Wings (A Black City Novel)

by Elizabeth Richards

  I enter the Fracture. The lobby is an enormous space, with a twenty-foot-high gold statue of Purian Rose at its center. It’s due to be removed next week, but in the meantime a blue flag has been draped over his head. In fact, everywhere I look, the once red-and-white Sentry banners have been replaced with cerulean-blue flags with four interlinked black rings on them—the symbol of the coalition government, each ring representing one of the four races: human, Darkling, Bastet and Lupine.

  A few coalition guards—some human, others Lupine—nod at me as I walk by. I give them a polite smile, trying to ignore the twisting feeling in my gut. I slide a finger down the blade in my pocket. I need to get to the basement, where Purian Rose is being detained in the cells. I promised my sister I’d kill him for what he did to her, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. It’s been impossible to get to him these past two weeks, as he was hidden in a secret location to stop people—like myself—from taking matters into their own hands. But he was moved here this morning in preparation for his execution. This is my only chance to get to him.

  On my way to the elevator, I pass the council chamber where the coalition government has congregated. The doors are wide open, as they nearly always are—a symbol of the “openness and transparency of the new alliance.” I hear Ash’s angry voice spilling out of the room and pause briefly by the doorway. He’s pacing up and down the oval room. He’s dressed in a luxurious black frock coat with orange silk lining, tailored black shirt and pants, and expensive leather jackboots. It’s a more chic version of what he wore the day of the Cleansing ceremony, which is no mistake; the whole outfit has been carefully put together especially for Purian Rose’s televised execution. Ash tugs at his collar, clearly uncomfortable.

  “We can’t go ahead with this execution,” he says. “It’s barbaric. I know what it feels like to be pinned up to one of those crosses; I can’t condone this.”

  “The Workboots need to see him executed, Ash,” Roach says. She’s sitting at a long mahogany table with the other members of the cabinet. Her scalp has a smattering of ginger fuzz on it, where her hair has started to regrow, and she’s wearing tight pants, a white vest and a long black frock coat similar to Ash’s. “They won’t feel safe until they know he’s dead.”

  “The Sentry will think we’re weak if we don’t execute him,” Mother adds.

  Sitting next to them are the Lupine ministers: Garrick and a woman named Cassandra, who has vivid purple hair and matching lipstick, reminding me of Sasha. To my right, the new Bastet Consul winks at me. I smile back at Elijah. As the last surviving son of the Theroux family, he inherited the position and he’s doing an amazing job under the guidance of his mother, Yolanda, who is his official adviser. He’s cut his russet hair short, emphasizing his topaz eyes and high cheekbones, and he’s dressed in a dark green frock coat, with matching pants and waistcoat. Around his left wrist is his gold band. Unlike Ash, he seems comfortable in the elegant clothes. They suit him.

  Opposite them are Sigur and Lucinda, the Darkling representatives. Sigur’s white hair is loose around his shoulders, which is stark against his violet Ambassador robes. It’s good to see him back where he belongs. Ash and Evangeline have been nominated to represent the twin-bloods. I don’t see her anywhere, but that’s not surprising. She’s been locked in her room since the day of the Cleansing ceremony, refusing to see anyone except Ash and Elijah. We weren’t certain it would happen, but when she touched Purian Rose, her heart activated. She’s refused to let Dr. Craven remove Theora’s heart, saying she wants to feel it beating inside her for as long as she can. I can’t imagine what she must be going through right now, knowing that in fifteen minutes her heartbeat will be snatched from her again.

  “Our people deserve retribution,” Sigur says, gesturing toward the com-desk in the center of the room. Projected above the com-desk is a map of the Tenth. The camp was immediately shut down after Purian Rose’s surrender. Even so, there were hundreds of deaths, as some of his devoted followers executed whole barracks of prisoners before we were able to stop them. Those men will be facing their own trials soon enough.

