New World Ashes

by Jennifer Wilson

  Ryker rolled his eyes. “Please… It’s a few bumps and bruises.”

  I bristled, speaking through my teeth. “You shot at me.”

  Ryker tipped sideways, scraping the nearest gun off the floor. He ignored me as I slipped a handgun from my own belt and poised to shoot him. I stayed tense as his hands quickly slid over his gun, pulling it apart. It wasn’t until the weapon was completely dismantled that I reholstered my own. He tossed something to me and I caught it. The small cylinder was cool in my skin. Uncurling my fingers, I inspected the object in my palm.

  The shape was that of a bullet, but the resemblance stopped there. The casing was clear like glass, but felt like cool metal to the touch. A translucent liquid swirled in place of an ignition powder while the bullet itself was a vibrant red that shimmered slightly. I rolled it in my palm to feel the weight. It was lighter that a regular bullet too.

  Ryker spoke as I inspected it. “Training ammunition. They burn like real bullets but the pain is only temporary, creating the illusion of being shot. They’ll leave a welt and singe the skin a little, but never actually break the surface. They simply incinerate on contact.”

  “It wouldn’t have hurt to tell me that sooner.” I threw the bullet back to him with a little more force than necessary. He easily caught it and set it aside.

  “You wouldn’t have fought as hard if you didn’t think your life was in danger.” He went back to icing his neck.

  “Oh, what? Let me guess, now you’re going to tell me the knives you threw at me were merely fluffy bunnies.” I pressed my ice pack to my swelling lower lip.

  “Oh no, those are real. I figured if you couldn’t dodge a few knives, then you weren’t very useful to me.”

  “Ever the gentleman.” I muttered.

  “Please, I didn’t try that hard to kill you. Or this conversation wouldn’t be happening right now.” He pulled himself up a little higher.

  “What’s the matter Ryker? Upset that you still can’t beat me?” I crooned in a mocking tone. He shook his head, but I could see a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. I watched him as he inventoried his own wounds. Maybe he hadn’t fought as hard as he could have—though I doubted it—but I had. Before I regained full control of myself, I was aiming to kill. It was in my nature.

  I glanced at the room around us. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Nearly all of the weapon stands had been knocked over, splaying artillery all over the floor. Singe marks scarred the floor and walls where Ryker had missed. My hair had come loose in a crazed array of gold and we were both nursing some rather serious wounds. I had already pulled two of my fingers back into their sockets and I was pretty sure we both had bruised, if not broken, ribs. This had not simply been a sparring match.

  “How did you know that I wouldn’t kill you?”

  “I didn’t.” He shrugged. “I guess I just figured you didn’t when we were kids so you wouldn’t this time either.”

  “I’m not that girl anymore, Ryker. It would do you well to remember that.”

  He merely shrugged in response, but I didn’t push it.

  I glanced around the room again, as it filled with our awkward silence. Ryker got up, wincing and began to rummage in the first aid box before returning to his seat. I poked a discarded knife with the toe of my shoe. “What the hell is this place any way?”

  “It was one of the city’s many safe bunkers. They were built when The Wall was still under construction. A safe place for the citizens to hide if the city was breached. Most people don’t even know they exist anymore.” Ryker leaned back against the curved wall, dabbing a towel at a deep cut on his forearm.

  “I somehow doubt these have escaped The Minister’s attention.” I pressed my shirtsleeve to my lip. Still bleeding. “And I can’t really see him volunteering the space for the rebels to better hone their skills.”

  He chuckled darkly, then—satisfyingly—had to clutch his ribs. “Far from it. There are fifteen of the bunkers in total. Each one is usually stocked with food and nonperishable supplies. If the city was ever breached and our blockhouses are compromised they are meant to house the most genetically prosperous people to help with re-population. Each of these people has been tagged by our system and preservation soldiers are trained to escort those chosen civilians to safety before defending the rest of our populous. Funny though… in the past ten years all of our most genetically prosperous people happen to be in The Minister’s pocket.”

