The Last Scarecrow

22 | Non-Believers

Erin remained on the sofa after Marshall finished his tale. She played the story back in her head, amazed that the boy had survived at all.

Harunara, the golden mohawked mannequin, bothered her something rotten. She sounded like trouble. Big trouble. If she was going to break The Blue King out of his own fortress, then Harunara was going to be the biggest obstacle. That, and the hordes of mannequins at her back.

And then there was Raven.

Justice Raventhorne— Governor of Clifftop and one true ruler of the Endless Blue!

That was the craziest part of the whole story. Erin couldn't get her head around it. Cairo had told them that Raven had been killed over The Scrapers. Did Cairo lie? Or did he genuinely believe that Raven was dead and gone?

Erin turned to Jack. "That's one hell of a story."

Jack played with his feathered cape. "Unbelievable," he said. "Mannequins rising up from the depths. Murdering humans. Preparing for war. The anointment of a King." He shook his head, grass shavings drifting to the ground. "I thought the world was weird enough with wickermen and scarecrows. But now, well, I just don't know. It's lunacy. All of it."

"But you saved us from Tomas and his plans with The Patchwork Woman," Erin told him. "You've made the world a better place. A kinder place."

Jack pulled the cape over his shoulder and sunk his chin to his chest.

"I suppose," he replied. "But now we're here. A situation possibly even more dangerous than dealing with The Patchwork Woman herself."

"I'll get us out," Erin said. "But I'll need you. Every last twig and branch, leaf and blade."

Twelve had wandered over to the large windows, staring out into the Endless Blue. Erin rose, straightened her poncho and dungarees, then joined the scarecrow.

Beyond the glass, the world was a thousand shades of blue.

Erin could make out the long shadows of The Scrapers as they fell on the water. Below, for the first time, she saw the highstreet where the mannequins had pillaged their weapons, clothes, and dog food. There was a supermarket on the corner displaying 50% Off Vinyl Banners. Adjacent to it was a sports store, a delicatessen, a toy and games shop, and an abundance of clothing retailers.

Schools of fish in every colour fizzed past. They spun in looping arcs, diving to the highstreet and rocketing up towards the surface.

But something else moved in the water.

Something in the middle of the highstreet amongst the benches, and concrete trash bins, and oversized planters.

Something that was not a fish or a whale or any other form of marine life.

Twelve shifted to get a closer look, smacking her huge head against the glass.

Erin giggled.

"What's that down there?" Twelve asked.

Erin stared harder, the image coming into focus. If she wasn't mistaken, they were mannequins. Hundreds of them, maybe more. They seemed to be waving, struggling, their bodies buried beneath piles of scrap metal and office furniture.

"They're the non-believers," Marshall said, appearing beside them.

Erin and Twelve swivelled to stare at the boy.

"The— what?" Erin said.

"Not all of the mannequins agreed that I was their King. Not all of them believed that we should be drowning humans in the water. Harunara had them tied to heavy objects and thrown off the side."