Read Online Elevation of the Marked (The Marked Series Book 2) by March McCarron - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: March McCarron
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responded.
Bray appeared a moment later, wearing a chocolate brown dress and bonnet. “Ready?”
He bobbed his head and moved to hug his mother farewell.
“Yarrow,” Ree said, pointing at him. “Your hair. It’s a dead giveaway.”
He clutched his braid in his hand and closed his eyes for a second. Hair is a trivial thing , he told himself. But it wasn’t trivial. It was his identity. The braid was such a part of who he was. And it took an age to grow out this long .
“Very well,” Yarrow said, sinking onto a stool. “Cut it.”
Ree yanked open a drawer and extracted a great, gleaming pair of scissors. “How short?”
He felt the cool blade against the nape of his neck. “It doesn’t matter. Whatever will be fastest.”
He heard the blades saw through the thick braid, and then felt the weight of his hair vanish all at once. Freed strands sprang into his face.
Ree snipped a few more times, then tied his hair back into a tail at the base of his neck. “There,” she declared.
He stood, testing the odd new lightness of his head, and his eyes fell on the long, dark braid upon the floor. “You should sell it. Probably get a few marks,” he said detachedly.
Ree wrapped her arms around his neck and he patted her back. “You’ll visit again, won’t you?” she asked.
“When I can,” he replied, voice choked.
He hugged as many of his siblings as he could reach, kissed his mother’s cheek, and shook his father’s hand.
Then he and Bray were stepping back out onto the front step. It had been a surreal, brief interview, but, Yarrow reflected as he clasped Bray’s hand, a memory that he would no doubt treasure in the black days to come.
He imagined the constable’s office downtown, specifically the back side of the building, and willed himself there. In an instant, they arrived.
Bray scanned the flat brick exterior. The ribbons on her bonnet swirled in the wind. “Any idea where the cells are located?”
“What,” Yarrow asked, “you think I spent a lot of time incarcerated as a youth?”
She snorted. “Alright, let’s just go through the wall and…see what happens.”
“A scrupulous plan.”
She laughed. “You have a better one?”
He shook his head. “Not a bit.”
She squeezed his hand once and he felt the shiver of her phasing. Together they crept through the brick wall. In a stroke of luck, they appeared within a vacant cell.
Bray crawled to the door and glanced up and down the hall. “Clear,” she whispered. Yarrow followed. He could hear voices coming from the main office, but they were distant.
Glans Heath being a small town, there weren’t many cells to check.
“There you are,” Ko-Jin hissed as they approached. Jo-Kwan and Chae-Na, who had been sitting on the bare floor, rose to their feet with relieved expressions. “You took an age and—” Ko-Jin stopped and sniffed at Yarrow, his eyes narrowing. “You bastard, you smell of bacon!”
Yarrow stifled a laugh and held out a hand. “Shall we discuss my breakfast, or depart?”
“Depart,” Jo-Kwan said. Yarrow tugged off his coat and pushed the sleeves of his shirt up, giving them more access to his flesh. Four hands took hold.
“All aboard?” Yarrow asked.
With a sharp pop , they were gone.
5
Arlow alighted from the carriage, tipped his hat against the light rain, and made haste to the vacant waiting area. Clearly having arrived before his contact, he perched upon a bench and withdrew his watch from his robe-pocket. Late .
His eyes trailed up from the time to the small photograph within the golden lid. Three faces beamed back at him: Yarrow, Ko-Jin, and, in the center, himself, an arm flung round each of his friends’ shoulders. They’d been sixteen when it had been taken at a booth in Cosanta City. A hard lump caught in his windpipe; he snapped the timepiece shut and jammed it back into his pocket.
The rain picked up, drumming loudly on the metal roofing and transforming the
Bray appeared a moment later, wearing a chocolate brown dress and bonnet. “Ready?”
He bobbed his head and moved to hug his mother farewell.
“Yarrow,” Ree said, pointing at him. “Your hair. It’s a dead giveaway.”
He clutched his braid in his hand and closed his eyes for a second. Hair is a trivial thing , he told himself. But it wasn’t trivial. It was his identity. The braid was such a part of who he was. And it took an age to grow out this long .
“Very well,” Yarrow said, sinking onto a stool. “Cut it.”
Ree yanked open a drawer and extracted a great, gleaming pair of scissors. “How short?”
He felt the cool blade against the nape of his neck. “It doesn’t matter. Whatever will be fastest.”
He heard the blades saw through the thick braid, and then felt the weight of his hair vanish all at once. Freed strands sprang into his face.
Ree snipped a few more times, then tied his hair back into a tail at the base of his neck. “There,” she declared.
He stood, testing the odd new lightness of his head, and his eyes fell on the long, dark braid upon the floor. “You should sell it. Probably get a few marks,” he said detachedly.
Ree wrapped her arms around his neck and he patted her back. “You’ll visit again, won’t you?” she asked.
“When I can,” he replied, voice choked.
He hugged as many of his siblings as he could reach, kissed his mother’s cheek, and shook his father’s hand.
Then he and Bray were stepping back out onto the front step. It had been a surreal, brief interview, but, Yarrow reflected as he clasped Bray’s hand, a memory that he would no doubt treasure in the black days to come.
He imagined the constable’s office downtown, specifically the back side of the building, and willed himself there. In an instant, they arrived.
Bray scanned the flat brick exterior. The ribbons on her bonnet swirled in the wind. “Any idea where the cells are located?”
“What,” Yarrow asked, “you think I spent a lot of time incarcerated as a youth?”
She snorted. “Alright, let’s just go through the wall and…see what happens.”
“A scrupulous plan.”
She laughed. “You have a better one?”
He shook his head. “Not a bit.”
She squeezed his hand once and he felt the shiver of her phasing. Together they crept through the brick wall. In a stroke of luck, they appeared within a vacant cell.
Bray crawled to the door and glanced up and down the hall. “Clear,” she whispered. Yarrow followed. He could hear voices coming from the main office, but they were distant.
Glans Heath being a small town, there weren’t many cells to check.
“There you are,” Ko-Jin hissed as they approached. Jo-Kwan and Chae-Na, who had been sitting on the bare floor, rose to their feet with relieved expressions. “You took an age and—” Ko-Jin stopped and sniffed at Yarrow, his eyes narrowing. “You bastard, you smell of bacon!”
Yarrow stifled a laugh and held out a hand. “Shall we discuss my breakfast, or depart?”
“Depart,” Jo-Kwan said. Yarrow tugged off his coat and pushed the sleeves of his shirt up, giving them more access to his flesh. Four hands took hold.
“All aboard?” Yarrow asked.
With a sharp pop , they were gone.
5
Arlow alighted from the carriage, tipped his hat against the light rain, and made haste to the vacant waiting area. Clearly having arrived before his contact, he perched upon a bench and withdrew his watch from his robe-pocket. Late .
His eyes trailed up from the time to the small photograph within the golden lid. Three faces beamed back at him: Yarrow, Ko-Jin, and, in the center, himself, an arm flung round each of his friends’ shoulders. They’d been sixteen when it had been taken at a booth in Cosanta City. A hard lump caught in his windpipe; he snapped the timepiece shut and jammed it back into his pocket.
The rain picked up, drumming loudly on the metal roofing and transforming the
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