Zenith Rising

by Gavin Zanker

  As his fingers brushed her shoulder, something snapped inside Leigh. Her arm came up, driving the ceramic shard into his hand. Drops of blood sprayed through the air. She struck again, and Zachary tripped backwards, snatching his hand back.

  She took her chance and leapt over the fallen traitor, sprinting through the door he had left open. White corridor after white corridor flashed by. She had no idea where she was going, but kept running anyway. She’d run forever if it meant seeing Aiden again.

  She turned a corner and ploughed straight into what felt like a trunk of an ancient tree. As she bounced off, a thick hand clamped around her wrist and pulled her upright. She looked up to see two huge, bald-headed men looking down at her with blank expressions.

  ‘Who is this?’ a third man said, stepping into view between them. He peered down at her, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose. Leigh’s limbs turned cold as she recognised Samuel. A piece of gauze was taped to his cheek where the bullet had grazed him. The image of Travis dying up on that stage, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, jumped into her mind and she found herself forgetting how to breathe.

  ‘Where do I know you from, child?’ Samuel asked. ‘You don’t look like you belong here.’

  Leigh shook her head and gasped for breath. ‘I… I don’t know you.’

  ‘Well, I’m not inclined to call a child a liar but that doesn’t seem true, does it?’ he said, leaning in closer. Leigh squirmed in the grip of the bodyguard, desperately trying to get away from Samuel’s piercing gaze.

  ‘Hey!’ a voice shouted from along the hallway. Zachary jogged over, clutching his bleeding hand. ‘What the hell is wrong with—’ He stopped as he caught sight of Samuel. ‘Oh sorry, Sam—I mean, Divine Bishop. I didn’t realise you were here.’

  ‘You know this girl?’

  Zachary nodded. ‘I brought her with me when I left the Brentford. She’s being a little difficult.’ Samuel stared coldly at him, his left eye flickering almost imperceptibly. ‘I didn’t think it would be a problem after I helped you,’ Zachary said, shrinking under the Dawnist’s stare. ‘You know, with Carson Waters. And the rebels.’

  ‘You should be more responsible with your things, Zachary,’ Samuel said, unblinking. ‘I can’t abide loose ends.’

  ‘She won’t cause any more trouble.’

  ‘Make sure of it.’ Samuel turned and nodded to his bodyguard, who released his grip on Leigh’s wrist. ‘Or it’s you who will pay the price,’ he called back as he strode away.

  CHAPTER 52

  AIDEN FORCED HIMSELF out of bed, unable to lie there staring at the ceiling any longer. As he climbed to his feet, Hitch padded over and looked up mournfully, his ribs pressing against Aiden’s leg.

  ‘I know, boy,’ Aiden said, patting him gently. He spotted Leigh’s knife on the desk and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. It had been so many years since Kate had clumsily carved her name into the wooden handle. Memories of his wife came flooding back to him, but they were fuzzy, distant; like artificial light filtered through frosted glass.

  Pain reared and pulsed in the back of his head, worse than the ache in his shoulder, causing him to grimace. He pocketed the knife and hobbled out into the corridor to find Woody there, leaving one of the other guest rooms.

  ‘Aiden,’ he said, wincing at the sight of him. ‘Good to see you on your feet, even if you do look like you went a few rounds with a couple of bears. I heard what happened. How are you holding up?’

  ‘As well as anyone who’s had their collar bone sawed in half by a Bowie knife.’

  ‘Well it’s not like you do anything important around here anyway, is it?’ Woody said, grinning. ‘How about Hitch? How you doing, boy?’ Woody reached down and patted the dog’s narrow muzzle.

  ‘He’s doing better than me, that’s for sure,’ Aiden said. ‘Whatever Zachary gave him seems to have worn off.’

  ‘Good, because I don’t think I could stand to see anything happen to this fella.’

  ‘So what’s going on now?’

  ‘There’s an emergency meeting in the board room. No one told you? I guess they wanted you to rest.’

  ‘I’m tired of resting. I need to do something.’

  ‘Can’t blame you,’ Woody said, patting Aiden’s shoulder and immediately regretting it. ‘Well, I’ll just tag along with you then.’

