“What?” Triston asked.
“Well… You know that this will be impossible to explain to everyone, right?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Broken City, Old Ontario
A little later that day that Alicia, Triston, Caitlin, Bryce, and Dylan managed to assemble everyone who had fought and survived through the night’s events.
Caitlin looked at the hundreds of heads gathered in the library. The survivors, she thought and felt a warmth spread in her heart that, despite the best efforts of a newborn vampire and an egotistical Were to create more destruction, plenty of life remained to fight back. Even after the fire had raged, most of the damage had been restricted to the roofs, and miraculously, the survivors had managed to extinguish the flames before the fire did any permanent damage.
She now sat on a table near the platform where Alicia, Bryce, and Triston stood. She sat beside Dylan, with Kain and Mary-Anne nearby. The table was large enough to hold Tom, Laurie, Joe, Vex, Belle, Ash, Alice, and several other Revolutionaries. Jaxon sat on Caitlin’s lap and panted enthusiastically. Occasionally, his tongue would find its way up the side of her cheek. Across from them, Belle sat with a small wolf pup on her lap, her smile so wide that it looked like it would fold in two.
“It’s Scout,” Belle mouthed. Vex rolled his eyes.
Kain finished his mouthful and nodded toward Triston and Alicia at the front of the room. “They’d make a cute couple.”
Caitlin scoffed.
“What?”
“I’ve got a lot to catch you up on,” she grinned. “Especially if I’m going to stop your incestuous tendencies.”
She left Kain looking flummoxed as Alicia took center stage.
“Citizens of the Broken. Man, woman, Were, and our new brothers and sisters from the forest. It is with great sadness that we stand here today in honor of those who have given their lives so that we may achieve peace.”
Sadness swept through the room. There were sobs and many a teary eye.
“But peace is still far from won,” Alicia continued and moved closer to Bryce’s side. He now wore a clean shirt without tears or stains. His hair was tied back, and he looked far more domesticated than he had when covered in fur and blood on the battlefield. “First, we must decide the right path for everyone here in this room.”
“Let Bryce lead!” a Were shouted from nowhere.
“Yeah! Give it to the Alpha!” another chorused.
Bryce shot a dirty look their way and shut them both up immediately. When he spoke, many of the humans seemed on edge.
“It is not for us to bicker about leadership,” Bryce growled. “For too long, power has been taken by one rather than distributed to many. I have spoken with our new sister…” He smiled and laid a heavy arm across Alicia’s shoulder. “We agree that it is not for those of us standing here to decide the roles we play. When a woman claims power, or a Were, there will always be an imbalance.”
“That is why we have decided to unite the two families,” Alicia said with a smile. “Leena May. Triston. Will you please take the stage?”
Murmurs rumbled as Triston raised an eyebrow and stepped forward beside his mother. Caitlin studied him with interest now that he had cleaned himself up and returned to his old somewhat regal self. She would never forget what hid beneath that exterior, of course, but at that moment, he was an impressive figure.
“Leena?”
Bodies moved aside to allow entrance to a concerned-looking Leena who stared at Bryce with a face which read, “What the hell is going on?”
“Mom?”
“Hush,” Alicia crooned. She laced her hands in front of her and took a deep breath. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
“Mom!” Triston said as he panicked and waved his arms. Leena emulated him, both clearly disgusted by one another.
Alicia burst into laughter, and even Bryce gave a deep, throaty chuckle.
“Oh, you were right, Caitlin. That was funny,” Alicia said and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
The library filled with a raucous echo of mirth. Jaxon barked excitedly. Mary-Anne clutched her recently-healed stomach, she laughed so much.
Triston glared at Caitlin for a moment before he relaxed and laughed, too.
“Go take a seat, dear,” Alicia said to Leena’s relief.
They watched the Were walk to the back of the room and Bryce continued.
