ashen city (Black Tiger Series Book 2)

by Sara Baysinger

  “Jonah?” I whisper. “Jonah Walker?”

  He grins at me, his emerald eyes shining, and sticks out his hand. “Didn’t know if I’d ever see you again, Miss Carter. I believe thanks are in order, for hiding us in your hotel room and giving us food and drink.”

  I shake his hand, a mixture of fear and awe coursing through me. “My pleasure for helping you, Mr. Walker. Although I did go through a lot of trouble for doing so.”

  “Yes. My apologies for that.”

  Something about him looks familiar. His eyes…they give an unsettling sensation in my stomach, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. Maybe I’ve been on the run too long. Just associating with a rebel feels wrong. Maybe it’s because his eyes are green, like Titus’s, and green eyes just make me feel like I’m in danger. But I should be proud, excited even. He’s on my side, after all. A big machine gun is slung over his shoulder, another smaller, white gun, like the one he had in my apartment, is stuffed into his belt.

  Jonah looks at Rain, then Mcallister. “Does she know yet?”

  “She knows she’s Titus’s sister.” Rain looks at me and grins and says, “Wait till you hear the rest.”

  I look between them. “There’s more?”

  Walker places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m your mother’s brother. Which would make you my niece. And Titus my nephew.”

  I stand frozen, speechless, with a million questions buzzing in my head, but all I can manage to say is, “Small world.”

  They all burst out laughing, but I’m kind of having a hard time finding humor in the situation. Because secrets, so many secrets, have been kept from me. And it’s not fair that so much of my real life has been hidden from me.

  “It is a very small world indeed.” Walker places his arm around my shoulder as though we’ve known each other for decades, and guides me down the street. “C’mon, niece. The Resurgence is eager to meet you. What’s more, your father and brother will be so incredibly excited to know you’re alive and well.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “Wait, what?” Everything inside me stops. I try to fight the hope because it’s what my body has learned to do with Titus, but then, why would Walker lie to me? “My dad and brother. They’re—they’re alive?”

  Rain slaps me on the back, the biggest grin I’ve ever seen spreading across his face. “Look at that, apple-picker. I guess you don’t have the worst luck in the world after all.”

  Tears spring to my eyes, and I cover my mouth. Suddenly I feel like we can’t get to the Resurgence fast enough. “How?” I ask. “Titus said he killed them.”

  Walker rolls his eyes. “You can hardly believe anything Titus says. But I’ll let your father tell you everything. You two will have a lot to talk about.”

  Rain parks the jeep inside a parking garage, and we make the rest of the journey on foot. “It’s still a ways off,” Rain explains. “We park the vehicles here to keep from making tracks.”

  I don’t even care. The world suddenly seems so much brighter now. Hope is like a million balloons inflating inside my chest. This is the perfect ending to a crazy, crazy story. I went through hell. Thought I lost my family. Found them again. And the perfect thing to do now is probably hightail out of Ky to the Indy Tribe where we’ll never have to deal with Titus and his troubles again.

  Louisville reeks of death. The buildings are all empty, the streets, silent and eerie. Occasionally I catch a glimpse of a skeleton lying on the side of the road, vines weaving through the rib cages. I have to look away and remind myself of the life that awaits me at the Resurgence. My mind continues to race with this new information that Walker is my uncle. And he’s leading a rebel group against his own nephew. And Rain and Mcallister are a part of that rebel group. And I try to wrap my mind around all this new information, but questions. So many questions. Questions that go all the way back to when I found out I was Titus’s sister.

  “Walker,” I say.

  “Hm?”

  “Dad…never really talked about Mom much. Even after I returned and told him I knew the truth. But if you’re her brother, maybe you know. Why did she run away from Frankfort?”

  Walker slows down, looks at me. He looks conflicted, but then shrugs, and continues walking.

