He blinks, and his eyelashes are wet with tears. His hand holding the lamp is trembling so badly that he drops the lantern, and he falls to his knees right in front of me. He hunches over, and Rain Turner, the sadistic, cold-hearted, always smiling but always careless boy, weeps.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Chills. They’re convulsing all across my body. I’m so shocked. Shocked by his words, his actions. Shocked by what’s going on right now. Blinking because I’m not entirely sure if this is really Rain in front of me crying. But before I think another thought, I’m on my knees beside him, gathering him in my arms, and he’s resting his head on my lap, and I’m bent over him, cradling him while his entire body shudders with his sobs.
And I wonder, what exactly did Titus make him do that completely broke him? What did Rain sacrifice for the sake of the Resurgence that makes his body shake with his sobs?
I don’t want to know.
I don’t ever want to find out.
Because anything that could make Rain break will shatter me to seven million pieces.
So I hold him. I hold him on the floor of the cavern, and there are no words between us. And I decide, this is just one more reason to take Titus down.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
The next morning we all wake up to a feast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sliced apples, bread that has been warmed over the fire. It’s a breakfast fit for a Patrician. I take my plate from Richa, sit on a log, and inhale deeply the rich smell of the food before digging in. I take a bite of the warm bread first, spiced with cinnamon and raisins, and close my eyes, a groan of relief escaping me.
“Good stuff, huh?”
My eyes fly open to find Rain hunkering beside me, his own plate in hand. He digs into his bacon first.
“It’s absolutely divine,” I say, mimicking the Patrician accent.
He smirks while he chews, then swallows. “Just because you’re eating like a Patrician, does not mean you can talk like one.” He stuffs another bite into his mouth, and I accept a cup of coffee that Mcallister hands me, mumbling my thanks through a mouthful of food.
I don’t really know what to say to Rain. After last night, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to act a bit serious around this person who is rarely serious, or if I should just act like nothing happened—the way he’s acting. I’ve never been too good at talking to people about their feelings. This is one thing that Rain and I have in common. And I don’t know if he wants me to bring it up again or drop it. Because whatever the chief did changed him. It affected him on a deep level and scarred him. But maybe this is one of those things where there are no words. And maybe it really is a better idea just to leave it up to him to bring it up again, if he wants.
I wash the last bite of bread down with some coffee. Unlike my last cup of coffee, this coffee is laced with sugar and cream, and my entire body sighs at the rich flavor and warmth that fills my bloodstream. Lowering my mug, I look at the faces of the people surrounding me.
Everyone’s so happy right now. This is like our own personal feast. A party. A celebration of how far we’ve come and where we’re going. Levi huddles close to the fire with his own coffee, his mind clearly spinning with ideas, as usual. Ash and Kate are laughing at some inside joke. Jonah’s having a serious talk with Dad while Dad nods in agreement. Mcallister hunkers down beside Rain, and they immediately strike up a conversation.
And I suddenly understand what Merton meant when he talked about his people shining like the sun. Because as I sit here watching the familiar faces of my people, my family, I’m overwhelmed with a profound love for every single one of them. I see the light shining in their eyes, hear the hope in their laughter, feel the hum of excitement reverberating through the caverns, and I wonder what ever made me want to leave these people behind.
“We need to get the antitoxin,” Levi says after he finishes his third cup of coffee.
Everyone looks at him, and he shoves his glasses up the bridge of his nose, then wipes his hands on his pants, all too ready to state his argument.
“We need to get it, we need to turn it into a gas, and we need put that gas into a bomb, and blow up Ky. I mean, not literally blow it up, but, you know, fill the air with the antitoxin so people breathe it in.”
Silence.
“Do you know how to turn it into a gas?” Jonah asks.
“Yes,” Levi says. “Rain found a sample of the antitoxin and brought it back with him, and I was able to experiment a bit with it on a couple of the Defenders.”
Jonah frowns. “And who gave you permission to do this?”
“Rain did.”
Everyone looks at Rain, and he lifts his hands in mock defense. “Hey, it’s for the good of Ky.”
Jonah rolls his eyes and looks at Levi. “Okay. That’s great, Levi. So we just need to figure out how to get all of the antitoxin supply. And only Titus knows where it’s stored.”
“And Aurora,” I say. All eyes are on me. “She claims to know everything Titus knows. She didn’t deny her knowledge of the antitoxin.” I shrug. “But good luck getting it from her.”
I don’t even finish my sentence before Rain is already up and striding toward her tent.
“Be gentle on her,” Jonah shouts behind him, but no response.
I wonder how she’ll do this time. She’s pretty strong willed, but when it comes to torture, she’s as weak as a toddler. I hope she’s compliant, for her sake. And for Doc Reece’s sake. Doctor Reece cleaned her wound and wrapped up her finger pretty well, and I doubt he’ll want to clean up another one of Rain’s messes.
Rain. He’s like a completely different person now. After seeing him break down last night, I’m angry. Enraged. I don’t want to help the Resurgence because I’m obligated or because it’s what’s expected of me as Titus’s sister. I want to help the Resurgence so I can put a stop to the madness, stop the loss of innocent lives at the hands of Defenders who don’t know what they’re even doing. I want to bring forth a new government.
