Stirred Cinders (Fallen Ashes Book 1) Read online

  I’ve never been good with words, so instead, I sat next to him on the floor, wrapped an arm around him, and rested my head against his shoulder. I sat there with him until he had calmed down a little. “You’re not worthless,” He didn’t answer, but I knew he heard me. “You’re my friend,” I said, stroking the disheveled remains of his hair with my fingertips. I wanted to make Paul feel better. I wanted to fix whatever was wrong, which meant I needed more information from him. “How did you convince Wrenna to steal stuff for you? It’s not like her to lower herself into the muck with the rest of us worms.” I hoped the question wouldn’t upset him again, but I just had to know how he had gotten the constable to agree to commit theft on his behalf.

  “I changed some of the matches so her son wouldn’t get assigned a security posting.” He murmured.

  I was surprised. Paul has always talked about the matching process with a certain reverence. He has a respect for rules and authority that I have trouble understanding. He must be really attached to the drink if he was willing to change a match to get more of it. I felt a familiar flicker of concern. I suppose, if I’m allowing people to choose to drink, then I’m also allowing some of them to choose to harm themselves. I pushed the thought aside for the moment to focus on my friend. “Who did you set Jarno up with?”

  “The Halax girl.” He answered, sounding less mournful as he spoke. “Her father is the head of hydroponics, so it won’t raise any red flags when he’s assigned a job there.” He smirked. “He’ll probably do better in hydroponics than he would in security.”

  I laughed. Jarno is a nice young man, but in a way that’s also his downfall. He’s clumsy, gullible, and likely to get hurt if he ever actually had to fight anyone. “You should see him in combat training,” I said, smiling back at my friend. “He’s the only person I’ve ever seen lose a fight with a punching bag.”

  Paul snorted in amusement. I felt better seeing him cheer up. The red splotches that dotted his face when he was upset were replaced by his usual coloring, and I had succeeded in smoothing some of the tangles out of his hair. I had lured Paul into a brief moment of calm, but it wasn’t meant to last.

  An alarm blared from inside my security station, making both of us jump.

  “That’s a priority security alert!” I rushed to check my computer. Computer terminals are rare in Departure and were usually only granted to people with important jobs. I thought it was ridiculous when my father insisted that I have access to one down here, particularly since we have one in our house that I could use, but now I’m glad he did.

  “What’s going on?” Paul asked, still startled by the commotion. The glint of panic had returned to his eyes.

  I know that the alarm is only sounded in citywide emergencies, but it doesn’t tell me anything about the nature of the crisis. When I checked the security notifications, my heart skipped a beat. “There’s a security breach on the first tier.” My dad is up there! I couldn’t help but picture something terrible happening to my father. My family are the only residents on the top floor of the city, and at this time of night, none of the administrative offices would be open. “I have to get up there!” I scrambled to my feet and began ushering Paul out of the security booth. “Just get to your station, Paul. You’ll be okay.” I was about to head to the first floor when I realized that the compartment in my desk was still open and filled with alcohol.

  Most of the residents of the lower tiers of the city know that I keep some liquor with me at my security booth, and it’s likely to get stolen if I leave it here unguarded. Ordinarily, I hide my unsold products in a loose ventilation shaft in a restricted portion of the fifth floor, but I don’t have time to make a stop there now. Instead, I tucked the rations Paul had paid me and the rest of my wares into my messenger bag and slung it over my shoulder. I knew I didn’t want to have any contraband on me when I ran into Wrenna, so instead, I stopped off at the fourth floor and tucked my bootleg booze into my personal storage locker. Usually, I wouldn’t risk keeping anything illegal in such an obvious hiding place, but I resolved to move it as soon as I could and raced off to the first floor.

  As I ran along the empty streets, I could see people peeking out their windows, trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone in the city was supposed to either report to their assigned station, or go home when the city alarm sounds, but that didn’t stop them from wanting to know what was going on. I ran up the stairs until I reached the emergency elevator, which only those with high-level security clearance could operate, and punched in my access code. The elevator doors whooshed closed, and I was quickly whisked up to the top tier of the city.

  I expected to see something terrible as soon as my feet touched the landing. A riot at the armory? A fire? An assassination? The terrible possibilities flashed through my mind, but when I stepped off the elevator things seemed relatively calm. A group of security officers crowded around the city’s hatch, but otherwise, everything looked normal. I jogged over to the hatch keeping an eye out for my father as I went.

  The hatch is a place that most children visit as part of their general education. It’s the barrier that separates us from the ruins of the world that once was. Long ago our ancestors built this city in case of a nuclear event. The goal was to preserve humanity below ground until it was safe to live on the surface again. Unlike the story of Departure’s founding, the hatch itself isn’t particularly impressive. It’s basically just a large, heavy door that we never open. The only people who have high enough security clearance to open the door are my father, my brother, and myself, but since none of us have a death wish the door is always kept closed.

