The Path of Ashes [Omnibus Edition]

by Parker, Brian

  Aeric’s exhaustion overcame his desire to micromanage the city’s forces. He nodded his head reluctantly and lay back against the pillows. “You’re right. I’ll stay here and get some rest.”

  Mason smiled and reached over to gently pull Aiden off of his grandfather. “Maybe you could tell Aiden a story. I haven’t ever gotten around to telling him the story about how you met mom. He’d really like to hear about all those toys from the old world.”

  He looked past his son to the little boy. There wasn’t any way for the new generation to avoid making the same mistakes in the future without learning about those in their past. “Okay, Aiden. Get comfortable by your old grandad.”

  The boy eased himself into a position on the bed where he could see Aeric’s face. “Let’s see. I guess the story starts a few weeks before I graduated from high school—that was the first time that I saw the evidence of a terrorist attack. I was walking to school in the rain and this strange gray sludge fell out of the sky and hit me right on the head.”

  “What’s strange about that, Grandad?” Aiden asked innocently.

  Mason grinned down at the two of them. “Alright, Dad. Mom and I are gonna go downstairs and then I’ve got to check on the defenders on the walls.”

  “Goodbye, Son,” Aeric answered. “We’ll have Aiden stay here tonight. The Traxx family story will take a long time if I’m going to tell it properly.”

  Veronica leaned down and kissed him once again. “Don’t scare him, Aeric. And you still need to get some rest.”

  “I’m not going to scare him. I’m just going to tell him the truth.”

  She straightened at the waist and stared down at her husband. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Mason and Veronica left Aeric and Aiden alone in the bedroom. Aeric had planned on simply telling the boy the story about his journey to Springfield with Tyler, but felt compelled to expand the story.

  The hours ticked away and the tale continued past Kate’s death and by the time he was finished, he’d told Aiden about his latest adventure to Austin and how he and Joseph had escaped all the way back to San Angelo. The boy’s innocent questions carried the story along and by the time he was done, the sun had fallen below the horizon.

  For the first time in years, Aeric felt totally relaxed. He felt as if his soul had been cleansed.

  *****

  “We’ve been here for days, Kendrick. Are you sure that your man on the inside is even still alive?”

  “Patience, Starr,” the leader of the Vultures admonished. “He’s probably waiting until the moment is right. I would have received a notice if he’d died.”

  “How?”

  “I have my ways,” he replied. “That old fool in Eden told Aeric Traxx that I was coming after him, so we’ve lost the element of surprise, but I have other resources in and around this city. Razing San Angelo has been on my to-do list for as long as I can remember.”

  “I wish you’d have let me play with him at least before you beat him to death,” she pouted.

  “In spite of what you think, everything on this planet is not a plaything for you, my dear. I regret killing Judd. I acted out of haste and anger. To think, the assassin that my men let escape was Aeric Traxx. Imagine how demoralizing it would have been for them if we’d been able to capture him and nailed him to a cross outside their city walls. Tyler probably would have challenged me to a fight right then and there; kill two birds with one stone and all that.”

  Starr looked at him skeptically, “Didn’t you say that he was a giant? Like almost seven feet tall and muscled like a god?”

  Kendrick’s eyes flashed in anger, “Do you doubt me?” He had never approved of the almost godlike worshiping that the people of Austin had heaped upon his father, but he did allow himself to believe that he was nearly indestructible. Along with that came the feeling that his word was the law and he was always correct.

  “No, of course not, Kendrick. You’ve made him seem like a monster that could break a man’s spine with his bare hands. I didn’t think you’d be capable of winning in hand-to-hand combat against someone like that.”

  He glanced over at Quellan. The captain of the palace guard caught his eye and quickly found a spot on the wall of the tent to study. Kendrick turned back to Starr and said, “You’d do well to remember your place, woman. I am the master of the Vultures and will not be talked to like that. I will show you the amount of pain that I can inflict during a torture. Do you understand me?”

