by Melanie Tays
Now it’s his turn to look like someone who has finally found air after far too long without it. He kisses me again. No matter how they brand me a failure tomorrow at the Refinement, I know I’ve won everything that could ever matter.
Chapter 23
It’s nearly nine o’clock in the morning when I finally wake feeling gloriously well rested. I suppose Petra won’t clean the room until after the Refinement, which isn’t for another hour.
I wear my hair pulled back in a simple knot, like I would have back home. There’s no one left to pretend for. A simple, green canvas bag has been provided for each contestant to pack his or her belongings in. Once I leave today, I won’t be coming back. None of the contestants will. Succeed or fail, we will all leave the Burning Center directly after the Refinement is complete.
Technically, nothing belongs to me, since I came with nothing but the clothes I was wearing, and I incinerated those last night. Then I realize that’s not entirely true. The shoes are undeniably mine. They were a gift, bought and paid for by Eason and given to me because he saw that I was in need and took it upon himself to look out for me.
I know I should be worried about what’s ahead, but I just can’t seem to feel anything but hopeful, because I do trust Eason. The riddle was wrong: hope doesn’t burn or destroy, it shines and radiates and enlivens, and carries you on its wings to a better place. If Eason says it’s okay, I believe him. As long as we’re together, we’ll find a way.
My bag will not be empty. When she delivered the bag, Keya told me that I can pack one change of clothes, my toothbrush, and a comb. That’s it. It takes me all of a minute to fill it, and that long only because I’m in no rush. I slip the straps over my shoulders to wear it on my back.
I practically skip all the way to breakfast. I’m not the only contestant who decided that today was a good day to sleep in. But it only takes one glance around the room to determine that Eason and I may be the only contestants in a good mood this morning. Those whose appetites have not been destroyed by nerves are disgusted by the new food, and most trays remain untouched.
Eason’s already seated, eating the gray mush and waiting for me. I cringe and want to tell him to stop, that the food is poison—at least for some people—but I can’t say anything until we’re out of The City.
I debate skipping breakfast myself. My brother is clearly a carrier of the genetic marker that the food targets, which means I could be as well. But finally I decide that, either way, one more meal can’t do me much harm when I’ve been eating real Flame food for days to clear my system. Besides, I don’t know how hard it’ll be to find food in the Ash, so I should fill my belly now while I can. I accept my tray and sit with Eason. I am keenly aware of Terrance watching us from across the room, but there’s nothing he can do to us now.
“How are you doing?” I ask, noting with relief that the redness on his wrist has faded.
His response is slow, as though he’s pulling his mind from somewhere far away, back to the present. “I’m good. Everything is all set,” he says, and I remember how he told me that there were things that needed to be ready, and that’s why he couldn’t allow himself to fail the maze trial, which would have been the easiest option by far. “How about you?” he asks, probably wondering if I’m having second thoughts or regrets about my decision.
“Great,” I assure him.
“Are you packed?” he asks, and snatches up my bag from the ground beside me.
“Yeah, but it’s not like I had a lot to pack. Keya said I could take a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and a comb. I guess even in the Ash, she finds it intolerable to think of my hair being less than impeccable. But I don’t own anything else. Hey, what are you doing?”
For some reason, he’s started rifling through my bag. It’s not like there’s anything to hide in there, but I still want him to stop. When I complain, he zips the bag shut. “Sorry, just making sure you’re ready,” he mutters, and slides it back to me.
Then he reaches into his own bag and places something on my tray. It’s a small brown square, but not at all like the bread. This is dark, dense, and smooth, and I’m not sure what it is or what I’m supposed to do with it.
“It’s called chocolate,” he explains. “It’s pretty rare, but I have a friend with connections.”
“I’m not sure I want to try anything else you offer me,” I say. I’m half-teasing, but my mouth puckers involuntarily at the mere memory of the pepper and lemon.
“Sorry about that,” he says. “This is to make it up to you. It’s really good. I promise.”
