Phoenix (Black City #2)

Phoenix (Black City #2) Page 4

Roach tells the rebels to take Freya’s body to the morgue. When she’s been carried away, the Lupine stands up, wiping a bloodstained hand on his pants leg before stretching it out to Sigur.

“Rafe Garrick, First Landing pack leader,” he says.

Sigur ignores it. “Thank you for bringing Freya back to us, Mr. Garrick. Logan will escort you—”

“I think you’ll want to see this,” Garrick interrupts, taking out a shimmering blue flash drive from his pocket.

“What’s on it?” I ask.

“Schematics for a new super-ghetto in the Mountain Wolf State,” Garrick replies.

“Why has Purian Rose built a new ghetto?” I say.

“Because when he wins the vote tomorrow, he plans to ship the Darklings there,” Garrick says. “And once you’ve been rounded up, he intends to kill you all.”

4.

ASH

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, all the Darkling ministers and rebels have congregated in the Assembly—the oval chamber where our political discussions take place. Logan shifts uncomfortably in the seat beside me, her cool lilac eyes fixed on Garrick. Sitting next to her are two Darkling ministers. The first is a man named Pullo—a gruff-looking Eloka Darkling, with ebony hair and glimmering black eyes, like mine. Next to him is Angel, a Shu-Zin Darkling, with purple eyes, dark hair and clawed feet, which she’s squeezed into a pair of dainty heels. Pullo and Angel occasionally throw cold glances in my direction, barely able to hide their contempt for me. Not all the Darklings appreciate a twin-blood being on their sacred Assembly.

Garrick inserts the flash drive into the com-desk—a large touch-screen computer inset into a table—and everyone falls silent as an image of five Lupines—three men and two women—appears on the digital screen on the back wall. I recognize one of the men. He’s the Lupine I saw at the factory with the red leather frock coat and hair ornaments made of teeth.

“I got a tip that a gang of mercenary Lupines, known as the Moondogs, had been transporting large quantities of Cinderstone out of Black City on behalf of the Sentry government,” Garrick says. “I got suspicious. What was the government doing? It couldn’t be anything legit if those gangsters were involved.”

“We had the same concerns. That’s why I sent Freya to investigate,” Roach says.

“My pack infiltrated the factory by posing as fellow Moondogs, and I managed to gain access to the head office.” He presses a button on the com-desk, and the Cinderstone shipments log appears on the digital screen on the back wall. “You’ll notice that the name Mount Alba crops up time and time again.”

“The volcano?” Logan says. “But that area has been deserted for decades, ever since Mount Alba erupted.”

“Precisely,” Garrick says. “So I hacked into the Sentry network to find out why they were sending so many shipments to a volcano. This is what I found.”

The image on the digital screen shifts, to zoom in closer to a mountainous terrain within the United Sentry States. I instantly spot the volcano, with its familiar flat peak—it lost its top after the eruption thirty years ago. At its base is a sprawling urban area enclosed by a wall just like the one surrounding the Legion ghetto, but on a much larger scale. Written in block letters across the urban area are the words THE TENTH.

“It’s the size of a small state!” I say.

“Why do you think they called it the Tenth?” Garrick says.

“Because it’s the tenth state,” I reply, cottoning on.

He nods. “Really it’s more a state-within-a-state, but the name is sort of catchy.”

“This isn’t evidence the government plans to exterminate us,” Pullo says in a brusque voice.

“I agree,” Angel chimes in. “It’s just a ghetto. It’s no different from the Legion, other than it’s bigger.”

I look at Garrick. “How are you certain Purian Rose plans to kill the Darklings?”

“Not just the Darklings,” Garrick says, bringing up some documents stamped CONFIDENTIAL. “From these memos, I was able to determine that Rose plans to send all Impurities—”

“Impurities?” Logan says.

“Anyone Rose feels doesn’t fit in with his plans for the One Faith, One Race, One Nation campaign,” Garrick explains. “This includes Darklings, Bastets, blasphemers, race traitors, Dacians—”

“What about Lupines?” Pullo challenges.

