Page 64 of Heartless

‘Everyone into position,’ Hatta yelled. ‘Prepare to run for the Crossroads entrance. We must move as one.’

Jest pulled back, gripping Cath’s shoulders. His brow was drawn with fear and apology, but she stopped him before he could speak.

‘It was my choice to come,’ she whispered. ‘You couldn’t have known this would happen.’

A muscle twitched in his jaw. ‘I will get you home safely.’

She nodded and, despite the fear coursing through her veins, she trusted him. ‘Impossible is your speciality.’

His eyes softened, barely covering his distress. ‘So it is.’

‘Are we ready?’ asked Hatta. He had moved towards the door, ready to pull it open. Haigha stood opposite him, his large ears quivering.

Cath glanced around. The old lady had climbed on to the Bloodhound’s back, gripping her knitting needles like daggers. The Squirrel had taken hold of the fishbowl, with the two Goldfish cowering beneath an overturned sugar dish that had fallen inside. The Boa Constrictor had the snoozing Dormouse cradled in his jaw. The Parrot and Cockatoo were ready to take flight; the Chameleon had coloured himself to match the grass and wildflowers of the meadow outside; the Bumblebee was brandishing his stinger; the Porcupine had puffed up his barbed quills; and the Turtle had drawn his head into his shell.

The sight of them, who had been so merry and carefree minutes before, filled Cath with dread.

‘Run fast,’ Jest whispered against her ear. ‘Head straight to the Crossroads and try to stay near the middle of the group if you can – it will be safest.’

‘Why?’ she said. ‘My life has no more value than anyone else’s.’

Jest’s eyes darkened and she thought he would refute, but he seemed to reconsider. Finally, he said, ‘Just hurry, and don’t look back. I’ll be right behind you.’

Cath swallowed and nodded.

His hands fell from her shoulders. Raven swooped towards them and propped himself on Jest’s shoulder.

With the bird’s ink-black feathers and Jest’s ink-black motley, they looked like shadows come to life.

‘On the count of three,’ said Hatta.

More scratches across the rooftop. Another scream from the monster outside.

‘One.’

Jest pressed Cath forward, urging her to stand with the others. Though her legs were shaking, she willed them to be strong as she placed herself between the Porcupine and the Bloodhound. The grey-haired lady met her eyes and gave a nod that was perhaps meant to be comforting, though to Cath it seemed like a look passed between soldiers being sent on to a battlefield.

‘Two.’

Something cracked like splitting timber – the roof being ripped from its trusses.

At the back of the group, the Lion growled.

‘Three!’

Hatta yanked open the door and he and Haigha charged forward, leaping clear of the wooden steps. Their feet thumped on to the grass outside and they took off in opposite directions – Haigha bounding full-speed towards the Crossroads, his powerful hind legs propelling him fast over the meadow, while Hatta took off towards the nearby tree cover. He propped his hat on the tip of his cane and extended it overhead.

The shop erupted into chaos. The animals rushed out the door in a tight pack. Cath gripped her skirt and hardly realized she’d started running until there was soft ground under her feet. Ahead, she could see Haigha waving to them from the brush, coaxing them towards the entrance of the Crossroads.

A shriek rattled the meadow, followed by the beat of thunderous wings. Cath imagined the Jabberwock launching itself off the rooftop of the travelling shop and diving towards them from the sky, but she dared not look back.

The monster’s scream was met with the caw of a raven—no, two ravens – and a thrumming, rumbling roar from the Lion, and Hatta yelling something she couldn’t make out.

Cath was already out of breath, her legs shaking so hard she thought they would collapse before she reached the brush. But they didn’t. She bounded on to the pathway only a few steps behind the Bloodhound and felt an instant sense of safety from the tree cover.

Haigha stood beside a tree trunk, ushering them through the Crossroads doorway. The door was narrow, though, and after their rush from the hat shop, they had bottlenecked to a standstill.

The Squirrel and Goldfish disappeared into the shadows. The Boa Constrictor slithered through. The Bloodhound leaped across the threshold, carrying his charge to safety.

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