“As I was saying, it is time for a new order to reign in this city. An order in which Were and human can live side by side. No more hiding down in the sewers—”
Bryce looked taken aback as a chorus of cheers erupted from the Weres.
“No more humans scared of leaving the center of the city,” Alicia added to more cheers.
“We build a future on the mistakes of the past,” Bryce continued. “And with that, we have agreed to form a council.”
“This sounds oddly familiar,” Caitlin heard Vex say behind her.
“Four Were representatives,” Bryce declared.
“Four human representatives,” Alicia said. “Do we have any volunteers?”
This was followed by a tense silence as everyone looked at one another and considered who would become the first to stand for council. After a minute, Alicia held her hand high in the air. Bryce did the same. Cynthia’s rose after that, alongside Triston, Nell, and Sasha.
Caitlin looked at Izzy and mouthed, “You should go.”
Izzy shook her head.
‘Why not?’ Caitlin mimed.
Izzy simply pointed at Caitlin as if to say, ‘Why don’t you?’
“I’ll do it!” Sully said suddenly, his voice echoing a little too loudly around the hall.
Dylan looked stunned. “What are you doing?”
“So will he,” the big man added and dragged his leader to his feet.
“Sully, I know nothing about this city,” Dylan said.
Caitlin sniggered. “He’s right, though. You’d make an excellent candidate.”
Dylan made his way awkwardly to the front with Sully and joined the others. He was red in the face but looked like he belonged up there.
“Any others?” Alicia asked, allowing one last moment of tense silence before she proceeded. “Well, that was easier than I’d thought. Ladies and gentlemen…”
“And Weres!” the Were from earlier shouted.
“And Weres,” Alicia said. “There we are. The Council of the Broken. From now on, let it grant us peace and prosperity, and may we finally get around to fixing this shitheap of a city once and for all. If we don’t find a way to finally clear all the Mad, I’ll throw up on someone’s shoes.”
There was a loud round of applause. Many stood and acknowledged the new Council with glee. Only a few Weres glared at the humans, and only a handful of the humans struggled to trust the Weres.
“What about the Council of Revolutionaries?” Belle said. “Y’know…the CoR? What happens to that?”
Caitlin smiled. “It stays with us. We don’t need to sit at the head of the city to make a change. I’ve already spoken to Alicia and Bryce about our group and what we’re made of, and they’ve granted us permissions to remain as honorary guardians.”
“Woah,” Vex said.
“Yeah, pretty cool, right?”
As the applause began to die down, she heard Alicia say, “And can we welcome three more guests to the stage, please? Please put your hands together for Caitlin, Kain, and Mary-Anne.”
The trio looked at each other in surprise and made their way to the front.
Caitlin looked at the crowd and felt overwhelmed with emotion. Now that she stood before them all, the crowd seemed to have magnified threefold.
“Without these three, there’s a very good chance we wouldn’t all be standing here today,” Alicia said. She moved to each one and hugged them. “Many of you won’t know who they are. Many of you will. It was only through the efforts of Kain and Caitlin that I was able to survive the clutches of Geralt.
It’s only because of the life-and-death fight of Mary-Anne that we were not overcome by my sister, Felicia.”
The crowd murmured. Alicia explained to the city exactly what had happened with her sister, starting from the moment she had been kidnapped. When she had finished, she introduced Miriam to the city, who received welcome applause for her own bravery despite the situation she had been put in.
Eventually, Caitlin, Kain, and Mary-Anne left the stage to an immense roar of applause. Caitlin kept her head low, returned to her seat, and watched her brother up on stage. Pride swelled inside of her.
When Dylan and Sully returned to their table, they all spoke and laughed until the food was finished and the sun was high. Caitlin signaled for Dylan to follow her and they retired to the upstairs room.
“Wow,” Caitlin said as they walked through the door and saw the blankets on the floor. Jaxon immediately found a corner and settled in for some sleep.
“I know,” he said.
