Heath (Ember Quest Book 1)

by Arcadia Shield

  “Glad you still have such a high opinion of me,” said Heath. “After our final meeting, I assumed I’d never hear from you.”

  “Don’t hold it against me,” said Annie, straightening her spine. “You know my views about these reckless explorations you and my father are obsessed with. That hasn’t changed. It never will.”

  Heath stared at Annie, his green eyes narrowing. She squirmed in her seat. She saw the muscles twitching in his jaw as if he were trying to stop words coming out.

  “We don’t have a lot of time, here. You mentioned your father is missing. What happened?”

  “He vanished two weeks ago. He was searching a site in the Badlands for dragon remains.” She was glad they could focus on the reason for her contact. It was good to see Heath, but her father’s safe return was her only concern.

  “If you know where he is, why do you think he’s missing?”

  “He’s been out of touch too long,” said Annie. “He knows I worry about him, so he checks in at least once a week. He’s never been gone this long before without communicating.”

  “The comms links in the Badlands aren’t reliable,” said Heath. “Could be he’s in a dark spot and isn’t able to get a message to you.”

  “He’d find a way,” said Annie. “I’m worried something has happened to him.”

  “They don’t call the site the Badlands for nothing,” came a disembodied male voice along the comms line.

  Heath nodded. “Never a good place to go. Who was he with?”

  “He works alone,” said Annie.

  “He went to the Badlands alone?” Heath tipped his head back briefly before returning his gaze to the screen. “He might have been taken by bandits or kidnapped. If they discover your family connection, and your links with the university, they’ll assume there are credits to be made from kidnapping your father.”

  “If that had happened, I’d have received a ransom note.” The possibility of a kidnapping had crossed Annie’s mind. Her stomach clenched at the idea of her father being mistreated by people wanting credits.

  “They might still be waiting,” said Heath. “Give it another week. He could be home by then.”

  “What if I wait a week and he’s still not back?” Annie gripped the edge of her desk. “I’ll have lost my chance to find him. It could already be too late.”

  “It could,” said Heath.

  Annie saw Heath was holding back from offering his help. She didn’t blame him. Their last words hadn’t been kind ones. She’d regretted getting angry with him. But people who chased dragons were fools. It was nothing but smoke and mirrors, old myths a few clung to, like an ancient pagan rite, or people who worshipped a moon goddess. There was no such thing as dragons. That’s what the State told everybody, and she believed it.

  “Are you able to check your father’s financial records?” asked Heath. “If he’s still drawing on the credits in his account, then he should be fine.”

  “There’s been no activity in over a week,” said Annie. “I keep an eye on what he’s spending. He’s been known to blow an entire month’s credits on a journey to find some elusive bone fragment or egg from a dragon.”

  Heath gave her a wry smile. “I’ve done that myself, once or twice.”

  “The fact he’s used no credits for over a week shows something has happened.”

  The smile faded from Heath’s face. “It suggests that.”

  “I need your help,” said Annie. “I need you to help me find him.”

  “We don’t work for free,” came the same muffled male voice.

  “Be quiet,” snapped Heath.

  “If credits are an issue, I can pay you,” said Annie. “I have my salary from the university. I’m still at Helstone.”

  Heath nodded. “You made assistant professor.”

  Annie raised her eyebrows. “That’s right. I have a team I look after now.”

  “I knew you’d do well at that place,” said Heath. “You always followed the rules.”

  Annie’s eyes narrowed. “If you don’t want to help me, then say so. I can hire somebody else to go into the Badlands.”

  “Not many would be stupid enough to do that.”

  “Jude, enough!” Heath’s head whipped toward his companion, before looking back at the screen. “We’re busy with what we do here. I’m not sure we can spare you the hours to go hunting in the Badlands. It’s not a hospitable place.”

  Annie swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. “Please. My father believes in the same thing as you. He thinks dragons are real and wants to denounce the State and everything they stand for. And I’m certain that’s what you’re working on, as well.”