“We weren’t mentioned in the documents,” Garrick says. “I guess he has other plans for us.”

“Then why are you helping us, if you’re not at risk?” Pullo says. “What do you have to gain by telling us about the Tenth?”

Anger flares across Garrick’s face. “Just because I’m a Lupine doesn’t mean I obediently follow everything Purian Rose says and does. I happen to support the rebellion.”

“I’m a little confused,” Logan says. “Rose’s Law only specifies the segregation of Darklings from humans, so how can he justify sending those other people to the concentration camp?”

“The Darklings are just pawns in all this,” Garrick explains. “The government is playing on the tension between your two species to garner support for segregation. But once the law passes, they intend to attach addenda to Rose’s Law to include all the groups—”

“And because they’ll be adding to an existing law, he doesn’t need another vote to do it,” Sigur finishes. “He can send anyone to the Tenth, and it’ll be perfectly legal.”

There are outraged murmurs among the Assembly.

“You didn’t answer my earlier question,” I say. “How do you know Rose plans to kill us?”

“From the intel I’ve gathered, it’s clear that the Tenth is divided into three cities.” Garrick presses a button, and a trio of urban areas glows on the map.

Each city is surrounded by its own boundary wall and joined together by a complex system of roads and rail networks. Garrick indicates the largest city in the Tenth, which is easily five times bigger than Black City.

“This city is called Primus-One. It’s the base camp, where all new arrivals will be sent before they are evaluated and then transported to Primus-Two or Primus-Three.” He indicates the two smaller cities, to the south and east of Mount Alba. “Prisoners will be checked for health, age, strength and skills. Those deemed suitable for work will be sent to Primus-Two, to work in the factories.”

The screen pans in on Primus-Two. It comprises dozens of large industrial buildings.

“What are they producing in those factories?” Roach asks.

“I didn’t have time to access that information before Freya turned up with half the Sentry guard after her,” Garrick replies.

“What happens to the people who aren’t suitable to work in the factories?” Logan says.

Garrick moves the map to the final city, on the east side of the mountain. “They’ll be sent to Primus-III.”

He zooms in on a series of white buildings, each with a green cross painted on the roof, just like the ones they paint on medical laboratories. Dread starts to set in.

“He’s going to experiment on us?” I exclaim. “Why?”

“I’m not sure,” Garrick replies. “But those concrete buildings next to the labs are crematoriums, so whatever they’re planning, they don’t expect the test subjects to survive.”

I think I’m going to be sick.

“It’s just like the concentration camp they had in the Barren Lands,” Logan says.

“Except on a much bigger scale,” Garrick replies. “The Tenth can easily handle twenty, maybe thirty, million prisoners at any one time.”

“We must not let Rose’s Law pass tomorrow,” Sigur says.

There are nods of agreement from around the room.

“But won’t Purian Rose still attempt to send us to the ghetto, even if he loses the vote?” Logan says.

“I’d like to see him try!” Roach says. “There would be civil bloody war if he sends the so-called Impurities to the Tenth when over half the country has voted against segregation.”

I consider the fact that Purian Rose came all the way to Black City to threaten me into supporting his law and suspect she’s right. He doesn’t want this to break out into a civil war if he can avoid it.

“Then let’s not give that bastard any chance to do it!” Roach hollers. “We’re gonna win this vote tomorrow, right?”

“Right!” the rebels all chant.

The room erupts into chaos as people discuss this new turn of events, but I’m too numb to hear them. I glance at the map again. This is so much bigger than trying to free my people from the ghettos; the very survival of our species and many others is at risk. So what am I going to do tomorrow? It comes down to this: Whose life is worth more? Natalie’s or theirs?

I honestly don’t know how to answer that question.

5.

NATALIE

“CLOSE YOUR EYES,” Day says as we approach the canal.

