by Bobby Adair
Ella saw he was shaking. She felt a tinge of sympathy, but then she saw the blood on his shirt and got angry once again. She took a threatening step toward him.
“Don’t you dare say a word!” she hissed. “Don’t you dare turn us in!”
“Marks?” the voice called again. “Where are you?”
Theodore glanced from Ella to Bray, his eyes wide and fearful. After a second, he answered.
“I’m coming!” Theodore shouted. “There’s nothing here!”
Theodore gave Ella one last glance, then skirted off into the forest.
Chapter 18: Blackthorn
Blackthorn watched Father Winthrop, Minister Beck, and Tenbrook approach the dais. Winthrop and Beck traded barbs out of earshot. While they were distracted, Tenbrook came forward.
“Do you have the number?” Blackthorn asked, keeping his voice low enough that the other minister’s couldn’t hear.
Tenbrook looked back and forth, then nodded. “Nineteen thousand.”
Blackthorn stiffened. “A third of our population.”
“Yes. Every adult male and more.”
“I had hoped for a smaller number.”
“I spent hours this morning reviewing the counts with Scholar Evan,” said Tenbrook. “I don’t doubt their accuracy.”
Blackthorn nodded. “That is the assurance I need to hear.” Blackthorn looked away from the militia and sized Tenbrook up. “With luck, the lesson you learn today will be harsher than any you’ll need after you take my seat at the head of the council.” Blackthorn slowly shook his head. “To condemn nineteen thousand to die is a difficult decision.” He looked Tenbrook in the eye. “See that history does not remember me as a monster.”
“Our history will remember you as the greatest of our heroes.”
Blackthorn looked back across the square. The snow was coming down hard, enough that it was difficult to see the ranks of men at the rear. He motioned to the other ministers.
Minister Beck walked across the dais with Scholar Evan at his heels. Winthrop waddled pompously with Franklin in tow.
“Good morning, General Blackthorn,” said Beck.
Blackthorn nodded.
“We are blessed to have beautiful snow cover our lands.” Winthrop waved his hands at the white powder covering the square. “I do love the winters.”
Beck glared at Winthrop. “Most of our crops are still in the field.”
Winthrop puffed himself up and looked down his nose at Beck. “The Word provides us a path to all the blessings we require regardless of the weather.”
Blackthorn cut a quick glance at the two ministers, silencing them both. Then he spoke to Franklin and Scholar Evan. “This shall be a brief meeting with just the ministers.”
Scholar Evan immediately turned and headed for the far side of the dais. Franklin followed.
Winthrop made a show of staring at Tenbrook as if to ask why he was staying. Tenbrook made no effort to move away. Instead, Blackthorn drilled Winthrop with a harsh look and Winthrop turned his head away, choosing instead to watch the snow fall on the heads of the militiamen.
Beck simply accepted Tenbrook’s presence.
“Before I tell you the important news of the morning, you need to be aware that I have received word from Davenport.”
“Please,” Winthrop said eagerly, “tell us the worthless whore Ella Barrow has been apprehended.”
Ignoring Winthrop, Blackthorn said, “The people of Davenport demonstrated a belligerence to Captain Swan’s squadron.”
“Oh dear,” said Winthrop. “Did they turn violent protecting the heretic?”
Blackthorn nodded his answer to Winthrop.
“And the townsfolk?” Beck asked. “What of them?”
“Davenport was a den of sedition,” said Blackthorn. “They were put to the sword as an example.”
Winthrop gasped.
“How many of them?” Beck asked.
Blackthorn answered with a stony silence, making it clear to both ministers that all Davenport residents were dead.
“And the whore?” Winthrop asked, his eyes twitching as his thoughts seemed to wander to other things.
“We do not yet have her in our custody,” answered Blackthorn.
“What of the town’s stores?” Beck asked. “That village produces a decent volume of crops.”
“Oh dear,” Winthrop scoffed. “Not this famine talk again. Blasphemous numerals and shuddering fear. You allow your scholars to feed you too many of their nightmares, Beck.”
Blackthorn said, “The stores will be confiscated to feed the army.”
“The army?” Winthrop asked, turning toward the militia drilling behind him. “We are calling up the militia to deal with one worthless whore?”
“No,” Blackthorn told Winthrop in a tone that put enough fright into Winthrop to keep him silent for a moment. “A horde is massing near the Ancient City.” Blackthorn looked at both ministers for a moment. “The largest horde counted by the eyes of men in three centuries, larger than any seen since the ancient times when Lady and Bruce founded Brighton.”
“Our walls will stand against any horde,” Winthrop said with confidence.
“The army will go to meet this horde in the Ancient City. We will annihilate it and we will enter the city and kill every last one of them. We will end this demon problem once and for all.”
Winthrop looked back at the militia, then at Blackthorn. “With one cohort?”
“No.” Blackthorn pointed at the drilling soldiers. “These are the first. All the cohorts will be called up, as well.”
“All?” Winthrop gasped. “Who will protect the city?”