  “So how does he not know about this bunker?” I glanced at the door, waiting for a soldier to come crashing through.

  “The Minister is overconfident about his control over the city. His doesn’t think anyone could ever breach The Wall. There are codes—like the ones on our blockhouse—that if breeched send out an alarm. Zeek has hacked this one too. The man is so good it’s a little scary. The only other security measure The Minister takes is to assign two preservation soldiers to perform basic rounds of duty. They walk the bunkers, take inventory and report back to him every other week.” He raised his eyes to meet mine. They glittered with pleasurable malice. “What he doesn’t know is that those two soldiers turned rebel over five years ago.”

  “And you trust them?” I glared at him. I still didn’t trust most of the people from the Subversive, much less Ryker—who was still just a stranger from my past.

  “With my life.” Ryker’s voice cooled. “We are stronger together. If we start turning on one another, he wins. I won’t let that happen. I won’t live the rest of my life under the rule of a delusional masochist.”

  “Why not leave? Why don’t you just cut your losses and leave the city?” I asked.

  “Why did you come back here?” He countered, his left eyebrow raised as he tilted his head. “Leaving won’t solve any problems. You can’t trade one hell for another and expect not to still burn in its fires.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. Despite my desire to contradict him, I couldn’t.

  “You came here to change things. To save your people, to find answers—”

  I cut him off. “I don’t have people.”

  Ryker appraised me. “Everyone has people.”

  I thought of Mouse and Triven. They were my only people. But even as I thought that, the faces of Arden, Doc Porters, Maribel and Archer flashed in my mind. I shook my head, not wanting to think about the people we had left behind.

  “Why do you want to save your people so badly?” I dropped my cold pack to better look at him. “They have sent their kids to become soldiers. They do nothing to defend themselves. It’s almost as if they don’t care. The Tribes are not the most honorable groups, but at least they are willing to fight for something.”

  Ryker shook his head, as if something I had said disappointed him. “You never were much of a team player.”

  He stared at me, making me squirm under his sharp gaze. A look of sincere regret touched his usually cold eyes. “I am sorry about the children recruits… It was not my idea to use them to break you. Gage compulsively watched what little video they had of the five of you when you breached The Wall. Your affection for Mouse was visible in them. It was his idea to use the children recruits to get to you.”

  I pressed the icepack to my knuckles, unable to look at him. There had been something nagging at the back of mind. Something I had intuitively known but was afraid to say out loud. “He’s her brother, isn’t he?”

  Ryker’s heavy sigh answered my question before his words did. “Yes. Gage is Mouse’s brother.”

  I closed my eyes wishing I had never asked. But the lid was already off Pandora’s box. So I pressed further. “Their parents?”

  “We don’t know,” Ryker said quietly. “Mouse and Gage were brought in from your world. They didn’t even have names. We just called them Boy and Girl. Fandrin thought if he could save and rehabilitate some abandoned children from the outside—show some compassion—it might make his people love him more. Really it was his way of hand-selecting and molding an heir from an impressionable,
parentless child. Eleven other Tartarus orphans died from his so-called rehabilitation trials before he found Gage and Mouse.”

  My breath felt short. My soul ached. Mouse was more of a kindred spirit than I could have ever imagined.

  “Mouse never took to Fandrin. She refused to train and fought against him in every way possible. Her brother, on the other hand, did. They were both incredibly intelligent for their ages, but that’s where their similarities stopped. Gage desired only to please The Minister. He was violent, smart, and had a lust for power that rivals even Fandrin’s.” Ryker paused. “He chose his name after he passed his test of loyalty. Gage–it means pledge. Every time his name is said, it is a reminder to Fandrin that he is his loyal progeny.”

  “Loyalty test?” A cold darkness crept into the back of my skull.

  “I was your test. Mouse was his.” Ryker hesitated. “Unlike you, he didn’t hesitate.”

  My vision went red. I had thought my hatred for that repulsive boy could not deepen, but I was wrong.

