by Julian North
“I ain’t going to absolve you of anything,” Rudolph Banks said. “You should feel guilty. Or not. Leaders don’t get absolved. You need to live with your decisions. Maybe you’ll feel better if you go listen to some of those mobs calling out your name. Even in Savannah, of all places, they yell it. What a racket.”
“What about you. Will you still be the president?”
Banks scoffed. “I know you and Jalen think that I should step up. I know I said yes. But I ain’t run for office, last I checked. I certainly ain’t been elected.”
“Someone has to lead. It should be you.”
“You are the expert, I suppose. Why’s that, young lady?”
He was mocking me. I spoke fire. “Because I didn’t kill Virginia and sacrifice your son to let a damn blue-blood highborn let things go back to the way they were.”
Banks chuckled at my anger. It was the warmest sound I’d heard him make that evening. “There she is.” I realized he had baited me. “Yeah, I’ll do it. The war does seem to be going well. While you were on your way here, dozens of Northern military units surrendered or switched sides. That recording of Virginia had a devastating impact. People are still absorbing it, coming to terms with the terrible truth of what she did to them. There are a few die-hard pockets left, but I’ve watched enough ball to know when a game is over. This one will be done soon.”
“Help them put it back together, Rudolph,” I urged. “Work with California, but don’t let Ansel or that governor of theirs steal the show. You’ve got to do better this time.”
Another roll of thunder echoed.
“You brought this about,” Rudolph said. “You’re a bit young to be president, but you and Alexander should join me. The people in the cities call your name, the highborn are terrified of you.”
“There is nothing for me here anymore. I’m a freak, someone who can do things people fear and do not understand.”
“Since when have you cared what anyone else thought?”
I chewed on those words. Rain started to fall, the tiny drops banging on the roof of the car. “The forces of ignorance are viciously powerful. A backlash against Virginia’s crimes and chipping in general is brewing. Anyone different will be a target for those who oppose change. I’ll become an object to fear, a subject for the lies of people with ill in their hearts. The highborn will hate and fear me, while my people will never trust Alexander. The same forces that tore this country apart and gave rise to the Orderists will seek to use me. But if I disappear…”
“You become a living martyr, a fond memory.” Rudolph flashed his easy grin. It wasn’t the same as Rhett’s, but close enough. “I’ll miss you, believe it or not. Where do you really plan to go, Daniela?”
I looked out the window. “There are millions in slavery in the chipped countries. Someone needs to speak for those people and fight for them.”
“You cannot save…” Rudolph stopped himself. “I was going to say you cannot bring back people who have been chipped, but I’m sitting next to Daniela Machado, aren’t I?”
“Help us. Get things stabilized. Help Nythan cure the Waste and find a way to reverse the chipping process. Make sure Dimitri and California help him get my brother and the others fixed up.”
“I’ll try that. I might even do it. Stranger things have happened.”
“I enjoyed your story about the pigs and power. Don’t let it go to your head.”
Rudolph grinned. “That’s the advantage of being old, with no offspring. Power ain’t much use to someone like me.”
Rudolph placed his hand over mine.
“I’m proud of Rhett. And you, young lady.”
The hard fist that had been squeezing my heart loosened its grip, slightly.
A moment later the rain lessened, then stopped.
“You best get back while there is a break in this storm,” Rudolph advised.
I opened the car door. The night was quiet.
I looked at Rudolph one last time. “I’ll tell you what I told Jenn Ansel: I’ll be watching.”
“You do that. Tell your people. Become a legend, a story, a ghost in the night. Make sure no one forgets you.”
“It’s not just my people. I want you to remind the highborn I’m out there. Remind them of these words: Blood takes care of blood.”
Afterword
Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to those of you who have read this far. Writing these three books has been a whirlwind of joy for me. But it would not have happened without the help and support of others. First, my wife, who is the first reader of everything I write. She fell asleep several times reading the first chapters of Age of Order. It would never have become the story that it is without her silently devastating criticism. Next, my friend Pedro, the man who proofreads my Spanish and keeps me informed about Dominican culture. Also, my friend and compatriot, Darren, a connoisseur of fiction, whose critiques made me laugh and cry and made these books better. I must also thank Kelly for her help on the business end of matters. Finally, a sincere thank you to Mindy, along with that special group of friends who started out just wanting to send their children on playdates with my kids but got sucked in to Daniela’s world. Thank you all.
If you enjoyed these books, the greatest thing you can do is to tell someone else about them. A review on Amazon of any length is fantastic, recommending them to a friend is even better. The greatest challenge for a new author is discovery.
I hope everyone will stick with me to find out what is coming next…