Less than thirty seconds, and Rain’s exiting Aurora’s tent.
“Pack up,” he says. “We’re leaving at dawn.” He grins and taps his head as he walks toward us. “I’ve got all the information we need up here.”
Unbelievable. He got all that information in less than a minute? And I, her sister, couldn’t get it after an hour. Instead, I ended up getting attacked. I guess Rain was right. Torture is the best tactic to use on Princess Aurora. I just hope she gave him the right information.
We spend the rest of the morning planning. The Fearless Six are going to Frankfort to get the antitoxin, assuming the antitoxin is actually where Aurora said it is. Which is in the basement of the chief’s mansion. I wasn’t even aware the mansion had a basement. Neither was Rain, apparently. And Rain knows everything.
“Just another one of Titus’s secrets,” he mumbles.
While the Six are getting the antitoxin, Rain and I will go to the Community Garden where he thinks he can confiscate another fleet of Defenders.
“When I left,” Rain says, “I had those at the base believe I was on a military training procedure in the outskirts of Ky, in the ghost town. That way if Titus or anyone checked up on me, they wouldn’t suspect anything with my absence or the absence of five hundred Defenders. So we should be able to return, no problem. There are exactly three hundred Defenders on the Community Garden base. If I can just take down their general, who is well in his sixties, then we should be able to gather those Defenders. You can compel them, and then we gotta find a few trucks to load them in, and we’ll return back here that same day with no problems.”
He sounds so sure of himself. I just wish I had his certainty. And charisma. But if there’s any place where we can safely steal a bunch of Defenders, it’s the Community Garden. Fewer citizens to report what they see. No cameras watching our every move. Everyone’s all spread out, and few people question Defender procedures, so a bunch of Defenders leaving the area wouldn’t even faze them.
I’m just
excited about seeing the Community Garden again. Even though the orchard is nothing but ashes now, the Community Garden as a whole is my home.
“Ember,” Rain says when we finish planning. “Come with me.”
A thrill courses through me. Since his return, I’ve wanted to spend every moment with Rain. “Where are we going?” I ask.
He lights a lantern, then begins heading away from camp. “We’re entering dangerous territory.” He looks at me smiles a little. “I’d like to know you can defend yourself if Titus ever tries to attack you again.”
Julius trots up beside me, his head reaching my waist, and I scratch him behind the ears. When we’re a good distance away from the camp, Rain sets the lantern down and teaches me some self-defense moves.
“When you’re confronted, you only have a little bit of time to defend yourself before your attacker overpowers you. Never hesitate. So aim for the body parts where you can do the most damage easily: the eyes, nose, ears, throat, groin, and legs. You can use fingers or knuckles to poke eyes, use the heel of your hand to strike up under the nose, but make sure you use your whole body weight for this move to cause the most pain and ensure your attacker releases you.
“If you attack the neck, attack the sides with either your elbow or the flat of your hand like a knife hand strike.” He holds up his hand so four fingers are splayed straight and tightly together while the thumb is tucked under. “Kick the side of the knees, as well, as it will cause imbalance in your intruder. Use your elbows, knees, and head for most attacks, as these are the best built-in weapons your body has.”
He teaches me a few more moves, and then we practice. Rain grabs my upper arm in a tight grip and swings me toward him. I lift my hand and briefly try to remember whether I’m suppose to use my knuckles to shove of his nose or use the heel of my hand to punch out his eyes, when he grabs my wrist and twists it painfully behind my back.
“What did I say about hesitating, Carter?”
I groan. “Never to do it.”
“That’s right.” His grip loosens, and in one quick movement, he spins me around so he’s holding me in his arms. He’s breathing heavily, my heart is racing, and our noses are only inches apart, and I wonder.
What would it feel like to kiss those lips?
He searches my eyes like he’s thinking the same thing. He’s looking at me like I’m the first flower in spring, the first ray of an autumn sunrise. And the energy between us is charged, and a thrill courses through me. He leans in closer until his lips are just barely touching mine, and his hand slides up my spine until his fingers graze the back of my neck. The room begins to spin and I close my eyes, waiting, aching, when a loud clap echoes through the cavern. I jerk away from Rain, my heartbeat thrumming against my eardrums.
Aurora appears, seemingly out of nowhere, clapping like she’s amused. Her eyes are mocking as she slowly walks toward us. Mcallister is behind her with a lantern in hand, apparently on bodyguard duty. Poor James.
“Well done, Ember,” Aurora says with a smirk. “Playing the damsel in distress card and drawing him in with your charm. Excellent form of self-defense. When he almost kissed you—that would have been the perfect opportunity to kick him in the groin or break his nose.” She shrugs. “Too bad you won’t ever be able to pull that trick on me or Titus. For one, we’re related. And I don’t think Titus would be attracted to you anyway. You’re quite plain, really.”
“Speak for yourself,” I snap. “I wouldn’t want to get that close to either of you, anyway.”
She chuckles softly. “Doesn’t matter. We usually have our Defenders do all the dirty work for us, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that.”