  She fell to her knees in front of him and pretended to apologize. “I’m sorry, my lord. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just a silly girl and didn’t think about what I was saying.”

  Her patronizing tone infuriated him and he grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her upright. “You little fucking whore!” He held her at arm’s length and threw a vicious punch into her stomach, releasing her hair as he did so. She collapsed into a ball at his feet with her hands clutching her stomach. The anger at her words threatened to overwhelm him and he pulled his leg back, intent on smashing her beautiful face into a pulp with his boot.

  The fucking bitch saw his leg and threw her arms up over her head, screeching that she was truly sorry. The leader of the Vultures thought about finishing her anyways, he could always find another woman willing to share in the power that he could offer.

  Instead, he slowly lowered his boot to the ground. Starr was the only woman that he’d allowed to see his true self and he cared for her. If it had been anyone else under his boot, he would have killed them without any warning. He actually cared for her.

  “Stand up,” Kendrick ordered.

  She stood shakily and wouldn’t meet his gaze. The salty lines that ran in multiple directions across her face made a slight lump form in his throat. He swallowed it and said, “You will never speak to me like that again. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, my lord,” she muttered.

  “What was that?”

  She looked up at him and replied, “I will never talk to you like that again, my lord. You are the master of the Vultures. You are invincible.”

  “Good. Quellan, leave us and fire the flares. If that idiot Huerta is waiting for a signal, let’s give him one.”

  “Yes, sir,” the captain replied and left the tent. Kendrick heard him tell the men outside the tent flap that he was not to be disturbed.

  “You must realize, Starr, that I could never let you show insubordination towards me—especially in front of a subordinate like Quellan. That kind of atmosphere becomes ripe for a coup and I like being in charge.”

  “Yes, my lord. I understand.” A strange smile played across her face and she clapped her hands. “I’ll make it up to you. I’ll find a way to help you defeat their giant. I promise it!”

  He sighed, “I don’t need any help. I’ll just shoot him.”

  His words didn’t seem to have any impact on her. Instead, she began pacing, her arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. She muttered something about blood and souls being the key to victory. Her mind seemed to be slipping further towards the brink; maybe he should have crushed her skull when he had the opportunity to do so. He could have blamed it on his rage and he would have forgiven himself.

  Starr stopped and turned her backside towards him, “Do you want me?”

  Kendrick unbuckled his pistol belt and tossed it on a desk. Her strange behavior could be analyzed later. He picked up a knife and handed it hilt-first to her. “You know what I like.”

  She took the weapon enthusiastically and unsnapped his pants. Yes, she knew exactly what he liked.

  *****

  Red explosives burst in the air, signaling the traitor that it was time. Edward Huerta looked around the assembled group of boys. The Vulture army had sat outside the gate for almost a week now. He’d taken it upon himself to reunite the two gangs that Kendrick had started all those years ago.

  Huerta, a legend among the youth of the Barrio as a symbol of resistance against the collective groupthink of the c
ity leaders, had brought the gangs together by killing Bull and Fish in front of them. Now both gangs had adopted the green square on their chest—Kendrick’s symbol—to help identify them as Vultures to the invading army and protect them during the upcoming bloodbath. He’d effectively sealed off the Barrio to keep away intruders and instructed the boys of their mission to bring down the walls. All they needed was the signal.

  He took the flares to be that bastard Kendrick’s go-ahead signal. It had taken him long enough to decide to attack, maybe there were preparations that had to be made that he knew nothing about. Whatever the reason, they were finally ready.

  “Right, men,” he began, choosing to call them men instead of boys to strengthen their courage. “We have a mission. For more than twenty-five years I’ve worked in those stinking sewers. I refused to let that self-righteous fuck, Traxx, or his lackeys make me part of their system. Then, Kendrick Rustwood—the man in charge of that giant army outside the city walls—came to me. I worked closely with him to devise the plan to bring down these walls.”

