the first round—a surprise tactic they could use. Though Team Hawkins was in the next car, they’d made sure to meet secretly inside the train station.

  “A stage play,” Iris had said once the two teams had gathered in King’s Cross. She shook her head. “I’ll give ’em points for creativity at least.”

  They were inside a bathroom. For men. Iri
s could tell by the dirty urinals. Max had barricaded the door. Iris just hoped nobody caught cholera from this.

  Jinn looked at Hawkins. “Have you learned anything about Fool?”

  “From our Patron,” Hawkins answered, passing his fingers through his hair. “He’s a Watcher of sorts. He’s to take stock of the events of the game and relay information to the club.”

  Iris bristled. Spectators indeed.

  “That’s how it works,” Hawkins said, almost amused. “We do the fighting. They hear the stories the next day without ever having to risk themselves in the process.”

  “But depending on how big the battleground is, with seven teams, how could Fool take stock of it all?” Iris asked.

  Jinn stroked his chin with a finger. “He must be like us.”

  Iris nodded. “Which means he was at the fair that day too.” And instead of a player, he was a servant of the Committee. But what was the full extent of his power? That’s what Iris wanted to know.

  “By the way,” Jinn said, his dangerous gaze sliding to Hawkins, “who’s your Patron?”

  An awkward silence followed. Thanks to Adam’s list, Iris’s team was well aware. But this was a test.

  Jinn doubting his friends’ loyalties clearly annoyed Max. “Come on now, mate,” he said with a sour expression. “You don’t need to—”

  “Maximo, your friends were the ones who suggested this alliance, weren’t they?” Jinn replied without taking his eyes off Hawkins, who returned his suspicions with an amused look.

  “Boris Bosch,” Jacob finally answered. “The arms dealer from Germany. Under the banner of the black wolf.”

  From what Adam had told them in the British Museum, Bosch was a man who sold weapons to the powerful, even leaders of countries. That was the type of person who made up the Enlightenment Committee.

  “Thanks, Jacob,” said Max. Jacob nodded.

  The old friends seemed to have a lot of faith in each other. She wasn’t sure whether that was something to worry about. But Jacob radiated a sense of genuine kindness, quiet and pure, that relaxed her suspicions nonetheless.

  “And you have Adam Temple.” Cherice tapped her chin. “Didn’t we see him at Club Uriel the last time we were there? He’s a handsome bloke.”

  “Very handsome.” Hawkins’s expression was mischievous and bright. “I’m jealous.” Jacob responded with a slight roll of his eyes but said nothing.

  Adam… handsome? An uncomfortable sensation prickled Iris from the inside as she remembered him holding her close to him.

  “See that?” Max snapped his fingers. “We’re getting along well, aren’t we? I knew an alliance could work. To be honest, we’ve memorized a list of teams Temple gave us.”

  “Oh, he really fancies you,” Cherice said with a mocking smile as Iris blushed and Jinn grimaced. Max gave Cherice a soft knock on the head.

  “We’ll fill you in. For now, all we have to do is help each other pass this first test.”

  “Just a shame you ended up with a key that sticks out so much.” Hawkins seemed to enjoy prodding Jinn, flinching not in the least when he was met with the latter’s steel glare. “You should be careful. Shiny objects tend to lure predators.”

  “Don’t concern yourself with me,” Jinn responded coldly. “I’m always careful.”

  “By the way, anyone know where we’re headed?” Cherice asked.

  “A zoo in Manchester,” Jacob answered. “I overheard one of the other champions. Belle Vue, I think it’s called.” And after that, the group dispersed for the train, Team Hawkins to their own car, with Max and Jinn following Iris to another.

  Belle Vue Gardens… Iris now sat on the leather seat in her train car, watching out the window as the countryside rolled by under the night sky. Her thoughts began to turn to the British Museum, to her bones in the display. The first tournament would take place inside a zoo, just like where she and Agnus had been trapped so many years ago. Gorton Zoo. She shuddered. Surely that was part of the reason she was filled with such dread.

  Jinn must have felt her trembling beside him. He took her hand. His touch made her breath hitch, but her body warmed as the reassuring look he gave her melted some of the tension within her. Large hands and such a gentle touch. Iris was thankful for it, for him, though the thought of telling him so made her slightly embarrassed. While Max looked out the window, Iris placed her own hand over Jinn’s, giving him a helpless little smile before pulling her hands away. Now was the time to concentrate. Now was the time to be strong.

  But as the train took them into Belle Vue through the arched Longsight Entrance, a wave of dread returned to her. Her heartbeat quickened and her palms began to sweat. It wasn’t just the tournament or what awaited her here. There was something… off about this place. Something she couldn’t quite put words to, though her body reacted to it as if recoiling from a menace.

