Phoenix (29 page)

He’s so focused on me, he doesn’t notice Acelot by the doorway, gun raised. The Bastet
shoots the Sentry guards holding Elijah before aiming his gun at Sebastian. He pulls
the trigger.
Click.
Nothing happens. The chamber’s empty.

“What are you waiting for, dog?” Sebastian says to Garrick. “Kill the cat.”

Garrick moves, as if he’s going to get Acelot. Then something happens I wasn’t expecting.
Garrick slings Natalie over his shoulder and runs onto the Transporter, along with
Sasha and the other two Lupines.

Distracted, Sebastian briefly lets his guard down, and I take my chance to strike.
I lunge at him, putting my full weight behind the tackle. We crash to the ground,
rolling across the plaza, each trying to get the upper hand. We’ve been in this situation
before—two months ago, in fact, during the riot in Black City. But this time I’m not
going to let him go.

On the other side of the plaza, the Transporter’s engine starts up.
No!

“Get Natalie!” I call to Elijah.

I don’t know if he’s heard me; I’m too busy fighting with Sebastian. I manage to pin
him under me and punch him in the face, over and over, until my knuckles bleed. He
slumps against the ground, alive but unconscious, blood spilling out of his nose and
mouth.

The Transporter’s rotors begin to spin, drawing my attention.

Elijah sprints toward the aircraft just as the hatch door starts to close.

He’s not going to make it!

Through the crack in the closing door, I see Natalie being shackled to the metal bench.

“Natalie!” I yell.

She turns, catching my eye through the slit in the closing door.

“Ash!” she cries out.

Elijah leaps at the hatch, nimbly rolling through the gap just as the door shuts and
the vehicle takes off.

“No!” I scream as the Transporter flies overhead. “Natalie! NATALIE!”

I yell until I have no voice left, but it’s no use.

She’s gone.

NATALIE

I PULL AGAINST
the chains around my wrists and ankles, immediately regretting it as they dig into
my sore flesh. We’ve been on the prison Transporter for hours, and Garrick hasn’t
said a word to us this whole time. He just sits silently at the pilot seat while Sasha
and the other two Lupines watch over us. She occasionally lets me use the tiny restroom
near the cockpit, but that’s the only interaction we’ve had.

When I’m not worrying about Ash, which isn’t often, I plot ways to attack Garrick
and take over the ship, although I know it’s futile. The Lupines would kill us before
we even got close to him. Besides, it’s not like either Elijah or I know how to fly
the airship.

Elijah stares ahead, his face etched with worry. He must guess that Garrick probably
intends to kill him as soon as we get to our destination. I’m briefly reminded of
the last time we were on a prison Transporter together, during our failed mission
to save Polly. He was such a comfort to me then. I gently take his hand, and he looks
gratefully at me. His fingers tighten around mine.

Clouds drift by the cockpit window. It’s impossible to tell where we are, although
my best guess is that we’re on our way to Centrum. Garrick no doubt wants the reward
money for himself and didn’t want to share it with Sebastian. What I don’t understand
is why Garrick took me and not Ash. I’m of little value to Rose, other than . . .
oh God.
There’s
one
use for me. Purian Rose can use me to distract Ash, the same way they used Polly.
They’re going to keep me alive, torture me, knowing it’ll drive Ash insane. He won’t
be able to function; he’ll be useless to the rebellion.

I think Rose understands now that killing Ash isn’t the best move. Ash has already
been “resurrected” twice; people won’t believe he’s dead, and if they do, he’ll be
turned into a martyr, which is the last thing Rose wants. There’s no point arresting
him either. That would make him a political prisoner, which will just rally more support
for the rebels. No, all Purian Rose can hope for now is to keep Ash distracted, and
to do that, he needs me.

“So how much are you going to get for me?” I ask Sasha. “I hope it was worth all the
effort.”

She doesn’t say anything, just curls her bright pink lips.

The Transporter suddenly banks to the left, and I snatch a look out of the windscreen.
The clouds disappear, making way for plumes of choking black smoke.

The aircraft descends rapidly, and the peaks of industrial buildings come into view,
copper chimneys glinting as we pass by. We’re flying dangerously close to them, weaving
through the buildings at breakneck speed, and I cling to my seat, terrified we’re
going to crash.

“You all right?” Elijah whispers.

“Feeling a bit nauseated,” I admit.

“If you’re going to be sick, could you do it over your own feet this time?”

I laugh weakly.

We fly over a distinctive steel and brass wall, which I immediately recognize as the
ghetto wall in Gallium. We’re in the Copper State!

“This is Alpha One, requesting permission to land,” Garrick says into his headpiece.

The radio crackles, and a moment later, a man’s voice replies. Something about it
sounds so familiar, but I can’t place it over the static.

“You’re clear to land. Good to have you back, Alpha One,” he says.

The Transporter turns sharply to the right, missing a factory roof by inches, and
lands in a massive courtyard outside a smelting works. Two of the Lupine pack remove
the shackles around our feet, but leave the ones on our hands. The hatch opens, and
we’re blasted with hot, stinking air.

