New World Rising (7 page)

“I know.” He was certainly smiling now.

We had moved down several halls I had not seen before. There were more doors, more sounds of other people. We stopped in front of an archway; there was no scanner panel here, just an open walkthrough. A pungent aroma filled the air around me as we moved through it, mixed with the foul stench of human filth. The room was ten times bigger than any I had seen so far. Blackened pipes hung from the ceiling above great vats. One side of the room was filled with piles of filthy rags and clothing. At the other end fresh linens hung from wires and piles of nicely folded clothing lay next to them.

“Work.” Triven gestured to the piles around him. “Every person here contributes in some way. Today we are going to help with the laundry.”

The work was easy, mindless even, but it felt so good to be on my feet moving again that I didn’t care. We worked mostly in silence; folding the dry garments, hanging the wet to dry and washing the dirty clean. It was systematic and we worked surprisingly well as a team, the large pile dwindling quickly.

“Are there usually others in here helping?” I asked, wiping the sweat from my brow.

Triven mirrored me, pressing his sleeve to his glistening temple. “Normally yes, but Arstid felt it was safer to keep you from the other citizens for now.”

It surprised me to hear stern-faced Arstid had agreed to my little outing. But even more surprising was hearing Triven call his people citizens not Tribesman.

“Triven,” I waited until his eyes met mine. “Where
are
we?”

I knew there was fear in my eyes and for the first time since I arrived here, I didn’t try to hide it.

He leaned closer opening his mouth to speak, but a louder voice rang out. My muscles instantly tensed at the sound.

“That’s enough work for today.” Maddox’s voice boomed in the large room. “Arstid has requested your presence.”

The blood in my veins boiled as his eyes raked over my sweat-soaked body. I was now acutely aware of just how tightly my damp clothing clung to my skin.

“We can’t have you appearing before her like that though. Showers first, I think...”

I actually recoiled as his meaty hand reached for me. It was a sign of weakness. I feared him and the horrid smile on his face proved he knew it. Hatred crept through me— hatred at myself for exposing my fear and hatred at him for delighting in it.

I braced myself to attack. I would die before I let that man defile me. He had managed to restrain himself from touching me last time, but the hunger in his eyes told me I might not be so fortunate again.

To my surprise, a body stepped between us, blocking me from Maddox’s reach. Triven rose to his full height, but Maddox still towered over him.

“I will take her to the showers and then to see Arstid. You are dismissed.” There was a harshness in Triven’s voice I had never heard before. It was commanding and strong.

Despite the murderous look on Maddox’s dark face, he backed down.

“Fine,” he hissed though his teeth, but he didn’t move.

Motioning with his hands, Triven guided me around Maddox’s hulking frame, careful to keep his body between us at all times. I moved awkwardly, making sure not to turn my back to Maddox and fear prickled over my scalp when Triven did. His eyes were tense when they met mine, but he kept his unarmed back to Maddox. Still cautious not to touch me he motioned towards the door. My heart hitched as Maddox’s hand twitched on his gun.

“It’s okay, turn around and move. He won’t follow us.” Triven’s words were only loud enough for me.

Every instinct I had screamed at me as I slowly obeyed. But as I moved skittishly toward the doors, only one set of footsteps followed. Once we cleared the doorway, Triven took lead again. I instantly felt better, no longer glancing over my shoulder. But that relief was short-lived. We were going to the showers. And while Triven’s gesture seemed protective at the time, I now wondered if he had just challenged Maddox for the chance to leer at me himself. My stomach roiled as we grew near the shower area. Upon reaching the black door he opened it gesturing for me to enter first. My heart sank when he followed me inside letting the door click shut behind him. I gagged as my throat restricted, backing into the corner. But his eyes were not filled with the lust I had seen in Maddox’s. A wave of emotions rolled over his hazel eyes, but lust was not one of them. A few I did recognize, like pity, anger and pain.

He pointed to the pile of fresh clothing in the corner, unable to meet my eyes.

“There are fresh towels and clothing when you are done. Your old clothing can go in that bin and someone will retrieve it later for the laundry.” He took a tentative step backwards. “I will be outside if you need anything.”

Then he left.

I stood in shock as the door clicked shut again. At first I waited for him to come back in, to reappear coincidently just as I had undressed, but the door remained shut. I moved silently to the door staring at the handle. It didn’t move.

There was a lock.

