The Fandom(77)



Thorn looks at me, the knife still hovering millimetres from Ash’s face. ‘These brothels are disturbing, but they are not new.’

‘But the customers are not your average Gems,’ I say. ‘You storm the brothel, free the Imp concubines . . . you ruffle some very important feathers.’

‘OK, but to launch an attack the other side of the border would be suicide. We would be behind enemy lines.’

‘That’s the thing. This brothel has got an extra thrill factor. It isn’t in the Pastures, it’s in the city.’

Thorn begins to laugh, the brilliance of his smile practically illuminating the cell. ‘Well, well, not so shrinking any more, are we, Violet?’

‘You get treated like an ape, you get pissed.’

‘Pissed at whom?’ Thorn asks.

I recall the decontamination block, those prying hands on my body, the crumpling paper chain, the dead eyes of the Dupes, Nate’s arms stretched before him in the market place. This anger flares in my stomach and I begin to shake. And when I finally speak, I speak not as Violet, avid fan of The Gallows Dance, but as Violet the Imp. ‘Those bastard Gems deserve everything they get. They deserve to dance on the gallows and know how it feels.’

I watch Thorn’s blade lower, just as it did in canon. He’s going to let Ash live. The relief washes over me.

Thorn turns, a dark expression clouding his face. ‘But I’m afraid only Katherine wins the reprieve.’ He spins back to Ash, blade drawn back and ready to strike. In that awful sliver of a second, I realize Ash is going to die.

‘Wait!’ I cry. The blade hovers. ‘I know more, I know more . . .’ The canon can’t save Ash now. I need to take a risk, I need to stop relying on the script like Baba said. The last time I took that leap, I was holding Ash’s hand. It was when he took me to see . . . ‘The Duplicates!’ My words trip over each other. ‘Ash, tell him about the Duplicates.’

Ash looks at me, his face a muddle of swellings and abrasions, all pinks and blues against the white. But his eyes look sharp, alert, his gaze intense. I nod softly to him and the understanding spreads between us like something concrete and real.

He begins to talk, his voice surprisingly clear. ‘I found a cloaking device in the Harper estate, deep in the woods where nobody goes, not even the other Imps. I disabled it, and this strange bunker appeared. Inside, there were eight Duplicates. Three Willows, two Mr Harpers and three Mrs Harpers. One of the Duplicates has no legs, and I think one has no heart.’

Thorn blinks long and slow. ‘You found Duplicates?’

‘Yeah, suspended in tanks of fluid.’

‘Duplicates are real?’ Thorn gasps.

Ash nods. ‘I’ve seen them with my own eyes.’

‘Me too,’ I add.

Thorn releases Ash, his disbelief morphing into excitement. ‘This is . . . huge. I thought Dupes were just some sick rumour the Imps made up to turn the average Gem against the government.’ He pushes his hands through his hair, the knife sandwiched between his thumb and forefinger. ‘This is beyond huge.’ He turns to me. ‘How many Gems know about this?’

‘I don’t know,’ I reply. ‘Just the really wealthy ones, I think. Alice said most of the Dupes are stored in secret warehouses, the Harpers moved theirs because some of the guards were . . . you know . . . doing disgusting things.’

‘To the Dupes?’ Thorn says

I nod.

Thorn exhales. ‘So it’s widespread amongst the Gem rich and elite, but a very well-kept secret. The average Gem obviously hasn’t got a clue, otherwise I would already know about it. If this gets out, well, it would really shake things up. Turn the average Gem against the government.’ A smile spreads across his face and he turns to Ash. ‘And you said you found this bunker?’

‘Yeah.’

‘With no help?’

Ash shakes his head. ‘No help at all.’

‘When?’

‘A few months ago, I guess.’

Thorn laughs. ‘And you figured out there was a cloaking device, and then you didn’t tell a soul until you met young Violet here?’

Ash nods. ‘I kind of like being alive.’

Thorn tucks his knife into his belt. ‘Enterprising and secretive. Maybe you aren’t rubbish after all.’ He turns to face me. ‘The Meat House, Duplicates. You’ve excelled yourself.’ He pauses in the doorway, the smile still stuck to his face. ‘I’ll send Darren to get you in five minutes. Consider it part of your reward, Little Flower.’

Ash and I slump against the wall, our arms and hips pressed together.

‘He is one scary guy,’ Ash says.

I rest my hand on his. ‘Seeing him with that knife—’

Ash silences me with a kiss and I feel the anxiety gradually begin to lift.

He pulls away, a thoughtful look on his face. ‘Little Flower.’

‘Thorn always calls me that. I hate it.’

‘It’s just strange, you know. Ash and Little Flower. I never thought about it until now.’

I shake my head, confused.

‘I guess I never told you the last bit of that skipping rhyme,’ he says.

‘No.’

He begins to speak, just out of time with the constant drip of water.

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