A Silence Heard

by Nicola McDonagh

  “Shall we go to your friends?” I turned at Santy Breanna’s words, looked to where she pointed and saw Wirt and Eadgard wiping their hands on a cloth Kendra held out for them.

  On our way to them, we passed Hildegunnr and Pratt, who shouted out, “We are many. We will kill you all,” then I heard him shriek and saw Hildegunnr push something into his empty eyehole. He swiped her hand away and let his pal’s help him to his feet.

  When we arrived, Wirt lowered his head. I touched his fingertips and he squeezed them most fondly. He looked up and said, “I do nae feel ashamed of wha I did to the Pratt male. But I am sad that I let such feelings of rage persuade my actions so.”

  Santy folded her arms and looked him up and down. She reached forward, cocked her head to one side, then gave him a hearty slap on the arm. “War is a strange and difficult time. Although we have never met, I know from just a glance at your tender face that you are not a murderer. Give me such a warrior, Eadgard, and I will turn him into the bravest of S.A.N.T.S.”

  Wirt stood straight and I let go of his hand.

  “Now to the plan?”

  “What plan Santy?”

  “THE plan Addie-Maddie.”

  “Is that yer pet name?” Wirt said and gave me a half grin.

  “Might be.” I gave him a look as if to say, “You ever call me that and I will tear off your nads and feed them to the raptors.”

  Santy scratched underneath her bandage. “Things are fraught above. Not unexpected, but not good. Each fraction is ready and waiting at different points around the Agro stronghold. I had reports from the Ladies and Woodsfolk camps, of several large Agro armies massing and heading this way. Although Addie-Maddie.”

  “Santy, refrain from using my bub tag.”

  “Ah, of course, duly noted. Adara, and her voice, will not have gone unnoticed. They will adapt. We need more power. We need and must overthrow the Agros once and for all.”

  “Breanna, what is it that we can do?” Eadgard said.

  “We must utilise the Meeks.”

  Kendra raised her hand as if she were in class. “Apologies, we have not been formally introduced. I am Kendra.”

  “Yes, Eadgard has spoken of you.”

  Both he and she went the colour of a sunset. Santy chuckled and Kendra continued, “I am not at ease with these small ‘dults being used in what could be a dreadful fight. They have endured too much already.”

  “Time fer talk is gone,” Wirt said and stretched himself up so that he became almost as tall as Eadgard. “These monsters must be destroyed. I ken that the Meeks want it too. They will do wha'ever they can tae make it so. And I too wi die to see all Agros gone for good.”

  The words my friend uttered were harsh. So much so that I would have thought them spoken by someone else. This was not the Wirt I knew. His accent thickened and his voice became deeper. A furrowed brow that would not go away replaced his look of gentle. Santy Breanna patted his shoulder and would have said something stirring I am sure, but a scuffle and sound of scrap made her mute.

  We turned to see Pratt, complete with eye patch, shove Hildegunnr away. Hacket grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to the ground. Eadgard ran to her aid, but was intercepted by Pratt, who flung himself at the Backpacker. Both ‘dults lost their footing and fell backwards. The one-eyed Agro landed on top of Eadgard, raised his fist high into the air and punched him full and hard in the face. Before he could inflict another blow, Eadgard reached into his trouser pocket, whipped out his Leatherman and slashed it across Pratt's throat.

  Wirt cried out, “Nay, Eadgard. He must live to free the Meeks. Nay.” He ran to where Pratt lay and placed his hands on the Agro’s neck to staunch the flow of blood that fairly gushed from the wound. Pratt twitched and gagged and Wirt pressed down harder, blood squelching between his knuckles. Eadgard rose, a look dark and angry upon his face, he offered his hand to Hildegunnr and helped her to her feet. Then he wiped his blade on his trousers and turned to Edwena.

  She backed away. “What means this?” Edwena came to a halt by the comp shelves. Eadgard lurched forward and she cowered. He leant towards her, raised his knife and she let out a scream. Hacket pulled Hildegunnr by the hair and yanked back her head. She let out a cry and Eadgard turned. Edwena dropped to the floor and began to scuttle away on all fours. She did not get far. Eadgard caught sight of her and stopped her escape by placing his large boot on her back. She fell to the ground with an “Umph.” He stood over her and held the knife above her head.

