Wings (A Black City Novel)

by Elizabeth Richards

  “Do you know where he is?” Day says.

  I shake my head.

  “Let’s get some chow,” Beetle says. “You can tell us everything over breakfast.”

  Roach heads to the residential quarters to get showered while we go to the Mess Hall. Along the way, I pop into my room and grab the radio, in order to resume my obsessive checking of the airwaves. Day and I walk behind the boys as we head to the canteen. Beetle gestures wildly as he describes an epic gunfight between him and several Sentry guards, while Elijah politely listens, his hands casually thrust in his pockets as he strolls beside Beetle, his tail swaying idly behind him. An attractive female soldier with auburn hair walks by and smiles at Elijah, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Day raises a brow at me, surprised.

  “Is Elijah feeling okay?” she whispers. “It’s not like him to ignore an attractive girl . . . actually any girl.”

  I laugh.

  “What’s funny?” she asks.

  The old Elijah wouldn’t have let a beautiful girl go by without some sort of flirtatious comment, but that was when he was pretending to be someone else.

  “What’s funny?” she asks.

  “We have a lot to catch up on,” I say, looping my arm through hers.

  The Mess Hall is jam-packed and buzzing with news of the Darkling Ambassador’s arrival. There’s still a strong smell of charred wood and metal in the canteen from my recent arson attempt, but I don’t mind it so much—it reminds me of Black City.

  Destiny is sitting at one of the tables, chatting to a brown-haired soldier. Her black hair is tied back, showing off the angles of her high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. She looks a lot like her aunt, Emissary Vincent. She waves us over and the man leaves. I quickly introduce her to Beetle and Day, explaining how they got here.

  “Did you hear about Sigur?” I say.

  She nods. “I knew Omega Squad was extracting a prisoner from Centrum, but I had no idea it was the Darkling Ambassador. Your dad kept that strictly on a need-to-know basis.”

  Day whips around to me. “Wait, what? Your dad’s here?”

  “Yeah, he’s alive,” I say. “It’s a long story.”

  “What do they want with Sigur?” Beetle asks Destiny.

  She shrugs. “I’m guessing this is the Commander’s way of currying favor with the Darklings,” she says. “We need them on our side once we’ve defeated Purian Rose, so Humans for Unity and other Darkling sympathizers will support the new Sentry regime. Otherwise we’ll struggle to stay in power, given how divided the country is right now.”

  “Hold up, the new Sentry regime?” Beetle says.

  “Yeahhh,” Destiny says slowly, flicking a confused look at me.

  “Nat, what the fragg’s going on here?” Beetle says.

  “It’s—”

  “A long story,” Day finishes for me, smirking slightly.

  Destiny makes her excuses and leaves. The rest of us grab some breakfast while I bring Beetle and Day up to speed on everything. The breakfast spread is a strange mixture of oatmeal, fish, fruit and raw meat. The chef unceremoniously dollops some congealed oatmeal on my plate, clearly still mad at me for setting fire to her Mess Hall. Her mood immediately lightens when she spots Elijah. She serves him a generous portion of kippers. Although Bastets are known for hunting Darklings, their staple diet is fish and berries. The Lupines, on the other hand, tend to eat raw beef and venison, although they’ll take the occasional human. Thankfully, that’s not on the menu today.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Day says as we take our trays over to the tables. “The Sentry rebels are planning to overthrow Purian Rose’s government and put a new Sentry government into power, led by this mysterious ‘Commander’? Then they intend to liberate the Darklings, in order to win the trust of Darkling sympathizers, like us, to prevent any further conflict and give the country a chance to rebuild?”

  “Yep,” I say. “That sounds about right.”

  We sit down at one of the metal tables. I place the radio on the table but don’t turn it on yet, as there’s so much we need to catch up on. Beetle immediately tucks into his breakfast.

  “Why have they waited so long to strike?” he mumbles through a mouthful of oatmeal.

  “They’ve been building their army,” I say. “Plus, they were waiting for an opportune moment to attack. With Purian Rose distracted by Humans for Unity, he’s weak.”

