These Vengeful Souls

by Tarun Shanker

  William was already bounding up the stairs. He disappeared into the hidden door in the wall while the rest of us watched Arthur’s face for clues and waited with bated breath for things to somehow get even worse.

  “How many do you hear?” I whispered.

  “Only one so far,” he said. “Flying girl.”

  “Which? The young lady who can grow wings, or the one who flies without?” Mr. Adeoti asked.

  “Don’t hear wings.”

  My heart leaped at that. Then it had to be her.…

  William shouted something muffled from the roof.

  “’E sees ’er,” Arthur translated. He started leading the way upstairs. “It’s ’er alone. She usually delivers orders, but we best get you in the secret-secret room in case.”

  “A girl about fifteen or sixteen, yes?” I asked, climbing up to the second floor behind him. “Her name, what is it?”

  “Miss Lewis,” William said, opening the secret door from the other side and ushering us through. “Eliza Lewis.”

  “Yes! That’s her,” I said. The girl from that day I healed Oliver at the Society. I couldn’t forget the way he looked at her with concern. “I need to speak to her.”

  The two men exchanged doubtful glances. “Not a good idea. You see, she works for ’im.”

  “I know that,” I said. “But I don’t think she wishes to work for the Captain. She might help. Especially after the confession at the trial. He admitted to killing a friend of ours.”

  They stared at me, hard. “If she tells ’im you lot are here…”

  “It’s already a risk being here,” I said. “And we’re going to need their help against Captain Goode.”

  I could feel the doubts on the tips of everyone’s tongues, but Arthur and William finally conceded with sighs. “All right. If you’re sure, miss.…”

  “I am not. But we have to know more.”

  As our group made its way up into Arthur’s and William’s office, Catherine held me back. “Evelyn.” She was beginning to issue a dire warning, I was sure.

  “He’s going to die.” I turned to her, holding her with my gaze. “I have to find a way to help him.”

  “I was just going to say, I agree.” She smiled a little. “It’s worth the try.”

  “Oh,” I said, a pang of guilt in my chest. “Well I—thank you for constantly being sensible and … you. Even though that’s meant all these arguments.”

  “It makes it all that much better when we finally agree,” she said. “Then I know we truly have a good idea.”

  We followed everyone else up and found empty seats around the cozy room. Arthur opened the window, and seconds later, Eliza veered to a controlled stop outside. She carefully floated inside, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim office.

  “No!” She caught sight of us and turned to flee, but William closed the window and tried to calm her.

  “They just want your help,” he said.

  “You can’t be here!” She looked trapped and hovered near the ceiling, buzzing with fear and irritation.

  “Eliza, do you know me? I saw you training with Oliver; he mentioned you as a friend.” She looked pained, and I pressed on. “Captain Goode killed Oliver, using Mr. Braddock. All I want is to save him, Mr. Kent, and anyone else who doesn’t want to be in the Society. Do you think you can help us? We would never harm you; we want to help. I know George doesn’t want to be there. He’s another friend of yours, right?” I tried to speak as calmly as possible, though it was probably still a nervous jumble.

  Slowly Eliza lowered herself to the ground, her eyes still darting anxiously between us. “He’ll hurt my pa and sister if I try to leave.”

  “He made the same threats to us when we were part of the Society,” I tried to say soothingly. “I refused to do something for him, and my sister would have died had it not been for Miss Chen here refusing her order as well. Just know that if enough people refuse him, he can’t carry out his threats.”

  “But if the Captain finds out I talked to you—”

  “Is he still looking for us?”

  “We won’t tell ’im nuffin’.” Arthur smiled gently, his cheek dimpling as his face relaxed. The two men might have menacing disguises from Camille, but they barely covered up their gentle natures.

  She bit her lip and nodded, seeming more reassured by him than me, and spoke to Arthur directly. “I heard he questioned the prisoners all night.”

  Hmm. If he was asking them about where I and the others would go, Mr. Kent and Sebastian must have come up with a long list of places to search for us.

