Sister Anna was a lot nicer once she put away her shotgun. She even made them tea with a couple of biscuits, which reminded Kelly how hungry she was.
‘I used to be Head Matron here,’ said Anna. ‘Back when we had floors and floors of orphans, many due to William James.’
Her expression soured as she spoke the name, and the disgust that emanated from her was palpable to Kelly.
They were definitely on the same side.
‘Some of their parents were collected,’ continued Anna. ‘Others were imprisoned for resisting James in the early days of his ascension. After Capital Treasury fell under his control, he decided that orphans, even those created by his very own actions, did not deserve help.’
She sipped her tea and stared off, reliving something disturbing.
‘What happened?’ Kelly prompted gently.
‘He sent them off to the Agricultural Zone,’ said Anna. ‘Said they’d be more use working on the farms than sponging off the Kingdom, as he so kindly put it. Turned innocent children into slaves.’
Kelly and Stanley exchanged a glance. The Agricultural Zone was some hours from the city, and covered a large area.
‘Could he still be out there somewhere?’ said Kelly.
‘It’s our best lead,’ Stanley replied.
‘Who?’ said Anna.
‘Someone who might help us defeat William may have been an orphan here,’ said Stanley. ‘I wonder if you have any records you could share with us? Such as where the children were sent?’
Anna went to a filing cabinet. ‘This is all meant to be confidential, of course,’ she said. ‘But what do rules matter when our so-called ruler himself doesn’t obey them?’
She handed Stanley a dusty old ledger.
‘You kept living here?’ said Kelly. ‘Even after everyone left?’
‘It’s been my home for many years,’ said Anna. ‘And despite everything, I hoped to open its doors again one day. Besides, I have nowhere else to go.’
She looked around sadly. Kelly felt a wave of sorrow for her.
‘Look at this,’ said Stanley, handing Kelly the book.
‘“Other marks which follow from birth to birth”,’ said Stanley. ‘His name is Minh. Could it be that simple?’
‘Maybe just coincidence,’ said Kelly.
‘This would put him around your age now,’ said Stanley.
‘Are you going to tell me what this is all about?’ said Anna.
‘Honestly,’ said Stanley, ‘the less you know, the safer you will be.’
‘But,’ said Kelly, ‘know that we are trying to make things better.’
Sister Anna sniffed, but nodded. ‘Well, at least take some more biscuits with you. You inhaled those in two seconds. Believe me, I can spot a hungry child a mile away.’
Kelly felt a swell of gratitude for the woman.
They left the building by the same door they had entered by. It was spitting rain, and Kelly didn’t relish the thought of going back into the sewer with rising water levels.
‘How can we get to the Agricultural Zone?’ she said. ‘It will take forever underground, if the tunnels even reach that far.’
‘They don’t,’ said Stanley.
He walked over to a parked car. ‘This is risky, but we have no choice,’ he said as he pulled out his knife.
‘Archaeologist you may be,’ said Kelly, ‘but they didn’t have cars in ancient Rome, did they?’
‘No,’ said Stanley, ‘but they did when I was a young man growing up in the bad part of town.’
He inserted an attachment into the car lock with a click.