The sun has just started to set over Black City, casting a muted peach glow over the buildings. With me are Polly, Day, and her little brother, MJ, plus their parents, Michael and Sumrina. Michael is holding MJ’s hand, helping him walk. It’s funny seeing them side by side, as MJ’s the spitting image of his father; both have the same dark skin, soulful brown eyes and easy smiles, although MJ has a curved back because of his kyphosis. I’m really touched that my sister has come out with us; I know she hates being outside ever since she was tortured and disfigured by Purian Rose.

I wonder if he would’ve been so cruel had he known that she’s his daughter. I search Polly’s face for any resemblance. They share the same startling, metallic gray eyes, but otherwise she looks nothing like him. Polly gives me a small smile. She’s still breathtakingly beautiful, despite the zigzag of scars across her cheeks. It’s wonderful seeing my sister happy. The past two months with Day’s family have been good for the both of us. It’s been tough without Mother around, but Sumrina and Michael have made us feel like we’re part of the family.

“Where can we be going?” I say teasingly as we head along a familiar part of the canal, near to where I first met Ash. My heart stumbles, thinking about that encounter under the bridge. I know they’ve arranged a surprise party for me on Beetle’s boat—Michael accidentally let it slip last week—but I play along, screwing my eyes shut as Day leads me toward the barge.

“Here we are,” Day says.

I stretch out a tentative hand so I can be helped on board the barge. A cool, firm hand takes mine in response. An electric shock zings into my heart. Ash. He lifts me onto the boat, and I giggle, falling against him.

“No peeking,” he says.

He softly kisses me, making butterflies flutter in my stomach.

“Can I look now?” I say when he brings me inside the cabin.

“Go ahead,” Ash replies.

I open my eyes and give a little squeal of delight. Beetle has decorated the entire barge with colorful paper chains and ribbons, and a handmade banner hangs over the window announcing HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY. Everyone is here: Ash’s father, and my former housemaid Martha, as well as Beetle, Roach, Sigur, Amy and Stuart. Amy rushes over and gives me a big hug. We’ve become quite close since she joined the rebellion. We even got our Cinder Rose tattoos at the same time.

“Juno’s running late,” Amy says. “She got called to the station because of some breaking news story, yada-yada-yada. You know how it is with reporters.”

We all find a place on the long benches. I squeeze in between Ash and Day, wincing slightly as I sit down.

“Is your leg still hurting?” Ash asks.

“A little.” I lift up my purple tulle skirt to reveal the nasty bite mark on my leg, where a Darkling boy took a chunk out of me a couple months ago. The wound still hasn’t completely healed, and the flesh around it is raised and sore. I scratch at the scab.

“Don’t pick at it, or it’ll scar,” Day chastises.

“Sorry, Mom,” I say, lowering my skirt.

“Let’s get this party started!” Beetle says, clapping his hands together. He’s made a bit of an effort to look nice tonight, wearing a clean shirt and black pants with just one tear at the knee. He’s even brushed his usually scruffy brown hair. “Who fancies a game of Lady Fortune’s Wheel?” Beetle asks.

This is met with cheers from everybody, even Ash’s dad, who gives a rueful grin. He may be a minister, but he likes to gamble. Beetle places a twelve-spoke wheel in the middle of the table, and places a container on the end of each spoke. MJ drops a bean in nine of the containers, and coins in the remaining three. Beetle pops the lids on the pots, so no one can see what’s inside, and spins the wheel.

“The birthday girl goes first,” Ash says, kissing my cheek.

I glance up at him, and my heart squeezes. A thought glimmers in his smoldering eyes. He lowers his long lashes, like he’s trying to hide it from me. I don’t have much time to analyze it, as my attention is dragged back toward the game.

As the wheel spins, I quickly lift the lid off one of the pots. Inside is a gleaming coin. Yes! People ooh and ahhh.

“Lady Fortune’s clearly on your side tonight,” Ash whispers in my ear, passing me the coin.

It’s impossible to concentrate when he’s so close by, his cool breath spilling over me, delicious, intoxicating. Yearning unfurls inside me, a flower blooming in winter. Memories of our time together this morning fill my mind, and I touch my glowing cheeks with my hands, willing them to cool down.