  Or he was learning more about our weaknesses to keep us from stopping the execution.

  “Is Captain Goode really planning an execution for tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Yes, we all have to be ready at nine o’clock. He wants all Society members, including you two.” Eliza tilted her head toward Arthur and William. “Those are the orders I’m delivering to everyone right now.”

  “That’s very helpful,” I smiled even as I wanted to be violently sick. He was using the execution as a trap to capture us. I paused, choosing my next questions carefully in case Captain Goode decided to question her. “Do the orders explain what’s going to happen?”

  She pulled out a few rolled-up sheets of paper and set it on the desk. Arthur unfurled them, revealing written instructions and diagrams of Tower Hill.

  “Do you have a map of London with this area?” I asked.

  William found one on their bookshelf and opened it up on a large table in the middle of the room that we all gathered around. Using the diagram as a reference, he pointed to the gardens on the map. “The scaffold seems to be set up ’ere in the center. And looks like Society members surround it on the south, west and east. ’E wants Arthur and me to be watching the south.”

  Trying to keep my hand from shaking, I pointed to the map, south of the gardens, where the Tower of London sat. “Where is he going to bring the prisoners from? Is he staying with them?”

  Eliza nodded and traced a route on the map. “In the White Tower. They’re going to walk them down this way, over the moat, and up here.”

  “And where is the rest of the Society coming from?” I asked.

  “We’re staying in these houses here,” Eliza pointed.

  “And do you know how many people there are?”

  “Maybe twenty or thirty? I don’t know them all.”

  “That’s all right,” I said. “Do you know if anyone else is unhappy with the Society?”

  “Well, Georgie is. And my friend Shirin.”

  “Can you tell me about Shirin?”

  Eliza smiled a little, obviously adoring of her friend. “Shirin can control rocks. Makes them fly or shift or create neat sculptures. She’s really clever with them. She built the court at Lincoln’s Inn fields all by herself.”

  “That’s remarkable,” I said, remembering that girl from their training with Oliver. “Is there anyone else?”

  “I don’t … I don’t know,” she said. “Sometimes others seem to hate it, but no one says anything. It’s hard to trust anyone.”

  “Don’t worry. I understand. That’s all we wanted to know.” My heart sank a little. Only three young people would maybe—maybe—be on our side.

  “Eliza, you best be getting back to your duties,” Arthur said. “Are there any other questions?”

  Our group was silent, not wanting to push Eliza any further. I answered for everyone. “Thank you, Eliza.”

  She pursed her lips and gave a quick nod before William opened the window to let her out.

  “I take it this is our plan then,” Catherine said, pointing to the map.

  “So we attack from the north at the execution?” Miss Chen asked.

  “Willy and I won’t warn anyone ’til it’s too late,” Arthur said.

  “I will sweep up the power remover with my winds,” Miss Rao offered.

  “No, we’re not attacking during the execution,” I said.

 
The group stared at me as though I had gone mad.

  “But I … I thought you wanted to save them,” Laura’s voice was thin and high, and Emily took her hand.

  “I do,” I said. “But Captain Goode wants us to as well. I think that’s why he’s making it so public and obvious. It’s another trap. To get us to attack him when he’s fully prepared and expecting it.”

  “But what’s the alternative?” Catherine asked.

  “We attack the Tower of London tonight,” I answered. “Captain Goode will be preparing for tomorrow and won’t be expecting us at all. It’ll be dark, Miss Chen can extinguish any lights, and we’ll stay behind the walls so he can’t see us and turn our power off from the White Tower. We’ll sneak over to where the Society members are staying and ask for their help. I know everyone won’t turn, but between our powers and the plants and rocks, we’ll be able to restrain the others without harming them.”

  “But you saw how nervous this girl was,” Miss Chen said, gesturing out the window. “No one helped Mr. Braddock and Mr. Kent when they tried to expose Captain Goode. How will this be any different?”

  “That was very sudden,” I said. “They barely had time to consider it.”

