Chapter 7 #2
She gestured at her trolley. ‘Do I look lost?’ She didn’t want to antagonise him, but she also wanted to stand her ground.
One side of his nose twitched. ‘Oh, you look very much out of your depth, little girl, especially when I see you in cahoots with our beloved Bear.’
Bear didn’t sound much loved at all.
Varklee moved the tip of his mop handle from his mouth. ‘Hasn’t anyone told you it’s best to stick to your own kind?’ He blew out a small sigh, his eyes filled with sarcasm. ‘Safer.’
Are you threatening me? She couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud so shuffled some books on the trolley instead.
‘You’re a pretty little thing,’ he added.
‘I’m sure there are others here from your Borough wanting to canoodle with you.
Ones that won’t get you slayed.’ Wriggling the fingers on one hand as he scrunched his nose, he added, ‘It can be a messy affair dipping toes in rivers that aren’t in your neck of the woods, don’t you think?
I mean, who knows what’s lurking beneath waiting to bite. ’
Yep, he’s definitely threatening me. ‘You were in the canteen. You saw what happened. Bear claimed me.’
‘But I don’t see you running away.’
She wanted to run away now, but she couldn’t show weakness. She hoped he couldn’t see her heart thumping through her sweatshirt, but his gaze flitted over her shoulder, causing her to turn.
Bear stood there, expression neutral, eyes on Varklee. ‘Need some help?’
Scarlen wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but she spoke before Varklee could. ‘Could you help me take the trolley up the stairs, please?’
Bear seemed to be waiting for Varklee to walk away first, so Varklee gave a dramatic bow, then went back to work. ‘Which floor?’ he asked her, a softness to his tone.
She pushed the trolley to the wide metal staircase, expecting him to help her carry it up. ‘First landing.’ But he scooped up the whole thing as though it weighed nothing and marched up the stairs.
Stopping at the top, he placed the trolley down, then his back to the guards below. ‘Here, take this.’ Scarlen peered at the food bar in his palm. ‘You’ll get no money till the end of the week, and Temple doesn’t hand these out for free.’
Politeness told her to decline, as he’d be hungry later if he wasn’t already, but her stomach yelled at her to take the offering.
Bear jabbed it her way. ‘Put it in your pocket and break bits off to eat when no one is looking.’
Scarlen took the bar. ‘Thank you.’
‘Have to take care of my girl.’
Hmm. It seemed to be his line, and as cute as he looked saying it, it was for the best he stopped looking out for her. ‘Bear,’ she whispered. ‘I think your claim is causing problems.’
‘I’ve not got a problem.’ His words were flat, uncaring.
‘Others do.’
His fingertip lightly brushed back a strand of her hair. ‘Eat the food bar.’ And with that, he walked away, leaving her slightly baffled and a little warm around the neckline.
It wasn’t long before she was back at the library, her stomach not rumbling as much, and Soleil not there to grimace at her. The pips went to indicate yard time, and she hurried away, looking forward to finding out how Dionne had got on with her own work.
Dionne secretly passed Scarlen a lump of cheese as soon as they sat on the bleachers. ‘Scoff that before anyone sees. I pinched it from the kitchen.’
With one look around the yard, Scarlen could see many secretly sharing food by bumping into each other or shaking hands.
Surely the guards had some idea what was going on.
Binnow wasn’t around, so perhaps they didn’t care.
It only seemed to be the senior guards Binnow and Jontson that were filled with pure hate.
‘Thanks, Dee. Here, I got this from Bear.’ Scarlen handed over a chunk of the food bar she had saved for Dionne.
‘Ooh, Temple gets these brought in. Charges more when we’re starved.’
‘Will we be starved often?’
Dionne shrugged as she chewed on the rolled oats, honey, and dried apricots. ‘Depends on Binnow’s mood, and she’s a right moody bitch. She doesn’t always need a reason to punish you. Jontson’s the same.’
‘We should start hiding some food in our cells.’
‘People already do. Not much though, as the more you get caught with, the longer your punishment. Not sure where Temple’s stashing his goods. Although, I think he has some sort of deal set up with one of the screws, so he gets left alone.’
Scarlen went to reply but stopped when she spotted Bear in Amber yard. ‘I don’t have anything to give back to him.’
Dionne tutted. ‘Find something soon. You don’t want to be in anyone’s debt around here.’
For some reason, Scarlen didn’t think it mattered with Bear, as she was sure he wouldn’t hold it against her. However, she would try to pay him back somehow.
He glanced her way, and she did what Wynter normally did whenever Raven met her gaze, she offered a small wave, then tugged her arm down when she noticed Varklee shooting daggers at her with his eyes.
Sighing, she slumped to the seat. ‘North and south never used to have such a big divide.’
‘Blame that on the king.’
‘If you mean because he’s giving protection to towns and villages in Borough Mids—’
‘We all hear he wants the kingdom under his rule, but in all honesty, Scarlen, do you believe wyrmocs are coming to destroy us?’
Since being in prison, she didn’t know what to think anymore. So many of the inmates had a different version of what was happening to the one her father had preached, and Gerridan often went around telling people to fight for the resistance once free.
‘Things will get worse.’ Dionne cuddled herself to keep warm from the icy breeze whipping up. ‘But it’ll be us fighting each other, not wyrmocs.’