Fire

by Cheryl Twaddle

  The legends weren't the only things he read, there were other books on the shelves that interested him. Everything was written by hand and bound beautifully in painted cardboard. He read about the Collapse and about life underground. He read journals written by some of the families from the first days after the people came above ground. He spent hours reading and learning about almost everything. His education was probably better than Amelia's because he didn't have the voices of the elder Huxleys whispering in his ear, telling him how much better he was because he was born into the right family and how dimwitted and vile the people were, insects to be crushed under your foot.

  This disturbed Gregorius; nothing he had read proved that the elders were right, so, he decided to tell them this. It was the worst thing he could have done. He was taken to his room and whipped with a metal rod and locked inside with no food or water or bathroom. He stayed there for over two days before someone finally let him out, all soiled and starving. That's when he learned to never show his hatred for anyone in his family and never, ever show that he liked the people or felt sorry for them. That's also when he started to spend more time with his father.

  Jason Collins was definitely not a Huxley. In fact, Jason came from the heart of the city of Algar. His family looked after the storage facilities, a job they had been doing since everyone lived underground. He was a kind and gentle man who always seemed happy and full of life. Gregorius supposed that's why his mother had fallen in love with him. Together, they were the kindest and fairest ruling couple the world had ever seen.

  He spent a lot of his childhood with his father outside the walls of the Huxley Court, visiting the families of the friends Jason grew up with. That's how he got to play with Niko and Jesse and the other boys whose fathers had all grown up together. Little did he know that they were all part of a group called the Foes of the First.

  As he got older, he started to suspect that something secretive was going on. Every time they visited, his father would go into a locked room with some of the men and women to discuss things. One day, Gregorius told his friends he needed the bathroom and went to the locked room to spy on his father. He peeked through a crack in the metal wall and watched as the men and women talked about changing their smuggling routes. Someone had tipped off the Huxley Guard and there would be a full brigade waiting for them, ready to capture them and bring them to justice. The elder Huxleys intended on carrying out their justice without the First knowing about it. Jason told them that there was nothing his wife could do. If she tried to stop the Guard, the rest of the Huxleys would know she had her own spies working for the people. Gregorius realized then that his father was not only a member of this secret group, he was the leader.

  At first, Gregorius didn't know what to think. Was his father doing a bad thing? Was he betraying the Huxleys? More importantly, was he betraying his mother? The first question was easy; he didn't think his father was doing anything wrong. If he was helping people who would otherwise starve, that was a good thing. Gregorius didn't care if he was betraying the Huxleys but he needed to know if his father had told his mother everything about the group. On their way home that night, Gregorius confronted his father. Jason looked at his son and contemplated what he should say and Gregorius waited anxiously for an answer. Jason said nothing. Instead, when they got home, Jason told his son to go to his room until he was told otherwise. About an hour later, there was a knock and a note slipped under his door telling him to go to the gardens and wait.

  When he got to the gardens, both his mother and his father were waiting for him. They had a basket of food and a blanket for the three of them to go on a picnic outside the walls of the Court. After they laid out the blanket and food, Jason told Gregorius everything about the Foes of the First and their involvement in it. Gregorius was proud of his parents for helping the people. He promised to keep it all a secret and then begged to join. His mother just smiled and brushed the hair out of Gregorius' eyes and kissed the top of his head. She loved her son so much and Gregorius loved her more than anything else in the world.

  His mother had been the only thing good about the Huxleys. She was kind and tried hard to help the people. She eased the Limit Law and relaxed the demand on supplies. She held public meetings where everyone could come and give their grievances. She showed no bias towards her own family and proved that by marrying his father, a Lesser. The day that Amelia murdered their mother was the day Gregorius insisted on becoming an Elder Brother; it was the first step in avenging his mother. He helped his father escape to the Dark Lands. He even made it look like he had killed him, letting everyone believe it's what started this war. He knew there was a plan to overthrow the First and get rid of the Huxley rule for good. Besides, the act of murdering his father was something the Huxleys would be proud of, something that would prove they could trust him. He had always played the part of a pompous Huxley very well but this went above that. For a few weeks, he was held in higher esteem than his sister. He tried to avoid such praise, knowing that it would only make Amelia angry.

  Amelia was his sister and he had to make everyone believe he was absolutely devoted to her albeit with jealousy for her title. He thought he was playing his role well and, so, was confused when she had him seized and locked away. There had been rumours that there was a traitor in the Foes and he wondered if she had been told of his treason. Whatever the reason, he just hoped that the Brothers would be here soon. He may not like the privileges the Huxleys bestowed upon themselves but he didn't like being locked away either. It was cold in the basement, he was hungry and could use some water and the bucket in the corner was a very poor excuse for a toilet.

  Gregorius sat back on the small cot and rested his head against the cold wall. When the guards came in the morning and gave him a bowl of porridge and a cup of warm tea, he overheard them talking about the boy from the fire tribe. Apparently, Marshal was awake and talk of the return of the Fire People was on the minds of everyone in the Huxley Court. Gregorius was worried and hoped the boy was smart because, now that he was awake, his life was in great danger. Despite what he had told the group from the Nowhere Lands, Amelia didn't want the Fire People to return. If they did, they would finish the job they had planned so long ago and get rid of the Huxleys. No, Amelia and Jeremiah were only interested in reviving Marshal so they could question him about the rest of his tribe. They wanted to know how many more were coming and when.