  A silence stretched between them as Heath stared at her. “What makes you say that?”

  “Because you believe the same as my father.” Annie let out a sigh. “And if he could, my father would want to help you. So, I’m asking you to do the same for him.”

  “Do you?” asked Heath.

  Annie blinked rapidly. “Do I what?”

  “Believe in what I stand for?” asked Heath. “And what your father’s pursuing?”

  Annie chewed on her bottom lip. “The claims he makes are... extreme.”

  “You need to believe in what your father does,” said Heath. “If you don’t, there’s no point in searching. He will never stop hunting for dragon remains. Much like me, Dmitri will never stop until they’re returned, and the State destroyed.”

  Annie looked around her small office. The blinds were pulled and the door locked. What she was doing was wrong, but a voice in her head nagged at her, filling her with doubt, telling her there was more to the dragon stories than the State revealed.

  “Annie,” said Heath. “You have to believe in me. Do you?”

  Annie took a deep breath and stared straight into Heath’s eyes, hoping he wouldn’t detect her lie. “I do.”

  Chapter 3

  After speaking to Annie for another few minutes, Heath cut the communication link. The longer they talked, the greater the risk of their encrypted conversation being discovered. And he would hate for Annie to get in trouble.

  He turned his chair to see Jude, Kade, and Lincoln all sitting, watching him.

  “Sounds like your girl’s got problems,” said Lincoln. “Got herself tied up with a State-run university.”

  “And she’s brainwashed, just like everyone else,” said Jude.

  “Annie’s a friend,” said Heath. “She doesn’t know everything she believes in is a lie. Most people don’t.”

  “She needs to be a good friend, if you’re risking a visit to the Badlands,” said Lincoln.

  Heath leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head. “Annie’s father, Dmitri, was good at hunting-out remains. Could be, we go in and find him and get a decent haul of egg fragments. Even a few bones.”

  “And if we go in, it means you get to save the day with Annie.” Lincoln grinned at Heath. “She’s a fine-looking woman.”

  Heath glowered at him. “Kade, pull up a schematic of the Badlands.”

  Kade did as instructed. A three-dimensional projection of a rocky, barren site came into view. “Nothing there but criminals and trouble.”

  “We’ll fit right in,” said Jude.

  “Maybe we should make it a new base of operations,” said Lincoln.

  “This one will do just fine,” said Heath, his attention on the site. He was still shocked by how much devastation the State had caused when coming to power. This place had once been a heritage site, drawing millions of tourists to it every year to admire its beauty. Even the cockroaches gave the Badlands a miss, these days.

  “You want to risk going into the Badlands, based on someone’s hunch?” asked Kade. “Annie doesn’t know for sure her dad is even there.”

  “Annie’s brilliant at what she does,” said Heath. “And her father equally so.”

  “You trust her?” asked Lincoln.

  “I do.” Heath didn’t hesitate in answering. “Link t
o Hive One. They’re closer to the Badlands and will have up-to-date intel.” The Hives were remote-based hubs, housing small teams who specialized in recon and intelligence gathering.

  “I hate to say this, but Annie’s father is most likely dead,” said Jude. “If someone is taken for ransom, the kidnappers don’t wait too long before asking for credits. There’s no point in that.”

  Heath grimaced. “The Grimwald family is well known. Anyone who took Dmitri might assume they were wealthy.”

  “They don’t sound all that wealthy,” said Lincoln.

  “Annie does well at the university,” said Heath. “But from what I know of him, Dmitri hasn’t worked a steady job for years. When his research papers started focusing on dragons, people got nervous and funding vanished. Doubt he’d get a job picking up litter, nowadays.”

  “Just like you,” said Jude.

  “It doesn’t mean he’s wrong because people won’t pay him to search for the truth,” said Heath, the words coming out sharper than he intended.