  He took a breath and jabbed a finger towards the city’s perimeter. “Those walls have cut across our city, causing your families to be homeless and they forced us into filthy places like the Barrio. Before men like Traxx and Delgado, the old mayor, our families owned homes, had a steady supply of food and weren’t looked down upon by the other residents of San Angelo. After those walls were built, they became a symbol of power for those in charge, those who’ve made us their slaves. This morning, we’re going to bring them down!”

  Huerta paused as the assembled gang members cheered him on. They were eating it up. The stupid fucks didn’t realize that he’d turn on them the moment he had the chance. Kendrick had promised him a position in the Vulture’s hierarchy; he hadn’t said anything about the Barrio trash that helped him destabilize the city. Bull’s gang had been releasing demonbrocs for weeks, causing widespread panic and even a few deaths while Fish’s gang had been stealing and stockpiling supplies, causing neighbors to turn on one another in accusations of theft. Now, they’d destroy the walls and the frightened, untrusting defenders wouldn’t be able to put together a coordinated response. The Vultures would walk in, virtually unscathed.

  He raised his arms to quiet the boys down. Better to not bring attention to themselves just yet. “Alright, men. Settle down. As some of you know, instead of disposing of the shit like I’ve told the City Council I was doing, I’ve stockpiled it. Yes, I’ve been saving the feces of every man, woman and child in this city for years. Do you know why?”

  “For fertilizer?” one of the boys in the back asked.

  “That would be a good reason, but no,” Huerta acknowledged. “Shit, especially dried shit, burns very hot for a long time. I’ve lined the sewer system that runs underneath the city with that dried shit. Once we light it, the fire will rage uncontrolled beneath their feet. The heat will set off the explosives in the walls and the city will fall to the Vultures.”

  Once again the cheering reminded him of why he’d spent most of his adult life in those sewers, toiling away in the stink and the filth. Traxx would pay for creating the Barrio. The conditions inside the slum had allowed diseases to spread, killing thousands of people, including Huerta’s family. He allowed his mind to manipulate the timeline since he knew that his wife and child had died of some type of flu years before the walls had been relocated for the third time, when the Barrio was created. Whether it was the creation of the walls or the lack of proper sanitation without the appropriate nutrition and medication, it didn’t matter to him anymore. He’d allowed his hatred to fester under the gently massaged timelines.

  It was the only thing that had kept him sane down in those tunnels for so long.

  FIFTEEN

  Aeric glanced sidelong at his friend. Tyler had miraculously appeared at the city hall this morning proclaiming that he wasn’t about to die at home alone of some bullshit disease while everyone he knew got to fight one more final, epic battle. Clearly he remembered video games and movies far too well.

  “Are you sure that you’re ready to go out on the wall, buddy? I mean, a few weeks ago, you were coughing up blood and couldn’t stand.”

  Tyler stopped him with a massive hand across his chest. Even though the cancer had eaten away at him, Tyler was still an intimidating subject. “What’s your hang-up, Aeric? I’ve fought and bled for this city—for you. If I was one to point fingers, then I’d come back at you with something about you needing CPR just a couple of days ago.” He shrugged and gently took his hand off of Aeric’s chest, “It’s a good thing for you that I don’t go around pointing fingers.”

  “You’re right, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “Yes, you did,” he replied through a grin. “I can take it, though. So, now that we’ve got that settled, what’s the plan?”

  “We don’t know what they’re waiting for. That old man in the prison had said that the Vultures had a nasty surprise for us. He refused to elaborate, though. He was insane, so there’s no telling if they actually have something planned or if his demented mind created it.”

  Tyler glanced down at Aiden, who’d become Aeric’s shadow over the past week, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. “It’s okay,” Aeric confirmed. “I’ve told him everything about the Vultures and their wicked ways. Sure, he’s young, but this world has a way of eating up the innocence of youth.”

  The big man nodded his head, his shaggy blond hair becoming more disheveled as he did so. “We should attack them,” he stated simply.