I venture a small nibble, and the taste is heavenly. I set it down with a frown.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, confused.
“I knew I shouldn’t have eaten this,” I complain.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“Too much. I think you’ve ruined all other foods for me forever,” I chide, and break into a smile.
“I’m so sorry,” he says. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to take this back. I wouldn’t want to ruin your life that way.”
He reaches for the chocolate, and I grab for his hand to stop him. I snatch up the treat with my other hand and bite into it, but I don’t release my hold on him.
Though I’m careful not to let my expression betray my thoughts, I can’t help wondering what kind of food we’ll find in the Ash. Will it be hard to feed ourselves? Will there be plants growing, like the greenhouse here? Eason must have already considered this at length. I know he has a plan, and we’ll be fine. I just have to rely on him.
Then Keya is at the microphone, calling for our attention. “Congratulations, contestants! Today is the day you have all been waiting for. All of your hard work and best efforts are about to be rewarded, or… Well, never mind. But the important thing is that you have all done your best, and the Council is ready to issue judgment. In a moment we will all proceed to the auditorium, where your family and friends have gathered to witness this grand event.”
Eason and I exchange sidelong glances. Neither of us will have family or friends in attendance, but no one considers that.
“I will lead the way,” Keya announces. “Please follow me in an orderly manner. And remember, this is your very last chance to make an impression on the Council, so please do not embarrass yourselves.”
I wonder what people have done in the past that makes her feel the need to offer this warning. I guess with the eyes of most of the Flame on them, and the pressures of the Burning still pressing, some people may react badly, especially if they know they have failed anyway.
Eason and I don’t speak, but he takes my hand as we walk. That’s all I need to soothe the jitters that have started to creep up.
We are all ushered to assigned seats set up on one side of a wide stage. I’m not sure how we’re arranged, but I’m forced to let go of Eason since my seat is the second one, and his is the very last on the opposite end of the stage. To our left, a platform raised three steps up stands below the four burning trial rings that hover in the air.
I catch Jessamine looking at me, and if looks could kill, I’d fall flat on my face right then and there in front of hundreds of cheering onlookers. I know she was hoping to get rid of me when she delivered that map. While I’m still here, it did work, in a sense. Because of what I learned last night, I have willingly relinquished my place in the Flame, and that’s all she cared about in the end, anyway. I can’t tell her this, of course, but I know she’ll feel better in a few moments when my fate is announced.
Jessamine had the good luck to be seated next to Vander, but they’re either distracted by nerves or their relationship has cooled again, because they don’t even acknowledge each other.
Keya stands at a microphone and addresses the audience. I don’t bother listening to what she says. I’m too busy searching the audience. This is my first chance to see all of the murderous faces of the Council for myself. Surely they’re here somewhere, but who could tell in this sea of faces?
> “Gaven Lark!” Keya exclaims, and the freckle-faced boy seated to my left stands and walks. Legs shaking, he scales the steps to the top of a platform in the center of the stage.
I scan the audience. The auditorium is the largest room I’ve ever been in, and the seats of the audience are filled to capacity with more people standing along the walls. There must be at least three hundred people in all, and not a single one of them here for me. But there are a few people—five, to be exact—who I am interested to see.
“Where is the Council?” I whisper to Ashlyn, who’s seated to my right.
She looks aghast that I would speak while we sit on the stage. Perhaps this is exactly the kind of thing that Keya was warning us against.
Ashlyn purses her lips and gives an almost imperceptible shake of her head in response.
I guess that’s fine, because I’ve missed the announcement of Gaven’s results, but he’s taken a seat on the other side of the stage, so that means that he has passed and received some kind of assignment.
“Emery Kennish!” Keya intones my name like a song.
Now I wish I had paid more attention to Gaven so I would know what to do, but it seems pretty simple. I pick up my bag, cross the stage, and mount the platform.