  “Your blood father, Chief Aden, wasn’t any better than Titus, I’m afraid,” he says. “He was self-indulgent and abusive. Your mother hid her misery pretty well, but one can only take so much before one completely falls apart.” He looks ahead. “She had been acting strange that last month before she disappeared. Rumors went around that she had postpartum depression, because she fell into a funk shortly after having you. And then she was just...gone.”

  “And no one went looking for her?”

  “Well, of course they did. But she was quick. She’d compelled someone to make her a new ID, she changed her name, and she moved out to the Garden with Andrew Carter—”

  “And how did she know my dad?”

  “Your father is my best friend.”

  This news knocks the breath out of me. Because Dad never mentioned Walker, and even on the night before Career Day, when I mentioned him, Dad acted like he knew nothing about him.

  “Your mother knew I was working for the Resurgence,” Walker says. “I knew she was miserable, though there was no way for her to escape with Aden breathing down her neck. I gave her a couple names in the rest of Ky if she ever needed help. Your father had taken the antitoxin so he wasn’t compelled.”

  The antitoxin. The cure to all the madness of compulsion and brainwashing. The stuff that gives Patricians control over the Proletariats. Dad must be a Gamma Blood. He couldn’t be controlled, but neither could he control others.

  “How did he get the antitoxin?” I ask.

  “I stole a vial and slipped it to him shortly after he was careered.”

  That explains a lot. Like why my dad is one of the few people who could see through our corrupt government.

  “So you knew my dad all along,” I say.

  Rain lifts a hand to cut me off. “Listen, Ember. We’ll give you a history lesson later when we’re settled in. There are more pressing issues to talk about right now.”

  That’s the understatement of the century. So I leave them alone to talk among themselves, Rain giving Walker all the information he gathered at the Black Tiger Club, no doubt. Mcallister giving him bits and pieces of information he gathered by being a Captain of the Guard in the capitol building. So I go through the questions in my head. Like, why did Mom leave Titus behind? He had to have been only two or three when she left. Why did she decide to take me and not him? Why did she marry Dad? Out of convenience? Or was it love at first sight? But I lock the questions back in the compartment of my mind to bring up later, and I study my surroundings instead.

  Which, unfortunately, only raises more questions. I step up beside Mcallister, who is now apparently my friend. My hero. I have to smother a snort at the irony.

  “Does the chief know you’re hiding out here?” I ask him.

  “Titus has an idea…” Mcallister says with a shrug. “But he’s scouted the area out several times and found nothing. What can I say? We’re well hidden.”

  “How many people are in the Resurgence?” I ask.

  “A couple hundred. Not enough to start an army, that’s for sure. That’s why we want to enlist the other tribes.”

  “Tribes?”

  “The people who live across the border. In the place once called Indiana.”

  “But Forest said it’s dangerous across the river.” I hate that there’s so much I don’t know. “I mean, isn’t the White Plague, like, still active out there?”

  Walker slows down and looks at me. “Titus really has everyone fooled, doesn’t he?”

  I look at James Mcallister and lift a brow in question, but he just smiles sadly. “Ky is a tiny commune, Ember, compared to the real world. Yes, there are some dangerous parts. There are some serious barbarians out there, people worse than Titus. But there are also people wh
o want to help us redeem Ky in a very passive sort of way.”

  I release a shallow laugh. “And here I thought everyone else was wiped off the planet by the plague, and that the virus was still active out there.”

  “That’s because that’s what Titus wants you to think.” Walker adjusts his gun on his shoulder. “How can people still be suffering, much less surviving, the White Plague? The infected have all died out over a hundred years ago. Most survivors have moved on, started their own cities. Cities much larger and more advanced than Ky.”

  Unbelievable.

  “Haven't you ever wondered if there was anything or anyone else out there?” Rain asks. “That we weren’t the only ones on this planet?”

  I can’t lie. I have often wondered whether there were other survivors out there. And Leaf often spoke his opinions on the matter. But no one could ever be certain. And if anyone even suggested leaving Ky, they were arrested.

