Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2) (3 page)

The statue itself was smeared with dirt and dust. Its bronze tint was hidden with black soot. The figure stood tall, displaying Harry in a triumphant pose.

Simon smiled with pride. “That’s Grandpa. He was a hero.”

Vince studied the features on his metal face. “I can’t believe he made it out. He survived the flatlands.”

“Barely,” Simon said. “If the stories are true, he was on the heels of death when Greene’s guy picked him up. I don’t think he would have made it on his own.”

“It was definitely rough,” Saul said. “We wouldn’t have made it without our powers.”

Simon admired the sight of Vince and Saul standing together. “This is perfect. Our two new heroes, both from Rodin, following in Harry’s footsteps. Surviving the flatlands and coming to the City to challenge Greene. I couldn’t ask for a better setup. People are going to eat this up.”

“We can’t stay here for long,” Vince said. “We need to focus on Greene.”

Simon jumped with excitement. “Of course that’s the goal, but your presence is important as well. What you represent is more damaging to Greene than anything you could do on your own. With the troops rallied, we’ll form another attack. Take down the second and third wall. Then you can have Greene. But right now you need to motivate people. Men and women will die fighting for us. It’s your job to inspire them. Give them something to fight for. Show them that freedom for their loved ones is possible. And once that third wall is down, we’ll charge in and take control.”

“There must be a better way,” Ella said. “Brute force will only get people killed.”

“It’s a necessary sacrifice. The lives of our people are valuable, but the things Greene and his labbies do in the Spire are unforgivable. Cruel. Inhumane. All of those people in his lab were kidnapped. Some from the outside, but many from right here in the City. People disappear at night. He blames the growing criminal world, but we know it’s really him. He sends people out at night and snatches us out of bed. Men. Women. Children.” He took a moment to calm himself. Just thinking about it got him worked up. “The people sacrificing themselves to take down that wall? They
choose
to fight. They have a choice. They’re fighting for their loved ones, a reward that’s worth the risk.”

“No, it isn’t,” Ella said. “It’s not worth it if there’s another way.”

“There
is
no other way.”

“There has to be.” Her voice carried further as she grew agitated. “You can’t just throw people at that wall like pawns. They’re not disposable. Don’t you care about them?”

“Of course I care.” His voice also grew louder. “What do you think I’m fighting for? Without these people, the Crowns don’t exist. I give them the freedom of choice, and they choose to fight by my side. I owe everything to them.”

“Then don’t throw their lives away like they’re nothing!”

“Listen!” Simon yelled. “This is my operation. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I don’t need some girl coming in and telling me how to run things around here.”

Ella stepped forward, hot blood filling her cheeks. “What you need is—”

Rupert held her back and whispered in her ear. “This is neither the time nor the place. We can discuss this later amongst ourselves.” He let her go, and she stepped back, pouting.

Simon could tell she was restraining herself. “Things have gotten a bit heated. Let’s take some time to cool off. I am your host after all. Follow me. I’ll provide you with beds.”

SIX

SIMON SHOWED THEM their beds and left to plan for the rally in the morning. The beds were nothing special, but it beat sleeping in the snow plains. They unpacked their things and settled in.

Rupert approached Vince and Saul. “What do you think of this place? Can we trust them?”

Vince shrugged. “He speaks with passion. There’s no doubt he wants to stop Greene. It’s his approach that concerns me.”

“Clearly Ella felt the same way,” Saul said. “That was quite the little outburst you had back there.”

She sneered. “The way he talks about people, like they’re expendable. His brute force methods are careless. I don’t like him.”

Alan nodded. “Me neither.”

Rupert nodded as well. “I feel the same way, but we must be careful how we act around here. Simon leads a strong group. A passionate group. In the right hands, they could be very useful, but with Simon in charge, they’re dangerous. We should wait a bit longer. Think carefully about this. Maybe we can gain his trust. Get on his good side and steer the Crowns in the right direction.”

“He already loves the two of you,” Alan said, patting Vince and Saul on the back. “Two heroes born and raised in Rodin. Journeying across the flatlands and following in Harry Hedcrown’s footsteps.” He put his hands on his hips, stood in a triumphant pose, and spoke in a jovial voice. “A symbol of freedom!”