  “Leave Edwena alone or I will harm your friend,” Hacket said and forced the chief med down, so that her back arched most unnaturally.

  Eadgard pulled his foot away and Edwena rolled onto her side.

  The fat, male Agro snatched the curewand from Hildegunnr’s hand and let her go. She dropped to the floor and Edwena grabbed onto Eadgard’s leg. He tottered and Hacket lunged towards him.

  “Look out,” I shouted and would have run to his aid, but Santy Breanna had already gone. Before Hacket reached my friend, she caught him up and kicked the back of his knee. He buckled and splattered onto the floor. Eadgard tugged his leg free of Edwena, knelt beside her and pressed his Leatherman against her neck.

  Hacket, tried to stand, but Santy thrust her foot into his back. She looked at Eadgard. “Enough! Not in cold blood, never in cold blood.”

  His hand trembled. He pushed the knife harder against Edwena’s throat. She moaned.

  “Remember your training,” Santy said.

  The trembling Backpacker paused, took the knife away and stood. Edwena slowly got to her feet. She put her fingers to the nick in her skin and shuddered. Swallowing hard, she walked all wobble leg to where Pratt lay. Wirt knelt beside him, hands firmly pressed against his neck wound. Edwena made a high gulping sound and said, “Save him, Hildegunnr, you must.”

  Said medi-fem leant against her desk, one hand rubbing the small of her back. She looked at Edwena, then at Pratt, snorted, and turned away.

  “Hildegunnr, please, ye must make him right,” Wirt said. Pratt burbled blood between his teeth. I moved my head to the side so as to block the gruesome sight and saw the Meeks stand and stare at the near dead Agro. They stip-stepped over as quiet as a spider on its web, and made a circle around him. They gawped at his twitching bod and contorted face as if watching a puppet play enfold before them. I swear I caught a smirk on my bro-bros face.

  “For the sake of these little ‘uns, please, cure him,” Wirt said.

  Hildegunnr turned slowly. She let out a loud, “Hah,” and walked over to Pratt. The Meeks parted like a heavy curtain and let her through. She knelt by the gurgling Agro, pulled Wirt’s hands away from his neck, narrowed her eyes and sat back on her heels. Pratt’s body jerked. Blood gushed for a few secs more, then stopped.

  “Too late, he is dead.”

  Wirt stared at her. “Ye sure?”

  Hildegunnr grinned. “Positive.”

  “Nay. Fix him. I know ye can. Fix him.” He tugged upon her sleeve. She pulled her arm away and stood. Wirt hung his head.

  Kendra walked to the circle of Meeks. She looked at Esme and stroked her tangled hair the way a mam would. “How are we to free the Meeks now?”

  The young ‘un brushed Kendra’s fingers away, broke free of the circle and slow-walked over to the comp on Hildegunnr’s desk. My bro followed and sat. The other kiddles gathered around him and he began to tip-tap upon the keypad. The Meeks closed in, leant forward and began to make the hummy sound they did in the labs.

  Wirt rose to his feet.

  Deogol stood, turned to face me and said, “Now. Sing The Song of Forgetfulness. Words and all.”

  “Wha? For what purpose?”

  “Come to us, Sis, sit where I was sitting.”

  I did not move. He reached a hand towards me, and a slanty smile spread across his face. “Come, Sis, it is time.”

  I looked to Santy Breanna. She squinted, stared at Deogol and said, “Do as your bro says, Adara. There is a reason fo
r this, I feel it.”

  The air cooled and I gulped. Deogol stepped to the side and gestured for me to sit. I turned to my friends. They gave me a thin smile and my insides clenched. I walked to my bro and the other Meeks, and sat. They surrounded me. Deogol leant close. “We need your voice, Adara. Although I do not wish you further harm, and would not ask if it were not most crucial. You must sing the last chorus and only that. Low and deep so only we can hear.”

  The Meeks moved in closer until all I could see was nostril and lip.

  “Sing.” Deogol said and I opened my mouth.

