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The light reflected on his shiny boots. “I’ve never liked the rules of Raven Park, the fact that we beasts are only pieces of meat. Growing up, I got into trouble with Commander Thompson, the man who was in charge at that time. Once you start questioning a rule, you’ll soon question them all. Roy was different. He believed in the rules, the code of honour of the beasts, and whatever other patriotic rubbish they wanted us to believe.”
Odd. Commander Allen had told me the opposite, that Lukas had been the rule-abiding one whilst Roy had been the wild one.
“I started planning my escape when I was fifteen.” He smiled, a carefree smile that was lost in some memory. “Believe it or not, it wasn’t that difficult, escaping, I mean. Roy and I managed to leave Raven Park undetected countless of times.”
“To go where?” I asked, curious. Finally, a Turner who answered my questions.
He waved a hand. “To the town, fishing, drinking at the pub, meeting people, watching the girls dancing. Escaping was our secret, and the commander wasn’t any the wiser. Those stolen hours of freedom became my drug. The more time I spent outside of Raven Park, the more I wanted to. I carefully planned my escape, or so I’d thought. Roy refused to leave, though. He enjoyed the clandestine nights out, but desertion was another matter for him. Even though Thompson was brutal with us. He humiliated us when we made a mistake, beat us, and kept saying how disappointed he was by our failures.” He massaged his chest. “He made us feel less worthy than dirt. Roy became obsessed with perfection. He wanted to be the man Thompson wanted. Pathetic. At first, I didn’t want to leave unless Roy came with me. But then, I couldn’t wait any longer. Thompson had his ideas about my future. He wanted to send me to some godforsaken village in a remote part of the empire to defend British interests.” His upper lip curled in a snarl. “Bollocks. I had no intention of dying while harassing the native people of a distant land who hadn’t done anything to me.”
I suppressed the comment about the fact that was what the Nazis were doing, harassing other countries for their own gain.
“So I decided to leave. As I said, I thought I’d planned everything, but a cadet spotted me and gave the alarm. Roy didn’t have a choice. He volunteered to chase me, worried that if someone else found me, I would have been hung for treason. A just fear. Thompson wouldn’t have shown any mercy. Roy wanted to be the first to find me. His idea was to convince me to come back, but that wasn’t an option. Thompson would have thrown me into prison in the best-case scenario. Then shipped me off to the Colonies. Roy caught me, of course.” He scoffed. “Hell, he was the only one who could. But when I told him I’d made my choice and didn’t want to return to Raven Park, he urged me to go, saying he’d find a way to protect me. As he’s always done,” he muttered the last words.
A lump of emotions clogged my throat. I could relate to his choice to leave Raven Park, but the Nazis? They weren’t better than the officers and politicians he’d escaped from. “Who’s buried in the cemetery, then?” I asked.
He smirked. “Haven’t the foggiest. After I talked with Roy when he caught up with me, I kept running, leaving him behind. He didn’t want to come with me for some misguided sense of loyalty toward king and country.” He blew out a breath. “I don’t know how he handled the aftermath of my death, or how he convinced everyone that I was dead.”
I rose to pour myself another glass of water. Drops spilled as my hand trembled. In a deep corner of my heart, I was happy and relieved to know that Roy hadn’t killed Lukas. That also explained why he wanted to keep the truth secret from me. “Why did you want to leave Raven Park?” I asked, sitting down again.
“Why don’tyouwant to leave Raven Park?” He glowered, a glimmer of his beast sparking. “We’re considered nothing more than objects, properties of the Ministry of Defence. Weapons to be used at the minister’s disposal. We can’t express our opinion about what they want to do with us. We’re supposed to die when they ask us to. To fight when they want us to. To not think. I want a life that is my own.”
He had a point. “Why the Nazis?”
“Why not?” He spread his arms. “They give me all the freedom I want.”
“How can you support what they stand for?” I lowered the glass, anger flaring up. “All that tosh about the purity of races, their hate for the Jews, their plan to expand.”
“Show me a government that doesn’t shed blood, enslave people considered inferior, and slaughter those who don’t want to submit. How about our empire? How does the British government treat Indians, Australian aborigines, and even the Jews?”
“Kristallnacht didn’t happen in London, though.”
“What about Delhi or Calcutta? Look around, Kristin. The whole world is ablaze with hatred, and the British are deep into it.”
I hadn’t told him my name, had I? Hearing my name from him shocked me more than his tirade against the empire, which, by the way, had a grain of truth.
Seemingly reading my mind, he grinned. “Come on now. You should buy a better coat and thicker clothes. They were thoroughly soaked like your papers. I also have sources. And don’t worry. I didn’t touch you. Afrautook care of you.”
Sod thefrau. “What sources?” Although I had a hunch.
“Mr Nathan Edwards is in the castle.”
Curse him. I shivered despite the fire. “He killed innocent people in Raven Park.”
A cold glint crossed his gaze. “That was unfortunate. The plan was to damage the mill. Not to kill anyone. But casualties are inevitable sometimes. He was rather disappointed by the lack of information you had.”
“Excuse me?”
He stretched his long legs in a relaxed posture Roy wouldn’t take. “Nathan insisted on being your partner to merge with you, hoping that, since you were Roy’s apprentice, you would know some interesting secrets. He probed your mind a few times. But alas, he said Roy hadn’t shared anything important with you.”
The bitter taste of disgust soured my mouth. Merging with Nathan hadn’t caused those headaches. Curse him to hell. Roy had protected his secrets from me very well, and for the first time, I was glad he had. “What do you want from me?”
“Roy,” he said in a low voice.
Chilly thrills spread through my limbs, slowing my heartbeat. “Why? He saved your life by letting you go. Why do you want to hurt him?”
“Who said anything about hurting him?” His eyebrows drew together. “Honestly, has anyone ever told you that you jump to conclusions?”
Yes, Roy. “Then if your intentions are honourable, let me go and I’ll tell Roy that you want to see him.”