  They made their way to the board room, Woody still limping slightly and Aiden doing his best not to show the pain flaring through his battered body as they walked.

  ‘Aiden?’ Julian said, standing as they entered. ‘You shouldn’t be up and about.’

  ‘Leave him be,’ Woody said. ‘If he wants to be here, he’s more than earned it.’

  Aiden slumped down in one of the seats, suppressing a grunt. ‘I assume Grace told you all what happened at the bath house,’ he said as Hitch settled on his boots.

  Grace nodded. ‘I did. Aiden, I really don’t think—’ She reached out to him with her hand, but pulled it away as he cut her off.

  ‘We need to track down Leigh and Zachary,’ he said. ‘Any ideas where he took her yet?’

  People shifted uncomfortably in the expensive, wooden chairs. After a moment, Orlen spoke up. ‘Look, no one wants to tell you this,’ he said, ‘but he was seen heading into the Dawnist compound.’

  ‘The compound,’ Aiden repeated. He ran a hand over his stubbled face to hide the grimace of self-hatred.

  ‘Unfortunately, there’s just not a whole lot we can do about the situation at the moment,’ Julian said.

  ‘Wasn’t Zachary part of the Syndicate board?’ Aiden snapped, his irritation overwhelming him. ‘What sort of leader lets his own men turn traitor?’

  ‘Easy, lad,’ Orlen said, ‘let’s not start throwing blame around.’

  ‘Look, Aiden, I never liked the guy,’ Julian said. ‘I’m willing to bet no one here did either. He was only on the board because he replaced his father. None of us saw this coming.’

  Before the argument could escalate, a mousy-haired woman with a sensible skirt and red-rimmed eyes entered, apologising as she interrupted.

  ‘Catherine?’ Julian asked, his voice softening.

  ‘What’s the Mayor’s wife doing here?’ Grace whispered to the table, but everyone seemed as confused as her.

  Catherine started to speak but instead burst into tears, sobbing into her hands. Julian hurried over and put his arms around her, shushing her gently. Aiden saw the warmth between the two of them, wondering how long they had been lovers, and if Reinhold knew; it would certainly explain some of the animosity between him and the Syndicate.

  Catherine composed herself, taking a deep shuddering breath. ‘I’m so sorry to come here like this.’

  ‘What did he do this time?’ Julian said.

  ‘David has been impossible since Samuel took over. This morning I accidentally spilt a drink and he lashed out. But it wasn’t him. Reese… the Captain, he just tried to… I couldn’t stay there any longer.’

  ‘You’re staying right here with me from now on,’ Julian said. ‘There’s no need for you to go back to that place again.’

  ‘Says who?’ Aiden said. ‘How do we know she’s not a plant? Reinhold works for Samuel now. Maybe he sent her here to spy on us.’

  ‘No, I swear,’ she stammered. ‘I wouldn’t—’

  ‘Watch what you say, Aiden,’ Julian warned. ‘I know you’re injured, but if you disrespect her I’ll put you on your arse faster than—’

  ‘You can try it if you don’t mind Hitch chewing your calves off.’

  ‘Can we all stop fighting?’ Woody said. ‘It’s not getting us anywhere.’

  ‘You think we should trust his judgement?’ Aiden continued, his momentum and anger carrying him forward. ‘Tell me this, Julian, didn’t Malcolm work for the Dawnists all along? How long was he passing them your secrets? And now Zachary has jumped ship too? Doesn’t seem to me like you’re the best judge of character. Maybe you’re the one we shouldn’t be tr
usting.’

  Julian pointed at Aiden, but before he could respond, Catherine spoke again. ‘My husband has been guilty of many things over the years. Our marriage was never one of love, merely a political move to cement his position as Mayor. He only kept me around to keep his figures in order. But I’ve been collecting evidence on David for years now: fraud, embezzlement, false convictions, you name it. I can give you all the proof you need to remove him from office. Is that enough to earn your trust?’

  ‘Is that true?’ Grace asked, her eyes widening. ‘You have physical evidence?’

  Catherine nodded. ‘I’ve been storing it all in a safe place in the city. An apartment I rent under a different name, far from his reach.’

  ‘Let’s go talk,’ Grace said, rising from her chair. ‘We’ll find you a room and you can tell me about it.’ She guided Catherine out into the hallway, nodding at Julian as she went.

