After The Fires | Book 2 | The Trials Ahead

by Greene, Kellee L.

  “What if we find one?” Watcher Davis asked.

  He was easy to recognize since our relationship had already started on such an intimate foot. My bare back… him holding the whip. His face was always scrunched up, and his eyes were much too close together on his rounded head. He had a face I wasn’t going to forget anytime soon.

  “I hope we do,” the Watcher next to him said.

  “That’s the spirit, Watcher Oliver,” Commander Godfrey said.

  The way Commander Godfrey talked reminded me of Watcher Bly, who’d slaughtered women as sacrifices to the Great Mother. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had joined in and cheered Watcher Bly on.

  “All right, you should all head back to your homes to get rest. Big day for you all tomorrow,” Commander Godfrey said, smacking Watcher Davis on the back. “You all did well in your training.”

  “We’re ready?” one of the Watchers I didn’t recognize asked.

  “I think you are,” Commander Godfrey said, widening his stance as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t you feel ready?”

  All of the Watchers except the one that had asked the question smiled. He shifted his weight nervously and then matched their smiles.

  “Yeah, I feel ready,” the Watcher said, pushing his shoulders back.

  “Good,” Commander Godfrey said. “Now get on home. I’ll see all of you bright and early in the morning.”

  He bobbed his head once and turned on his heel. Commander Godfrey looked into the shadows as he marched away, presumably toward his home.

  “Night boys,” Watcher Davis said, pressing his palms together in front of his face and bowing slightly. “My beauty rest calls.”

  “Yeah, it does,” Watcher Oliver said with a laugh.

  Both Watcher Oliver and Watcher Davis walked off toward the area of the farms where the Watcher’s homes were. They’d probably pass right by Watcher Brody’s house. Would he hear them talking loudly and laughing as they passed?

  The other two Watchers stayed, which meant I was still stuck in my hiding spot. My thigh muscles felt tight, and a numbness crawled through my arms down to my fingertips, but there was no chance I’d move. In fact, my life depended on it.

  One of the Watchers reached behind him and pulled something from out of his waistband. He screwed off the top and took a long swig from the thin, dark bottle.

  He winced and sputtered out some of the liquid. “Ugh! It’s so nasty!”

  The Watcher passed the small bottle to the other guy. I didn’t know what exactly the bottle was, but I had a pretty good idea of what it held inside.

  Nightshine.

  Commander Godfrey wouldn’t be pleased to find them with the prohibited drink. The Mother would not be happy either.

  I was tempted to step forward, pointing my finger at them and shouting that they were sinners from the rooftops. My lips curled at the thought, but even I wasn’t that brave. Or rather, crazy.

  The second Watcher took a drink. He was far more successful at gagging the liquid down.

  “Did you make that yourself,” he asked with a brow raised. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or if the strength of the booze was making the muscles in his face tense.

  The first Watcher laughed. “I wish I knew how to make it. It’s not easy to get your hands on this stuff anymore.”

  “How did you pay for it?”

  “If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” the first Watcher said as seriousness washed over his face.

  The second Watcher held up his hands. “Forget I asked.”

  “Take another drink, it’ll help you sleep,” the first Watcher said.

  With a nod, the second Watcher took the bottle, taking two big gulps. He grinned lazily and passed it back.

  “We need more of that,” he said, stepping to the side awkwardly. “That is some fast-acting shit.”

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to chug it,” the first Watcher said, taking another small sip before tucking it into his pocket.

  “Ooooppppssss,” the second Watcher said, placing his finger over his lips sideways. “I’m going home. Night Watcher Milton.”

  Watcher Milton flapped his hand and shook his head. “Night Watcher Nelson.”

  I watched them leave in the same direction. Watcher Nelson weaved side to side, taking his time as Watcher Milton sped ahead.

  Watcher Brody must have been right about the lack of interest in men becoming Watchers because these two were absolute idiots. Standing out in the open drinking nightshine for all to see. They weren’t going to last long on the farms if they were going to be so incredibly stupid. Then again, maybe Commander Godfrey would look the other way for him… was that what he’d done about Watcher Bly?