Quickly flipping it, I waited. Surely, as soon as the metal clicked into place the banging and shouting would ensue, ordering me to open the door. But as the bolt fell into place no shouts were issued. I took a deep breath and slouched against the wall in relief. For this brief moment it was as if I were free.

The shower felt wonderful this time with no eyes watching me, but even so, I did not linger too long. Locks were great and all, but keys still overruled them. As I pulled on the fresh clothing—for which I now had a newfound respect—I finally felt clean for the first time in months. Putting my dirty clothes in the black bin, I smoothed my hair and headed back to my captivity.

Triven was seated on the floor in the hallway. His hair was wet and a fresh shirt clung to his biceps. He smiled as I looked him over.

“I hope it’s okay I decided to shower too. After I heard you bolt the door I figured it might be a while.” He ran his fingers through his damp hair.

I blinked at him. He had left me alone and unguarded and was asking if it was okay? Did he really trust me not to run?

“You trusted me?” The thought escaped my mouth.

His returning smile was soft. “You promised Mouse you would be there tonight when she returned. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint her.”

Shame overcame me. I had thought about it though. I had thought about leaving her here and never looking back. I was still thinking about it. But for tonight he was right, I wasn’t ready to run just yet.

Humming quietly to himself, he led the way to Arstid’s office. The doors to her quarters looked like any other, black aged metal fitted roughly into the cement walls. We stopped outside of the heavy door. Triven knocked three times before a voiced called us in.

Structurally, the room was the same as every other I had seen, but the furniture seemed oddly out of place. In the center of the room was an oversized round table. Surrounding it was an array of chairs in varying levels of shabbiness. No two were alike. There were bookcases of random sizes and colors, every shelf filled with books, artifacts and weapons. It looked like a furniture graveyard. This must not have been her office, but a communal meeting room. The room was large compared to my cell, but nowhere near the size of the laundry room. The grey walls were covered with paper ranging from pocket-sized scraps to massive sheets larger than me. At a glance I recognized some of the scrawl as notes. There were Tribe names, weapons lists, and maps covering the pages. Before I could take a closer look, a woman cleared her throat.

Arstid rose from a high back chair hidden in the shadows of a rather large bookcase. There was a tattered book clutched in her bony hand. As she moved towards us, her body slipped into its customary military stance. Nothing about this woman ever seemed at ease, her face pinched, her body always rigid as if ready for an attack. I wondered if anyone had ever offered to remove the pole from her rear end.

I tried to relax my stance, to not look like her. But based on the quizzical look Triven shot me, I had only managed to look awkward.

“Triven you are dismissed, I can handle her from here.” She nodded curtly at him, but he didn’t move.

“If it is permissible, I would prefer to remain here.”

“Fine.” Arstid said curtly, obviously irritated. “Just sit in the corner and keep your thoughts to yourself.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Who was this man that he could stay Maddox and speak out against their leader’s wishes? Without another glance in my direction, Triven settled himself into a chair and folded his hands waiting for her to continue.

Arstid pinched the bridge of her nose while gesturing with her other hand. “Please take a seat Phoenix.”

I chose a stiff chair. “Will you be providing me with some of the answers you so righteously promised, or are we going to continue with another round of pointless questions?”

Her returning glare pleased me. “Actually Phoenix, yes I will be providing you with answers as I see fit. And you in return are going to answer some of mine.”

I raised my eyebrows waiting for her questions, but instead she surprised me, providing answers to questions I had long been asking.

“As you have surely noticed during your confinement here, we do not follow the rules of Tartarus, nor will we tolerate those who do. Within our walls, all captives will be treated as a threat unless proven otherwise. And those who cannot be trusted will be terminated.”

Triven shifted behind me.

“For six years we have gathered allies and in return gained information about the Tribes. Our community is comprised of excommunicated Tribesman and those of us who were foolish enough to follow your mother from The Sanctuary. We call ourselves The Subversive.”

My eyes widened. “That makes six Tribes…”

Arstid’s white head shook slowly. “No. We are
not
a Tribe. The Subversive was created in
spite
of the Tribes. Unlike the uncouth clans that formed within this vile city to rule and murder, we joined together out of necessity. Alone we were weak and vulnerable, together we are strong and knowledgeable.”

My eyes narrowed. This was a recruitment speech.

“The fact that you managed to survive in this city alone as long as you have speaks great lengths about your intellect. Unless you have merely been very
lucky
.”

Her words stung.

