Chapter 6
Three weeks had passed without any issues occurring, and Bear was starting to think the small amount of time spent with Scarlen wasn’t so bad.
She seemed nice enough, and he had found himself looking forward to their card games during family time.
There were questions in the eyes of his family, but so far no one had used the words he could see whirling.
Perhaps it was time he let them in on his secret.
After all, he’d never kept anything from them before.
This was different, but still, it niggled at him, making him feel as though he wasn’t part of a team, which he hated.
Growing up, he had been surrounded by a circle of friends, and Raven and Oxley were like brothers.
Harlex too, but he couldn’t think of him, because each time he visualised his friend hanging in the courtyard, he wanted to kill every screw in the prison, and that kind of rage would send him straight to Red, where he’d be powerless.
Harlex had turned twenty-three two months into their sentence. His death helped put Bear’s escape plan into action, as there was no way he could stand there and watch another brother die, and Oxley’s death date was next.
Tonight he would go back beneath the ground and tunnel their way to freedom, he hoped.
It was going well, considering all he had been using as a tool was a blunt spoon.
He would have to spend some more time in the pillory soon for the sake of another spoon.
He had to stick to the routine and keep his patience on a lead.
All was well except for the burden of Smithson’s truth sitting only on his shoulders.
Bear leaned on a wall during yard time, the wind whistling around him as dark clouds filled the grey sky. His fierce gaze was on Scarlen in the near distance, talking with her friends, then on the fox-like face of Varklee obscuring the view. ‘What do you want, V?’
‘Oh, just checking on my cuddly Bear.’ Varklee’s sneer was filled with interest. ‘What with you causing all kinds of mischief with your claiming shaming.’
‘It’s none of your business what I do. I’m no Flame.’
‘But you are a fellow brother of the north. So how about a little consideration?’
Bear quirked an eyebrow his way. ‘You don’t get to tell me what to do, V.’
Varklee entered his personal space, pressing up on his toes so his mouth was close to Bear’s jaw. ‘She’s a southern girl, and you’re a northern boy. The two just don’t mix, my friend, and I shouldn’t have to remind you of that fact.’
‘Still my business.’
‘She’ll get you killed. Judd’s already on the warpath.’
Bear scoffed. ‘Since when did he bother you?’
Varklee looked almost insulted. ‘He is no more bothersome than a mere fly that I will one day squish between my fingers. The thought alone cheers me, but still the problem remains of your new gal.’
‘She’s no problem.’
Varklee cocked his head to one side as though a spasm had hit his neck. ‘All southerners are a problem, and just because we’re stuck in here doesn’t mean we forget that, Vyer.’
‘You’re boring me, V.’
‘I’m trying to save you. A little gratitude wouldn’t go amiss. I’ve been sitting on this for way too long, allowing you to figure it out for yourself.’ Varklee whispered, ‘People are starting to talk. Not the best look.’
‘If anyone’s got something to say about the way I live my life, they can say it to my face. Now, go away.’
Varklee snarled, then left, snaking his way back to his devoted followers, who practically drooled over him.
As much as Bear didn’t want Varklee’s words swimming in his head, the truth remained. He had brought a southerner into his house, and questions were in many eyes. Deciding it was time to talk to his family, he gave both Raven and Oxley a subtle signal to come over.
‘What’s up?’ asked Oxley.
Bear was grateful his friends trusted him enough not to push him for answers when they knew he was holding something back. ‘There’s something you need to know.’
Raven checked behind him, making sure no ears were in range. ‘This about your claim?’
Astute as ever. Raven always was the quiet one who noticed everything, whereas Oxley was laid-back, only caring about life around him as and when he deemed necessary.
‘There’s something about her I haven’t told you.’
Raven looked at Oxley. ‘Told you there was method in his madness.’
Oxley simply shrugged. ‘I just thought you were lonely, bro.’
‘I’m not lonely.’ Bear realised he’d said that quicker than expected, making him sound a liar. He had to steer the conversation back to the one that mattered. ‘Two days before Smithson came here, I was hauled in to see the warden. Only, Cardell wasn’t in his office. General Degafe was.’
That removed Oxley’s smile. ‘Fuck!’ he whispered.
Raven subtly looked around them once more to double-check everyone in the yard was attending to their own business. ‘And the connection?’
