A Light From the Ashes

by Rachel Anne Cox

  “You must miss her.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to remember her. I was just a little kid when they were captured.”

  “How did you get away?”

  “My mother told me to run to the stream when she heard the soldiers coming. She said she’d seen a butterfly there, and I should go look for it. I actually found one, and I ran back to tell her, but the soldiers had them both and were dragging them away.”

  Sophie put her arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Tell me about your mother, what you remember.”

  “It’s just flashes of pictures really. And I know she used to sing to me, but I can’t remember the songs. I try sometimes at night to hear her. It’s just too far away. But you know that first night at your house? I’m kind of embarrassed . . .”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I hugged you because you reminded me of her. She had red hair like you.”

  “You sweet boy.” Sophie hugged him again, running her fingers through his hair. “Remind me to give you a haircut before I leave.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “That’s what I came to tell you. It’s just for a few days.”

  “You’re going on a mission for the Watch, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Take me with you, Sophie. I can help. I can do a lot of things.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I wish I could. But this one’s super-secret. I’m not even bringing Pip. I need you to stay here and take care of him. Someone’s got to bring him his apples. He’ll be your responsibility while I’m gone. Sam can help you take him out for his ride at night. Okay?”

  “I suppose so. I’d rather go with you.”

  “I know. And I’d rather have you with me. But we’ll compare adventures when I get back. Now, let’s head back up to the house before these mosquitoes have us for dinner!”

  Sophie tried to laugh with him and make him think it was just a normal mission, but she knew the dangers of crossing the borders, and she had no idea what she’d find on the other side. Sam had given her a map he’d made of some of the areas in the Forbidden Grounds, so at least she wasn’t going empty handed.

  She thought about Ethan’s mother, a woman who had brought this wonderful boy into the world. The woman fascinated her and seemed almost familiar from the way he had described her, but just as he had said—so far away.

  * * * * *

  The swing and chop of the axe felt good in Sam’s hands. He’d always appreciated manual labor for its ability to still his mind and allow him to work out his frustrations physically. He had missed the lumber camp for that fact alone. Above the ringing of the metal through the wood, he heard Sophie’s words and how they echoed Gemma’s. In some ways, the two women were much alike and yet handled their similar thinking in different ways. Talking to Gemma earlier in the day had put his nerves on edge, angered him. But talking to Sophie about the same things only made him want to protect her. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted to protect them both. Even with the separation from Gemma, he hadn’t lost his protective instinct with her, but had forced himself to ignore it.

  Now both of these women were pushing them all forward toward a war, a war he wanted no part of. He knew he couldn’t stop them from doing what they felt they had to do. Couldn’t even stop Ethan. How could it be that all these people who had come through similar struggles and life experiences could come to face the world in such different ways? Gemma and Sophie’s experiences spurred them on to fight harder, to fight until they won. His made him want to stay well away from violence of any kind.

  Sweat dripped from his forehead, leaving dark spots on the circled stump before him. He stopped chopping for a few moments to take a breath.

  Gemma and Sophie both wanted and expected him to fight with the Watch. But that wasn’t where he felt the pull of his conscience, his only compass. The only thing he felt was his need to protect them both. Well, if they could spy and work reconnaissance, so could he. Standing out in the yard, he made his decision quickly. He would do his best to follow and protect them both. He’d stay out of the Watch so he could stay near them and keep them safe. Ethan’s involvement would help him keep track of where they were, and they’d never have to know. At least this way, they’d all be doing what they thought was right and necessary. The code drove him, and the code he would honor.

  * * * * *

  The midsummer heat beat down on the heads of the citizens in the square of Jesse’s Hollow. A thunderstorm was lurking, making the air heavy with unreleased moisture, dragging the latent human smells from the people around Sam and Ethan. Sam wished the Corsairs would get on with whatever they had to say. Why did the meetings have to be in the hottest part of the day, anyway?

  Ethan was whispering something to him about Pip, but Sam was not paying attention. The heat distracted him as he looked listlessly around the square. It always struck him how few children there were in the towns. So many of them were living out on their own, parentless. He placed his hand on top of Ethan’s sweating head. A boy stood in the front row, not much older than Ethan. He seemed to be struggling to stand still in the heat as well and looked longingly toward the shade of a tree.

  Sam found himself almost feeling sorry for the soldiers in their thick uniforms. They stood on the platform in front of the crowd, a squad of red-faced, blue-clad boys, wanting the meeting to be over almost as much as he did.

  “Sam, it’s so hot. Can we go swimming after this?”

  “Sure, son.”

  Finally, the leader took center stage. “Citizens of Jesse’s Hollow, I am Colonel Mark Goodson. I bring you greetings from the Triumvirate. We know it is hot, so we will get right to business. It is well known that members of the rebel group known as the Watch have stolen a shipment of weapons and horses from a Corsair detail. A search for those stolen goods has already begun. And we will continue the search in homes, barns, and all buildings until they are found and the perpetrators brought to justice. Citizens would do well to cooperate with these searches and return the stolen items. Stay the course.”

  The crowd gave the expected echo.