  When I was sure they were gone, I crept out of my hiding place and shook my arms and legs back to life. The pins and needles made me want to cry out with each step.

  I couldn’t believe what I’d seen. Watchers Drinking on the farm. What was next? Would there be Watchers taking dreem?

  Dreem was already on the farms. Everyone pretended it wasn’t, but it was around. There were times I wondered if Keepers gave it to their farmers to keep them doped up. To help them forget their troubles.

  I gasped too loudly and covered my mouth. Was that what was going on with Steph?

  “No,” I said into my hand. It was a crazy thought. Keeper Marie wouldn’t ever do something like that. She was far too devoted to The Way of the Mother to do something like that.

  I moved my feet faster. I didn’t feel like being out alone in the dark any longer. The morning wasn’t too far off, and I’d need to get a few hours of sleep to be able to function. Although, I wasn’t sure if I’d be sleeping well after everything that happened tonight.

  The floorboards creaked under my steps as I tiptoed to my bed. I sat down, watching their bodies as they gently rose and fell with their deep breaths. No one had stirred. They were all in a deep sleep, hopefully having dreams that brought them far away from this place.

  Farmer Watson wouldn’t say anything if she’d seen me, and not only because she couldn’t. Ivy might if she was particularly upset with me or if she just felt like it. Steph… I didn’t know anymore if Steph would rat me out. At this point, Steph was a loose cannon, and I didn’t think I could trust her. If she thought that telling Keeper Marie what she’d seen would somehow earn her a trip to the Capital, she’d do it in a heartbeat.

  I wasn’t going to be able to get out of the cabin much any longer. There wasn’t really anywhere I could go, now that the tree circle had been destroyed. Hopefully, Hawk wouldn’t get caught attempting to go there.

  The only place I could go was to Watcher Brody’s house. It was the only place left I could go to get away. Not that it was far, or really even away from this place. It was still here on the farms.

  Still, though, it felt different in his house. It was an average home, albeit small, but it was significantly superior to the dank and dusty cabins.

  I wasn’t even sure if I went to his place again, he’d let me in. It was weird how I was thinking about him as I laid in bed and not Hawk.

  I covered my yawn and turned on my side. Sleep came fast. My dreams were far from comforting. I was always out there, in the dark, searching for Hawk.

  Morning came, and it felt as though I hadn’t slept at all. I rubbed my eyes with my dirty hands. Bits of dust got into my eyes, making them itchy and watery.

  Farmer Watson tapped my shoulder.

  “I’m fine,” I said, grabbing my pillow to wipe my eyes. “Just dirt.”

  She tapped more vigorously. I looked up at her as water leaked from the corner of my itchy eyes.

  Her finger pointed at the dirty footprints that led from the floor to my bed. Shit!

  15

  I dropped to my knees and swiped at the dirt tracks with my hands. Both Ivy and Steph were still asleep, but they wouldn’t be for long.

  “Thank you,” I said, flicking a quick look at Farmer Watson. “I wish I knew yo
ur name.”

  She smiled and shrugged.

  “I guess there isn’t any proof these are mine,” I said, smiling even though the water from my eyes was still dripping down my cheeks.

  I dusted away the trail I’d left behind. I must have unknowingly stepped in one of the Watchers gardens and tracked mud into the cabin. Thanks to our hot and dry climate, it had dried, making it easy to brush away all evidence that I’d been gone.

  “Hot today,” I said, getting to my feet. I wiped my forehead with the back of my arm.

  Farmer Watson grabbed something off her shelf and handed it to me. I looked at the small cloth and then at her. She pointed at my awkwardly blinking eyes. My eyelids were still trying to rid my eyes of the dust and dirt I’d wiped into them.

  “Thanks,” I said, delicately wiping at the corners of my eyes. “Why are you helping me?”

  Her eyes narrowed. It was like she didn’t understand my question.

  “Well, whatever the reason, I appreciate it,” I said, handing her back the cloth. She took it and shook it off, whapping it against her leg several times before she refolded it and placed it back on her shelf.