“Two squadrons of cavalry will remain. The Brighton city guard will remain. Two cohorts will remain in Brighton. All other squadrons, city guards, and cohorts will go.” General Blackthorn looked down his nose at Winthrop and explained in parental tones, “If need be, the other cavalry squadrons can return quickly. The horses are fast.”
Beck said, “The other two towns and the smaller villages will be unprotected.”
“All will be called into Brighton to remain protected behind the circle wall while we are gone.”
“There aren’t enough roofs in Brighton to put over so many heads,” Winthrop protested. Then he turned rebellious. “I’ll not stand by while our temple is turned into a boarding house.”
“You will not have to stand by,” Blackthorn told him. “You will be coming on the expedition.”
Winthrop nearly choked. “Outside the walls?”
“Exactly,” Blackthorn leaned forward as though to threaten Winthrop with his fists. Winthrop shrank back. “This will be the largest army ever to go into the field. For that reason, it will not be just soldiers. We ministers must stand together on this. We must take our leadership out beyond the walls. Our brave soldiers and cavalry deserve no less.”
“How many soldiers?” Winthrop mumbled.
“Fourteen thousand. We’ll also bring girls from The House of Barren Women, and women to cook for the men and tend to their gear. Herders must come to handle the livestock. All manner of people in the trades must come to support this army.”
“You’re creating a mobile city?” Winthrop said as much to himself as anyone.
“It must be so when taking so many soldiers afield. Altogether, some nineteen thousand will come.”
Beck’s shoulder’s sagged.
Blackthorn looked at Beck and said, “Tell your Scholar, Evan, to provide a list of counts for the various people we will need to support this army. Have him draw up a list of names. For the cohorts that stay in Brighton, I prefer mostly young, healthy men with a good mix of older, experienced soldiers. For the support personnel, I insist that older women come along. They are more apt to unders
tand the hardships and are less likely to complain.”
Winthrop found his courage and said, “It is not necessary that I go. I shall stay in Brighton.”
Blackthorn’s voice turned vitriolic. “You will go or your replacement will.”
“You have no right to—”
Blackthorn turned his gaze very deliberately toward the row of pyres, now cold ash under a layer of snow.
Winthrop’s face showed stark fear.
Blackthorn said, “Each of you will designate a deputy to handle your part of council affairs during our absence. The integrity of the government must be maintained. Father Winthrop, bring enough of your clergy that the men and women of our expedition will have the solace of The Word to keep their hearts soothed when the road grows difficult.” Blackthorn looked at Tenbrook. “Tenbrook will be deputy in my stead while we are away. Are there any questions?”
Beck simply said, “Nineteen thousand. That is a curious number.”
Blackthorn aimed his withering gaze at Beck. “It is the number the solution requires.”
Chapter 19: Ella
“Let’s go,” Bray whispered, charging through the underbrush and away from the gulley. The soldiers’ sounds faded into the distance.
Ella and William followed him over gnarled, uprooted trees, sidestepping patches of leaves to avoid extra noise. They cleared the ravine and continued deeper into the woods. The snow was falling harder, coating the forest floor with a thin layer of white. Packs of young ferns lined the ground. Clusters of weeds grabbed at Ella’s dress, like arms trying to prevent her from passing. But they’d made it safely away.
Ella’s mind flew to the encounter with Theodore Marks. What would he do? Would he alert the others? She pondered the thought nervously as she ran, but decided he wouldn’t. For him to say anything now would be an admission of conspiracy. And that crime—much like Ella’s—was punishable by death.
For once, the laws might work for her, rather than against her.
After several miles of travel, they paused for breath next to a large, rectangular rock that looked like it had been implanted in the dirt. Moss covered the sides; the bottom jutted firmly into the ground. William leaned against it, arching his back and brandishing his sword.
“I wish we’d killed him,” William said.
“Theodore?”
“Yes.”
Ella looked over instinctively to scold him, but realized she had the same feelings. The Theodore Marks she and William had known—the young man from Brighton—didn’t exist anymore. He might’ve let them go, but his clothing bore the evidence of the people he’d killed.
“We should’ve rushed him while he was surprised,” William said, pursing his lips and looking at Bray. “We could’ve taken him down. We could’ve paid him back for what he did to the people in Davenport.”
“If we’d done that, we would’ve alerted the others,” Bray said. “Bravery is admirable, but stupidity is stupidity.”
William turned his eyes to the ground. “But we’ve lost the tracks we were following. How are we going to pick them up? And with the snow?”
“We’ll circle back later,” Bray said. “It will be more difficult, but we’ll find a way. Either that or we’ll cut ahead of the soldiers.”
Ella’s heart leapt in her chest. As relieved as she was to be out of immediate danger, she feared for the Davenport survivors.
“What if the soldiers catch up to them first?”
“I don’t think they will.” Bray peered at the sky. “If they know what’s good for them, the soldiers will set up camp soon. It’s almost dusk. The tracks will be harder to follow.”
“But what if they search through the night, like the other soldiers?”