  That was the last thing Aeric thought he’d hear from the mouth of his lifelong friend. “What do you mean? San Angelo’s strength is in our walls. We’ve trained to defend from above, not to conduct offensive, open warfare in front of the gates.”

  “Exactly. It’s the last thing Kendrick would expect. He trained with us and knows our tactics. He helped to build those walls, so he knows how formidable they are. There’s nothing that—”

  Aeric held up his hand and then slid his open palm down across his face. “How could I have been so stupid? Kendrick helped to build the walls. He knows their weaknesses; that’s what he’s counting on.”

  “You think those flares this morning were some sort of signal?” Tyler asked.

  “You can count on it…” He trailed off as one of the hoodrats from the Barrio walked across his line of sight. He recognized him as one of the boys who’d been outside the grocery store where Maria lived before she moved into the Traxx house. He wore raggedy clothing like most of the other residents of the Barrio, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there were rips in the fabric. He was also covered in mud and what looked like smears of black ash from a fire.

  Tyler followed his gaze toward the gang member. “What is it?”

  The boy was one of hundreds that Aeric saw on a daily basis; what stood out and caused him to stop was the green square of fabric above his left breast. “We’ve been infiltrated!” he shouted. “The Vultures are inside the walls.”

  The gang member in question took off at a dead sprint towards the Barrio. “Prepare for an attack!” Aeric yelled towards the defenders above them on the wall.

  One of them began ringing a bell loudly in warning. Men and women streamed out of houses near the walls where they’d been resting and went up the ladders to the top of the wall. The defenders crouched down behind the ramparts, staring out into the wastes for the pending attack. They were ready to repel the Vultures, as they’d done time and again against raiders and bands of scavengers.

  Aeric clutched Aiden to his side and spun in circles in the open assembly area behind the walls. He knew what he saw. The Vultures in Austin wore the green square to indicate that they were part of the gang and one of the gangs in the Barrio had worn the same symbol. The fuckers had been here all along.

  The surprise attack was revealed across the northern end of the city as thick black smoke began pouring into the sky, followed by more in the west. They’d started fire
s inside the city. They planned to burn it and force the residents out in the open to be slaughtered. Aeric would never allow that to happen on his watch.

  Then the explosives hidden in the walls detonated and the world descended into chaos.

  Defenders that didn’t die instantly in the explosion were thrown thirty feet into the air, only to fall back to the earth, twisted and broken. Scores died from secondary effects of the blast. Some who’d been standing near the explosion had their insides liquefied from the overpressure. Others suffocated on their own blood as their lungs were punctured in a hundred places by shattered bone fragments. Still more of them had limbs which bent at grotesque angles. Even if they survived, they’d never walk again. The force defending the walls of San Angelo was decimated and a large, gaping hole more than forty feet across stood open to the attackers.

  Even though Aeric’s body had shielded Aiden from the worst of the damage, the boy bled from multiple cuts and stood looking at the mayhem in a daze. “Go, Aiden! Run to your grandmother. Tell her the city has fallen and to evacuate the family through the Northern Gate!” Aeric ordered with a hard shove from behind, sending the boy off towards the old campus where the secondary line of defense had been established.

  “We’ll meet you in Tennyson,” he called after the retreating boy, telling him to move the family to the ruins of a small town about fifteen miles beyond the gate. Tennyson had been set up as a known evacuation point for the city’s residents if the walls were ever breached. As a former resident, Kendrick would know about the escape route to the north. So far, there hadn’t been any reports of Vulture activity on that side of the perimeter and Aeric wondered if Rustwood had forgotten about the rally point.

  “We need to prepare to fight,” Tyler bellowed. “Here they come!”

  Aeric turned from his grandchild’s fleeing form towards the smoldering hole in the wall. Dimly, as if from a distance, through the ringing in his ears, he heard hundreds of small pops as the remaining defenders near the Eastern Gate began firing at the advancing Vulture army.