Ella laughed. “He was very enthusiastic about the two of you. We can use that to our advantage.”

Vince nodded. “We can. We will make Simon happy and go to the rally tomorrow. Become the symbol he wants and gain his trust. Greene will surely see us if we go, but there is no getting around that. I suspect he already knows we’re here anyway.”

“There’s no doubt he knows we’re here,” Saul said. “He’s been watching us since day one. We killed one of his men and stole his boats. He’s not dumb. He’s been keeping a very close eye on us.”

“We’re not dumb either,” Rupert said. “We’ll be patient and make our moves carefully.”

Alan struck down his fist. “And when the opportunity comes, we’ll hit him where it hurts. For Patrick!”

They all repeated, “For Patrick.”

SEVEN

CHARLOTTE WATCHED THE seconds on the clock tick away, waiting for the alert to end so she could get back to work. “How much longer do you think we’ll be stuck in here?”

Trevor stuffed his mouth with food. “Who knows? Eat up. It could be a while.”

She pushed her tray aside. “I’m not hungry.”

“Suit yourself. More for me.” He grabbed her tray and poured it onto his.

“You’re such a pig.”

“And I’m proud of it.”

“This must be your dream. No work and enough food to last weeks.”

“Add some television and I’d be in heaven.”

“There is a television.” She pointed over Trevor’s shoulder.

He shook his head. “I mean real television. This is just the news.”

“It’s important that we know what’s going on. Especially when the Crowns attack.”

“Yeah, well, they’re not attacking anymore. Greene could at least let us change the channel if nothing interesting is happening.”

“Why are we still even in here? The Crowns backed off. We’re not in danger anymore. We can get back to work.”

Trevor’s mouth was full of chicken. “They’re just being cautious. We’ll probably be in here until they secure that gap in the first wall. Why are you so anxious to get out of here? This isn’t a punishment. It’s not like they’re going to lock us in here and suck out all of the air. Relax a little. Take advantage of this break.”

“Vince and Saul are interesting to watch. I want to see where they are.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. When this is all done, you get to go back and watch two of the most interesting people in the world. I have to watch people put on makeup.”

Charlotte opened her journal to review Vince and Saul’s recent activity.

Trevor watched her flip through the pages. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? Both of their lives, condensed into one little book.”

She nodded as she turned to the very first entry. “These early ones aren’t very thorough. Whoever had this job before me really slacked off.”

“That’s probably why they got canned. Greene doesn’t put up with slackers. Cosmetic tests may be boring, but I’m thorough as hell with my reports.”

“Keep at it and they’ll promote you soon enough.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Take advantage of the time you have right now. In my position, I get very little free time. There’s always something important going on. You’re single, right?”

Trevor nodded.

“Good. When you move up, you won’t have time for dating, or a family. Your time will be fully dedicated to your subjects.”

“You don’t make it sound very glamorous.”

“It isn’t glamorous. Not even close. It’s interesting, that’s for sure, but it’s also time-consuming and tedious. But when Vince and Saul die, because all test subjects eventually do, I’ll be set for life. Greene will slap a paycheck down and I’ll retire.”

“It’s ridiculous how much he pays everyone in the vitality sector.”

“It’s important to him. It always has been. From what I hear, he’s a bit obsessed with discovering immortality. Living forever. There’s a rumor going around that he’s sterile, so he has no one to carry his legacy. Living for as long as possible is the next best thing. He’s come a long way in achieving that. Three hundred years is a long time to live. People on the outside rarely make it to ninety. Not many people know that.”

“I knew that. That’s why the Hedcrown bloodline has such a quick turnaround. Harry was from the outside.”

“Exactly. And that’s why it’s important to have subjects out there. We get more immediate results than we do in our labs. People die faster. That’s imperative. To Greene, every wasted minute is one step closer to death.”

“That’s grim.”

“It’s also true. It means you don’t waste time slacking off. If you do, death will sneak up and hit you like that.” She snapped her fingers.

