Claws of Evil 1 Read online

  Everything was going too fast for Ben. He was shocked that Ruby had sold him out – he’d never seen it coming – but he could be glad at least that she had shown her true colours before he’d started to really like her. Two-faced, money-grabbing back-stabber, he thought angrily. Life would be so much easier without a girl like Ruby around. In the meantime, he had other things to worry about. The Watcher that was holding him down was very light, but strong with it. Their knees were pressed deep into his shoulders, preventing him from lifting himself off the floor, while their small hands held Ben’s arms back above his head.

  For a moment Ben thought that he had been beaten by a child younger than him, but when he looked more closely he could see that it was worse than that: he’d been thrown to the floor and was being pinned down by a girl. He bucked wildly in an attempt to knock her off, but to his frustration she stayed on him as if she were breaking in a troublesome pony.

  “Don’t struggle,” she said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

  The girl had honey-coloured hair that stirred constantly around her face in the night air. A small mouth, set in a determined line. One clear blue eye; just the one, Ben couldn’t help but notice. The other was hidden beneath an eyepatch that surely had something to do with the scar that ran from her hairline, disappeared beneath the patch, and then re-emerged to make the full journey down her pale cheek.

  He became aware of heavy bootsteps, crunching across the cobbles towards him, coming to a halt when they arrived at Ben’s head.

  This night keeps getting better and better, he thought as he looked up and braced himself for a kicking.

  The figure gazing down at him was clearly a Watcher, from the spiked boots to the long coat and brass goggles; all the accoutrements of the opposing army...except for the face.

  “Hello, Ben,” said a familiar voice, “I’ve been looking for you.”

  Part of Ben had started to believe that he might never see his family again, so finding Nathaniel standing in front of him sent such a wave of relief surging through Ben that he could hardly contain it.

  At a signal from Nathaniel, the girl released Ben and he picked himself up off the floor. Ruby was nowhere to be seen. Good riddance to bad rubbish, he thought angrily; although he couldn’t help wondering if she had managed to get away to safety.

  He looked at his brother.

  For that instant, there was only the two of them in the whole of London. He could hear shouts and scuffles from the nearby alleys as Mickelwhite and the others clashed with the Watchers. But none of it mattered.

  “Nathaniel,” said Ben quietly.

  Then, with a warmth that caught Ben totally off guard, Nathaniel threw his arms around him and hugged him. Ben saw something in Nathaniel’s face that he had never seen there so clearly before. He saw love.

  A hundred questions rushed to Ben’s mind. Where’ve you been? Are you hurt? Were you there when the room was destroyed? Are the Watchers keeping you prisoner? And biggest of all: Do you know where Pa is?

  The expression in Nathaniel’s eyes was enough for Ben to boil all of those thoughts down into three small words. He leaned forward to embrace Nathaniel again and whispered into his ear. “Come with me!”

  “No,” said Nathaniel. “Don’t be stupid, Ben. You come with me. Quick!” he added. “The Watchers are waiting for you.”

  Ben was confused. First Ruby had sold him out. And now Nathaniel was dressed as the enemy and asking him to go over to the other camp.

  When Ben had been convinced that his brother was a prisoner of the Watchers everything had seemed so simple, but the fact that Nathaniel was with them willingly troubled him. For all that their father preferred Nathaniel, Ben had always believed that he wasn’t that different to his big brother. How could they end up on opposite sides in this war?

  So much had happened in the last few days that he didn’t know who to believe any more.

  “Come on, Ben,” Nathaniel urged, as he headed back towards a rope ladder and prepared to climb it. “We haven’t got time to hang around.”

  Nathaniel was right on that account, of course; Ben could hear Mickelwhite and Bedlam approaching. It was time to choose sides.

  Ben’s feet remained rooted until the youngest Watcher stepped forward from the shadows and settled the matter for him. He hadn’t really given her much thought until now; she was such a little scrap of a thing. But as she moved closer and held out her hand Ben remembered the last time he had seen those frail fingers.

