Free The Frost Child by Eoin McNamee

at her side.
    Everyone was busy. Contessa was organizing food supplies. Gangs of men and women were working at lightning speed rebuilding the Workhouse. Watching them, Owen realized that the tumbledown look of the building wasn't completely an illusion--parts of it had been removed and hidden away. Even now, men were
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    lowering huge sections of the roof into place. But Pieta was right--as fast as the Resisters worked, they could not have the defenses ready in a couple of hours.
    "Cati," Owen called.
    "What?"
    "If anybody's looking for me, say I've gone to the Den," he said.
    "What's going on?"
    "I've got a plan. But I'm not sure everyone will go along with it. Besides, it would take two hours talking about it, and we don't have two hours."
    "Right," Cati said. "I'll cover for you. Good luck."
    Owen slipped and slithered down the path to the Wayfarer , dodging out of the way of people carrying timber and stones and ropes. Down at the frozen river Rutgar was distributing weapons to his men at a frantic pace, while Samual strode up and down barking orders.
    When Owen got to the Wayfarer , he saw a familiar, long-legged figure perched on the bow. Dr. Diamond stood up when he approached.
    "Going somewhere?" the doctor asked.
    "If I told them, they'd try to stop me."
    "They might and they might not. At the moment, you're their only hope."
    "So you're not going to stop me?"
    "You have to make your own decisions. But haven't you forgotten something?"
    "What?"
    "No one has wakened the Raggies."
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    "The Raggies! How could I have forgotten! But I don't have time ..."
    The Raggies were a branch of the Resisters who lived in a warehouse at the harbor. The warehouse was an island in time like the Workhouse and had its own Starry. The waiflike appearance of the Raggies, all children, belied their toughness. They had been cruelly abandoned in time by a sea captain who had been supposed to look after them.
    "I will take Cati to do it. But go now, Owen. We're depending on you."
    As if to underline his point, a gust of icy wind blew snow into their faces.
    "What is your plan?" Dr. Diamond asked.
    "To get them to chase me away from the Workhouse."
    "And will they?"
    "I think so," Owen said grimly. "I think so."
    "Go, Owen," Dr. Diamond said. "Buy us as much time as you can, but a day will do a lot."
    Owen scrambled on board the Wayfarer , which rose off the ground. He adjusted the helmet, which he had pushed back on his head, so that the chain-mail visor covered his face, but as he put his hand on the tiller his mother ran up.
    "You don't understand," he said. "I have to do this. For all our sakes."
    "I know you do," she said. "Pieta isn't the only warrior among the womenfolk around here." His mother's eyes flashed in a way that he hadn't seen before. "I
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    brought you this," she went on, placing a magno gun and ammunition inside the boat. "Take care of yourself," she said. "Use your speed and maneuverability. Trust the Wayfarer . And remember, we don't need that long."
    Owen looked at his mother standing straight and tall with the wind blowing her hair back, and felt a rush of pride. He grasped the tiller firmly. The Wayfarer pointed her bow toward the sky. Within seconds she was speeding upward. Martha stared after her son.
    "Take care," she said faintly.
    "That can't have been easy," Dr. Diamond said, putting his arm around her shoulder.
    "It was hard, but he is ready," she said, her eyes still fixed on the distant craft.
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    Chapter 9
    High above the Workhouse Owen lashed the tiller so that it wouldn't move, and clambered forward to unfurl the sail. As it billowed out, catching the winds of time, the Wayfarer surged forward. The scene below faded from view. Owen felt both nervous and exhilarated. For the first time he was alone on the Wayfarer .
    "Let's find some Harsh," he said grimly, and the Wayfarer's bow appeared to rise in response.
    It didn't take long to come upon the enemy ships. Within twenty minutes Owen had spotted the