Her words irritate me. Mcallister shifts uncomfortably, no doubt reining in his own temper, since he used to be one of those Defenders she speaks of. I glance at Rain, and realize he’s even more pissed that I am. He looks like he could rip her heart out with one look, and it’s kind of frightening. I always thought the bitter feelings I had for Titus were pretty strong. But the way Rain is looking at Aurora, I’m not sure if what I’m feeling for Titus comes even close to what Rain feels for Aurora. It’s not indifference. It’s pure hatred—a strong desire for her to be dead. By his hands.
I don’t like this side of Rain.
“Let’s go,” I say.
He blinks, and when he looks at me I can still see the rage. So I reach out and take his hand, thankful when he follows. When I glance back, Mcallister is saying something to Aurora, but she shakes her head and walks in the opposite direction.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
When lunch rolls around, I sit in a circle with my usual crew: Dad, Rain, Mcallister, Walker, and the Six. I look around for Elijah, waiting for him to join us, but after he fills his bowl with soup, he walks over to where Aurora sits alone. I feel the barb of betrayal. Why would he choose to sit by her? Doesn’t he know she won’t talk to him, or anyone who tries to strike up a normal conversation? But to my utter astonishment, she smiles broadly at him and nods for him to sit down.
Well. How about that. Aurora won’t talk to her twin, but the moment her half brother walks up, she gives him her full attention. Maybe he should have been the one to draw information out of her all along. I strain my ears and try to hear what they’re saying, but the voices of the people around me are too loud.
They seem to have an in-depth conversation during the entire meal. Finally, when pretty much everyone has finished eating and has wandered off to do their own thing, Aurora stands and retreats to her tent. I set my plate down and join Elijah.
“What was that about?” I ask, trying to hide the bitterness from my voice as I sit beside him.
“Oh, I just had a few questions about politics and the government.”
“And she just…answered all your questions?” I asked.
“Mm-hmm.” He looks at me, then understanding settles into his eyes. “I didn’t ask anything personal. I just wanted to know how the system worked. How politicians were chosen and what was expected of them and stuff.”
Oh. Of course. Why didn’t I figure that out sooner? Elijah’s dream has always been to be a politician. My heart melts at the passion of my little brother. And good for him for sitting with Aurora when no one else would.
Rain walks by. He catches my eye and jerks his chin. He must have some extra planning to do for our trip to the Garden. I stand and follow him outside. Julius bounds in front of us like an overjoyed kitten, and I’m surprised once again by how warm it is. The sun is shining, the air is just a bit cooler than that in the cavern, and the trees and vines and grass are just turning green.
“It’s spring,” I say.
“Yep. Good old February, promising to bring warmth to this bitter world.”
I look back and notice the vines over the cavern opening have begun to turn green, too. They’re thicker now, and any passerby wouldn’t even suspect there were one hundred acres of caverns weaving beneath the ashen city.
“So,” Rain says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Plans are coming together. By tomorrow night we’ll have an entire army of Defenders and every single vial of the antitoxin in our palms, assuming everything works out.”
“About that,” I say. “How was Aurora so compliant? I mean, how badly did you torture her this time?”
“Yeah. No torture was necessary.”
“Oh. You must have really scared her with your first interrogation when you cut out her fingernail.”
“I guess so. Because I didn’t even have to threaten her. I demanded to know where the antitoxin was, and she told me. Not only that, but she gave me the codes to the room.”
“Without you asking?”
He nods.
She just gave him the codes. How so unlike her. Rain must have really scared the shoddy inferno out of her. Although, by the look he gave her just hours ago, I’m not surprised she’s scared of him. I would never want to be on Rain’s bad side.
“I hope she didn’t give you the wrong codes,”
I say.
“I told her that if they didn’t work, I’d kill her when I got back.”
I shudder. Rain seriously has a dark side. I guess I knew it when I first met him in the prison pit, but it’s been awhile since I’ve seen this side of him.
“So,” Rain continues. “If Jonah has his way, we’ll be marching head-on into battle by this time next week.” He looks at me, a concerned look in his eyes. And it’s so strange seeing any measure of concern in Rain’s steel gray eyes. But after seeing him break down last night, I’m realizing there’s a whole different side to Rain than the cold side, too. “Are you sure you want to do this, Ember?”
There it is again. Him using my name. And the way my name sounds on his lips makes my heart melt. I clear my throat, take a deep breath.
“Yes,” I manage to say. “I—I’ve been thinking about what Thomas Merton said about his overwhelming love for his people, and I think…I think I understand what he meant. I sort of felt it this morning. Ky is so lost. So incredibly lost. The Proletariats are blinded into full service to a chief who doesn’t even care about them. And that needs to change. So, yeah, I’m completely ready to give Titus what he deserves and lead this country to a better place.” I look at him. “And after last night…” I begin. “After you told me that Titus made you—and the Defenders—do all those things…I think I’m more ready than I ever have been to bring change.”
To my astonishment, he doesn’t refute what I said. Instead, he nods, shoves his hands into his pockets, and stares ahead, his jaw clenching and unclenching.
ashen city (Black Tiger Series Book 2) Page 28