  Right now, the government is in the process of trying to rehome all the Darklings. Many have stayed in the Tenth, because they have nowhere else to go. Understandably, they don’t see the point of leaving one ghetto just to return to another, and the human citizens are still nervous about having them integrated into the cities, as I saw outside earlier. For the past week, the coalition government has been finalizing documents to officially give the land over to the Darklings, so they can build a permanent home there. The Tenth will no longer be a detention camp, but the first official Darkling nation. Personally, the thought of living where so many people were slaughtered makes me shudder, but then again, there isn’t anywhere in the country where Darkling blood hasn’t been shed. No matter where they go, they’ll be haunted by the ghosts of their dead loved ones.

  Besides, they won’t be building their homes in the actual camps. The coalition intends to rip down Primus-One, Two and Three, and turn them into memorial parks. Then surrounding the parks, where there are currently forests and wilderness, they’ll build four new towns a safe distance from Mount Alba, called Jana, Martha, Zanthina and Annora.

  Ash notices me by the doorway and stops pacing. I smile at him, trying to act casual, my hand shaking slightly around the knife in my pocket. His brows inch together as he lightly touches his chest. He must be feeling the echo of my erratic heartbeat inside him. His eyes flick toward my pocket. I quickly turn away.

  “Natalie,” he calls out.

  I hurry to the elevator and jab the B button. The doors slide shut just as Ash races into the corridor. I take a few deep breaths, readying myself for what I’m about to do. I can do it. I have to do it, for Polly. The doors ping open.

  I’m in the basement where the holding cells are. Like everywhere else in the building, the corridor is sparkling white and gold, with chandeliers lighting the way. Even the cell doors look more like the ones you’d see in a plush hotel than a prison. I don’t think the inmates deserve such luxuries, but I don’t suppose it matters at the end of the day. Everyone here is a dead man, and a prison is still a prison, no matter how pretty it looks.

  I reach a gilt door at the end of the long corridor, which is guarded by two members of Humans for Unity, both of whom are wearing the new cerulean uniforms with the four-ring emblem on their chests. They salute me.

  “I’ve come to see Rose,” I say.

  “He has company,” one of the men replies apologetically.

  At that moment the cell door opens and Evangeline comes out, her face ashen, her onyx eyes glimmering with tears. She glances up at me. I’m guessing she’s just said her good-byes to Purian Rose. Even though he’s a monster, she’s still connected to him. She hurries past me, saying nothing. The guards step aside. I suddenly feel light-headed, my stomach sick with nerves. Can I really go through with this? Yes. I promised my sister. I enter the cell.

  Rose is sitting on a narrow bed, dressed in a simple gray tunic top and pants. Around his neck is a circular pendant. His usually immaculate hair is unkempt, and his skin is makeup free, revealing the true extent of his old scars. On the dressing table beside his bed is a set of expensive dentures, with two gleaming white canine teeth to replace the fangs that were so cruelly ripped from him as an infant.

  His hands rest on his lap. I’ve never seen him without his gloves. His fingers don’t have any nails on them and the flesh is puckered—the result of his mother trying to drown him in a bath of scalding water when he was a baby. How different this world would be if she’d succeeded.

  “Come to gloat, Miss Buchanan?” he says, not looking up.

  “No,” I say, trying to keep my voice even as I take the dagger out of my pocket.

  His eyes slide toward me. They rest on the weapon. He doesn’t seem surprised.

  “Ah,” he says. “I see.�
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  “You murdered my sister,” I say, and my voice finally cracks. “She was your daughter. How could you do that to her?”

  “I didn’t know she was my daughter until the news broke,” he says.

  SNB news revealed the information shortly after Purian Rose’s arrest, along with the Wings evidence.

  “Would it have made a difference?” I say, tears welling up in my eyes. “Would you have stopped them from raping her and cutting her up like a piece of meat?”

  “No,” he says flatly.

  I blink, momentarily stunned by his response, and then the fury sets in. My hand tightens around the knife. He’s just made this a lot simpler. I step toward him and—

  The door bursts open and Ash enters the room, followed by the two guards.

