Sisters of Midnight by Katherine Livesey

Author:Katherine Livesey [Livesey, Katherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008467739
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Chapter Twenty

The guard, blood streaming from his mouth, looked incensed instead of in pain and vulnerable. His whole body shook with rage and he growled like an agitated wolf at Cass, whose fist was still throbbing from its impact with the man’s jaw.

Before the guard could respond, Morven had climbed the bench beside them and launched herself at his back, knocking him to the floor. The little boy from earlier had shuffled himself upright and was now watching with unblinking eyes as Morven and Cass fought his oppressor.

Guards started filing into the room, but Cass didn’t care. All he wanted to do was punish this man, and all thoughts of anonymity had disappeared like the guard’s teeth. But for some reason, as he was throwing punch after punch at the man, no one had carried him away yet. He risked a glance behind himself and saw the most unbelievable scene.

The children were rioting.

Shouting echoed across the dining hall of the poorhouse. Pewter jugs and plates were being thrown, as well as fists. The children had broken into a ruthless attack the moment Morven and Cass had defended the poor young boy who had been assaulted so cruelly by the guard. Every other guard in the place had filed into the room, but they were massively outnumbered. It looked to Morven like they deliberately didn’t station many guards in these children’s houses because children were submissive and harmless. Ha, she thought, that’ll show them.

Morven had never been one for violence, and on more than one occasion she had declared herself a pacifist. But there was something special about standing up for someone else in need that made her forget all of her morals. She felt more alive than she had in a long while, even if she didn’t particularly enjoy throwing punches.

For a moment she took a step back. One advantage of the chaos was that no one else was paying attention, which allowed her the space and brief snippet of time to actually think about what they were going to do next. There would be no going back from this, which in a way was a very good thing; she had wanted to get as far away from this place as possible the moment they had arrived. But it was no longer just about her and Cass. There were thirty or so children in this place who were going to be punished for their actions, and punished badly. Could she live with herself if she just left them to suffer? She knew the answer without having to think about it. No.

But what would she do with thirty vicious, angry, half-starved and overworked children once she broke them out of this cesspit? She looked around at them throwing themselves around the small dining room, pushing aside the long tables, throwing chairs, roaring with the relief of a captive animal that has just had its first taste of liberation.

And then she realised, and suddenly the idea was so obvious she was annoyed that she hadn’t thought of it sooner.

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