  As I got closer, I could see my father amongst the uniformed men and women. “Dad!” I yelled, relieved to see he was alright. The cluster of people parted to let me through, but when he looked up at me his face was grim.

  He knelt over the body of an unconscious young man. Someone I didn’t recognize.

  I struggled to make sense of the scene in front of me. “Dad? What’s going on?” The man on the ground was covered in blood. Some of it had dried and turned his clothes a rusty-brown color, but my father had his hands pressed along a patch of vibrant red that spread across the stranger’s abdomen.

  “He got in through the hatch. I’m not sure what he’s doing here, or how he got in, but he’s not in any condition to tell us now.” My dad said. My father is a man in his fifties but, he looks much older. The stress of running Departure, coupled with his age, has turned his hair a brilliant white against his dark skin. He looked thin and feeble, but despite his appearance, everyone around my father was looking to him for guidance. He was calm, collected, and ready to take charge of the situation.

  I turned my attention to the stranger bleeding on the ground. Is he from the surface? I thought, having trouble wrapping my head around the situation. Who is this guy? How did he survive up there? And how did he get in here?

  Wrenna Greer parted the crowd ahead of her. “I’ve confirmed with the engineering department that the hatch has closed successfully. They’re going to compile a report on the incident, and you’ll have it as soon as it’s done.” She turned her head to give a pointed look at the unconscious outsider. “In the meantime, this intruder represents an unacceptable security risk to the city. We should keep him in a secure cell.”

  My father shook his head. “He’s lost too much blood to be much of a risk to us now.” My dad looked up at me. “Sade, run and find Dr. Ward. Wrenna, keep a security detail assigned to him at all times.”

  I hesitated, wanting to stay near the action, but my supervisor wasn’t about to let me stay.

  I could tell from her expression that Wrenna wasn’t happy. “You heard Mr. Charr, Sade. Move! Aliya and Roth, keep an eye on the intruder! Carson, get the emergency kit from the armory!”

  I knew better than to disobey a direct order. I turned on my heel and ran back downstairs to find Paul.

  Chapter 8

  “I’m not marrying him!” I repeated. “
You can’t make me.” I crossed my arms over my chest defensively.

  “That’s enough!” My father snapped. “You’ll do as your told. No daughter of mine is getting sent to level seven!”

  My dad and I rarely see eye to eye, but he isn’t used to me arguing so vehemently with him. Typically, when my father and I have a difference of opinion, I grudgingly obey him and sate myself in the knowledge that I’ll soon be a married woman out from under his control, but this is one argument I can’t afford to lose.

  “So, I’m just supposed to marry someone I hate?” I shot back.

  He rubbed his brow in frustration. “You don’t hate him. You said yourself that you hardly know Jarno.”

  “Is that really better?” I could tell that my persistence was making my father angry, but I couldn’t stop myself. Today, we’re not arguing over something trivial. Today, we’re arguing about my future. “Dad-”

  “Enough!” He roared. His face glowed red with anger, even through his thick beard. His long, curly hair looked as if it were about to spring loose from the ponytail he wore it in. He took a deep breath, and the rage faded from his cheeks. “Cora, I know we don’t always agree, and usually I try to hear you out, but this is non-negotiable. Jarno Greer is going to be your husband, and if you get yourself in trouble with this defiant attitude of yours-”

  “Dad!” I yelled, trying to cut back in.

  A dangerous glint returned to my father’s eyes, and I steeled myself to resume our screaming match when we were interrupted by a knock at the door. My dad glared at me before turning to stalk towards the entryway. He plastered on a fake smile and answered.

  “Sorry about the noise.” He began, but he stopped short when he realized that our visitor wasn’t an irritated neighbor.

  I peeked around my dad to see Jarno Greer, my supposed future husband, dressed in an enforcer’s uniform on our doorstep. I put my hands on my hips and glared daggers at Jarno. Deep down, I know it’s not his fault that we got matched up, but it makes me furious to see, or even think about him right now.

  “Mr. Halax,” Jarno said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. “The Syndic would like you to report to the medical center to attend an emergency meeting.”

  The medical center? Why would they need the head of hydroponics to report in for a medical emergency? Is this because of the alarm from earlier?

  My mind was spinning with questions. “I’m coming with you,” I said, grabbing my shoes.

  Jarno and my dad traded a look, and my dad shrugged at him. “You have your work cut out with you with this one.” My dad said, jerking his head towards me.

  Jarno laughed. He and my father fell in step with one another as I tagged along behind them. It irritated me that they were getting along, but I wasn’t going to be left out of whatever was going on.

  There were more people crammed into the tiny exam room than I had expected. More surprisingly, almost everyone in the room was part of the city’s directorate. Both Reglin Charr, Departure’s Syndic, and Oswalt Charr, the church Cardinal, stood stoically along the wall in the back of the room. It looked as if as many department heads as possible, my dad included, had been summoned here. My father’s eyes darted from Wrenna Greer, head of the security division, to our medical director Dr. Ward.