  “Natalie, stop!” he says, locking his strong arms around my waist and dragging me away from Rose. I struggle against him, punching his arms, kicking my heels into his legs. Ash grunts with pain but doesn’t let go.

  “He murdered her!” I scream.

  “Natalie, stop! You don’t want to do this.” His arms tighten around me. The two guards look at each other, uncertain what to do. “It’s okay, I’ve got this. You can go.”

  They hesitate.

  “That’s an order,” he barks.

  They obediently back out of the room, closing the door behind them.

  “Your girlfriend has quite the temper, Mr. Fisher,” Purian Rose says, a cold smile spreading across his lips. He knows Ash won’t let me kill him. The thought makes me even madder. This is my last chance to avenge Polly’s death!

  “You promised me, Ash!” I yell. “You promised I’d be the one who gets to do it.”

  “You’re not a killer, Natalie,” Ash says.

  “I shot that scientist woman in the Tenth,” I say, kicking his shins.

  “That was self-defense; this is murder,” Ash grunts, his voice strained with the effort of holding me.

  “He deserves it,” I yell, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You weren’t there; you didn’t see what they did to her.”

  I picture a red room and Polly’s frozen body curled up in a ball on the metal floor.

  They cut her up.

  I remember the bruises on her thighs.

  He deserves this.

  I can still see her empty gray eyes gazing up at me. Eyes the same color as his.

  He’s her father, a softer voice whispers in my head.

  He tortured her! He forced Mother to choose between us!

  And Polly forgave her for doing that, the voice replies. She didn’t hold a grudge. That wasn’t her way.

  I release the knife and it clatters to the ground. I stop struggling, and Ash lets me go.

  Rose quirks an eyebrow at me.

  “This isn’t what my sister would have wanted,” I say. “Unlike you, she had a good heart. She believed in forgiveness. So that’s how I’m going to honor her memory.” I hold Purian Rose’s gaze for a long moment and try to see the boy he once was. Things would have turned out so differently if he’d been more like his daughter. “I forgive you, Edmund.”

  His mouth twitches slightly.

  There’s a knock at the door, and one of the guards enters.

  “It’s time,” he says.

  I look at my watch. It’s nearly noon. I take one last look at the man on the bed. He glowers at me, then turns his gaze toward the blank wall. His hand grips the circle pendant around his neck.

  Without another word, I take Ash’s hand and we leave the room. Day, Beetle and the others are waiting for us in the lobby. Everyone is somber as we walk outside and join the chanting spectators in the plaza. The air is electric as we take our place beside the stage. Ash’s fingers tighten around mine. I glance up at him. His sparkling black eyes are focused on the cross in front of us, his lips a pale line. I know he’s thinking about his own crucifixion a few months ago. His gaze shifts toward me and I squeeze his hand reassuringly.

  The crowd suddenly erupts into boos and jeers, and I peer over my shoulder. Purian Rose is being brought to the stage by a group of guards, his hands bound in front of him, his chin defiantly lifted. He catches my eye as he’s led up platform steps. There’s no remorse in them. Only fear. He turns to face the cross.

  • • •

  Purian Rose died at exactly 12:08. The execution was swift, his death mercifully quick. It’s over. I turn away from the cross as his burnt body is removed, and look up at Ash. His expression is blank, unreadable.

  “What do we do now?” I say.

  Ash gazes down at me. “We go home to Black City.”

  36.

  NATALIE

  A FEW HOURS LATER we’re on a luxury Miniport back to Black City, along with my parents, Dr. Craven, Day, Beetle, Evangeline and Elijah. Roach, Sigur, Lucinda and Yolanda stayed in Centrum to deal with any coalition business during our absence. Evangeline’s head is on Elijah’s lap. She’s been silently crying the whole way here, mourning the loss of her heartbeat and Blood Mate for a second time in her life, but even so, she’s holding up better than I thought she would. I suspect Elijah’s had something to do with that. They’ve been getting close these past two weeks. It’s not a combination I would have put together, but looking at them now, I realize it’s a good fit. Elijah smiles softly down at her as he strokes her black hair.