  ‘Well it’s been quite eventful around here of late, hasn’t it?’ Woody said with a grin. ‘What do we do now then?’

  ‘I vote we all go get pissed,’ Orlen said. ‘Not much else to do, except tear each other’s throats out.’

  Julian shook his head. ‘Getting wasted won’t solve anything. I’ve been down that road already.’

  ‘Well I don’t mind taking a stroll down old whisky street again,’ Orlen said, pulling out a hip flask and taking a deep swig.

  Aiden slammed his hands down on the table causing the room to fall silent. ‘Our goal hasn’t changed. We still need to get inside that compound and take out Samuel. With Leigh in there now, it’s become even more urgent. Understand?’

  An unfamiliar siren wailed out from somewhere in the city, the muted sound piercing the tension in the room. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

  ‘Looks like it might be even more urgent than you thought,’ Woody said.

  CHAPTER 53

  UNDERNEATH A SKY THE colour of the mushroom sludge he had just eaten for breakfast, David Reinhold stood inside the redoubt as the Faithful gathered. He had no idea what was going on, and the piercing siren wasn’t helping his throbbing headache. Every one of those damn cultists he tried to question just ignored him; this was his city and he expected an answer damn it!

  He spotted the slimy Dawnist leader — a patch of gauze taped to his cheek, a reminder of the botched assassination attempt — climbing the steps into the redoubt, and stormed over in what he hoped was an assertive manner. Two muscle-heads moved to block him before Samuel called them off. ‘What’s going on, Samuel?’ Reinhold asked. ‘One minute I’m sat eating a peaceful breakfast, the next there’s a siren wailing throughout my city.’

  ‘Your city?’ Samuel asked, not even looking at him.

  Reinhold swallowed the retort that rose up in his throat. He spread his hands and smiled as he imagined the Dawnist tumbling backwards down the stone stairs, his broken, bloodied body lying in a snivelling heap at the bottom. ‘I’m just as invested as you are here and want to know what’s happening.’

  ‘An army of Ravagers are approaching the city.’

  ‘Ravagers? Nonsense. There’s never been a Ravager attack on the city. They’ve never even been spotted in the area. Someone has been selling you a story.’

  ‘Admittedly, I assumed that too at first. Especially as the source of the news was from the charlatan gossipers that run the radio station. Nevertheless, my scouts have confirmed that they are indeed coming.’ Samuel turned to the line of Faithful who had followed him up the stairs. ‘I want everyone prepared for siege conditions, and I want it done now. Save the explosives until they’re necessary. You’ve all drilled for this. Do it right.’

  ‘Divine Bishop, what about the homeless outside the city?’ one of the men asked.

  ‘Leave them be,’ Samuel ordered, the muscles in his jaw tensing. ‘No one in or out. Maybe they can help with the first attack.’

  ‘This is ridiculous,’ Reinhold protested. ‘There’s no way Ravagers are coming to attack the city!’

  ‘They are coming, David,’ Samuel said, turning to stare at him with a sudden intensity, ‘so you’d better come to terms with the fact and let me save this city, something no one else here is capable of doing.’ Samuel’s eyes bulged and his expression darkened in a way that made Reinhold worry for his immediate safety.

  ‘Divine Bishop,’ one of the cultists said, ‘most of the Faithful are now present and assembled in the redoubt.’

  ‘Wait, you mean they’re not patrolling the city?’ Reinhold said. ‘But it’ll be chaos down there if you don’t keep order.’

  ‘Lightgate belongs to me and the Faithful now,’ Samuel said, ‘even if it is temporarily full of unenlightened ingrates. It will still be there when the Faithful see off the invaders and head back down as heroes.’ He turned to the man addressing him. ‘You can turn the siren off now and save my hearing.’

  The man bowed slightly and rushed away, bellowing like a drill sergeant as he went, causing the milling Faithful to form up in ranks. Reinhold watched them for a moment, awed at the level of discipline. Maybe he should employ a few of those bald kooks to train his police officers once he disposed of Samuel.

  ‘I heard a resident attacked you in Oldtown,’ Reinhold said, deciding to broach the subject in the hopes it would hide his fear. ‘I wasn’t sure if I believed it.’