Bear still couldn’t believe it himself. ‘Told me Smithson is his daughter. Got in trouble out of the king’s jurisdiction.
Sent here for six months, because King Renwah hasn’t got everyone in the government in his back pocket, but because of who she is, the government allowed her to enter under a false name.
The general offered me a deal. Just in case anyone recognises his daughter, he asked me to take her under my wing. ’
Oxley scoffed. ‘And why would he think you’d do him any favours? If anything, he’d be scared of you finding out who she is, after what he helped do to …’ He dipped his head, and Bear knew it was hard for any of them to finish that sentence, as they had all watched the torture of Bear’s mother.
They had been strapped to posts, heads held in place, forced to watch their elders hang, then Bear’s mother, Ranola, take one hundred lashes, remain there for a week, then burn at the stake while alive.
There wasn’t a night Bear didn’t hear her screams when he closed his eyes, which was why he appreciated having the escape plan keeping him awake most of the night.
Better than the nightmares. Better than the sound of torture.
One day, he would be free, and one day he would kill the king with his bare hands, slowly, painfully. Suffering was needed. Renwah would know ultimate pain.
Raven briefly placed a hand on Oxley’s shoulder. ‘He’s right, Bear. So why aren’t we hating on her to get revenge on the general?’
‘Because in exchange for me keeping his precious girl alive, Wynter gets a king’s pardon at the end of Smithson’s sentence.’
Raven’s golden eyes were the widest. ‘I feel like he is rubbing salt in the wounds.’
‘What Rav means is it’s a fucking audacity.’ Oxley huffed, his usual friendly expression switched to vexed.
‘It’s a chance for Wynter if things go wrong for us.’ Bear glanced around to see no one was listening outside of his small circle.
‘And you believe the general?’ asked Raven, looking unconvinced.
‘I have no trust for any of that lot, but if we can’t make it out of here before Ox’s death date, we have some hope for my sister.
’ He watched Raven peruse Green yard for Wynter while Oxley stole a glance at Scarlen talking to Elbar and Temple, and he wondered if either of the women knew they were being spoken about.
Wynter found Raven’s smile and offered a small wave before returning to the card game she was playing with friends.
‘It’s not much hope,’ said Bear. ‘But it’s some, so I agreed to his terms, and so far, it hasn’t been any skin off my nose.
I’ve done enough to prove Smithson’s my girl, so she should be safe.
I can go back to fully focusing on our plan.
With any luck, we’ll be long gone in a couple of months, and she can rot in here with the others. ’
Oxley turned back to him. ‘I wonder what she did to get put in here, because there’s no way it was food theft.’ He gasped quietly, a thought occurring. ‘Do you think she rebelled against her father?’
‘No,’ said Raven. ‘The king wouldn’t offer a pardon for her safety if she had joined the resistance.’
‘I don’t care what her crime is, or if she’s on our side.
I don’t care about her at all. I played my part, and now my work here is done.
’ Bear snarled at the memory of the general sitting in Cardell’s chair, making demands as though he held all the cards, which to be fair, he had, but it was still so tempting to tell him to fuck off and that he would rip out his daughter’s throat as soon as see her. ‘Just one more thing.’
‘What?’ asked Oxley.
‘I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this deal, especially Smithson. And I don’t want Wynter knowing. She needs to be as safe as possible.’ His last words were mainly for Raven, as he knew the engaged couple had no secrets.
Raven gave a firm nod. ‘If things do go wrong, and we end up stuck here till we hang, I want Wynter to have a chance of freedom, but I’d rather not give her hope when we know it could all be a lie.’
Oxley offered him a warm smile. ‘I’m going to believe it’s a genuine deal. Beats thinking the worst. And when you do think about it, the general’s taking a risk himself, as Bear could have agreed but then went back on his word.’
Bear shook his head. ‘I was told if I do that, they’d bring in the rack and strap Wynter to it in front of everyone so we can watch her limbs being torn from her body.’
A loud sigh came from Oxley as he gazed through the fence. ‘Looks like we’re all looking out for little Miss Degafe, then.’
Raven scoffed. ‘I thought you’d already started.’
‘I gave her my spoon because I thought she was Bear’s girl.’