  Farmer Watson pointed at Ivy and then at Steph.

  “They never wake me up,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “Yeah, fine, whatever.”

  I looked down at my dirt-covered smock. It wasn’t unusual for it to be dirty, but for some reason, I worried that someone would notice it was worse than when I’d finished work yesterday.

  Farmer Watson stood over Ivy and shook her gently. Ivy groaned as she rolled over onto her back.

  “It’s time to get up already?” Ivy asked. “How can that be? I just fell asleep.”

  I knew that wasn’t true, but I believed it felt that way to her. Our work wasn’t hard, but being out in the heat, walking back and forth all day was exhausting.

  Farmer Watson pressed her lips together into a thin, sympathetic smile. Ivy exhaled and rolled out of bed.

  “Okay, okay, I’m up.” Ivy stretched her hands over her head.

  I stood with my arms crossed over my dirty smock as Farmer Watson walked over to Steph’s bed. She shook her the exact same way.

  Steph woke with a small exhale as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She didn’t complain. She didn’t groan. Steph got to her feet and started to get ready.

  No good morning. No how is everyone doing. Silence.

  Keeper Marie would arrive soon. What the others didn’t know was the day was going to be different from other days. And I didn’t feel like telling any of them.

  When Keeper Marie arrived, we were all standing in front of our beds with our heads down. She seemed more impressed than ever before. There was so much joy on her face I wanted to slap it to bring her back to reality.

  “Blessings! Blessings! I have wonderful news, ladies!” Keeper Marie said, rolling forward slightly onto the balls of her feet. “There is a special event for us to attend today. Commander Godfrey will be initiating the new Watchers, and he wants everyone present. A new ritual for all of us to witness. Aren’t we so lucky?”

  “Yes, mum,” I muttered.

  None of us reacted to her news the way she’d expected or hoped, and her bright smile faded. She should have known that none of us would cheer to have more Watchers around.

  “Well then, off we go,” Keeper Marie said, opening the door and stepping to the side to allow us to exit. Ivy led our single-file line as Keeper Marie walked alongside us. “Breakfast will be after the initiation, and we will need to eat quickly. We will have to work faster to make up for lost time.”

  As we walked down the path, other groups of farmers joined our line, either in front or in back of us. Other farmers and servants were already waiting at the prayer shrine, but Commander Godfrey and the four new Watchers weren’t there yet.

  There were, however, other Watchers around, including Watcher Brody. I didn’t see Watcher Jones, but he was probably around somewhere. It was a large crowd they needed to control. Each Watcher had probably been assigned a specific section.

  The morning was hot, even though the sun was still low in the red-orange sky. I constantly wiped the sweat off my brow and off the back of my neck. There was a barely noticeable breeze, but it didn’t help. The hot air only made it harder to breathe.

  I was stuck between Ivy and Steph. I wanted to look around to see if Hawk was there, but having them at my sides made it difficult. They would very much disapprove of my wandering eyes.

  We stood there waiting in near silence. It was so long I had to shift my weight from one leg to the other to keep them from going numb.

  Commander Godfrey was probably doing it on purpose. He’d want to make us wait so that we’d miss our meal.

  Eventually, the Watchers walked to the front of the crowd and stood side by side. Their eyes were raised above the crowd as though they were looking over us instead of at us.

  After a long moment, Commander Godfrey walked in front of the Watchers and looked out at us. He wasn’t afraid to look at farmers. Commander Godfrey was probably hoping to catch someone with their eyes raised.

  He held up his hands and smiled. The smile was only for show. His eyes held the same darkness they always did.

  “It’s wonderful to have all of you here today to share in this joyous occasion with us. It isn’t often we get to celebrate having new members joining our family. You will be seeing their faces around quite a bit over the years, and you are to treat them with the same respect you do as any Watcher. New or old doesn’t matter,” Commander Godfrey shouted as he paced side to side. “Each one of these Watchers is here for you. They are taking a huge step in devoting their lives to work with the other Watchers, their brothers, and devoting their lives to our Great Mother who watches over all of us.”