  “Well, that explains a few things,” Day says. “There’s been a bunch of attacks recently that we didn’t do, and we were wondering who was behind them.”

  “So what’s going to happen to the Darklings in the Sentry’s new ‘regime’?” Beetle says. “What role will they have in the government? Or the Workboots, for that matter?”

  “Um, I don’t know,” I say, flushing.

  “How can you not know?” Beetle says. “You’ve been here for nine days.”

  “I’ve been sort of busy . . . ,” I murmur.

  “Natalie’s sick,” Elijah explains.

  Day’s eyebrows shoot up her face. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I have the Wrath. I got it from that Darkling bite a few months ago,” I say, then add hurriedly, “But I’ve been getting treatment. Dr. Craven’s been working on a cure and it’s looking good. I’m heading to the hospital later today for my next appointment, actually.”

  Day’s bottom lip quivers and Beetle comfortingly takes her hand.

  “So what’s the story with Ash?” Beetle says, diverting the conversation.

  I briefly explain what happened—how Garrick had been sent to Black City by my parents to retrieve me and Polly, but when she was killed and the city came under siege, Garrick had to quickly change his plans. He followed me across the United Sentry States, until eventually he caught up with us in Viridis. Elijah winces as I tell them about the massacre at the Bastet embassy, and how Garrick kidnapped me and left Ash behind.

  “I’m sorry about your family,” Day says, resting her hand on Elijah’s. “Have you had any luck finding your mom and the Ora?”

  “No,” Elijah says. “But we did get a lead in Thrace. Kieran’s wife, Esme, told us they’d gone to the city of Gray Wolf.”

  “Apparently they were heading to a nearby mountain, called the Claw, to retrieve the weapon,” I add. “But we can’t work out which mountain it is.”

  “I’ll figure it out—don’t worry,” Day says happily. “They must have some reference books in this place.” There’s nothing she likes more than sticking her nose into a book.

  “So what’s been going on with you guys?” I ask. “Have you heard from the others?”

  “Mama, Papa and MJ made it to the Northern Territories,” Day says, and I let out a relieved sigh. I lived with Day’s family for a few months, so I think of the Rajasinghams as my second family. “But we haven’t heard from Harold or Martha yet,” she continues, referring to Ash’s father and my old Darkling housemaid.

  I chew on my thumbnail, worried about them.

  “Did you hear about Nick and Juno?” Day says.

  “We saw it on the news,” I reply, remembering the footage of Nick being killed in an explosion during a riot in Iridium. Nick was Ash’s decoy and had been traveling with the rebels, pretending to be Phoenix, while we went to Thrace in search of the Ora. Juno Jones, lead reporter for Black City News, was caught in the same explosion that killed Nick, although it wasn’t clear if she’d died. “Did Juno make it?”

  “No. Amy and Stuart got captured,” Beetle says, referring to Juno’s younger sister and her cameraman, who were traveling with her. “Stu was executed, along with a bunch of other Humans for Unity rebels, but we think Amy was sent to the Tenth.”

  “Oh no,” I whisper. Amy is a good friend of ours.

  We slowly shift the conversation to more lighthearted topics, not wanting to dwell on these dark m
atters, and it’s like the old times back in Black City. My heart aches, thinking about Ash. I miss him so much. Instinctively, I pick up the radio and turn it on. Static crackles over the airwaves as I tune it to Firebird, having a little trouble finding the signal. I twist the dial another notch to the right, and a voice suddenly rings out through the speakers.

  “—local fireworks display.”

  I drop the radio, my heart racing. It was just three words, but I’d know that voice anywhere.

  Ash.

  10.