We march through the courtyard into the smelting works and down a maze of metal walkways
before we reach two enormous steel doors. They slide open, and I realize it’s an elevator.

“Where are you taking us?” I ask Garrick.

“You’ll see,” he says as the doors shut behind us and the elevator descends into the
earth.

My heart is pounding a mile a minute, and my hands shake with nerves. I ball them
into fists as Elijah slides a reassuring look at me.

The elevator slows to a halt, and the doors ping open. I blink against the bright
fluorescent lights. We’ve arrived in a bustling subterranean railway network, with
a vaulted copper ceiling about twenty feet above us, creating a surprisingly airy
feel. Subway cars rattle by, transporting people around the enormous compound. Wide
concrete platforms the size of a regular sidewalk run alongside the rails. They connect
the metal-walled buildings and adjoining tunnels, giving the impression we’re in the
center of a busy town. In fact, as we’re ushered down the sidewalk, I see a sign on
the wall saying
MAIN STREET
.

Hundreds of people dash around us, wearing simple orange factory overalls with guns
slung over their shoulders.
Where are we?
A petite black woman in her midtwenties, with waist-length cornrows and intense brown
eyes, greets Garrick at the crossing of Main Street and Second Avenue. She gives me
a quick smile. I vaguely recognize her, but I don’t know from where.
What’s going on?

“They’re waiting for you in command central,” she says.

“Okay, Destiny, tell them I’ll be there in five. I’ve got to take these two to their
rooms first,” he says.

He tries to grab my arm, but I yank it away from him.

“Don’t touch me!” I spit.

“She’s a feisty one.” Destiny winks at Garrick and heads off.

“This way,” Garrick says.

We’re taken down Second Avenue, past rows of green doors built into the corrugated
copper walls. He stops in front of a door marked
BUCHANAN
. I glance at Elijah, who raises his brow at me.
I have my own room?
How long have they been expecting me? I’m more confused than ever.

He opens the door, and I go inside, knowing I have no other option right now than
to play along. The room is about fifteen feet long, with a pair of bunk beds, a storage
space built into the metal wall, a small desk, mirror and sink. There’s a vase of
flowers on the desk.

Garrick removes the shackles from our wrists.

“Make yourselves comfortable. We need to debrief you in ten minutes,” he says, leaving
the room.

The door shuts behind him.

Elijah sits down on one of the bunk beds and rubs his sore wrists. “What’s going on?”
he asks.

“I have no idea,” I say, “but I’m starting to get a vibe they’re not intending to
kill us.”
At least, not yet.

I walk around our room, checking it for clues. There’s nothing to give any indication
of who these people are. All I find is four orange jumpsuits inside the storage space.
The whole setup seems very organized and professional, the kind of thing I’d expect
the Sentry government to be involved with, although if this were a Sentry stronghold,
surely they would have put me in a cell, not decked me out with my very own room.
No, this all seems too . . .
cozy.

“Is she here? Is she all right?” I hear a woman say outside the door. My heart leaps
into my mouth, recognizing her voice but not quite believing.

The door bursts open, and a tall, thin woman wearing an orange jumpsuit stands in
the doorway, her jet-black hair flowing in waves around her bony shoulders. She’s
wearing a slick of bright red lipstick, which makes her alabaster skin look ghostly
pale. Even so, she’s as beautiful as ever.

She stretches out her arms toward me. “My darling girl.”

I run into them. “Mother!”

I cling to her, and she folds her arms around me. The last time I saw her, she was
being dragged kicking and screaming out of my prison cell back in Black City, after
I was arrested for Gregory Thompson’s murder. She’s even thinner than normal, her
bones jutting out through her jumpsuit. She pulls back and gently tucks an unruly
curl behind my ear.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” she says. “But right now, there’s someone
who wants to talk to you.”

I furrow my brow. “Who?”

“Hello, sweetheart,” a male voice says by the doorway.

I turn around.

A blond man stands in the doorway, dressed in a jumpsuit similar to my mother’s. His
face is badly scarred, the flesh puckered with numerous bite marks and slashes, making
it hard to determine his features. Even so, I’d recognize those bright blue eyes anywhere.

I rush over to him, tears spilling down my cheeks, and he pulls me into an embrace.
That’s why the voice on the radio sounded so familiar.

It’s my father.

ASH

I SIT ON THE EDGE
of the harbor, overlooking the ocean, the rambling favela rising up the cliff behind
us. Abandoned fishing boats bob up and down on the waves, the sound of their bells
ringing hauntingly across the bay. I rub a hand over my face. I’m so goddamn tired.
I haven’t slept in over thirty hours, since Garrick took Natalie.

Where has he taken her?
Sebastian’s refusing to speak to me, which is hardly surprising, but even if he did
talk, I doubt he’d be able to offer any clues to her whereabouts. He seemed as surprised
as I was by Garrick’s actions. Sebastian is currently being held captive in the villa’s
vault, until we decide what to do with him.