  My dad looks nervous. He’s probably worried I’ll start arguing with him here, too. Heaven forbid he look bad in front of the city officials! I rolled my eyes but knew better than to say anything. I’m definitely not done talking to my dad about the Matching Ceremony, but now isn’t the time. Something big is going on, and I want to know what!

  Dr. Ward looked tired but was still attentive to the vital signs of a man on his gurney. Who is that? The doctor’s hands moved quickly over his patient’s wound, putting the finishing touches on a string of neat stitches. “He’ll live, but this is going to leave a nasty scar.” The doctor announced. He straightened and moved to a basin to wash his hands.

  The man on the table is in rough shape. I was surprised to hear that he was going to be alright. Dr. Ward has a reputation as one of the best healers the city has ever seen, but today is the first time I’ve seen him work on anything more complicated than the sniffles, and I’m impressed. I guess it makes sense that he’s the head of the medical department. I want to be angry at Dr. Ward for his role in matching me with Jarno, but the drama unfolding in the exam room had distracted me from my own situation.

  I inspected the man on the stretcher. He was covered in a thin film of grime, but otherwise, he was almost attractive. He has a strong jawline, and his body was covered in lean muscle. I don’t think I’ve seen him around here before. Maybe he’s from one of the lower levels of the city? His clothes were strange, and ragged, even for someone from a lower tier. I wonder what happened to him? I thought, letting my eyes settle on the row of stitches running along his abdomen.

  “Great.” Wrenna Greer sneered from the corner of the room. Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and her eyes glinted in anger. “Now we just need to figure out how best to get rid of him.” She was addressing the whole room, but her stare remained fixed on the stranger.

  Dr. Ward’s eyes widened in shock. “We can’t just “get rid of him.” Sending him back above ground is his condition would almost guarantee that he wouldn’t survive!” The doctor turned to address Reglin Charr directly. “He’ll need antibiotics, help changing his bandages, and maybe a few more blood transfusions before he’ll be ready to be on his own.”

  I stared at the doctor. Did he just say that this man is from the surface? I didn’t think it was habitable up there.

  Syndic Charr furrowed his brow in thought. “We can’t send him back up there.” He agreed. “Opening the hatch is a serious thing. Besides, setting him loose might attract others to Departure.” He finished with a pointed glance at Wrenna.

  “I wasn’t suggesting we let him go,” Wrenna said, delicately. “I was suggesting that it might be in the best interest of the city if he died.”

  “You can’t kill him!” I blurted. Everyone in the room turned to look at me. Typically, I don’t mind being the center of attention, but it felt strange to be scrutinized by so many influential people. A momentary flutter of activity from the man on the gurney diverted the attention of those in the room from my outburst and gave me a rush of confidence.

  The man tensed, groaned, and his eyelids fluttered. He stilled, relaxing back onto the stretcher. After Dr. Ward gave the group a nod to confirm that his patient was still unconscious, I continued.

  “Dr. Ward, you said he would live without treatment. Don’t you think it’s wrong to kill someone when we can help them?” My dad looked irritated with me for speaking out of turn, but several of the other department heads were nodding along. Ultimately, the man’s fate lies with the Syndic, but Reglin Charr’s expression was too placid for me to read.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” The doctor cut in, sensing the doubt that still filled the room. “It’s not ideal to have outsiders stumbling into the city, but now that he’s here he might be able to help us.”

  “How could he possibly help us? Having him here is a huge security risk!” Wrenna snapped. “We can’t have a stranger wandering around here!”

  “Only the Charr’s can open the hatch from the inside.” My dad said. “It’s not like he can get out and come back with his friends, and I’m sure security can handle one person.” He said, giving Wrenna an irritated look. “Besides, my daughter is right. We can’t just kill him.”

  It felt strange to have my father side with me over Wrenna, especially because I had spoken out of turn. I wonder if he’s just agreeing with me publicly to keep from looking like he has a disobedient daughter. I thought silently. It’s nice having my father defend me, but I know he’d turn on me in a minute if I did something to damage his reputation with these people.

  Constable Greer sagged her shoulders in exasperation. “Much as I appreciate my future in-law’s ethical concerns,” She said with a gesture towards m
y father and I. “Now isn’t the time to be squeamish. We can’t endanger our citizens for some unknown surface dweller!”

  “I think we might be overlooking an opportunity here.” Oswalt Charr began. He had been quiet during all of this, but I wasn’t surprised he wanted to give his opinion. He’s the type of man who always makes sure to be heard. “Solne is sending us a sign in the form of this young man.” He beamed. “Until today I believed the world above to be too unsafe for the people of Departure, but this stranger proves that people are surviving up there. God has sent us a sign that our time to return to the world above has come!”

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. The Church of Solne has always preached that one day we should return to the world above, but over the past few years, Cardinal Greer had latched onto the idea. At least the Cardinal doesn’t seem to want to kill this guy. Oswalt has a ton of influence within the city, and if he wants to keep this man alive, then he might be able to pressure the Syndic to do so.