“Who knew that the next time I’d see you, you’d be on the Council in the shell of an old city?” She shook her head affectionately and wrapped her arms around him. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, sis.”
They sat with their backs against the wall and every muscle in their bodies ached. He finally explained the situation at Silver Creek from the Mad attack, through to the spread of the Madness, and their decision to leave the town altogether for the safety of everyone involved.
Caitlin was quiet for some time as she absorbed the information.
“I can’t believe that Silver Creek is gone,” she said at last.
Dylan shook his head. “No. It’s not gone. The town is still there, and the people are here with us…well, those who remain. But there is some hope, after all.”
He fished in a bag and withdrew the book that had prolonged many people’s lives and indicated where next to search for the fabled Helena Millican.
Caitlin flicked through the pages and studied the scrawled writing of a woman clearly hell-bent on researching the Madness and finding a cure. He sat quietly beside her, his eyes closed, so neither noticed when Mary-Anne and Kain appeared in the doorway.
“Now they make a cute couple,” Kain said.
Mary-Anne hit his stomach. “Really? We hardly see you in days, and this is the kind of shit you’re still doing?”
“Hey, you’d hate it if I changed, sweet fangs.”
“You could change a little.”
Caitlin grinned. Dylan jerked awake.
Mary-Anne sniffed the air.
“What is it?” Caitlin said.
“I don’t know…” Mary-Anne said and moved closer to Caitlin, leading with her nose. She sat down beside her and leaned into the book. “Wolf-boy. Take a whiff of this. Is this what I think it is?”
Kain leaned down and sniffed the book. “Vampire?”
“You know she is, Kain,” Caitlin said.
“No, Kitty-Cat,” Mary-Anne replied. “This book reeks of it. Where did you find it?”
She looked at Dylan who explained everything once again.
“You don’t think…” Mary-Anne said, stroking her chin.
“Don’t think what?”
“Think about this. This book mentions a woman moving east to look for a cure for the Madness. Her book reeks of vampire, and wee Stump finds it around the same time that we look for a vampire in the forests. Then we discover that someone created a newborn in the very city we’re sitting in?”
Caitlin pondered this. “You’re not suggesting that this…” She looked at the signature on the book. “Helena is a vampire?”
Mary-Anne narrowed her eyes. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.”
Her mouth dropped. She stood up excitedly and held the book in front of her. “Then that would mean… Ma…you’re telling me we could be holding a lead to a woman who might be able to discover a cure for the Madness?”
“Well…”
Caitlin’s excitement grew. “If this woman has filled an entire book with notes and at least found a way to slow down the rate at which the Madness takes over, then…then we have to find her. Ma, Kain, Dylan.” Caitlin laughed. “This could be it. We track Helena down, and we help her to cure the Madness. This is how we get Silver Creek back. This is how we free the world of all of this shit.”
Kain rolled his eyes. “Can’t we sit in one city for longer than a couple of days? I’ve got whiplash from being carted back and forth by you.”
She smiled.
“There’s only one problem with your plan,” Mabel said and appeared in the door. A couple of seconds later, Jamie sprinted up behind her.
“Nana. I told you not to run off like that. We’re in a new damn city… Oh, hey, guys.”
“If you want to catch a vampire, you’ve got to think like a vampire,” she said.
Mary-Anne tutted. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a vampire.”
“Exactly,” the old woman retorted with a knowing smile. “So, where would you go?”
Mary-Anne thought long and hard. “Well, honestly, I spent the best part of several decades asleep in my house. But I suppose if I wanted to explore the world and further my understanding of the Madness, I’d go somewhere where there are people and more Mad.”
An idea suddenly struck Caitlin—the very place she had stared at from multiple rooftops across the city. A place her heart had yearned for before she’d even had a chance to realize it.
“Hold on. I’ll be right back.”
She rushed out of the room and returned moments later with Izzy and Miriam in tow. Izzy looked confusedly around the room. “What is it, Caitlin? What’s going on?”