I shut my eyes and place a hand over my chest, feeling the thrum of Natalie’s heart
beating in time with mine. She’s alive. I know that much. But that’s only a small
comfort. They might be torturing, beating and abusing her this very moment. Pain grips
my stomach, and I bend double, groaning.
I couldn’t save her.

Acelot walks down the wooden walkway and sits beside me. He looks as exhausted as
I do. He’s spent this whole time tending to the wounded Bastet guards and surviving
senators, and assisting with the cleanup of the villa. We sit in silence, watching
the clouds drift across the cobalt-blue sky. The color reminds me so much of Natalie’s
eyes. I let out a shaky breath.

“Elijah will protect her,” Acelot says, reading my mind.

“What if he can’t?” I say. “I need to find her. I can’t just sit around here doing
nothing when she could be . . .”

Acelot grips my shoulder as grief washes over me.

“Where do you think they are?” he says.

“Centrum would be my best guess. I think Garrick took them to the Golden Citadel to
be interrogated.” It’s the most likely scenario I can think of. “I need to get there.
Do you have any vehicles I can use?”

“We have the boats,” he says. “And there’s my father’s Transporter, but it’s pretty
beaten up. Marcel took it out for a joyride a few months ago and crashed it, so it’ll
need fixing.”

I nod. “Okay. As soon as it’s ready, I’ll head to Centrum.”

“It’s a suicide mission,” Acelot says.

“I know, but I’m going anyway,” I say. “Besides, I won’t be going in unarmed. I intend
to find the Ora first; it’s my best hope of saving them.”

“Then I will come with you.” Acelot stands up. “I owe you, and Elijah, that much.”

We walk back up the cliff, to the villa.

The scent of death still lingers in the air as we head through the plaza. There are
pools of dried blood on the mosaic tiles. The majority of the bodies have been taken
to the local morgue, ready to be cremated, while those of the Consul, his wife, and
their son Donatien have been taken to the family mausoleum. All across the city, black
flags have been hung out of windows, in mourning for their lost leader.

Signs of the battle are visible all the way through the atrium into the senate chamber.
The room is in disarray. There’s broken furniture, paintings are punctured with bullet
holes, and the tapestry of the United Sentry States has been torn off some of its
hooks, so it hangs at an angle. Marcel is slouched in his dad’s seat, the contents
of my bag spilled out on the table. My mom’s diary is open in front of him, and in
his hand is one of the photographs.

“That’s private!” I say, snatching it from him.

It’s the picture of my mom’s family in the forest.

“I’m bored,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

My fangs pulse with venom. I don’t know how he can act this way, when half of his
family has been killed. He doesn’t seem affected by
any
of it. There’s something not right with that kid.

Acelot grabs Marcel by the ear and lifts him off the seat. “Make yourself useful,
and fix the tapestry.”

He lets Marcel go, and the younger boy bares his saber teeth at his brother.

We sit down while Marcel fixes the tapestry. I put my mom’s photograph on the table
in front of me, studying the faces in the portrait. My eyes are drawn to Lucinda.

“So where will we find this weapon?” Acelot asks.

I look up. “It’s at a place called the Claw. It’s a mountain. Have you heard of it?”

Acelot shakes his head.

I sigh, glancing at the tapestry, wondering where it is. I know the mountain is close
to Gray Wolf, so I locate the city on the old map and scan the surrounding mountains,
hoping for some clues. My eyes snag on a familiar name:
MOUNT ALBA
.

I get up, confused. That can’t be right. The mountain in the tapestry has a sharp
peak, but Mount Alba has a flat top, and it certainly doesn’t have any towns around
it, like this map suggests. No one’s lived there since the eruption around thirty
years ago. But then again, the map
is
old—it must’ve been woven a hundred years ago, long before Mount Alba last erupted
and blew its top. I study the towns around the volcano, having never heard of any
of them before—all the maps at school were modern ones, given to us by the Sentry
government. There’s a place called Mountain Shade, and another called Carrow Falls,
and—

My heart stops.

At the base of the volcano is a small town labeled
AMBER HILLS
.

I rush back to the table and snatch my mom’s photo. I turn it over, and check the
scrawled writing on the back:
The Coombes, Forest of Shadows, Amber Hills.

I flip it over again and study the picture carefully. My mom’s family is standing
in a forest glen, and peeping through the trees behind them is Mount Alba, the way
it looked
before
it erupted, with a sharp, talon-shaped peak.

The Claw.

It has to be! It’s the most significant mountain near Gray Wolf, where Lucinda and
the others have gone, and it’s where my mom, aunt and Kieran first met. It can’t just
be a coincidence. I feel certain this is where they were going to retrieve the Ora,
before they went missing. It would’ve been the perfect place to build their laboratory
too, as they’re familiar with the area and would’ve known it would be uninhabited
for miles. This should be good news, but my stomach sinks. I stare back at the tapestry.

The last time I looked at a map of Mount Alba, I was at the Legion ghetto; Garrick
was telling us about a deadly new concentration camp that the Sentry government had
built at its base. I suddenly understand why Lucinda and the others haven’t been in
touch. I know where they are.

I turn to Acelot.

“Get the Transporter fixed,” I say. “We’re going to the Tenth.”