  “How did she survive?” I thought of Mouse’s deep scar on her throat, her lack of voice.

  “It was another rebel who checked her pulse. He lied, under my instruction. Proclaimed her dead when there was still a faint heartbeat. I had watched so many other Tartarus orphans die at The Minister’s hand and I never raised a hand to stop him. What he did was terrible, but it did distract him, and allowed the rebels more freedom. Fandrin was so busy with his progenies he failed to see the second mutiny developing under his nose. Most of the children were feral and malnourished, one foot already across death’s threshold. It was easy to tell myself death was a kinder end than sending them back to Tartarus. It was a lie though. I hated myself everyday for believing it. But with Mouse… She was so different. She…”

  “She gets inside your heart.” I muttered, understanding. I loved her too.

  “She does.” Ryker agreed. “I couldn’t lie to myself anymore, not with her. But I wasn’t fast enough. Our serums are not as advanced as yours. When Doc Porters left us, he took his research with him and, from what Triven tells me, he has been improving on it. Ours work in a generalized fashion, they can heal but only to a limited extent. I managed to save Mouse’s life, but Gage silenced her permanently.”

  “And you expected her to survive outside? Alone?!” My temper flared again.

  Ryker interjected, and he sounded equally infuriated about my accusation. “Of course we didn’t send her out there alone! What do you think we are!?”

  “Monsters.” My reply didn’t miss a beat.

  He snorted arrogantly.

  “I sent Mouse out with two of our best soldiers. They were to protect her and search for possible reinforcements on the other side.” Ryker’s eyes darkened. “But Fandrin discovered The Wall breach. He sent the Ravagers after them. Boxer and Gains didn’t even last two days after that. If it weren’t for you, Mouse wouldn’t have lived either. Once Fandrin knew the girl was still alive he obsessed over getting her back so Gage could finish what he started. Plus, it didn’t help that the girl is extremely intelligent and knew how to get in and out of a city that was supposed to be impenetrable. That and I suppose it reminded him of losing you. Needless to say, my soldiers’ mission was a complete failure.”

  I laughed ironically. “And now you’re sending us out on the very same death mission.”

  “You’re different.”

  I glared at him.

  The conversation lapsed into silence as we both became lost in our own thoughts. Now, more than ever, I wanted to leave this place, let these people suffer for their sins. I wanted to get Mouse as far from here as possible and keep her safe. But a large part of me also wanted to see Fandrin and Gage punished for what they had done. And I wanted to be the one to dole out that retribution.

  Ryker’s bright eyes shifted around the room as if they were looking for something they couldn’t find. After a moment they settled on me.

  “I will make you an offer.” His tone was measured, careful. “There is something I want you to see. Something I think you should see. If you agree to come with me and still feel no desire to join our cause, I will see that you are escorted safely from The Sanctuary with all the supplies you will ever need. No one will judge you for your choice. And—if we prevail—at the end of this war you will be free to live as you choose. No one will stand in your way—not from our side at least.”

  “But…?” I waited for the catch.

  “No but.” Ryker shook his head slowly. “If you choose to leave there will be no retaliation. If you choose to help us, we will be forever indebted to you. Regardless, you have a choice. This war is going to happen, but I will not recruit those who are unwilling to fight.”

  I didn’t need to think about it. “When do we go?”

  Ryker smiled dryly. Dragging himself off the floor, he limped his first few steps toward the door. “Be ready an hour before dinner. Just you. There are some civilian uniforms in your room, make sure to wear one. I will meet you in the living room.”

  Ryker glanced around the bunker once more. “You and your boyfriend had better get this cleaned up. There is training in here tonight and I cannot have my recruits’ only practice space destroyed.” And with that he left.