  NATALIE

  ELIJAH WHIPS OUT a hand and catches the radio before it crashes to the floor. He passes it back to me and I turn up the volume, but all I hear is static. We wait for minute after agonizing minute, listening for Ash. Talk to me, Ash, please, please, please. Just as I’m starting to lose hope, the radio sparks to life again:

  “Going to the town near here; then checking out the local fireworks display,” Ash’s voice says again over the airwaves. The last few words of the message are the same as before, so it’s clearly a recording, but even so, it’s Ash! He’s alive! I bury my face in my hands, shaking all over with relief. Elijah gently rubs my back. I knew Ash would try to get a message to us; I could feel it in my heart. I lift my head and take a deep breath. I’ve been drowning with worry for the past nine days, and now I can finally breathe.

  Beetle scratches his scarred cheek. “What does the message mean?”

  “He’s letting us know where he’s going next,” Day says.

  “Do you think he’s looking for me?” I say.

  “Maybe,” Day says. “But it’s more likely the message is about the Ora, since Ash would assume we’d think you and Elijah were still with him, as there’s been no news of your capture.”

  Elijah’s eyes light up with hope. “Do you think he’s found my mom and the others?”

  “It’s possible,” Day says.

  “It’s not much of a clue to go on,” Beetle mutters. “Going to the town near here. Where’s ‘here’? How are we supposed to figure that out?”

  I bite my lip, thinking. “Maybe Ash is expecting us to trace the signal? Perhaps he’s going to the town closest to that location?”

  “I don’t think so,” Day says. “It’s really hard to trace a radio signal. You need a powerful DF antenna to triangulate the source, and Ash knows Humans for Unity doesn’t have anything like that,” she explains. “And even if we did, I can’t imagine he’ll be broadcasting this message long enough for us to trace it. Plus we’d encounter all the same problems the government’s been having in locating our broadcasts, like propagation distortions and—” She stops talking when she notices the look of wonder on Beetle’s face.

  “You amaze me sometimes, babes,” he says. “How do you know all this?”

  Her caramel skin flushes pink. “It’s called reading. You should try it sometime.”

  He grins. “Nah, sounds like a lot of hard work.”

  I sigh. Ash is giving us a clue and I can’t work out where he means! We listen to the radio for another ten minutes waiting for Ash to speak again, hoping to work out the riddle.

  “Going to the town near here; then checking out the local fireworks display,” Ash says just as my watch beeps. I check the dial—09:30. Time for my appointment with Dr. Craven. For the first time, the thought doesn’t depress me. Not only am I getting better, but it’s a great excuse to see Sigur.

  I push my chair back. “I have to go.”

  We agree to meet up again in an hour, before I head to the hospital, bringing the radio with me as my mind whirs, trying to work out Ash’s clue. I enter the ward. My parents, Dr. Craven and Roach are huddled around Sigur’s bed, deep in discussion.

  “I overheard my guards at the prison talking about a new security force that Purian Rose has enlisted,” Sigur mumbles, his bruised lips making it hard to talk. There are welts all over his bare torso, where he’s been tortured.

  Father nods. “We’ve seen them walking around the city.”

  I wonder if they’re referring to the Tin Men I saw in Scott’s shop.

  “Well, according to the guards, Purian Rose is forcing these men to take a new drug as part of an initiation into the group,” Sigur explains. “They’re calling the drug Wings.”

  Father turns to Dr. Craven. “Have you heard of it before?”

  Dr. Craven shakes his head.

  “What does the drug do?” Roach asks. She’s casually sitting at the end of his bed, one scruffy boot propped up on the mattress, her other leg dangling over the side.

  “The guards thought it was a performance-enhancing drug,” Sigur says.

  “Like steroids?” Father says.

  “The men who took it were coming back stronger, more aggressive, so it would support the guards’ theory,” Sigur continues. “But I am not so sure. Perhaps past experiences have made me paranoid”—he turns his good eye toward Dr. Craven, who pretends to clean his glasses—“but I suspect there is more to this drug than people think. Purian Rose has a tendency to disguise one thing with another.”

  “You mean, like hiding the Wrath virus in the Golden Haze?” Roach says, casting a look at my mother, whose mouth tightens into a thin line.

  “I don’t see how this drug Wings is a threat to us,” Mother says.