  The only reason Gregorius had taken Marshal to the old healer was because Jeremiah was the only one who could have saved him. When Faelen told him to meet his group of people from the Nowhere Lands, he had no idea Marshal would be wounded and close to death. He didn't know what to do. He knew how important Marshal was but he also knew how evil Jeremiah was. Nevertheless, he was the best healer that Gregorius knew. He was close and the Healing Centre was equipped with all the best medicines. So, he took them there.

  He knew Jeremiah would do everything he could to help Marshal, at least, until the boy could give them the information they needed. That's why he felt safe enough to leave them there while he went to find Faelen and tell him what had happened. They were supposed to stay in the locked room. That's why he had Martha take them there, she was the only one he trusted to keep them safe. He knew that, as long as Marshal was unconscious, the rest of them would be safe. But he couldn't find Faelen. Instead, he found Niko with some of the other Brothers. He told them to find Faelen and tell him of the group's arrival. He would go back to the Healing Centre and keep an eye on them.

  He made it back all right. He was arrested as soon as Casey let him in. He started coughing uncontrollably and, somehow, convinced the guards to take him to the kitchens for water. Martha brought him a glass of cold water and, as she held it to his lips for him to drink, she slipped a piece of paper into his pocket. Then he was taken to his cell. When the guards left him alone, he took out the piece of paper and read the note that Faelen had written him. That's how he learned that the others would be thrown in the cells wit
h him and that the Brothers would be coming at midnight.

  His thoughts were interrupted by the guards. Were they coming with more food? Gregorius kept his eyes closed and waited.

  "Just put him down there," Amelia was giving orders to her guards.

  "But your brother is down there," one of them said. "You said your brother must never be able to talk to him."

  "It doesn't matter now," she said. "I have enough information. I need to take care of the rest of them so, if you don't mind. Put him in his cell and come and help me with our guests. I'll be in the tower."

  "Do you really think this guy came here to hurt us?" asked one of the guards after Amelia had left.

  "The First says he did," said the other. "We must obey the First."

  "But look at him," said the first guard. "How can he possibly be a danger to anyone? Even if he was healthy, there's no way he'd be able to hurt us. He looks harmless."

  "Even so," said the second one. "If we don't do what she says, she'll send us to the Dark Lands. I have a wife who's expecting our first child. I can't risk being sent to the Dark Lands. If the First is going to keep us alive as long as we do what she says, than I'm going to do what she says."

  "Okay," said the first guard. "I guess we have no choice." They finished walking down the stairs and opened the door to the cell across from Gregorius who was still sitting with his head against the wall and his eyes close. They slammed the cell door closed and made their way back up the stairs to the tower.

  "Hello? Hello? Hello?" Marshal called out to Gregorius. "Hey, hey, hey are you awake mister?"

  "Hello Marshal," Gregorius said as he opened his eyes and stared at the young man. "Now, we can properly meet. I've known about you for a long time now. It's a pleasure to finally get to talk to you."

  Chapter 13

  It was another hour before Cici came to lead us back to Amelia. During that time, I sat with Emma Lee and tried to calm her down. She was angry and hurt by Cornelius' fascination with Amelia. She felt betrayed even if he hadn't physically cheated on her. She was convinced his heart had already turned away from her. She had vowed to never fall in love again after she lost Derek. It would be too hard to go through such a loss again but then she met Cornelius. He was so good to her. He made her feel beautiful and happy and full of life again and, despite her attempts not to, she fell in love with him. They were a perfect couple and absolutely adorable to watch. Now, thinking about how Cornelius was acting, I was almost as angry as Emma Lee.

  "Oh, Nicky," she sobbed. "How can I be so foolish!? How can I let myself fall in love again? I promised I wouldn't! It hurt so much when Derek died and now I've lost Cornelius and to another woman! A woman he just met! I'm so angry and hurt and-and I hate that woman!"

  "That's a pretty valid feeling," I said. I wasn't going to make excuses for the Englishman and I certainly wasn't going to defend Amelia. I was still angry with Cornelius for being so willing to just leave Max at the mercy of Howling Wolf. I thought the two of them were friends. "He is acting like a jerk."

  "Maybe I'm just being jealous," she said as she wiped her eyes with the washcloth I had gotten for her. "Maybe he's not interested in her at all. Maybe I should give him another chance. See how he acts when we go back to meet her later."

  "Yeah, " I said, going along with whatever she said if it would keep her calm. "You could do that. Maybe, if Cornelius is with her for more than five minutes, she'll become a complete bitch and totally turn him off. Personally, I don't think she's that big of a deal."