  “Molly!” he declared, and she responded with a gap-toothed smile. She looked happy and well-fed, Ben thought. And she definitely wasn’t dead. So that could mean only one thing – the Weeping Man was not a killer after all.

  And the Legion were full of lies.

  “I’m coming, Nathaniel,” Ben yelled, running to the foot of the ladder that his brother was already climbing. For a second he stood amazed as all the Watchers, little Molly Marbank included, ascended up their own ropes as swiftly as rats in the rigging. Only Nathaniel remained, hanging back and waiting for Ben.

  Ben’s face felt funny and he had to touch his mouth before he recognized what was wrong. He was smiling again; a huge lopsided grin that he couldn’t contain.

  I was getting bored of the Legion, anyway, he thought as he took the rope ladder in his hands and prepared to follow Nathaniel up onto the rooftop.

  “Quickly!” Nathaniel insisted again. “We haven’t got time to play games, Ben, what are you waiting for? You haven’t given them Pa’s coin have you?”

  Ben froze. The smile dead on his lips.

  All his peace abandoned him and in its place came a surge of pure fury.

  The Coin!

  You just want my Coin!

  Ferociously, without any clear thought except anger, Ben started to climb after his brother, hand over fist.

  We’ll see about that!

  London had changed since Lucy had first heard the name Ben Kingdom. She could sense it deep within her and other Watchers had reported it too: darkness was on the rise. It wasn’t anything that she could put her finger on, more a subtle shift in the atmosphere. In the streets, in the drinking houses, in the factories, in rich houses and poor, tensions were becoming frayed, like wire that had been drawn too taut and was ready to snap. Rows were breaking out across the city: husband versus wife, father versus son, friend against friend. It was the presence of the Coin, she had no doubt; Watcher history taught that those cursed pieces of silver were always accompanied by bloodshed. First came the jealousy, then resentment, then the murderous rage.

  One thing was for certain, Lucy realized as she looked back over her shoulder – the Legion were becoming bolder. You either had to be very foolhardy or very brave to follow the Watchers up onto the rooftops, but that was exactly what this brigade was doing now. I just pray that they don’t catch up with us, Lucy thought, as she bounded across the tiles.

  Lucy was a good enough fighter. Mr. Moon had taught her well but that didn’t stop the swell of fear in her belly. She wasn’t afraid for herself – it was Molly she was scared for. It had been a mistake to let her come with them at all – she should’ve been safely tucked up at the eyrie – but what was done was done. Lucy hung back and drew a small length of pipe from her backpack. She gave a quick flick of her wrist and the metal tube telescoped out until she was holding a quarterstaff, which she spun about her, cutting through the air. With her good eye, she signalled to Ghost, who drew out his crossbow and began to lay down a covering fire.

  Nathaniel was still lagging behind them. He was holding them back but it was hardly his fault. He hadn’t had time to get used to his skyboots and so he wasn’t much quicker than the Legion as he staggered and slipped across the roof.

  Ghost crouched and sent another bolt speeding towards the pursuing Legionnaires. The trouble was that he wouldn’t hit any of them, Lucy knew. Unless there were no other options, Ghost wouldn’t ever shoot to kill. Ghost was a true Watcher, and violence was not the Watcher way.


  Ahead of them Josiah was picking the safest path for their escape, while Molly clung to his hand for dear life. Every now and then the little girl looked up at the Weeping Man, and Lucy could see the way that he smiled down at her, with no trace of fear or panic on his beautiful face. Which was more than could be said for Nathaniel Kingdom. Nathaniel appeared terrified as he stumbled and skittered over the slates towards them.

  And finally came Ben Kingdom, running with determination. Falling, picking himself up. Running again.

  Perhaps Nathaniel had been able to persuade him after all?

  Ben was going to kill him.

  But he would have to catch Nathaniel first.

  In spite of the blood pounding inside his head Ben was aware that he wasn’t alone on the roof. On the periphery of his vision he could see Hans Schulman making heavy weather of a rope ladder and Jimmy Dips stuck halfway up a drainpipe, apparently unable to go up or down. Ruby Johnson was nowhere to be seen. Only Mickelwhite and Bedlam had made it up onto the roof tiles and both were following in hard pursuit.