  Commander Godfrey stepped in front of Watcher Davis with his back to the crowd. He asked him to raise his right hand.

  Watcher Davis pushed his shoulders back and raised his hand. His head weaved from side to side slightly as if he were drunk, but I didn’t think it was from the nightshine. He was feeling the effects one got when they experienced an excessive amount of power.

  “Do you promise to uphold all of our rules and watch over the farmers, servants, and diggers to ensure they are obeying and doing the work our Mother asks of them?” Commander Godfrey asked.

  “I do,” Watcher Davis said.

  “And do you, Watcher Davis, promise to do everything asked of you by your Commanders and the Mother to keep everyone on the farms both safe and in line?”

  “I do,” Watcher Davis said.

  Commander Godfrey bowed his head and took a smile vial out of his front pocket. He placed his fingertip on the top and tipped the bottle on its side.

  “I hereby anoint you with the honor of being a Watcher,” Commander Godfrey said as he dabbed a dot of oil on his forehead and then one on each temple. “Kneel.”

  Watcher Davis dropped to one knee. “I am a humble servant of the Mother. It is my honor to serve her. I will always do everything to the best of my ability, always and forever. Great Blessings to my fellow Watchers, Commander Godfrey, the other Commanders, our Supreme Lord, and of course our Great Mother.”

  “Perfect,” Commander Godfrey said. “Welcome.”

  It was the same exact thing for the other Watchers. The other three didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic to take their oaths as Watcher Davis had, but they still did it without question. Not that they could question any of it without severe consequences.

  From now on, they’d have to do what ever they were told to do by Commander Godfrey. I couldn’t wait until they got caught drinking their nightshine.

  When everything was over, Commander Godfrey stood to the side, holding out his palms toward the new Watchers. All of the farmers, servants, and diggers clapped hesitantly.

  “Commander Godfrey would like us to meet each of the new Watchers. He wants them to know our names and faces as soon as possible,” Keeper Marie said. “I really
think this is wonderful. Commander Godfrey is full of great ideas.”

  Keeper Marie lined us up and looked us over. She nodded at Ivy and stepped over to me.

  “Didn’t you have a clean smock?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was happening today,” I said, keeping my gaze lower than usual so she wouldn’t see the lie in my eyes. “My deepest apologies.”

  “Hmm, well,” Keeper Marie said haughtily. “They’ll see you’re a hard worker, I suppose.”

  “I hope so,” I said, nodding my head.

  Keeper Marie sucked in a deep breath. “Be on your best behavior. All of you. Impress them.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure how we could razzle-dazzle the Watchers when we could look at them, and we couldn’t talk to them. They already knew we were criminals, and two of them had already been trained with the whip using my back.

  I sighed as we turned and stepped into the massive line that was forming to meet the Watchers. It was going to take forever. There was a good chance we wouldn’t just miss breakfast, but we’d also miss lunch.

  All part of his plan, no doubt.

  I carefully looked around for Hawk. There were just so many people everywhere, it was nearly impossible to find anyone in the sea of faces. Still, I was pretty sure he wasn’t there.

  My eyes connected with Watcher Brody’s gaze. I was almost certain his lip curled at the ends briefly, but it had been so quick, I couldn’t be sure.

  When it was our turn to meet the new Watchers, Keeper Marie smacked me between the shoulder blades. I reflexively turned but remembered to keep my head down.

  “Look down, stand up straight,” she hissed.

  “Yes, mum,” I whispered.

  She clasped her hands together and stepped forward. “Welcome! I’m Keeper Marie, and these are my hardworking ladies. We are some of the workers from the water farm.”

  I didn’t look up. I already knew I didn’t like them, but it was difficult to like a Watcher when there was only one thing they looked forward to… torturing me.

  16

  I kept my head down, but my eyes shifted upward just enough to see the disgusted looks on their faces. They didn’t care to hide the fact that they didn’t like me. In fact, it seemed as though they didn’t like any of us.