  "Maybe," Emma Lee tried to put on a smile and then started sobbing again. "Oh, who am I kidding; she's gorgeous. Men have a hard time hiding their emotions when they see a pretty woman. I'd think there was something wrong with Cornelius if he didn't notice her. Oh, you're so lucky Max isn't here. A pretty woman like that would probably turn his head as well." Thanks Emma Lee, I thought. Way to have my back.

  "Maybe," I said through gritted teeth. I had a hard enough time working through Max's past escapades and thinking that I could, somehow, be different from all the other women he'd been with. I didn't need some beautiful queen going all doe eyed over him.

  When Robert came to get us to go with Cici, I was kind of relieved. I felt sorry for Emma Lee but, honestly, I wished she'd pull herself together. Grant it, Cornelius was being insensitive to her but, right now, we had other things to think about. Now that Marshal was doing better, we had to get back and help Max and Barker. We should also figure out a way to stop Howling Wolf from killing anyone else. I didn't know the people around the rivers all that well but that didn't mean I wanted them to be killed by some homicidal maniac. Then, if we could manage to come out unscathed, maybe, we could consider helping the Huxleys with their battle here. Right now, though, that was at the bottom of my list of things to do.

  "I think you'll find the wonders of the star tower to be quite fascinating," said Cici as she led us down the hall to the narrow staircase. "The First is quite anxious to show it to you. Especially to you sir," she said to Cornelius.

  "I'm sure we'll all be pleased to see it," Colonel Al jumped in before either Emma Lee or I could say anything. Smart move, I thought.

  "Yes, yes, of course," Cici said. She was silent for the rest of our journey.

  As we went up the stairs, I could tell that something was different. There was a strange white glow coming from the room above. It was very bright and I started to walk up the steps a little quicker so I could see where it was coming from. I got my answer as soon as I stepped into the room.

  Earlier, I thought this room was kind of cool because it's walls and ceiling were actually made of glass but that wasn't nearly as impressive as what I saw now. Somehow, with the darkness of the night, the windows had been converted into very powerful telescopic lenses. It was like we were standing inside of a telescope, looking out at the entire universe. The brightness I saw was from stars that seemed close enough to touch but were obviously light years away. Our sun, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen and I wondered if there was some kind of filter on the glass to keep the sun's brightness away. Whatever was hiding it was doing a good job because seeing the sun through these windows would burn your retinas right out of your eyeballs.

  Floating in front of the stars and looking like a mobile hanging over the crib of a giant baby, were the planets. I could see everything; the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn. I could even see the asteroid belt that lay between Mars and Jupiter. It was amazing and I forgot, for minute, why we were there. I looked over to Emma Lee and could see that she wasn't as thrilled with the view as I was. She stood a couple of feet away from Cornelius who must have been in absolute awe. He had been obsessed by the night sky ever since he was a boy and I would have been happy for him if it wasn't for Amelia. The young leader was standing beside Cornelius, her shoulder rubbing against his arm, her voice filled with flirtations.

  "I knew you'd like it!" she exclaimed rising up on the balls of her feet and clapping her hands in front of her face like a school girl. I rolled my eyes and looked around for Marshal. I wanted to talk to him and see how he was doing. We'd been separated for over three hours now and I wanted to make sure he was okay.

  "Um, " I started after I looked everywhere and didn't see my friend. "Where's Marshal?"

  "...and if you look over there, you'll see that there's another galaxy just beyond ours," she was almost cheek to cheek with him as he bent down to see where she was pointing.

  "Another galaxy?" he gasped. "You mean, you can see that far? I had no idea there was so much to see."

  "Amelia?" I said a little louder. "Where's Marshal?" My query had gotten everyone's attention except Amelia and Cornelius who were still oohing and awing over the sky.

  "Yes," she said, totally ignoring me. "It's a much bigger galaxy than our own but it's there."

  "I believe Nicky is trying to ask you something, ma'am," said Colonel Al with the official voice he most likely used on his soldiers. "She would like to know where Marsh
al is and, quite frankly, so would the rest of us."

  "He got tired," Amelia finally answered, looking annoyed that we had interrupted her. "I sent him to a room where he could rest. Look at the way it shimmers. It's so beautiful."

  "Where?" I asked. "I'd like to go see him."

  "He's fine," she answered without looking at me. "You should let him sleep. He won't get any better if you keep interrupting his sleep."

  "Excuse me?" I asked, a little confused by what she said. Did she know that I had been down to Marshal's room in the Healing Centre? She didn't even know we were here so, why would she know about my visits to see Marshal? It must have been Jeremiah; he was the only one who could have told her. Gregorius had disappeared and I doubted very much that Megan was relaying information to the First. It was Jeremiah, I was sure. I was starting to get a bad feeling about this woman.

  "Oh, Nicky," said Cornelius, pulling his eyes away from the stars long enough to give me a look of exasperation. "Can't you just enjoy the view? Marshal's fine, tucked away in a bed, recuperating from his injuries. I think we can take a few minutes to look at all the wonder that lies in our skies. I, for one, am very curious about this new galaxy. I wonder..."

  "It's called the Andromeda galaxy and it's about two and half million light years away," I said. "Now, can I go see Marshal?"

  "How do you know what it's called?" asked Cornelius.