  Ben had to admit that the Watchers were incredible, racing away with the sure-footedness of mountain goats. Some gaps they simply jumped, giving them no more thought then he did to jumping a puddle. To cross the bigger drops, Ben could see that the Watchers used ladders or planks which they must have hidden on the roofs in advance, only putting them out to span the gaps when they needed to, and then pulling the bridge across after them once they were on the other side.

  But the most impressive thing was the way that they moved. They seemed to leap with such ease, using gutters and walls as springboards, giving the impression that they were skipping away rather than fleeing for their lives. Ben did his best to follow his brother, but he had to think about each step. Twice he had slipped, sending broken slates spinning into the darkness.

  Mickelwhite, for all his lankiness, had a certain grace and his long legs were closing the gap. John Bedlam, on the other hand, who possessed not one single ounce of poise or elegance, was making ground on the fleeing Watchers based solely on his desire to start a fight.

  Ben studied the Watchers as he ran, copying what they did as best he could. He was beginning to work out the surest way to plant his feet on the roof tiles, and had learned that the quickest path was along the ridge at the apex of a roof; so long as he didn’t look down. He dumped his bags and rid himself of his armour as he ran, stripping off anything that would slow him.

  He was gaining on Nathaniel and his entire left arm throbbed in anticipation.

  Nathaniel wanted to steal his Coin.

  He would pay for that.

  Mickelwhite was gone. Ben couldn’t see him any more. He had either come to a gap he couldn’t cross or fallen to his death; Ben wasn’t much bothered which. John Bedlam was still tearing along with no thought for his own safety and was running a parallel course to Ben. A crossbow bolt struck a chimney next to Bedlam’s head and the pot exploded into a thousand shards; he staggered but didn’t slow.

  Gradually, their paths began to converge until Ben and Bedlam both dropped down onto a welcome stretch of flat roof and were running side by side. The Watchers were in sight, Nathaniel in the rear, and both boys dug into their last reserves and started to sprint.

  The African Watcher levelled his crossbow pistol again. The bolt sliced through the air towards them and Ben instinctively flicked out with his left hand and batted it away. Another innocent chimney pot was shattered to pieces beside him and peppered his face with splinters. Ben touched his fingers to his cheek and they came away kissed with blood, black in the moonlight.

  He took the Coin out of his pocket with his left hand and clenched it so tightly in his fist that his veins stood proud.

  Josiah didn’t even slow as he thundered towards the edge of the roof with Molly tucked under his arm. When he reached the dead drop, he leaped high into the air, his feet continuing to pedal furiously until he landed safely on the next flat roof over, fifteen feet away. In a single fluid move he retrieved a Watcher ladder from its hiding place and, anchoring one end against his upraised foot, he lowered the ladder down until it bridged the wide gap.

  Lucy crossed the ladder towards him, running over the rungs, her honey-coloured hair like a halo in the cold light of the moon. Then came Ghost, firing his last bolt as a warning across their pursuers’ path.

  Nathaniel Kingdom made it as far as the middle of the ladder and then paused, his hand outstretched behind him. Lucy saw something close to desperation on his face.

  “Come on,” Nathaniel urged his brother. “Quickly!”

  The edge of the building was less than ten feet away from Ben and in mere moments he would be out on the ladder too. Nathaniel was waiting for him there, with his hand still outstretched for the Coin.

  Behind Ben was John Bedlam, grinning like a lunatic. They both put on a final spurt.

  It was only when he and Bedlam were neck and neck that it occurred to Ben that they were running full tilt towards a four-storey drop and going too fast to stop. His only hope, he realized, was to make the ladder first. He glanced at Bedlam’s mad eyes and knew that they both had the same idea.

  Benjamin felt sick.

  He could feel each of his footfalls as he thundered towards open air, his legs beginning to buckle. His lungs were made of fire; there was no strength left in him. But he simply could not stop now.