“Emery came from the Smoke. She made a heroic effort, better than any of us could have realistically hoped for, I dare say,” Keya says, and I think she’s trying to be complimentary. “Let’s see how she fared. Have you proven your purity and worth to The City?” she says as though she’s as interested as everyone else to discover the results, which is strange, because isn’t she the one who announces them?
But then the four blazing rings above my head shift and line up in a vertical column above me like stacked halos. Even though I know it’s not real fire, I can’t help flinching as the rings descend around me, covering me in tingling flames just like the Wall of Fire is made of. When the rings rise and the pillar of fire recedes, I am left with a burnt and ashen appearance covering me from head to toe. This must be the signal that says that I have failed and am destined for the Ash.
I sigh in relief and steal one last glance at Eason. He offers me a brief, reassuring smile as the ashen effect fades.
An Enforcer is there to lead me from the stage. The room erupts in cheers, and even though I don’t know any of these people, it still hurts a little that they so universally wish me gone. I’m glad I won’t have to stay here with them after all. At least Keya has the kindness to appear genuinely upset, which makes me like her better.
Rather than leading me to the seat next to Gaven, the Enforcer escorts me off the stage to a small cagelike area surrounded by bars, from which I can witness the rest of the Refinement.
Ashlyn is already in place on the platform, and she looks ill again as she awaits the determination of her fate. When the rings and the pillar of fire leave her, she shimmers like a million speckles of gold. She is assigned to be a caregiver of the preschool children and claims the seat next to Gaven.
Next is Jasper, the boy who was with Vander in the maze. While he didn’t actually attack me, he did nothing to defend me, either. I almost think that being sent to the Ash would serve him right, but then I remember that this would mean he would be with me. I sigh in relief when he begins to radiate glimmering gold. As long as he’s not with me, I don’t really care what his assignment is, but even I can’t help being a little surprised when Keya announces the Council’s decision.
“Burn Master.”
He looks plenty surprised and delighted himself.
It’s of no importance to me, though, who the next Burn Master will be. In fact, if Eason can really do what he’s claimed, there may never be another round of the Burning—ever.
Next is Mieka. I’m betting she gets assigned to be an Enforcer, so she can spend her days intimidating and spitting at the people of the Smoke. But when the ashen cloak pronounces her fate in the Ash, I go rigid.
I watch, stunned, as the Enforcers bring her to occupy the small, enclosed space with me, and I feel anything but safe. My only consolation is that soon Eason will be here, and he’s bigger and stronger than Mieka.
It turns out that I have nothing to worry about at the moment. She focuses all her attention on rattling the bars and yelling until an Enforcer has little choice but to neutralize her with a stun blast in order for the Refinement to proceed. The crowd seems to really be enjoying the lively show—a girl from the Smoke gone Ash, a new Burn Master, and now a stunning. What could make this Refinement more epic and memorable than that?
When it’s Jessamine’s turn, she actually looks happy, so I guess my results managed to cheer her up. She receives the assignment of nutrition worker. Her face is unreadable at that, and I’m guessing that the assignment would have been more appealing before the food change that took place just yesterday. Still, like Petra said, any assignment is good.
Vander follows her, and he looks so pale that I wonder if he’s going to collapse right on the stage. Maybe he caught something from Ashlyn the other day during the medical exam of the Silver Trial. I’ve never seen him look anything but confident—unless you differentiate arrogant—but perhaps that was all a façade. Vander scored at least in the middle of the pack on all the trials, so his position seems pretty safe.
That is perhaps why the crowd can only sit in silent shock when the fire leaves and the ashen pallor remains. Vander stays frozen on his perch at the top of the platform as though he’s turned to stone, not ash, and the Enforcer has to pull him down and drag him away.
Jessamine is the only one who doesn’t remain silent. Her sobs reverberate in a ghostly echo throughout the room. Maybe she knew something I didn’t, and it was for Vander’s sake that she fought so hard for every available assignment in The City, but her efforts were in vain.