  “And this time I’ll ask them,” Rose said.

  She had such a quiet, low voice. And yet instantly everyone froze, acutely focused on my sister and her calm, monumental declaration.

  “No,” Catherine said firmly.

  “It has to be me. If they are reluctant, it’s the only way to persuade them to join us.” Rose spoke as though she had decided this ages ago. But because it was Rose, and because everyone wanted to protect her, voices rang out in protest across the room.

  “Too dangerous.”

  “You can’t be harmed!”

  “We will find another way.”

  Even Miss Rao was shaking her head in disapproval.

  I was torn clean in two. It would help, of course, to have Rose there, but the desire to wrap her in blankets and keep her safe forever was overwhelming.

  But my glorious sister, who was secretly at least as stubborn as I was, calmly insisted. “I know you want me safe, but this is what I want. I couldn’t live with myself if you were all captured or killed, or if everyone in the Society was trapped there for the rest of their lives. I want to go.”

  Whether or not Rose ever went to medical school and became a doctor, she would always want to help people. It made the decision easier for me.

  For Catherine as well, it seemed. “Then if it’s what you want to do, you should do it.” Catherine’s clear, firm voice cut through the grumblings.

  And as my sister’s jaw dropped a little, I realized something about Rose’s power. It wasn’t just the amount of exposure that affected how we treated her. Part of it was who we were. It was why Mr. Hale’s and Camille’s love manifested itself as selfish and possessive. Why the murderous Mr. Jarsdel was quite eager to kill for her. Why our protective mother was so strict with us. And why Catherine and I agreed to put her at risk if it’s what she wanted.

  Though my sister said nothing, I had the feeling she realized this, too. Her eyes looked different, hope brightening the blues. I could swear I watched Rose fall further in love at that moment.

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Of course.” Catherine looked almost puzzled. “I want you to be happy.” Her voice trailed off and she blushed as she realized the others were looking on, bewildered.

  “I am going,” Rose announced again, more firmly, still smiling at Catherine.

  “She is going,” Catherine repeated, before dropping her smile and fixing the rest of us with very stern stares. “So we better come up with a plan that keeps her safe.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  THE TEN OF us stood gathered on a rooftop, staring at the Tower of London, the Thames resting between us. The city lay shrouded in shadows at three in the morning. The sky sat starless, and silence blanketed the river. It felt like the world was closing its eyes and taking a deep breath.

  With my opera glasses, I swept my gaze over our target. The White Tower was the one brightly lit building, standing tall in the center of the inner ward, taunting us. It was surrounded by smaller buildings and houses and then an inner wall and an outer one. I could barely make out anything else beyond the general shapes of the battlements and towers, but Arthur and William could apparently hear and see straight to the heart of the castle.

  “It’s as Miss Lewis said, ’e’s in the White Tower,” Arthur said, pointing to the tall keep. “Sleeping.”

  “And ’e’s got Braddock and Kent a floor below, chained up,” William said with a cringe. “A couple guards watching them, I see.”

  “But only a few along the outer wall. No one watchin’ the Traitors’ Gate,” Arthur added, pointing to the half-hidden boat entrance.

  “Get through there, break a small hole in the inner wall, and you’ll find the rest sleeping in those houses,” William said, making it sound like a simple trip to the market.

  “Could Mr. Pratt be creating an illusion?” I asked.

  “He’s not good enough to hide all those people, even enhanced,” Miss Chen said. “Too much movement to keep track of everything.”

  “And we can see through them,” William said.

  “Good.”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t think there’s a trap,” Miss Chen clarified. “I would like it on the record that there will probably be one.”

  “As long as we can sneak Rose inside,” I said, watching Miss Rao’s thick fog over the Thames grow even thicker. The black river was much more daunting in person than on a map, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was better to approach from the dark river than the well-lit streets north of the tower. Rose just needed a moment to speak to the Society peacefully, to sway them before they were ordered to kill us.

  “Is everyone ready?” I asked.