“The city across the Black Lake. Are there people there?”
“I don’t know…maybe.”
Miriam nodded. “That was my home at one point.”
Caitlin beamed. “Then it’s settled! We start across the lake and look for Helena.”
The woman bit her lip.
“What is it?” Mary-Anne said, noticing her discomfort.
“It’s just… There are some…not very nice people across there.”
Caitlin’s smile didn’t leave her face. “Same shit, different day, wouldn’t you say, guys?”
Dylan, Mary-Anne, and Kain laughed.
“So I guess, knowing you, Caitlin, that settles it?” Mary-Anne asked and stood.
Kain rose as well. “All for one, and one for all?” he said and held his fist out.
They all stared at him.
“What does that even mean?” Caitlin said.
“It’s in a book I once…you know what? Never mind. I’m in.”
THE END
More from Dan Willcocks
THEY FIGHT. THEY LIVE. THEY ROT.
Eight years ago, an infection hit London, before spreading outwards. 90% of the population was either contained by the military, trampled during the riots, or infected by the disease.
A disease that came to be known as The Rot.
Colin Bolton survived the incident but not without losing everything he held dear to him – his life, his love, and his humanity.
Now, he’s living at a farmhouse, acting as a bodyguard for a new surrogate family. Life is stable. He’s making do. He’s surviving. That is… until a vagrant scavenger comes knocking at the door, desperate for food and water.
An encounter that will spin Colin’s life into chaos once more, bringing him face to face with a murderous family, the dead and the dying, and the failures of his past.
THEY ROT is the first book in a brutal new series of post-apocalyptia set in Great Britain. It’s brought to you by Willcocks and Kondor, two of the groundbreaking authors behind the iTunes chart-busting podcast, The Other Stories, and the story studio, Hawk & Cleaver - A digital story studio bringing you the best new stories to watch, read, sniff, and absorb.
Available at Amazon
Author’s Notes - Dan Willcocks
December 6, 2018
It’s getting clos
e to Christmas. That means, here in the UK, the nights have grown longer. The days are colder. Twinkling lights litter houses along the streets causing epileptic seizures to anyone that looks their way.
And here I am. And here you are. Three months on from the release of the first Caitlin book and you’re still here with me.
The City Revolts has been the book that I’ve been looking forward to writing ever since I put Caitlin’s name on the page and set her out on her journey from Silver Creek. The one where all the culmination of the kickass action of Caitlin, Mary-Anne, Kain and Jaxon comes together in an explosion of action at one of my favourite cities in the world, Hamilton—though I’ve never personally been, it’s definitely a bucket list item.
This book marks the fourth in this series, and there’s still plenty more of Caitlin to come. For those of you who are avid KGU fans, I’m excited at what the next few books are going to bring your way. Caitlin’s journey has only really just begun as she navigates her way through the wasteland of the world and now looks to take on her next challenge—seeking Helena Millican and working to understand more about the Madness.
Is there a cure?
Can the Madness be stopped?
Does chocolate still exist and, if so, what will happen to Jaxon if he eats it?
I won’t spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t yet read any other Michael Anderle books, but I know some of you may know the answer to the questions above.
*Cough.*
Ezekiel.
*Cough.*
Caitlin still has a long way to go, but I think we can all safely say that, with the help of her Revolutionaries, there’s a lot more ass left to kick in the Age of Madness.
Now, on a more personal note, I did want to add my usual thanks to Michael, Steve, Lynne, Miha, CM and LE, as well as my buddies at Hawk & Cleaver (www.hawkandcleaver.com) for their support. But I did also want to add another huge thanks to YOU, the reader. Without you my words would just be ink upon a page. Thanks to all of those who have joined the Age of Madness Facebook group and chip in with your excitement at releases as well as suggestions for storylines and where Caitlin’s journey could go. If you’re not already in the group, you can find it here (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ageofmadness/).
The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set Page 90
