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

on their side. Once they had convinced
the populace of what was happening, then they could coordinate further
infiltration, sabotage bigger things, make more of a difference. Sarah didn’t
want to say goodbye but Marland’s eyes had shone with so much enthusiasm and
hope that she wasn’t going to force her into coming with them. That being said,
she still tried.
    They
were standing outside the building where Harmony’s group were discussing their
next move. Both Finn and Sarah were wearing backpacks stuffed with food and
water and other basic equipment to help keep them alive over the next few days.
    “Mar,
are you sure you don’t want to come with us? What you’re doing is going to be
dangerous. Really dangerous.” She thought back to how nervous Marland had been
when they had been dealing with the Queen, and this was on a whole different
level.
    It
was like Marland knew what she was thinking. “Don’t worry, Sarah,” she said
with a smile. “It’s not like before. Now I have a whole town behind me, and it’s
not just about us anymore. We have a proper cause.” Her smile was beatific.
Somehow in the last few days the nervous, conspiracy theory-spouting girl she knew
on the ship had changed into this dedicated, determined rebel.
    “Yeah,
but-”
    “Besides,”
cut in Marland, “it’s not like what you’re doing is without risk. Anything at
all could happen to you guys. Do you even know where you’re going?”
    That
stopped Sarah in her tracts. Marland had a point. Even if they somehow managed
to avoid the military, they could get lost in the woods, run out of food, get
attacked by an animal… the possibilities were endless.
    “Harmony
gave us a map,” replied Sarah, ignoring the part about risk. “There’s a city a
couple of days walk from here. If we can slip in somehow we can maybe start
anew, incognito.”
    “And
then what?”
    “I
don’t know,” Sarah shrugged. “Maybe,” she said, like it had just occurred to
her, although she had been thinking about it quite a lot, “after a bit of time
has passed, I might be able to get back into my old city. See my mum and uncle
again.”
    “I
hope you succeed,” said Marland, meaning it. She leant in and gave Sarah a hug.
Sarah hugged her back.
    “Thanks
Mar,” she whispered. “Good luck with, well, everything. I hope you change the world.
Oh, and Harmony’s given us some tips on how to throw those spanners.”
    They
pulled apart, Marland laughing before turning to face Finn.
    “And
you?” she asked kindly. “What’s in store for Finn?”
    “I
just want a fresh start,” said Finn with a shrug. “What I had before was…
messy.”
    Marland
nodded and hugged him as well.
    Greg
came out of the building holding the meeting. “Mar,” he said, “we’re going to
take a vote.” He nodded at Sarah and Finn and then ducked back inside.
    “You
better go,” said Sarah with a smile.
    Marland
burst into tears. “If you ever need anything, just let me know,” she said. “I
owe you two everything.” She darted forward and gave them each a quick hug and
then hurried back inside.
    Finn
and Sarah turned to each other. Finn executed an elegant half bow. “Lead the
way.”
     

Chapter Six
     
    The
next city was exactly five days walk from Harmony’s little town. The city was
too well guarded for anyone to find a way in themselves without going through
the official channels, but Harmony had a contact in the city that regularly
checked a hidey hole, secreted just outside the city limits. According to
Harmony, this contact could sneak in or out just about anything, or in their
case, anyone. She had given them a note of introduction, promising the contact
that they weren’t a danger. Sarah just hoped they wouldn’t be waiting too long
before the contact checked the hole, found the note and decided to trust them.
She didn’t fancy camping outside a city that had regular patrols for too long.
    Harmony
had drawn them a map, pointing out where they