“I don’t believe in luck.” I said through my teeth.

“Funny, neither do I.” Her bright eyes were like stones. “That is why I am hesitantly offering this deal. You will get no time to think or sleep on it. The second you walk out this door the deal is off the table.

“Three days a week you will work wherever we sit fit, earning your keep within this society. The other four you will be operating either with myself or another member of the guard. You will answer all questions we ask you and you
will
be forthright. In return I will provide you with the information we have gathered both about the Tribes and The Sanctuary.”

“And what if I don’t have the information you want?” I held her gaze.

“Your father’s notebook has obviously proven key to your survival here. To your advantage, most of his notes are coded and unreadable. I guarantee that between what’s in that pretty little head of yours and what’s scrawled in the journal, we can find a compromise.”

“And what will you do with that information?” I asked bluntly.

“Whatever we want to. If you prove useful, you may be privy to our plans. But until that point you will do as you’re told and play nice. If you cannot adhere to these guidelines the ramifications will be permanent.” Her chest rose and fell evenly as she awaited my answer.

Unfortunately, it didn’t feel like I was being given much of a choice. I seriously contemplated bashing in her smug face with my chair and rejoicing until the guards came for me, but a noise distracted me. Triven cleared his throat and I was reminded of those who needed me here. Of Mouse, who I promised I would return to.

“We have a deal.” My jaw clenched as the words slipped out.

To my surprise Arstid’s face did not break out into the smug smile I had expected. Instead her gaze hardened, as if she had wanted me to lash out, to defy her.

“We have a deal.”

Arden and Mouse were both waiting for me when I returned to our cell, their anxiety clearly dissipating when they saw me. We ate in silence until the lights turned out, my eyes constantly gravitating to the vent behind Arden’s bed. As Mouse’s breaths turned to light snores, Arden finally spoke to me.

“Do you think you’ll run if you get the chance?” His voice was barely a whisper.

“I’m afraid that chance has already passed.” I said and rolled over.

THE TATTERED PAPER
of my father’s notebook crinkled beneath my fingers. I traced his writing with a heavy heart. I hated that I was giving away my father’s last words, the words that had kept me safe for so many years. I had already shared too much, given the last part of my parents I had to a stranger. A stranger I didn’t even trust.

Arstid’s pen tapped on the table, her impatience obvious. I ground my teeth thinking of Mouse again. I was doing this to protect the child, I reminded myself, to keep her from growing up alone and angry like I had. I took a deep breath before continuing.

“He wrote about what objects were good to trade. The basic necessities everyone needs to survive like food, water, shelter and clothing. This page is about seeking out other rogues in the city, possible locations they might hide.” I stopped, closing my father’s notebook. “That’s it essentially. I don’t know what else you thought you would find in his notes.”

Arstid sat back pressing the pen to her mouth. “I have to admit it’s not exactly what we had hoped for. The majority is just about survival skills. I had hoped there would be more about The Sanctuary or… I don’t know…
something
more.”

Disappointment etched her pointed face.

“Well I held up my end of the deal.” I said, reminding her I had played by the rules. 

She waved me off. “I can’t believe you survived as long as you did on your own. I assumed your father’s book held something we didn’t know, but apparently you
were
just lucky.” She spit the word at me, knowing my distaste for it.

My jaw tightened. “Yeah, lucky.”

Because watching your parents get murdered was lucky. Growing up filled with hatred and distrust was lucky. I survived because I chose to, because I learned to take care of myself, because of my parents’ words. To her they were nothing, but to me they were the difference between life and death. And it was my choice, not luck, to withhold things that I knew, things that I didn’t write in the book. Fortunately, the book’s tattered state had hidden the page I ripped out. It was the only page I had ever removed from the book. It was also the best advice my father gave me.

“Don’t write everything down. Your thoughts and your knowledge are your own. If it is written down it can be stolen. The safest place in the world is in your own mind, no one can ever steal that from you.
”

He was right. If being callous had taught me anything, it was how to keep a straight face while lying. Whenever Arstid’s keen eyes scrutinized me, I gave nothing away.

She knew how I moved from safe house to safe house at random. That I stole most of my reserves from the Ravagers—my own private attempt to weaken them one worthless bag of dried food at a time. She even knew about the Healer, but there were things I kept from her. Like the locations of more than half of my safe houses, every other outcast I traded with and what my real name was. Arstid knew my mother, but only by her first name. Apparently, The Sanctuary’s rebellion didn’t deal so well in trust either. She had told me very little about my parents except the fact that they were all from The Sanctuary, and that was about to change. It had been a week since we started our little meetings, and she owed me answers.