As much as Bear was telling them he didn’t care about the general’s daughter, she had grown on him, and he didn’t hate her, but he reminded himself she wasn’t his girl. She was just another chance at freedom for Wynter.
‘I wonder what’s going through her mind,’ said Oxley, his eyes still on Scarlen. ‘She knows we’re her father’s enemies. She must wonder why Bear claimed her.’
‘I told her I was saving her from Judd. She believed me, but you’re right, she knows who we are, but she thinks we don’t know who she is, so that’s why she’s okay with us.
’ At least, she seemed to be settling around him during family time, even though he could see the wariness in her eyes, which made part of him feel sorry for her, knowing how scared she must feel.
‘Wynter has become good friends with her,’ said Raven.
Bear twisted his lips to one side, debating whether to say what was on his mind. ‘That’s all right. Smithson’s no bother. It’s best we act normal and carry on with our plan.’
‘My fiancée will be ever so slightly pissed off when she finds out she played nicely with the general’s daughter.’
‘We’ll be long gone by then, Rav. Besides, Smithson hasn’t shown any signs of the wickedness her father possesses. She’s a little feisty, but she’s easy to get on with.’
Oxley raised an eyebrow. ‘And just how easy have you been getting on with her during family time?’
‘We play cards and talk. That’s it.’
The pips went, telling all it was lunchtime.
‘So, now you know,’ added Bear, not sure what else to say.
Oxley slung his arm around Bear’s shoulder as they made their way to the canteen. ‘It’s all good, bro. We’ve got this.’ He chuckled. ‘Bit of a headfuck though, eh?’
Bear smiled. That’s one word for it. He caught Scarlen staring at him as he entered the canteen, the aroma of her scent mingling with the chicken broth on offer. He couldn’t quite place her smell, it was just her, and he knew it well enough now.
She smiled briefly, then sat with her meal, and it took all of his willpower not to approach. He had nothing to say anyway, but then a fight broke out between some of the Flames and Pirates, and bowls of food flew through the air as others took the opportunity to join in and create a food fight.
Screams and yells rang out, and Bear spotted Kylar heading towards Scarlen, something clenched within her fist. He wasn’t about to take the chance she had a shank, so he ran at Scarlen, pushing her under the table, shielding her with his body.
‘What’s happening?’ she cried.
‘Small ruckus. It’ll be over in a minute.’ He peered out to see Oxley guarding him, and Raven covering Wynter by a wall. Kylar had disappeared.
The guards rushed in, their batons prodding all causing trouble, chains were quickly put in place, and the noise settled as gang members were dragged away.
Binnow roared at the rest of the inmates. ‘If this is how you want to treat your food, then no meals for any of you for the next two days.’
With lightning rods fully charged, no one dared to argue.
‘Now get to your lessons,’ she added, and everyone gave her a wide berth as they queued to leave.
Bear helped Scarlen to stand, then signalled Wynter to walk with her.
‘Tension is building,’ whispered Oxley as they headed to their own classroom.
‘Good,’ said Bear. ‘We’ll use it to our advantage soon enough.’
Later that night, Bear snuck off to continue digging, thoughts firmly on getting the fuck out of this shithole, keeping his family safe, and being back home to help the resistance.
It was a long and tedious job, but the time would pass anyway, so why not do something daily to help improve his life.
He had been working on the rock for so long, it was part of his routine now, and where at first he would feel stressed, hoping no one would catch him, now he relaxed into each scrape, each light tap.
Scarlen came to mind. How he had cradled her in his arms beneath the table in the canteen. It hadn’t been for long, but it was still strange how natural it felt to protect her. He could tell himself he was simply sticking to his end of the deal, but it would be a lie. He had wanted to protect her.
A crack had his attention back on the ground just as a tiny piece of grit fell through a hole. A hole. A fucking hole! He’d done it. He had broken through the floor. He tapped the end of the spoon into the tiny space, scraping around the sides, the weak rock crumbling downwards.
Leaning closer, he peered through the gap, the darkness obscuring his view, but not enough to hide the cove below, the sound of the bay sloshing, the smell of brine in the air.
The madman in Red had been right. There was a way out.
Bear had to be back in his cell soon, but with what little time he had left of the night, he put all of his concentration into making the hole bigger, because as soon as it was big enough for him to fit through, the second part of the escape plan could commence.