A part of me can’t help wondering if these specific people have been failed just to torment me, but I doubt I could merit that much consideration. Besides, in his current state, Vander doesn’t pose a threat to anyone. He doesn’t even look at me, just collapses to the ground and stares off in a catatonic stupor. I’m not sure what to do. Should I say something? But I don’t know if I’m dealing with nice Vander or mean Vander. I wonder if the instability of his personality has something to do with his failure. Isn’t the Council looking for reliability as much as anything?
And that reminds me—the Council.
“Vander,” I whisper.
He turns to me, eyes unfocused.
“Vander, where is the Council? I want to see what they look like.”
He gives a snide huff and rolls his eyes. “They don’t come to this in person. They’re too busy ruining everyone’s lives.”
“What?” I say in disbelief. How can the Council pass life-altering judgment on all of us and not even be bothered to show up and look us in the face?
Cowards.
Winter and the other remaining contestants receive assignments, but I miss what they are because I just don’t care. Thirteen have gone, and only three so far have been sentenced to the Ash. With Ty missing—my stomach tightens at the thought of him—Eason is the fourteenth and final contestant to be judged.
Eason is called forward, and I watch with bated breath, anticipating the moment when he’ll be at my side again and everything will finally feel right.
Keya can do nothing to keep the audience quiet as Eason—the talk of the Flame, I’m sure—mounts the platform and awaits judgment. He’s probably the reason the audience is so packed that all the chairs are filled and people stand, lining the walls. It isn’t until several hundred yellow flashes illuminate the room that Keya can finally be heard.
She keeps her remarks short. “Eason Crandell has returned to the Burning, giving up one of the most prestigious assignments imaginable. Now we will see how he can best serve The City.”
For a final time, the flaming rings shift and descend, bringing down a column of fire around him.
I’m anxious for this to be over. As the rings ascen
d, I have to blink several times to make sure I’m not seeing things. But the shimmer coming off his hair, his face, his clothes—everywhere—is no trick of my eyes.
Eason has passed the Refinement.
“Eason Crandell,” Keya’s voice booms in satisfaction, “the Council, in its wisdom, has assigned you…”
My mind reels. This is a mistake. He did everything possible to ensure he would fail and be able to escape The City.
“…to the Council.”
Chapter 24
The room erupts into cheers, and it’s my turn to collapse and stare off in disbelief.
How can this be?
I grab the bars and pull myself back up to look at Eason, but Terrance Enberg is already escorting him off the stage.
“Eason!” I yell. “Eason!” But my voice is drowned in the roar of the crowd.
He’s turned away, and I want him to look at me. I need to see his face and read his eyes. I need to understand. It’s not until he’s almost out of sight completely that he turns for a brief moment and finds me. His eyes are sad and pleading, but I can’t make sense of his expression.
“Eason!” I call again, but he’s gone.
“Figures,” Vander huffs.
“What do you mean?” I demand, dropping to the floor next to him so I can hear over the din of the crowd.
But he doesn’t have a chance to answer, because he’s being pulled to his feet by a scruffy-faced Enforcer. An intimidating woman who’s built like a brick building restrains Mieka, who has woken up and is more enraged than ever. At least her kicks and punches aren’t aimed my way. The third Enforcer, a man who just looks bored, takes hold of my arm and I realize that this is the same Enforcer who apprehended me the night I crossed the Wall of Fire and delivered me to the Burning. I barely have a chance to grab for my bag before he’s leading me out of the cage.
The six of us travel down a dark, narrow hallway that I think must be used only for this purpose; it’s the one place in the Flame where I’ve ever seen dust or cobwebs. When we reach the end of the passage, a door is opened to the outside. I have to squint against the bright sky light as I emerge from the dimness inside, and I realize with an overwhelming and possibly unreasonable delight that today I will see the real sky—not this empty projection—and feel actual sunshine on my skin. I’ll watch the clouds and dance under a rainbow.