  “So the White Plague is…gone?”

  “Yes,” Walker says. “The tribes are plague-free.”

  “And they want to help?”

  “In a way. The tribes say that if people don’t want to be a part of the commune of Ky, they can leave whenever they want. What they don’t understand is Ky citizens can’t leave without getting killed if they’re found out.” He scratches the back of his neck. “But, the Indy Tribe is willing to shelter anyone who makes it across the river alive. They offer freedom from Ky. Only problem is, they won’t let you come back to Ky if you leave.”

  “Why not?”

  “Ky is a communist country,” Rain says. “Titus is trying to take over the other tribes, invade their cities and steal their weapons. Didn’t you ever wonder why they’re building the Defender Army? If the other tribes let anyone come back, they risk them returning with inside information that could harm them.”

  I laugh. “Not like anyone sane would want to come back here, anyway.”

  “Unless they wanted to help their families, rescue their friends, save everyone they love, and take them to a life without misery,” Walker says. “That’s why we have the Resurgence. It’s filled with people who want to stick around so they can rescue those they love.”

  I swallow guiltily. “I guess if I had any family or friends to come back to, I would want to return, too.” I think of Leaf…gone. And Forest. Where is he? Either already killed, or forgiven by Titus. And if he’s been forgiven, he wouldn’t want to leave the comforts of Frankfort to face the great unknown. He made that clear. And I definitely don’t want to stick around in Frankfort.

  Which makes me wonder if maybe Forest and I aren’t really meant to be together.

  “If I ever get the chance to leave Ky,” I say. “I’ll have no reason to come back.”

  We take a ramp up to a highway with a sign that says Watterson Expressway. I feel exposed in the open, with no tall buildings hiding us, but Walker assures me we’re safe.

  As we walk, Rain, Mcallister, and Walker talk about politics, but I’m still stuck on the fact that there’s a whole other world out there, and they offer sanctuary to any who enter their land. And I quickly think up a plan. I can’t go back to Ky without being killed by Titus.

  “So how do I get to the outside?” I ask. “How do I get to the Indy Tribe?”

  Walker offers a half smile. “One thing at a time, Miss Carter. I’ll introduce you to the Resurgence first. Later, after you’ve adjusted, we can talk more about the outside world. There are so many things you still need to know.”

  I’m irritated that he won’t just answer my questions. I’m tired of all these secrets. Why not just get everything in the open right now?

  We take a turn off the highway onto a street that turns into a beaten, crumbled road. And then I completely understand the part of the “Keeper’s Song” that says where caverns run deep, because up ahead, hidden beneath the city of Louisville, is a massive cavern.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  I stare in shock. This place is really hidden. From where the city stands, a cliff drops down to where the cavern is. Vines wrap around the edges, dripping down in front of the opening and to most people, it would just looks like a face of a cliff hidden behind a veil of vines.

  People gather around a pond beside the opening. Children play in a small meadow that looks like it once was a parking lot. A few dogs start barking as we approach, and, when Walker whistles a unique tune, the dogs wag their tails and bound in our direction. Their warning barks turn into barks of excitement.

  The people look up. Some stare at us warily, but when they see Walker and Rain and Mcallister, they leap up and head toward us. They crowd around Rain and Mcallister, giving them high-fives and slaps on the back and there are even some embraces. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rain this happy. I mean, genuinely happy. As for Mcallister, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile before today.

  A wiry boy with glasses stares at me, then looks at Walker. I recognize him as one of the people who hid in my apartment with Walker, but I don’t remember his name.

  “What’s she doing here?” he asks Walker in obvious irritation. “I thought she was too good to work with us.”

  Walker places his hand on the boy’s shoulder and murmurs, “Levi, we need her…”

  I strain my ears to hear what they are saying, but they begin walking ahead, and between all the talking and the wind and the barking dogs, I can’t hear anything.

  “Don’t worry,” Rain says to me. “Everyone gets a little uptight when we bring in a new person. The food here is scarce, as is the clean water. But they’ll warm up to you soon enough.”