  “Item two, marauding rebels in the Forbidden Grounds outside the borders have made it necessary for the Triumvirate to take two added precautions. One is that there will be added patrols of Corsairs in the Forbidden Grounds to capture the rebels and protect our citizens from them. And two, rations must yet again be cut by one quarter as supplies and food have been stolen from the government camps.”

  A hushed murmur went through the crowd as they tried to think how they would survive on even less food than the meager portions they were already being given. But no one dared speak loudly enough to be pulled out of the crowd.

  “Rest assured, citizens, that your leaders are aware of and have compassion for your struggles. To that end, to conserve the resources we have left, there will be no more permits given for couples wishing to have children until further notice. We must save our supplies for those citizens who are already living.”

  The crowd went silent at this, making it easier to hear the commotion which was beginning to erupt near the platform. A woman began to scream, holding onto a boy. The same boy Sam had noticed at the beginning of the meeting. A captain was dragging the boy up to the platform and seemed to be preparing him for a flogging. He removed the boy’s tunic and tied him to the post at the edge of the platform.

  When Sam registered what was happening, he and Ethan both made a move to get to the front of the crowd. Sam felt a strong hand take his arm in a vice grip from behind, stopping him mid-step.

  “Don’t,” Kyle’s voice whispered in his ear.

  Sam spun around, trying unsuccessfully to wrench free of his grip. “Let go of me!” Sam hissed.

  “Don’t be an idiot, Sam,” Kyle continued in a calm whisper. “Think about it! You won’t be able to stop them, and you’ll just get yourself killed in the process. You know I’m right, my friend.”

  Sam did pull away this time.

  �
�Live to fight another day.”

  Sam looked down at Ethan, who was only waiting for his signal to jump into the fray. He knew and didn’t want to know that Kyle was right. When he looked back up to the front of the crowd, there seemed to be a disagreement between Colonel Goodson and the captain who’d brought up the boy. He was close enough to the front now to hear the colonel reprimanding his subordinate.

  “I thought I made myself clear, Captain, that there would be no floggings at my meetings, especially not of a child. How dare you disobey me?”

  “But sir, General Drape has commanded . . .”

  “You let me deal with General Drape. In the meantime, I am your immediate commanding officer, and you will follow my orders unquestioned. Now let this boy go and disperse the crowd.”

  The young captain hesitated.

  “Immediately, Captain, or I will have you arrested.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As the citizens of Jesse’s Hollow began to go their way, Sam hesitated a moment, watching this strange colonel who appeared to have a drop of compassion running through his Corsair veins, and he was grateful.

  “Anyone else want to question my orders?”

  The other soldiers merely looked straight ahead, but one sergeant seemed to be holding in something he wanted to say.

  “Sergeant, what about you?”

  “I was just thinking that we gave them a heads-up that we’ll be looking for the weapons. Won’t they just hide them?”

  “There is nowhere to hide. That is the point I want to get across to these people. Understood?”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “Squad, dismissed. Mount up, gentlemen. I’ll meet you back at the base.”

  “Mark!”

  Colonel Goodson turned around to see Kyle standing before him. “It’s good to see you, old friend. I was going to come find you before I left.” He walked slowly toward Kyle and the two men held each other in a firm embrace.

  “How’s Simeon?” Kyle asked.

  “The same as always. He asks about you. Wanted me to bring him news.”

  “Of course, of course.”

  “Look, is there somewhere we can go to talk? Not here. Some place we can be alone?”

  “I know just the place.”

  12

  RIPPLES

  S oil, grass, and all the green things growing and taking over the gray house gave off an oppressive heat rising up to meet Kyle and Mark. They pushed through thick vegetation, breathing in the soggy air to reach the porch and hanging door. Kyle felt a wave of embarrassment rise up along his spine, over his shoulder, then his head as Mark waited patiently for him to scratch and pull and force the door open. Flecks of rust flew off the hinges to land on the creaking boards below, slats of mildewed dirt showing between them. Their presence seemed to draw groans of protest from the house with every move they made. Kyle had never brought anyone to this place, and it surprised him how much it changed everything and made him notice all of the many physical flaws of his favorite thinking place.

  Musty air stirred by the hot breeze flowed in and around the walls inside the little house. It was almost overpowering to the point of distraction.

  “Maybe we should just sit on the porch. Cooler there anyway,” Kyle finally offered.

  “Fine by me,” Mark replied with a smile. He removed the black cap from his head, ruffling his dark-brown hair. Trying to find a measure of comfort, he took off his jacket as well as he settled down on the top step of the porch next to Kyle. He couldn’t stop himself from looking at him. “I don’t think I’ve been this hot since the day Simeon made us run a race on the hottest day of the year.”

  “And his idea of cheering us on was him screaming, ‘The enemy doesn’t care how hot it is!’”

  “Then when we broke through the tape, we didn’t stop running until we hit the creek.”

  They both laughed, breaking the awkward silence that had been hanging like the musty air of the aged house. Mark clapped Kyle on the back. Sighing with the waning laughter, Kyle hoped things hadn’t really changed that much between them.