  Our group slowly came together on the corner of the rooftop. Miss Rao and Miss Chen nodded to me. Emily gave Laura a big hug and promised to bring her brother back. Mr. Adeoti gave me an encouraging smile and wrapped a ribbon around my wrist so he could record the adventure in case I died, which he assured me I definitely wouldn’t. Rose handed her medical bag to Catherine, and they spoke softly in shadows at the far corner. Before Rose turned to join us, Catherine pulled her back and gave her a gentle kiss, and my heart leaped. I bit my lip against a smile, praying that we could keep Rose safe so this would be their first of many.

  In pairs, Emily floated Miss Rao, Miss Chen, Rose, and myself down to the ground before following herself. Silently, we made our way to the embankment. Clouds covered the moon, their outlines glowing gray and blue in the sky. The water was a mirror image with patches of fog floating along the surface. Silhouettes of masts and docks matched the spires and towers along the skyline.

  We found a skiff nearby, locked to a dock, rolling with the steady tide. Miss Chen broke it free, Emily adjusted the sail with a wave of her hand, and Miss Rao’s gentle wind came in from behind. We crossed the quiet river, not a word passing between us. The sound of a distant ship horn echoed. The water kept time with its gentle, rhythmic splashes. Thunder rumbled across the Thames as Miss Rao eyed the sky, setting dark clouds in place over the tower in preparation for her lightning strikes. Emily stood at the bow, ready to maneuver around any obstacle that might suddenly appear in the thick fog. Miss Chen closed her eyes, deep in meditation as she tried to raise her powers as much as she possibly could.

  About halfway across, we veered rather close to a small boat. Drunken men who had decided to end their night with a trip down the river. Even through the haze, their eyes slowly settled on Rose. “’Ey, girlie,” one managed before his jaw snapped shut, courtesy of Emily.

  Another tried to charm us, and she quieted him, too. I held a finger to my lips, a message that the third sailor apparently could not comprehend.

  “Now listen here—”

  And Emily flung him overboard, which quieted the
rest of them.

  As they faded into the fog, trying to pull their friend out of the water, I breathed a sigh of relief. Only a little farther and—

  A blast of water surged out of the river, coiling around my arm like a tentacle. It wrenched me halfway out of the boat, but Emily reacted quickly, seizing me telekinetically by my other arm, pulling me back in. More tentacles of water slithered out, wrapping around our boat, hugging it like an affectionate octopus. Before they could crush the wood to pieces, the tentacles burst apart into harmless splashes of water, thanks to Miss Chen’s gaze. Miss Rao’s winds increased, pushing us faster toward the tower.

  Unfortunately, there was plenty more water between our destination and us. A giant wave emerged, slowly blocking our view of the tower. Behind it, Mr. Seward rose up atop a spire of water, looking entirely drenched and grumpy, like I imagined Poseidon might.

  “Was he sleeping down there?” Emily asked.

  “We’ll see soon enough,” Miss Chen said. “I can’t break that wave. It’s absurd.”

  “Then we’ll use it against him,” I said. “Miss Rao, can you—”

  “I can,” she said, already shifting the clouds. “Turn right, mover.”

  Her winds changed direction, pushing in from the port side, as Emily turned the sail to veer us east around the massive wall of water approaching. We bounced along the rising waves, the winds blowing my hair loose. The wave grew horizontally with us, looming closer like the great hand of a god, ready to swat us down.

  Thunder reverberated in the sky. Mr. Seward heard it, leaping back right before the bolt of lightning streaked down. He lost control of his wave, but its momentum carried it. We still weren’t going fast enough. I didn’t know how Miss Rao was planning to outrun it.

  Until we veered behind a massive ship that shielded us from the attack. She’d steered us into St. Katharine Docks. Emily threw us off the skiff and up onto the soaked deck. I mouthed an apology to a shocked sailor and peered past him at our destination. We’d gone a bit off course, but we weren’t too far. I could see a path along the crowd of boats.

  “This way!” I shouted, grabbing Rose’s hand.