  Jude raised his hands. “I’m on board. But you’re nuts for pursuing this. And ninety-nine percent of the population think the same.”

  And that was the biggest problem—the aboveground population had forgotten dragons were real. Heath remembered them as if they were still around. When he’d woken from his head injury and people had been talking about the State, confusion had swamped him. He figured he’d had a brain injury, or memory loss. But when he’d asked people what happened to the dragons, they’d get a vague expression on their faces and talk of myths, and not to believe nonsense.

  Whoever the State were, they were powerful, using hypnotic suggestion techniques that kept people subdued and compliant. And that was a big part of the problem. The individuals in charge were a mystery, and they were determined to remain that way.

  They ruled using mind control, fierce, unbending rules, and a huge military force of conscripted people—the militia, who were all convinced they fought for the greater good.

  “Hive One is online.” Kade sat back and let Heath take control.

  The pale-blue eyes of Reed Houseman stared back at Heath. “How’s it going in good old London town?” His mock British accent was cringe-inducing. Reed was a refugee from Texas and had the southern drawl and cowboy boots to prove it.

  “They’re having a dance at the town hall, if you want to join in,” said Heath.

  “Will there be ladies at the dance?” Reed grinned, exposing a set of brilliant white teeth. He was a handsome devil, and he knew it.

  “Plenty, but none will be interested in you,” said Jude.

  “Don’t get jealous. I’ll save a couple for you.” Reed grinned at Jude. He turned his attention to Heath. “So, you’re interested in the Badlands?”

  “What’s the current situation there?”

  Reed hissed out air. “The local gangs aren’t causing much of a problem, but it’s what’s underground that’s the issue.”

  “The tectonic plates grinding together again?”

  “That’s old news,” said Reed. “They grind and groan and threaten new volcanos all the time. Speaking of which, did you hear about the new ones appearing off the coast last week?”

  “I missed that.” Heath sat forward. “How stable are they?”

  “As stable as one of Arlo’s plasma bombs.”

  “And they’ll affect the Badlands?”

  “As soon as they go off, the Badlands won’t be habitable,” said Reed. “Stay away from there until their activity levels are assessed. An evac notice is in place for the Badlands, not that people are paying attention. And that includes the State. They’d like the Badlands wiped off the map. It’s where the oddballs hang out. And these volcanoes might just do that.”

  “It sounds risky,” said Jude, running a hand over his cropped hair. He was ever the analyst, weighing up the risks and probabilities. “And we’ve no idea if Dmitri is still in the Badlands. He could have left, or be lying dead somewhere.”

  “You want me to turn down Annie’s request for help?” asked Heath.

  “Who’s Annie?” asked Reed.

  “Someone who needs our assistance,” said Heath. “How long have we got before the first volcano blows?”

  “It’s still heating,” said Reed. “I sent Baron and Zane on a recon mission and they took readings. Almost baked their eyeballs.”

  “We need two days,” said Heath. “We get in, find out what happened to Dmitri, and get out.”

  “What’s the deal with this Dmitri?” asked Reed.

  “He’s an expert in dragon finds,” said Heath. “If we can get him to come on board, he’d be an asset.”

  “As would Annie.” Lincoln grinned at Heath.

  “Annie brings a useful skill set as well,” said Heath, ignoring his brother’s grin. “But she’ll never leave the university. It’s her life.”

  “She must already have one foot out the door, if she’s contacting you,” said Lincoln.

  Heath nodded. Annie contacting him had been reckless because the State monitored all communications. She’d put herself in danger by getting in touch. It showed how desperate she must be.

  “You want me to send through intel on the Badlands?” asked Reed. “I can tell you what bits to avoid. I’ll give you a big hint for starters—don’t go near the coast when the volcanoes go bang.”

  “Do it,” said Heath. “And if you can, find out information on Dmitri Grimwald and his last known location in the Badlands.”

  “I’m on it.” Reed signed off, and the screen went blank.