  I nod, but my stomach tightens. Nothing like feeling like an imposter.

  “Ember!” someone yells.

  I spin around to find a boy running toward me.

  And. Everything. Stops.

  Because Elijah.

  Elijah is running toward me. Just like Walker said, he’s alive. And he’s so happy and perfectly healthy and I have to blink back the sudden tears bursting into my vision because I can’t believe it’s him.

  “Ember! You made it!” He throws himself into my arms, practically knocking me over.

  “Hey, easy kid.” I wrap my arms around him, tears spilling freely down my face. I laugh and squeeze him so tight. I don’t think I’ll ever let go. I dig my fingers into his shaggy hair, inhale deeply the wild scent of my little brother. Elijah is alive. I mean, Walker told me, but it’s so different seeing him in person.

  And then Dad appears. He catches up and wraps his arms around us, and we’re all crying and laughing and talking at the same time.

  I pull away and look between Dad and Elijah. “So…what happened to you guys? How did you escape Titus?”

  “Escape?” Dad says with an odd laugh. “We were never caught.”

  “But the apple orchard…the house…they were all burned down.”

  “Yes. Defenders came while we were out pruning the trees,” Dad says, his brows furrowing. “As soon as we saw them, we ran. A couple Defenders chased us, so we had to keep running until Walker found us at the Garden border. He saved us and led us here. But Whitcomb never had us.”

  My joy quickly evolves to anger. “Titus had me believe that he tortured you. He wouldn’t tell me how you died, or where your bodies were, but he convinced me you were dead.”

  “Just like him,” Walker mutters. “Titus would do so only to instill fear inside you and torture your mind. Besides, he didn’t want to give you any reason to live.”

  “Well, it worked.” I wish I hadn’t given Titus such power over me.

  “Just goes to show how much you can’t trust that son of a jackal,” Rain mutters.

  “Well,” I say, hope seeping back into the marrow of my bones. “This might be the happiest day of my life. But Defenders are still on the lookout for us. More than just a couple. And nothing’s holding us back from leaving Ky behind.” I look at Dad and Elijah. “We should cross the bridge to the Indy Tribe, like we planned.”

  Dad’
s mustache twitches. He opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, closes it, then opens it again. “I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”

  “Why not?” I ask.

  Dad looks down at his hands. “Elijah and I took an oath, Ember.” His eyes flick to mine. “We’re a part of the Resurgence now. We ran away from Ky and found refuge here. By our actions, we are rebels.”

  “You took an oath? Without waiting for me?”

  “I didn’t know if you’d…return. And before anyone joins the Resurgence, they have to take an oath. But that’s not the point I’m trying to make.”

  “What’s the point, then?”

  “The point is,” Dad says. “As a part of the Resurgence, our mission is to change the government for the better. To help the rest of the people who are still under compulsion. Our people. And we were thinking…we were hoping…that you would take Titus’s place as Ky’s chief.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Oh no. This again.

  You’re the one the Resurgence has been waiting for to take Titus’s place as chief. Rain’s words from earlier jostle around in my head. I just got out of Frankfort. Why the shoddy inferno would I want to go back to lead?

  “I can’t be Ky’s leader.”

  “Ember—”

  “No! Don’t you understand? I don’t even have the balls to be a politician. How can you expect me to lead an entire nation?”

  “Oh, come on,” Rain says. “Forest will be there to help you along. As well as a host of other politicians.”

  “Politicians?” I ask, my heart pounding. “They will all hate me if I take Titus’s spot.”

  “It’s not like you’re going to be the one to take him down,” Rain says. “Don’t you remember what I told you in the chapel? The Resurgence will do the dirty work.”

  “And I’m apparently already a part of the Resurgence, so if the Patricians put two and two together…”

  “They don’t know that you’re a part of us,” Mcallister says. “All they know is that Ember Carter is still living in Frankfort.”