“I suppose that’s true.” He looked at the clock. “It’s getting late. You going to bed soon?”

“I’ll try to sleep a little, but safe room beds are never comfortable.”

Trevor chuckled as he scooped the last bits of food from Charlotte’s tray in his mouth. “This meal will knock me right out.”

EIGHT

THE GROUP SLEPT well in the beds Simon provided. It was far better than any night in the snow plains. They all woke up refreshed and energized. As they got dressed, Simon entered with a man by his side.

“Good morning everyone,” Simon said. “I hope the beds were to your liking.”

Vince bowed his head. “They were very comfortable. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Only the best for our new heroes. The rally begins in a few hours. We’ll get out there soon, but first, I brought someone to look at Saul’s wound.” He gestured to the man beside him. “This is Charles. He’ll take care of any medical needs you require.”

Rupert held up Fred. “This falcon is injured. Can you take a look at her as well?”

“Of course,” Charles said. “Falcons are not my expertise, but I’ll see what I can do. First, let me take a look at Saul.” He walked over. “Show me your wound.”

He lifted his shirt and revealed the scar. The red had faded to a normal flesh color.

“How recently did this happen?”

Saul laughed. “You’re not going to believe me, but it was yesterday. I got shot by a gun.”

“Yesterday, huh? So you have healing powers. You’re one of Greene’s vitality subjects.”

“I guess, if that’s what they call us.” He was surprised by how casual he was.

“Any subjects assigned to healing, life extension, or just avoiding death in general, are supervised by Greene’s vitality sector. It’s his most valued sector in the Spire.”

“That’s right,” Simon said. “I’m guessing the two of you are worth a lot to Greene. That’s why turning you into icons is so important. We’re going to twist his work around and have it bite him in the ass.”

Charles examined the wound, pressing gently around the scar. “It looks like it’s healing up well. Do you feel any pain?”

“Occasionally. Just a little.”

“Give it a few more days. I suspect the pain will subside.” He walked over to Fred, who was cradled in Rupert’s arms. “Now let’s take a look at this beauty.” He stretched out her wing to see the wound. “There is a good amount of damage here. She won’t be flying anytime soon. Have her take it easy for a while. Don’t do anything strenuous. It will have to heal on its own.”

“So just wait it out for both of them,” Alan said.

“Essentially, yes. I apologize if this doesn’t satisfy you. We don’t have much equipment down here. Your conditions are not life threatening, and frankly, we’re saving what we have for all of the injured from yesterday’s attack.”

Simon shook his head in shame. “We lost a lot of people yesterday, and countless were injured. Our supplies just can’t keep up. We’ll have to go on another supply raid soon, but until then, we’ll make do with what we have.”

Ella opened her mouth to argue against him, but saw Rupert’s disapproving glare. Instead, she changed the subject. “What do you expect from the rally this morning?”

Simon smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It’s important that we’re all on the same page. It will be fairly simple. I’ve made it easy for you. I will start off by addressing the people with a speech. At that point, Vince and Saul will come up on stage and wave. If you wish to speak, you may, but you don’t have to. My speech covers everything that needs saying. If you
do
choose to say something, make them words of inspiration. These people need all of the hope they can get.”

“We prefer to stay silent,” Vince said. “At least for now.”

“Very well. Your presence will be enough to set off the crowd. I’m sure of it. There are a few last minute things I must deal with. I will come back to get you when it’s time. In the meantime, relax. I’m sure you’ve all been through a lot.”

He left the room, and Charles followed him out. Rupert held Fred up. “You hear that, girl? Relax. Let that wing heal.”

She chirped in agreement.

Alan leaned back, kicked his legs up, and folded his arms behind his head. “If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s relaxing. It sounds like Vince and Saul have all the work.”

“You need to be vigilant as well,” Vince said. “Simon seems confident that people will accept us, but we have no idea
how
they’ll react. If something goes wrong, we need to be ready. The minute we lose our status as ‘The Heroes from Rodin,’ we become expendable. Simon will get rid of us. A man like him knows his goals, and if we challenge that in any way, he’ll cut us loose.”