  Sigur turns toward her. “Perhaps I am being paranoid, but when it comes to Purian Rose, I think it is best to be on guard,” he says. “As you know, he used the Golden Haze as Trojan horses, by infecting them with the Wrath virus and then letting my people feed on them, passing it on to us. So who knows what hidden threat lurks in this drug, or who he truly intends to hurt with it? We need to be extra vigilant, Emissary.”

  Father nods. “I’ll put some feelers out, see if we can find out what Rose is really up to.”

  I cough, letting them know I’m here. “Sorry to intrude, but I have an appointment . . .”

  Dr. Craven ushers me over to a bed beside Sigur. I place the radio on the nightstand while Dr. Craven collects a thin black box and places it on the tray beside me. He opens it up, revealing a velvet-lined case filled with four syringes, a pack of needles and four small vials of medicine, each one with a different-colored cap.

  “What’s that?” I say.

  “This is your Wrath medication,” he says. “As much as I’ll miss your company, pumpkin, I figured you’d want to learn to administer it yourself. There’s enough here to last you seven days.”

  I grin, delighted that I’m not going to have to come to the hospital every day. Dr. Craven shows me how to fill the syringes, explaining about the dosages, and then teaches me to inject myself. It’s painful, and I mess up the first injection, causing blood to squirt out of my vein. Sigur shuts his eyes, his jaw clenching at the smell.

  “Sorry,” I mutter.

  While I’m attempting to do the third injection, the radio crackles and Ash’s voice rings out over the airwaves, repeating the same message.

  Sigur’s head whips around at the voice. “Was that—?”

  “Ash, yes!” I grin, briefly explaining everything. My mother’s scarlet lips purse together; I think she was secretly hoping he’d stay lost. “I don’t know where ‘the town near here’ is yet, but Day’s working on it.”

  “I want to help.” Sigur grimaces as he sits up. “We can arrange a rescue—”

  “That might not be possible,” my father interrupts.

  “What?” Roach splutters. “Why the fragg not?”

  Father sighs. “I’ve been ordered not to expend any more resources searching for him.”

  “But, Jonathan, he is my Blood Son . . . ,” Sigur says.

  “You’re wasting your breath,” I mutter, leaning against my pillow.

  Sigur and Roach share a knowing look, their expressions hardening.

  “We should let you rest,” Father says to Sigur.

/>   He and my mom leave the ward, Roach hot on their heels.

  “This is fragging madness!” I hear her yell at my dad just as the door swings shut.

  Sigur lies down, wincing with pain. He turns his head away as Dr. Craven helps me with my last injection. When we’re finished, I grab the black syringe case and radio and head to Elijah’s room, mulling over what Sigur said about the drug Wings, which Purian Rose is making his men take. I check my watch, wondering if I have time to shower before meeting up with the others. It’s 10:20. I could probably— The radio crackles.

  “Going to the town near here; then checking out the local fireworks display,” Ash says.

  My heart aches at the sound of Ash’s voice. What does his message mean? There must be a way to work out where he is! Okay, think, Natalie. Wherever Ash is, it has to be somewhere Humans for Unity can figure out, based on that clue. So chances are, the place is significant to the rebellion. Black City? No, why would he go back there? Okay . . . erm . . . Centrum? It’s possible, but not likely. The only other place I can think of is . . . Oh! I pause midstep, making the soldier walking behind me bump into my back.

  “Sorry,” I mutter as he shoots me an impatient look.

  I study my watch, my mind whirring. When I was in the Mess Hall earlier, his message came on at precisely 09:30. And when I checked my watch just now, at 10:20, the message played again. I quickly count how many times the message has played over the past hour, hope building in me. Five times. Could it be . . . ? I race through the compound until I reach Elijah’s bedroom, barging in without even knocking. He’s sitting on the floor with Beetle and Day, a portable com-screen on the ground between them, showing a satellite map of Mountain Wolf State. They must be trying to work out where the Claw is. They look up.

  “There’s a ten-minute delay between each message!” I say breathlessly. “That was the clue! They’re at the town nearest to the Tenth. And you know where that is?” I look at Elijah.