  Heath looked around at his brothers. “We’ll keep a low profile and won’t cause any trouble. If Dmitri is still there, we’ll get him out.”

  “We’re going to the Badlands,” said Lincoln, a gleam of pleasure in his eyes.

  Heath keyed in a coded message to Annie. They’d accept the job. He gave details of where to meet and how to avoid the State noticing her movements. Jude was right, Annie would be a great member of their team. But if he was honest, it was more than that. The thought of seeing her again made his heart clench. He had no clue how to convince her to leave the university and venture out with his rag-tag band of brothers. But having her easy smile and laughter in the bunker would make the place brighter. And having Annie’s experience and knowledge would make their mission easier.

  Going up against the State meant they needed all the help they could get.

  ANNIE HAD HER LEAVE request approved that morning and now struggled to maintain an air of calm as she walked out of her apartment to the waiting auto-taxi.

  Since the State had taken control from the old monarchy, technology had advanced at a rapid rate, for those who could afford to use it. New style vehicles were automated and ran on hydrogen cells. She still found it creepy the way cars glided silently through the streets, the drivers’ seat gone and the controls working as if operated by a ghost.

  Annie knew this was an easy way for the State to monitor movements, so she had arranged for her journey to end two streets from where she was meeting Lincoln Ember, Heath’s older sibling. He would take her to their concealed base.

  Nerves fluttered in Annie’s stomach. She’d heard about the two thousand or so underground bunkers and tunnels that ran underneath many towns and cities, but had never been inside one. When the State took over, and arrest warrants were issued for even minor infractions of the new laws, many residents vanished. She assumed they’d all gone underground. And that was where she was going now, to meet Heath and his squad, to finalize plans for rescuing her father.

  She was also jittery about meeting Heath. When he’d stormed out of the university, she hadn’t been able to say goodbye, and had hated parting on bad company. Her hands ran over her plain black slacks. Heath had told her to dress discreetly and practically, so as not to draw attention, and make sure she had a pair of shoes she could run in. Annie swallowed and blew out a breath. She wasn’t certain who she’d be running from, but wore a pair of gray sneakers, just i
n case.

  She looked out the tinted window of the auto-taxi, staring at the empty buildings and fire-ruined houses, as she slid farther from State-approved locations. The State had moved most of the population into gated communities. They claimed it was for people’s safety, but Annie wasn’t so sure. Her apartment complex had round-the-clock security, but she wondered if that security fed information to the State, so they could catch people doing things they shouldn’t. Several of her neighbors had disappeared after complaining about new aspects of their accommodation.

  The car stopped. The door next to Annie unlocked with a soft click. “Enjoy your holiday, Professor Grimwald,” said the smooth, female voice of the car’s automated system.

  Annie grabbed her bag. “Thanks.”

  The car left her standing on a damp sidewalk, a light drizzle in the air, as she turned and walked toward the meet-up point.

  She rounded the corner and climbed up a slight hill toward the end of the next street. Annie slowed as she spotted a white building with its enormous columns at the front. This had been headquarters to the Bank of England before the State had shut it and taken control of the country’s finances. This was also the entrance into the bunker Heath and his brothers lived in.

  Annie’s gaze shot along the street. She wasn’t nervous of meeting another person; if anyone gave her trouble, she’d handle it. It was the State she was most worried about. She hadn’t taken a holiday in three years. To ask for a week off wouldn’t go unnoticed. But any request to leave your job had to go through the proper channels. If she’d disappeared without getting permission, it would raise too many questions, and be much more suspicious.

  She drew her shoulders back. The State be dammed, she was here now and needed to make sure her dad was safe. If any questions were asked, she had a legitimate reason for doing this. The State would understand.

  A sliver of shame ran through Annie as she remembered her lie to Heath when she’d told him she believed in what he did. She was being partially truthful, he’d do an amazing job of searching for her father, but she couldn’t believe in dragons. But the lie was the only way to get Heath to take on this mission.