“The other soldiers weren’t following tracks, I don’t think. It looked like they were just searching. Tracks are hard to follow by torch light.”
“And what about us? What will we do?” William asked.
Bray scoured the thick, untrodden forest, as if searching for something. His gaze roamed from the ground to the sky. “We’ve gone farther west than I planned. But I know of a place we can stay.” He grunted. “It’s not ideal.”
Bray walked off. Ella didn’t ask for further information, and Bray didn’t offer any. Any place was better than bedding down on the ground between the trees.
They followed him, leaving the rock behind. Ella’s legs were sore from sprinting; her boots were stretched and worn. If she’d had more time, she would’ve grabbed more supplies in Davenport. But that plan, like many of her others, had been wrecked by the soldiers.
Ella, Bray, and William crossed miles of untouched wilderness, elms and oaks presiding over smaller plants below. Rag and pigweed gave way to patches of small ferns, which tickled their legs as they passed. Eventually they reached higher ground. Bray pointed through the trees. Ella squinted and followed his finger. It took her a second to determine what he was pointing out.
Standing in the distance, tucked between several trees, was a rectangular, overgrown structure. It looked like it was constructed from pieces leftover from the Ancients. The walls were overlaid with tree limbs and leaves, masking its presence. An animal skin hung on a nearby tree. Someone had been here recently.
Had it not been called to her attention, she would’ve missed it.
“Is that a…a house?” she asked.
Bray nodded.
They walked closer, surveying the building. The foundation was constructed of flat rocks, elevating the dwelling several feet above the ground. The door hung open on a broken hinge. It looked like the place had been ransacked. It wasn’t until Ella got within ten yards that she saw the damage that had been done inside. The walls were blackened and charred; several decomposed skeletons lay against the far wall.
“What happened here?” she whispered, dreading the answer.
“The people inside were burned,” Bray answered.
Ella swallowed.
The Warden led them to the doorway. When he reached it, he wielded his sword toward the entrance, as if he expected someone to spring out from inside. Once he decided it was safe, he leapt through the opening. Ella boosted William up and then stepped through, herself.
Other than the three bodies, the dwelling was empty. No furniture. No possessions. Anything the occupants had was gone—looted by humans, animals, or both. One of the skeletons was wearing the remains of a dress. It appeared to be a child. The others were adults. Tattered strips of burnt clothing hung on their bones, bearing the teeth marks of scavenging rodents. The building smelled stale, abandoned. William retreated to one of the walls, his eyes wide.
“I don’t want to sleep here, Mom,” he said.
Ella couldn’t take her eyes off the bodies. She didn’t want to sleep in the abandoned house either. The charred, half-dressed skeletons reminded her of those she’d seen at The Cleansing. Friends and acquaintances she’d said goodbye to, people who’d been condemned to die.
Ethan.
“Who would do this?” she whispered.
Bray gestured to the remains. “Two of Blackthorn’s blue shirts. They killed these people and set fire to their bodies.”
Ella’s anger roiled. “For breaking what law? What could a child have done?”
“They were traitors. They lived outside the rule of the townships.”
“Were they demon-eaters?” William asked.
“No. That is a tale believed only by young soldiers, as you heard the blue shirts say. They were normal settlers—a mother, father, and child. People like you or I.”
“I don’t want to sleep among them.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Bray said. He pointed through the doorway. The light was fading behind the tips of the trees. “I don’t know of any other suitable shelter. Not close by, anyway.”
>
“Won’t their spirits haunt us while we sleep?” William asked.
“William—” Ella started, ready to dismiss his childish beliefs. At the same time, she herself was uncertain.
“These people lived in the forest,” William said. “That means they lived without the protection of the townships, or the protection of The Word. That means they were condemned to hell.”
“They won’t haunt us,” Bray said. “They were good people.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I knew them.”
Chapter 20: Beck
“He said he would put you on the pyre if you didn’t accompany him to the Ancient City?” Evan asked as he walked beside Beck in the waning hours of the day. “Right there, when you were talking to General Blackthorn on the dais with Father Winthrop?”
Beck took a long, audible breath through his nose, letting the noise of it convey his frustration over the question. He kicked through the snow that had built up in the fallow field where he and Evan were walking. “Blackthorn is complex. He doesn’t have to explicitly speak his mind to convey a thought, especially in the area of threats.”
“He can be a menacing man,” Evan agreed. “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand?”
“No doubt.”
“He’s taking you on the military expedition, then?”
Beck nodded.
“Do you think you have cause to worry, with the entire militia there to protect you? In fact, it sounds like you’ll be safer out there than we will be here.”
“It seems that way,” Beck said. “Doesn’t it seem odd to you in the least that the size of the expedition is exactly the number that you provided to Captain Tenbrook as the number of people that needed to be eliminated from current population levels in order for the rest to survive the coming famine?”
“Odd.” Evan nodded vigorously. “Yes, very much. Do you think General Blackthorn is lying about the demon horde in the Ancient City?”