  What was this place, really?

  Outside her window, Iris could see gardens and groupings of trees everywhere, and a long exhibition hall through the window to her right. She was sure the Committee had arranged for the zoo to be empty of staff in the dark of night. But what about the leopard and bird houses? The bears, elephants, and monkeys? Wolves, ostriches, and giraffes? From what they could glean of the map they were given by one of the guards, the zoo boasted many beasts. Iris couldn’t be sure they’d all be kept in their cages.

  They exited their cars in the order of the ticket they drew at the music hall. Five minutes separated the exit of each team, giving them all enough time to hide in the zoo. Even after you stole someone’s key, the first round wouldn’t end until the three hours were up. There were no guarantees until the clock ran out. It meant every team had to have a strategy.

  Unlike Cherice’s knifelike cards, Jacob’s and Hawkins’s abilities were more suited to escape than battle. She knew they’d be hiding well.

  “Stay close to me,” Jinn whispered to Iris, his blades in hand, as they stepped out onto the grass. Iris had tried to memorize all the information Adam had given them, but now as fear and trepidation hollowed out her insides, there were some names and abilities she couldn’t quite remember. Worse still, she could focus on little else but the disturbing feeling she’d had from the moment she’d seen Belle Vue…

  “Remember,” said Max as they passed a children’s playground, the domed metal climber glistening under the moonlight. “We stay together. Under no circumstances will any of us go off alone.” Max sounded a little like a general giving orders to his troops. Living on the streets with other urchins must have been good practice.

  Jinn nodded. “Divide and conquer is the most obvious tactic,” he said. “They won’t know who has the key, so it’ll be easier to try to force a one-on-one. Iris,” Jinn added with a hint of urgency, “in that situation, they’ll likely go after you first.”

  Of course, because she was a woman, a few idiots would assume she was weaker than the rest and thus easier to take out. From their perspective, even if she didn’t have the key, they’d be reducing the team’s numbers.

  Bring it on, then, Iris thought, the blood starting to pump through her veins. She gripped her bag of blades tighter.

  Em Ees Uoy Od?

  The voice came in a whisper within her own mind.

  Em Ees Uoy Od?

  No, she wasn’t imagining it. And her teammates hadn’t heard it. Iris searched her surroundings until, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a little girl with dark brown skin hiding behind a tree. Bellerose’s guard? No…

  Anne?

  Iris blinked, shaking her head. Anne Marlow? The blood rushed from her face as Anne Marlow stepped out from behind the tree, reaching out to her, her solid white eyes pupil-less.

  “What is this?” Iris hissed suddenly, causing Max and Jinn to look back, since she’d fallen behind. “What is this nonsense?”

  But Anne Marlow simply kept her hand outstretched. Niaga Ecno Emit Si Ti, she said in Iris’s mind.

  “Iris?” Jinn touching her
cheek caused a shock that pulled her away from Anne and back to her teammates. She hadn’t even realized she was breathing so quickly. And when she looked again, Anne was gone.

  “You all right?” Max asked.

  Gone. Anne was gone. Iris placed a hand on her forehead. She was more affected than she’d originally realized by that revelation at the museum. That was it, wasn’t it?

  She swallowed and nodded. “I’m sorry. Don’t worry.”

  Yes. There was nothing to worry about.

  They kept themselves concealed in the bushes and shrubs, erasing their presence while they searched for enemies behind the houses and halls. But the other teams hid themselves perfectly. It wasn’t until they came to a locked cage with lions that Iris heard a horrible scream coming from the east, where she remembered seeing a small lake.

  Because Iris whipped around, she didn’t notice the colorful marbles rolling toward them.

  Max gulped. “Guys?”

  Everyone looked at their feet. Little wooden ducks on wheels surrounded them. Tiny Elizabethan men straight from a Shakespearean play choppily marched their puppet legs through wind-up devices on their backs. So many toys. But no children.

  “Get out of the way!” Jinn suddenly grabbed Iris’s hand and pulled her away as the toys began exploding one by one. But if it weren’t for Max’s power, neither of them would have made it out without a missing limb. After dodging the attack, Max bent over, breathing hard, while the pink, orange, and red smoke dispersed through the air.

  “What is this?” Max coughed, covering his mouth. “What’s happening?”

  “Exploding toys…” Iris coughed into her sleeve.

  Toys. It could only be one person.

  And then Iris felt the point of a knife pressed into her back. She sighed.

  “Is this Henry’s doing?” Iris asked her assailant.

  “My, my, you’ve done your research.” It was the voice of the old woman she’d seen in the theater.

  Before the woman could stab her, Iris elbowed her in the face and kicked her in the shins, then once the woman was off balance, Iris gave her a fast forearm across the jaw.