The Weapon (The Hourglass Series Book 2) Read Free Page A

should be nice and sterile. The fire should
do the job anyway, but I just wanted to be sure.” Finn nodded at her in
appreciation. Harmony went to the sink and wet a cloth before throwing it at
him. “Clean your wrist as well, hey? We don’t want to burn in any bits of dirt
or fabric that might be lingering there.” Finn scrubbed at his wrist while
Harmony moved over to the fire and heated her metal rod.
    Nobody
spoke as they waited. Finally the rod glowed red and Harmony pulled it out.
Finn took a gulp of the nasty alcohol the town self-brewed and had offered to
him for pain relief. As the town was independent, the only medical supplies
they had were the ones they made themselves or that they managed to buy on the
black market from other, sympathetic sources. Finn had seen how tiny their anaesthetic
supply was, and turned down their offer to use it on him. If they went live
with what Marland knew, their town could easily come under attack. They might
need it themselves pretty soon.
    “Ok,”
said Finn. “Let’s do this.”
    Harmony
nodded and walked over. Finn jumped off the table, Sarah and Marland quickly
following. Harmony reached over and turned on the nearby tap.
    “As
soon as I burn you, stick your wrist under the running water. Leave it there
for twenty minutes, no matter how much it hurts. The burn will still work but
it will diminish the scarring and the pain.” She hesitated. “At least, that’s
what the medic tells me.”
    Finn
nodded grimly. He stuck out his arm.
    “Sarah,
hold his arm tightly,” said Harmony.
    Sarah
nodded and stood closely next to Finn, one of her arms snaked around his elbow,
supporting it, the other hand gripped his forearm.
    “Ok,”
said Harmony, taking a big breath. “Ready or not.”
    She
bought the rod down onto his wrist. Finn screamed. His arm shook and his
fingers went white as he squeezed his fist, but he didn’t pull away. Harmony
rolled the rod so that it covered all of the barcode and then took it away. The
whole thing lasted two seconds, but it was long enough.
    “Quick,
get him to the sink,” said Harmony. The hand that she was holding the rod with was
shaking.
    Sarah,
her face white as chalk, clumsily pushed Finn over to the sink and thrust his
wrist under the running water. Finn gave a small yell but kept it there with
her support.
    “Ok,”
said Sarah, breathing heavily, “twenty minutes.” Her eyes flickered up to the
clock and marked the time. She looked back at Finn’s wrist. The rod had
blistered the skin and burnt through the top layer. There was no sign of the
barcode left. Finn was taking large, gulping breaths of air next to her. She
leaned into him as she continued to support his arm. He leaned back. It was the
closest they had been to each other since that evening underneath the pier.
Despite everything, it felt nice.  
    After
twenty minutes had passed Harmony put some paste that the medic had given her
over the wound and wrapped it in a bandage. She then passed Sarah a thick,
leather bracelet that tightened around her wrist like a watch, covering her own
barcode.
    “It’s
hardly foolproof,” said Harmony, “but better than nothing.”
    “Thank-you,
Harmony,” said Sarah, meaning it. “For everything.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    They
left the next day. Marland left a meeting with the others to say goodbye. Now
that they had her insider knowledge of the layout of the Hourglass Group
compound, the townspeople were planning on breaking in and releasing the other
prisoners. After that they were going to use Marland and any of the other
prisoners who wanted to stay around and help their cause to publicise what was
happening. They already had an underground radio station in play. Now they were
going to go mobile as well, sneaking in to other towns and cities, telling
their stories, spreading the word. It was, Marland had told them
enthusiastically, just the start. The first step, she said, was to make people
aware of what was happening, get them