  The tune came out in a low whisper. The Meeks bent closer still, and despite the rawness in my windpipe, I raised my voice to let out the last note. When I did, the kiddles closed their eyes. I saw rapid movements beneath their lids as if they were dreaming something busy. They stopped and snapped open their peepholes. “Go now,” my bro said, and I did as quick as I could.

  Gulping hard, I felt a pain slash down my trachea as if someone was trying to pull it out. I swallowed and went to Santy. On seeing me, she released Hacket from her foot grip. He scurried over to Edwena. Her face resembled the moon at full time, pale and round and sad eyed. He put his hand over his mouth and they stared down at their pal’s corpse.

  The Meeks began to hum.

  They stood tall and straight, and made the sound again, continuously. Deogol stood in the middle. The humming became low and guttural and I felt a spine-chill twitch. Eadgard and Kendra joined Santy and me, and we all looked to the Meeks.

  They put their arms around each other’s shoulders, and huddled together like a fleshy barrier so as to hide my bro from view. I became colder still when they stopped their mouth buzzes, dropped their arms and straightened ‘bruptly. We looked to one another with doubt-filled eyes and I took hold of my Santy’s hand. Hildegunnr wiped her lips, pulled down her tunic and walked over to the kiddles. She stood in front of them and pointed at Pratt’s lifeless bod.

  “You thought that Agro could save them?”

  “We did. He could,” Wirt said and came to stand by my side.

  The BabyCheesus believer folded her arms. “Pratt knew much it is true, but he did not have the skill or knowledge to remove their implants.”

  “Then who does?” Santy said.

  “No one, except for the Meeks.”

  Wirt let out a hollow laugh. “Ye talk in riddles just like the Agros. Ye are no better than they. These young ‘uns would nay be here if they had the means to escape.”

  Hildegunnr stepped to one side and the Meeks turned around. They closed their eyes again and began to chant in words that had no meaning to me. “Depolarizability. Recombination. Parallax. Relativity.”

  “Look and listen. They are power. They know much.”

  I followed Hildegunnr’s gaze and looked at the kiddles. They tilted back their heads. Their eyes rolled upwards to reveal white. They moved their mouths in slowmo, saying who knows what, and were gone into a place we had no access to. They spoke and Deogol tapped. It was as if we no longer existed in their world.

  “This is wrong. These are but tots, ye see that right?” Wirt said, clenched his hands into fists and marched over to them. He tapped Nuncio on the head. The Meek did not respond. He tapped Lucus. No response. He tapped Elita, Esme and Cenwig, and met with the same non-reaction.

  He leant over Deogol. “So, ye know how to get rid of yer implants do ye?” My bro did not respond. He looked to the others. “Ye have been fooling us all this while then? So why ask Adara to sing?”

  The Meeks ignored him. He looked to me. I shrugged and heard

  Eadgard mutter, “Your true mission? A trigger to spark the Meeks.”

  I opened my gob to comment on his fateful words, but my voice was lost as the Meeks increased the level of their chanting to an ear-bleeding level. When all were grimacing with the noise, they stopped all ‘brupt-like.

  The quiet that remained felt like a ghostie hand creeping over my neck and shoulders.

  Wirt looked at Hildegunnr. She turned her head away. He looked to the ceiling and to the floor, opened his mouth and gave a great sob. Kendra put her arm around him. “My dear, come, rinse away the blood and sit for a sec. You are much upset. You need to calm.”

  He pulled away from her and stepped back. “I need truth. That is what I need.” My distressed friend clutched at his hair and closed his eyes so tight that I thought he would never open them again. He did and gave us all a look so full of anger and confusion that Santy Breanna could not help but go to him. She touched his cheek as tenderly as she would a newbie, and Wirt relinquished his tormented expression.

  “There now brave, Wirt, the occasion does not suit fretfulness. Time will come when one and all have the right to shriek their vexation to the wind

  and let it carry away all hurt.”

  Wirt absorbed my Santy’s wise words and stood taller than before. Kendra nodded to Eadgard and pointed at Pratt. Edwena knelt beside him. I felt nothing as she flung herself on his corpse and let forth a pitiful moan.

  Hacket glared at the Meeks and did that rubbing thing he did before with the brocade on his sleeve. I watched the Meeks. He rubbed again. I saw them twitch a bit, then assume a blank expression.