  ‘Some people are still struggling with change.’

  ‘What happened to the would-be assassin?’ Reinhold asked.

  ‘I believe he was beaten to within an inch of his life and tossed outside the gates.’

  ‘You didn’t kill him?’ Reinhold did well to keep the worry from his face. He knew Samuel suspected him, but if the man still lived to talk then an actual confession could have drastic consequences.

  ‘Leaving him to suffer is a fate more deserving than the release of death.’ Samuel looked at Reinhold with a puzzled expression. ‘Why so many questions, David? Is there something you wish to tell me?’

  ‘I heard rumours, that’s all. I don’t get to keep up with current affairs these days, being stuck in the town hall.’ At least if he’s outside the city, the Ravagers will take care of him, Reinhold thought.

  Samuel’s stare made Reinhold suddenly feel like an ant under a child’s magnifying glass, only left alive by the grace of a psychopath. ‘You look worried, David. Never fear, these men are well trained and fight with purpose. They will hold the redoubt, fending off any assault these amoral creatures can throw at us. I’m sure I don’t need to explain that if these beasts get into the redoubt then the city will be overrun.’

  Reinhold swallowed hard as he imagined frenzied Ravagers pouring over the walls and down into the city in a tempest of blood and violence that would make his skirmishes with the Syndicate look like playtime. ‘If this attack is going to be so dangerous,’ he said, ‘then maybe I should come and join you in your compound until it’s over. For safety, I mean.’

  Samuel’s forehead furrowed into an amused expression before he broke out into a staccato laugh. He wagged his finger at Reinhold, then turned on his heel and headed back down into the city with his two bodyguards.

  ‘So should I…?’ Reinhold asked, trailing off as he was left standing alone as the siren finally cut out.

  ‘Out of the way, tubby,’ someone said as they brushed past him.

  Reinhold stumbled, his bulk almost dragging him over. He was about to respond when he saw the size of the man, and remembered he was entirely alone. That damn Captain was never around when he needed him.

  Reinhold watched the siege preparations for a moment longer: sandbags were being carried up from the city to shore up the gates, and platforms erected beside the redoubt walls for the fighters to stand on. If this was really happening then he would return to the town hall and let the cultists deal with it. They wanted the city so badly? Fine, it was their problem now. He’d be around to pick up the pieces and take back control. And his first act would be to hang anyone that called his city Lightgate.

 
CHAPTER 54

  AIDEN STEPPED OUT of the Brentford’s main doors, almost tripping over Hitch. The dog hadn’t moved out from under his feet since Leigh disappeared. He seemed to have recovered from whatever Zachary had used to drug him, though he was still acting dopey. He whined a little. ‘You miss her, don’t you?’ Aiden knelt down and rubbed behind the dog’s ears. ‘I know. I do as well. Don’t worry, we’re going to get her back.’

  Nearby, Orlen and Woody stood at the edge of a walkway, watching groups of Faithful march up through the city towards the redoubt. ‘Why do you think they’d be doing that then?’ Orlen asked.

  ‘Haven’t you been paying attention in those board room meetings?’ Woody asked.

  Orlen shrugged. ‘Some of them. They drag on a bit, don’t they? Too much sitting around and talking, not enough action.’

  ‘Maybe you should lay off the booze for a while, it’s starting to pickle your brain, old man.’

  Orlen snorted and ran a hand over his thinning hair. ‘Ravagers though? You sure you weren’t mistaken down south?’

  Aiden joined them at the railing. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes,’ he said.

  ‘How bad do you think it’ll be?’ Woody asked, frowning.

  ‘Everyone has stories about Ravagers, but I’ve had actual experience,’ Aiden said. ‘Even fought a handful, and I can tell you, they don’t fight like people. There’s no fear to hold them back. It’s just pure, relentless aggression. It can overwhelm even the most seasoned veteran.’

  ‘You fought a Ravager?’ Woody asked, that familiar, easy grin returning. ‘You’ll have to tell me that story sometime.’

  ‘A few of them; if we make it through this, I’ll tell you all about it.’

  ‘Not much faith in these Faithful then?’ Orlen said, chuckling at his own joke. ‘They seem pretty competent as religious goons go.’