  Our plan is to set up the new regional office in Black City where the Sentry headquarters used to be. A crew of builders has already been sent ahead of us to start renovations. My parents will stay for a few weeks to oversee the project, then return to Centrum while the rest of us stay here. Once we’re settled, we’ll send for Day’s family—Michael, Sumrina and MJ—who are in the Northern Territories, and bring them back to Black City. It’ll be hard to see my parents go, but I know they’re needed in Centrum, and I don’t want to live there. This is where I want to build my life with Ash. I take his hand and smile at him. He rubs his fingertip over my blue diamond engagement ring.

  The Miniport swoops over the remains of Black City, following the path of the Boundary Wall, which slices through the city like a concrete spine. We’re flying so low, I can make out the tattered posters on the wall—they’re all pictures of Phoenix, the boy who rose from the ashes.

  All around us the Cinderstone buildings glow like embers in the fire. The giant digital screens that once adorned the rooftops now lie broken on the cobbled streets, which are coated in a thick layer of ash. Black smoke spirals into the gray sky. I glance at Day and Beetle, who are sitting opposite me. They’re grinning, and I know how they feel.

  We’re finally home.

  The pilot lands the aircraft on Bleak Street, outside the former Sentry headquarters, where I used to live with my mother. It’s an elegant, white marble building—at least, it was. Part of the west wing has started to collapse and is being held up with scaffolding, but the builders assured us it’s safe to live in. We all go inside. Everything looks familiar and yet different. I think it’s because there aren’t any guards marching about, or any Sentry ministers scurrying to meetings with my mother. The place was always heaving with activity. Or maybe it’s because Polly and Martha aren’t here, and without them, it doesn’t feel the same.

  “I’ll quickly check the rooms,” Father says, heading down the corridor.

  “I’m going to the laboratory,” Dr. Craven says, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. The laboratory is his pride and joy, and the place he probably thinks of as home more than any actual house. It’s the first time I’ve seen him happy since his son tried to kill him.

  The rest of us go to the dining room—a warm, red room with a massive oak table, a huge fireplace and stuffed animal heads adorning the wall.

  “Who wants some supper?” Mother says.

  My eyebrows shoot up. That’s the first time she’s ever offered to make dinner.

>   “I happen to be a very accomplished cook,” Mother says, clearly offended.

  She sweeps into the kitchen and we all take our seats at the table. Father joins us when Mother returns a short while later with some sad-looking sandwiches, a few apples, and glasses of Synth-O-Blood for Ash and Evangeline.

  “The rooms are all clear. I found a sleeping bag, but the squatter’s gone. We should probably get the alarms up and running as soon as possible, though, just to be safe,” Father says, sitting down and warily eyeing Mom’s dinner. “This looks wonderful, dear.”

  I cough, trying to disguise my laugh. Father shoots me a warning look, which only makes me laugh harder. We heartily tuck into our meal, the conversation flowing. Dr. Craven pops in briefly to get a bite to eat before hurrying back down to the laboratory. During dinner, Ash takes my hand under the table, giving it a squeeze, as Father regales us with funny stories about his childhood. It’s so strange and wonderful being here. I look at all the smiling faces around me: Sentry, Workboot, Darkling, Bastet. A few weeks ago we were enemies, and now we’re having dinner together. I never thought this would be possible in my lifetime. I wish Polly were still alive to see this. Grief spills through me. I scrape back my chair.

  “You okay?” Ash asks.

  I nod, kissing his cheek. “I just need to use the bathroom.”

  I head upstairs. The sound of everyone’s laughter fades away the higher up I go, muffled by the soundproofing between the floors. It’s completely silent in the penthouse. Eerily so, in fact. I wrap my arms around myself, holding back a shiver as I stroll down the hallway. I walk past my mother’s office, then by Sebastian’s bedroom—he used to live with us, since he was my bodyguard. I reach the white door leading into Polly’s room and turn the handle.