The Rising Rooks by Celine Jeanjean

Author:Celine Jeanjean [Jeanjean, Celine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-08T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 30

Adelma

Adelma, Rory, and Rafe were all in Granny Dankworth's front room, making plans for their move on Garrata’s weapons factory. After the attack on Adelma, it had been decided it might be safer for Granny Dankworth and the family members who normally lived in her house to go stay with friends and relatives. Adelma and the others would always be targets, and if trouble came, it would be best if it didn’t find a little old woman.

Rookery matriarchs might have been formidable, but on their own they were no match for armed guards.

The granny's furniture was small, suited to a little old lady, so Adelma constantly felt like she was sitting on children's furniture. Any time she sat on a chair, she winced as she half expected that it would snap as easily as if it were made of matchsticks. The table, at least, was solid. Heavy wood, scuffed by years and use, showing rings from the many drinks that had been placed on it and scratches from knives or forks. And there were even initials carved on the bottom of one of the legs. One of the grandchildren's handywork.

Rory was just explaining the setup she wanted to use to steal the weapons, using tin cups to illustrate what she meant, when Pip and Alice ran in, breathless.

“There's armoured guards in the Rookery, and they're searching people's houses. Raiding them.”

Everyone stood up quickly at that. Adelma felt a spike of fear—her Tommy was upstairs with Tabir—followed by a rush of anger. No one was getting up those stairs.

No one.

“I'll go make sure the trapdoor to the basement is closed and out of sight,” Rafe said.

Cruikshank's workshop was down there, and she was in the middle of making more of the signalling lamps. They couldn't afford for any of them to be seen.

Adelma flattened herself against the wall by the front door, quickly scanning the street out the window. She could hear yelling in the distance, and then something crashed.

Rafe had a gun with him, but it was the only one they had.

“Pip, Alice, you guys should go upstairs,” Rory said. “Stay with Tommy, and if you hear any noise down here, make your way up to the roof. You should be safe up there—even if they do search the place, nobody will think to check the rooftop.”

The two kids scurried away. Another crash, this one very close. A quick glance out of the window, and Adelma saw that two armoured guards had battered down a front door across the lane, and they were rushing inside. The house where Longinus was staying was a little further down the street, and he had his laboratory there.

“We need to stop them from going any further,” Adelma muttered. She turned away from the window. “Rory, you're gonna be our bait. Them guards will know what you look like. Rafe! When you're done with the basement, I got a plan that I need your help with.”

* * *

Adelma and Rafe waited on either side of the front door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.