  Somehow, he managed to ease himself a hair’s breadth in front of Bedlam and then he dived for the ladder, throwing himself towards it full length. He hit it heavily, awkwardly, the wood slamming against him. For a fraction of a second he found himself lying with his face between the rungs, staring down at the pavement and the death that waited for him there. Then Bedlam landed behind him, half on top of him, and with such force that the vibrations threatened to shake them both off. The wood bowed dangerously and Ben’s stomach clenched.

  And then, to Ben’s absolute horror, the ladder slipped from the edge of the roof, leaving him and Bedlam both clutching thin air.

  Lucy was convinced that she was about to watch both Kingdom brothers fall.

  When Ben and the other Legionnaire had flung themselves onto the flimsy ladder-bridge, they had dislodged their end and so now it was only supported on the Watchers’ side. She and Ghost pushed down on their end with all their might, desperate to keep it suspended, but it was surely only a matter of time. Lucy could feel her arms shuddering with the effort. Ghost’s beautiful eyes met hers, his thick arms bulging beneath his Watcher greatcoat. If the ladder went now, it would drag them both with it. Quickly Josiah stepped in to help take the strain and even Molly added her weight, such as it was.

  Stuck in the middle of the ladder, Nathaniel had been cast off balance by the impact and tipped over the side, only managing to grab a hold by some miracle. Now he was hanging precariously underneath, his teeth clenched as he tried to find the strength to drag himself back up.

  Lucy gave Josiah and Ghost a nod. “One, two, three,” she breathed, and on the last count they all heaved together and began to haul the ladder to safety; slow inch by slow inch.

  She could see Ben swinging from the ladder too, with the other boy hanging desperately from Ben’s legs. Ben looked tortured, Lucy thought. Not cocky or clever. Just a boy in torment.

  Hang on, Ben Kingdom!

  Ben had never known pain like it. He wouldn’t have been surprised if his arms were ripped from their sockets. His fingers were slick with sweat and his grip was failing.

  Bedlam was swinging below him, trying to get a hold on Ben’s belt, but slipping all the time. Ben tried to get a better grip, but their combined weight was too much for him.

  He still had the Coin though. He could feel it in his left hand, held there by two fingers, while he tried to save his life with the other three.

  “Try not to struggle,” he snarled down at Bedlam, who was kicking out wildly with his legs. “You’ll have us both off, you idiot!”

  The ladder jerked again as the Wat
chers tried desperately to drag it over to their side to rescue their comrade. Ben could see his brother, hanging only a few feet away. Bedlam continued to thrash, his grasp sliding down to Ben’s thighs, his nails digging into Ben’s legs through the rough wool of his trousers. Ben braced himself for the moment when it became too much strain to bear and gravity had her way with the lot of them.

  Drop the Coin, said a voice inside his head that was not his own. It will pull you down, the voice warned. Let it go.

  Ben knew that his strength was failing. It made sense to drop the stupid thing and use all his might to hold on. But it never felt like a simple choice when it came to the Coin.

  Bedlam gave a strangled gasp and fell two more feet until he was hanging from Ben’s ankles. Ben wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on for: ten seconds? Five?

  Perhaps if he could somehow get the Coin into his mouth and hold it there, he could use two hands to save them both? Perhaps if he found the strength, he could help Nathaniel too?

  Or perhaps he could shake John Bedlam off and just save himself?

  Ben had no idea where that last thought had come from and it revolted him; although not enough for him to let the Coin fall from his fingers.

  His muscles were screaming. Beneath him, John Bedlam was screaming. On the other end of the ladder, the Watchers were screaming.

  Then another scream rang out, so pure and clear that it silenced the rest of the world. Time slowed down, just as it had the first time that Ben met the Weeping Man. Three seconds passed as slowly as a hundred years.

  One.

  He saw his brother Nathaniel lose his grip on the ladder and begin his journey to the waiting pavement below. And in that moment, Benjamin realized that he didn’t want Nathaniel to die. He didn’t hate him any more; he wasn’t even cross with him. He wanted to be friends with his brother again and to find their father together. But the cobblestones of London wouldn’t allow that. This is how it would end for Nathaniel. Flesh on rock, bone on stone.