Crossing my arms, I fixed the white-haired woman in my gaze. “Your turn.”

Her snowy eyebrows rose, “Already bored of our little arrangement?”

“I have upheld my end of the deal and you have yet to uphold yours. I don’t believe you’re a deceitful person. Are you Arstid?” I smiled sweetly.

Her eyes narrowed.

“No, I am not. But the information I choose to share with you is privileged and if you divulge it to anyone outside of our walls, your death will not be gentle.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I wasn’t scared of this woman. “What exactly
is
your objective here? You once lived within The Wall and yet you chose to leave. That could not have been without reason.”

“How much do you remember of your time within The Wall, Phoenix?”

It bothered me that she had not answered my question.

“Not very much.” This was an honest answer. “I remember reading with my father, my mother pushing me on a swing and my father carrying me through a tunnel to get here. Just small flashes of a meaningless childhood.”

“I know the tunnel you speak of. It is the same one that my family came through. As did the other members of the resistance. In all of your searches have you ever found it again?”

“No.” I had looked too. It was as if the city swallowed it whole.

“As the last of our members were coming through, the Minister had it blown up. Thirty-five people were buried alive in the blast. Only eleven of us managed to escape the city, and of those eleven, there are now only five of us left. Yourself included.”

The room fell silent as she waited for my response. When I said nothing, she continued.

“Your parents were the first through, as they were our leaders at the time. You can imagine how it looked when they were the only ones who managed to escape the tunnels unscathed. Someone had tipped off the Minister about our escape and then, when your parents were the only ones who didn’t make it to the rendezvous point it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together. We found their bodies not long after and assumed justice had been served. Now, in hindsight, it appears we may have been a little hasty in our judgments. But you can’t blame me for trusting my instincts.” She cast me a pointed look, implying she still did not trust my parents. And that she also felt the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. “It was presumed you died with them. Apparently, we were mistaken.” 

“Apparently.” I agreed with a bitter smile, trying to swallow back the hatred I felt for her. How dare she imply my mother’s betrayal.

The noise of someone stirring behind me reminded me we were not alone. While I would never admit it, I was pleased that Triven had become my new guard.

Arstid continued, ignoring him. “All of our leaders were dead— either killed in the blast or murdered by the Tribes. Your mother, being one of them. Those of us who were left became stranded in this hellhole. If it weren’t for our knowledge of this barracks we would all be dead.”

“Barracks?” I looked closer at the cement walls surrounding us.

“This was an old military bunker, designed to save lives when The Devastation came. Once the world came to a standstill, its inhabitants left and sought out a new society. Soon thereafter, The Sanctuary was built and the Tribes were born. Fortunately for us, this place was forgotten.”

“So we’re underground?” My stomach rolled.

“Actually, we are pressed into the mountains that encase our fair city.”

It wasn’t the sewers, but it still felt harder to breath.

“You obviously hate this place as much as I do. Why did you leave The Sanctuary to come here?” I wondered.

“I suppose it is the Grass is Greener Theory. Tartarus may be a horrific place, but at least the Tribes embrace it. They don’t try to paint it as something it’s not. Inside The Wall, the government covers up their terribleness. Instead of being forthright, the government disguises their horrific actions with things like laws and self-proclaimed morality. At least here, you
know
you can’t trust anyone.” She looked pointedly at me. “While your mother may not have been the one who betrayed us, she was the one who led us here. And I would be lying if I said I wasn’t harboring a grudge. If we knew what it would cost us, no one would have come. I loathe both The Sanctuary and Tartarus. One city threatened to destroy my family and the other did. This city tore my life apart. It took my husband from me. And now both cities must pay.”

Arstid was right. You couldn’t trust anyone here, but the fastest way to unite people was to give them a common enemy. Regardless of what she thought about my parents and despite our distaste for one another, we sought the same goal, to see someone suffer for the loss of our families. These cities had robbed us of the only things we cared about and someone deserved to pay.

“It is our goal to infiltrate The Wall and bring down The Sanctuary from within, but to do that we must first overpower the Tribes. Justice is not something this world has seen in hundreds of years, and it is time someone started administering it.”

If destroying hell meant partnering with the devil, it was a risk I was willing to take.

“I’m in.”