  Unable to contain the raging question that spiralled around my noggin, I went to Deogol.

  “Am I the trigger?” He stared ahead of me, a look of empty in his eyes. I asked again. Nowt. A mumbling sound came from the comp my bro stared at, and I pushed my way between Esme and Elita. I leant over Deogol’s shoulder and saw images from outside.

  The army that I had rendered immobile, were that no longer.

  “Erm, the Agro army are up and about again,” I said.

  Deogol snapped his head up and gave me a round-eyed glare. He rose speedily from his chair and clapped his hands. The other Meeks rushed over and stood in a circle around Hacket. He scratched at the emblem and the Meeks stiffened.

  Eadgard, Kendra, Wirt and Santy walked speedily towards where I stood, and looked at the images on the screen. A dreadful noise arose from the speakers. The low, back-throat roar of anger. I stared at the black mass of Agro soldiers all grunting and waving their weapons in the air, and clutched at my belly. Now was not the time to start the reddies.

  Hildegunnr’s eyed widened at the sight of Agro force. She backed away and said, “That was not supposed to happen.”

  Her med staff rushed to her side and supported her as she wobbled. They led her to a bed and she sat, trembling. They plonked themselves beside her, a look of terror upon their faces.

  I saw the other cured folk walk to where she sat and as if playing a game of ‘peas-in-a-pod’, they rested their fear-filled butts beside her and shuffled up close. The bed croaked and bevelled under their weight. I saw Hildegunnr clutch at the sheets.

  Edwena moved all slow-footed over to Hacket, wiped her eyes and stood stiff and straight. He put his arm around Cenwig and spoke. “You see, it is your arrogance that will be your downfall. Oh yes, you can plot and plan and give us quite a fright, but we are stronger. We have tech and numbers on our side. You, you have a six-fingered freak with a voice that can easily be silenced.”

  Hacket placed his hand on Deogol’s shoulder and whispered into his ear. When he had done, my bro walked up to me and lifted his arms as if to indicate he required an embrace. I did not think this unusual and was, in fact, hungry for such an action. So I bent towards him and he let me hug him hard.

  I felt tightness in my throat as if some tiny fingers were wrapped around my windpipe.

  “Deogol, stop. What are you doing my little earwig? Let go of your sister.”

  I heard Santy’s words behind a roar of high voices.

  Then, I sank to my knees, and before all went black, saw the Meeks grin.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  What The Huff?

  There was a whirlwind in my ears that gathered force and swooshed and whooshed around my noggin as if it were intent on pulling out my brains. My head sw
am, and all I could see before my half closed eyes were dancing lights. I swallowed, and my throat burned. I thought my arms must be tied down, for I could not raise them to wipe my face, which felt all hot and sticky. I slowed my breathing and tried to focus on the sounds outside my head. I heard my bro-bro’s voice saying, “No, please, do not send them.”

  Then Hacket replying, “Fine, you go instead.”

  There came a roar of, “No!” from the Meeks and then they screamed.

  I struggled and writhed, but could not break free from whatever kept me still. I lifted my aching head, opened my eyes a bit, and saw my bro and the other Meeks bent double clutching at their heads. Something cold filled my arm. Everything became fuzzy as if I were looking into fog. In an attempt to right my sight, I peered at the big screen at the back of the room.

  At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks, but as my vision stabilised, I did indeed see a huge gathering of renegades charging towards the Agro army. The screen went blank and I lowered my gaze. Between blinks, I saw Cenwig. He stood straight and spoke directly to Hacket.

  “We will go. Stop hurting us, please.”

  More squeals and heart-wrenching cries.

  My head fell back and all went dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Transmutation

  Coolness touched my forehead.

  “Stay as if dead Sis, the plan is working. Keep your eyes closed and listen.” Deogol’s words confused me. I tried to speak, to ask him what the huff was going on, and why did he try to choke out my very existence. But I was unable to move. “Quick, do as I say before Hacket gets suspish.” I had no choice and did as he asked. Shutting my eyes tight, I feigned unconsciousness. “Out cold. I damaged her good and proper. She’ll not sing again that’s for sure,” he shouted out to who knows.