  IT TOOK TRIVEN, Mouse and I nearly an hour to clean up the training room. Mouse’s eyes had grown wider as they came into the bunker, her mouth popping open in a small “O”. It took all of my restraint not to gather her in my arms and never let go. While she carefully waded through the debris of weapons and broken stands, Triven took in my disheveled appearance. A small smile played on his lips.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You look better than he did and judging by Ryker’s curtness, I don’t need to ask who won.” Triven’s eyes burned with pride. Ever so carefully he pushed the hair back from my face and ran his thumb along my bruised jaw. I didn’t pull away.

  “We can take care of that.” He offered.

  I shook my head and bent to pick up a handful of knives. “I’d rather let them heal naturally. It’s a good reminder of who I am and what I have always fought for.”

  I snuck a glance at Mouse.

  Triven nodded. His understanding never ceased to amaze me. I knew he hated seeing the bruises on my face, that he hated leaving me to fend for myself against Ryker. But he understood it was something I needed. I wasn’t the kind of girl you rescued. I preferred to rescue myself.

  When I told them about Ryker’s offer, only Mouse’s face fell at the mention of leaving. And even though her disappointment was apparent, she took my hand in hers and squeezed to say that she trusted me. At least whatever we faced it would be together this time. I wouldn’t have to leave them again.

  As we cleaned, Triven’s eyes were ever watchful of me and mine of him. We could both feel the shift, the change happening inside of me. I wasn’t the same girl Triven’s people had taken in from the streets, but I was no longer dead inside either. As our eyes met again, my chest swelled with pride. Something akin to the old Phoenix was rising again. Now, I just needed to figure out what version of her I wanted to be this time.

  I STOOD RIGIDLY in the living room sixty-two minutes before dinner was customarily served. The white linen uniform felt starchy. It chafed the scrapes on my arms, making me shift awkwardly to keep the fabric off my skin. Triven glanced up at me periodically from the book he was reading to Mouse. While his posture seemed casual, there was a slight tension in his jaw. Even though he didn’t say it, I knew Triven wasn’t totally comfortable with me leaving the house with Ryker. Asking him to fight me in a controlled environment was one thing. But based on Ryker’s choice of attire for me, we were leaving the safety of the house. I would be alone with him—in public.

  I focused on keeping my breathing even and not nervously fidgeting. Even though I now understood that both Mouse and I owed our lives to Ryker, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of distrust. My once perfected mask of emotionless bravado was sliding back into place. To Triv
en and Mouse I looked calm and confident, but inside my mind raced with all of the ways Ryker could betray me. The thought of how he expected to make the face of the Ministry’s most wanted fugitive go unseen was making my stomach flip. What could he want me to see so badly that risked exposing us all?

  At one minute to the hour Ryker appeared not from his room as I expected but from the stairs to our hidden quarters. Unlike me, he had used some of the healing serum. His face was once again flawless. I stuck my chin out further, as if to show I was still stronger than him. Ryker was dressed to match me, all hints of a soldier hidden beneath his white linen shroud. He looked me over and nodded slightly to himself as if I passed inspection.

  “Well, are we going to do this or not?” My tone was a little more terse than necessary. Mouse raised her head. I tried to ignore the pressure of her eyes on me.

  Ryker stepped aside and motioned toward the opening through which he had just come. “Ready when you are, Princess.”

  His eyes were sparkling with mirth. I bit back the retort bubbling its way out of my throat. Just when I thought I might be able to tolerate him, he acted like a total ass. I was, however, beginning to read him better. He wanted a reaction from me and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. I took a steady step forward, but a warm hand caught me.

  Triven’s hand slid around my waist in what seemed like an uncharacteristically affectionate manner. I stiffened for a moment beneath his touch, but thawed as his intentions became clear. His hands lingered on my hips as he pulled me closer to him. He let his lips brush my ear, tracing my bruised jaw as he pulled away. His words were barely a breath, but I heard them. “Just in case.”

  As his hands left my hips there was a significantly heavy mass pulling down my left pocket. I shifted my weight discreetly and felt the familiar, cool metal against my leg. I knew the bullets in this gun would not be for training. No, they were live ammo.