  “It’s been a long time,” Kyle began.

  “Too long. I’m sorry I couldn’t get out here sooner. The Triumvirate was sending me all over creation making speeches and what-not. And before I knew it, six months had passed. But I’ve been transferred back to the Wash District. I’m close enough that I’ll be able to get here more often.”

  “We all have our jobs to do, I suppose.”

  “Well, and I think the only reason Simeon let me come now is because he needed word from you and didn’t trust anyone else.”

  “I can give you my report . . .”

  “Not yet.” Mark took Kyle’s hand before he continued. He intertwined their fingers in the old familiar way. “God, I’ve missed you. I hate seeing you having to live like this. You should at least let me get you some decent food.”

  “I’m fine. Really. And it’s not going to be forever.” Kyle was struggling to communicate. All he could concentrate on was the way Mark’s hand felt in his. He hadn’t thought it would be this hard seeing Mark again. After months and years of keeping himself emotionally shut off from everyone around him, he found it hard to let his walls down, even with Mark. He hadn’t seen him in six months, but they hadn’t been together really in over a year. Why couldn’t they just pick up where they left off?

  “What’s wrong?” Mark asked softly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t give me that. You know I could always read you. Something’s wrong.”

  “Sam came back. I knew he would eventually. I couldn’t keep him at the lumber camp forever.”

  “Why did you arrange to send him away for so long?”

  “For his own damn good, to keep him away from the Watch.”

  “Did it work?”

  “Well, he’s not a member, from what I’ve been able to gather, but he’s making things more difficult than they need to be. When I saw him at first, I just wanted to run up and throw my arms around him after so long. But he hates me for having to join the Corsairs and now hates me for marrying Gemma.”

  “It’s an impossible situation for all of you. He was like your brother. And Gemma was like your sister. You can’t expect to be able to just go back to that easily.”

  “I don’t expect us to go back at all. Any of us. It’s been hard on Gemma especially, I think. I hate lying to her. I overheard them talking about me yesterday, and she was actually defending me. After what I’ve put her through. I wish there was another way sometimes.”

  “Listen, Kyle, I need to tell you something. I had hoped you’d guess it yourself. But I think we should start working together on something.”

  “Don’t . . .”

  “I’m the one who’s been leaking information to the Watch.”

  “Don’t. Don’t tell me this, Mark. I can’t hear this.”

  “Why not? It’s perfect. No one suspects me. Not even Simeon. He tried to act like he knew who the leaker was, but he knows nothing. And with you here in one of their villages, we can do even more to help them.”

  Kyle was up on his feet in a second. His footsteps hitting the loose boards of the porch echoed around Mark. “Stop! Are you insane? Do you know what the Triumvirate will do to you if they find out?”

  “I don’t care. It’s worth the risk.”

  “No, Mark. We just have to stay on mission. Trust the system and stay the course.”

  “Stay the course?! You sound just like Simeon. Like his little puppet. You were never that before. Listen, it does a ship no good to stay the course if it’s heading for the rocks.”

  “The Corsairs are just trying to protect the people from the Watch. And that’s all I’m trying to do.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “You really have swallowed all of their rhetoric and propaganda. I thought you and I had the same idea—just play along until we could get out. It’s not like
we joined of our own free will. We were captured!” Mark now stood himself, taking the time to gather a deep breath with his thoughts. He couldn’t believe the words he heard coming out of Kyle’s mouth. Sweat dripped down his back and he shivered. He knew all too well the tactics the Triumvirate used to sway people to their way of thinking, and he couldn’t bear thinking about Kyle having gone through their “reprogramming.” It must have happened recently. He had been so sure that when Kyle agreed to the mission to go back to Gemma and the village that he’d done it to help his old friends. But now it seemed as if Simeon had finally broken him after all these years.

  “Yes, we were captured at the time. It was necessary. But that doesn’t mean the Corsairs are wrong or the Triumvirate is wrong.”

  “Doesn’t it? It’s not right, Kyle, and you know it. Would you stop pacing and look at me?”

  Kyle stood before him like a soldier at ease, feet apart, hands behind his back.

  “It’s like when Simeon made you beat the shit out of that little guy. That’s all we’re still doing, just pounding the weak and helpless. Pounding and pounding away, and for what? To make us feel better about ourselves? I don’t feel better about myself because I’m a Corsair. The floggings of innocent people, how is that helping them or protecting them? And it doesn’t give us any more information out of them.”

  “We have to find the rebels. Some hard methods are sometimes necessary for the greater good.”

  Mark had him by the shoulders and was inches away from his face. “Listen to yourself, Kyle! Think back. I know you have sympathy for them. Or you did once. Hell, you were one of them before you were captured. And I’m not the one who let that woman escape from prison and earned himself a month of solitary confinement. Remind me who that was again? Oh yeah, that was you. I know you feel something for them.”

  “Not them, just her. She hadn’t done anything. It wasn’t her fault her husband was a rebel leader.”

  “None of them have done anything worthy of the punishments we’re forced to inflict. They’re just trying to hang on to a little bit of their humanity.”