“I hadn’t heard.”
“The people that run the city are brilliant. I mean, total geniuses. It’s completely safe and everything is beautiful. The whole city is filled with artists of all kinds. You can’t get in unless you’re an artist. Or you had to be a patron.”
“A patron?”
“Uh huh. It’s simple, really. If you weren’t making art, you were a patron of the arts. You would basically sponsor an artist. Make sure they were fed and had a place to live and create their art.”
The girl’s big personality began to make sense. “You’re an artist, aren’t you?”
Brae laughed and waved to another group of women after the laugh caught their attention. The women didn’t return the wave. Brae continued, “I couldn’t paint a house. Shane is the artist. He’s a musician.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Brae raised her hand. “His whole band survived the Crappening and they were one of the first acts in the city. That’s where we met.” She rolled her eyes in a big way. “That’s right. I fell for the rock star.”
Brae smiled. Most relationships in the wasteland formed out of necessity. Even she and Jerry had met under duress and, although it was love, they couldn’t say they would have met had it not been for the roving death truck. It was nice to hear of love blossoming under normal circumstances. “His band must have been good.”
Brae teetered her hand back and forth. “They were okay. But they were absolutely the best of what was left.”
A man passed them with a smile. “Hello, Brae.”
Brae’s smiled faded. She nodded at the man as he passed. “Hi, Tony.”
Erica didn’t press the coldness she sensed in the conversation. “So what happened? Why did you leave Knoxville?” Outside the walls of the kingdom, she would never have thought to ask this question. You didn’t ask people about their past. It usually ended up with someone crying. But here, it felt right.
Brae’s smiled returned. “What always happens to a rock band? They broke up.” The pair crossed the street and turned towards the slope. “Their singer got a big head and became a big dick. The others in the band put up with it, but Shane had known the guy forever and tried to talk some sense into him … so, they kicked him out of the band.” Brae grew silent and stared at the ground.
“I’m sorry, Brae,” Erica said, but it didn’t help. “Why no solo career for Shane?”
“Well, he’s a bass player. There’s not much work for a bass soloist.”
“He couldn’t play anything else?”
“Like I said, they were an okay band. Not really the best musicians.”
“He couldn’t find anyone else to play with?”
Brae shook her head. “Without the band, we lost our patron and had to leave.”
“But, all the way out here? Why wander so far?”
Brae shrugged “Why does anybody wander? We were chasing a rumor. Another myth of the wasteland. People said the musicians went west. We heard there was a town full of nothing but musicians. Shane wanted to find it. He wanted to start another band and return to Knoxville and show his old band up.”
Erica opened her arms to the town. “And instead you found a fairy tale.”
Brae’s laughed returned and she began to speak, but her words were interrupted by the blast of several trumpets.
“Were those trumpets?” Erica asked.
“Of course they were!”
“Of course they were,” Erica echoed with less enthusiasm.
Brae grabbed her hand. She did that a lot. “The king is about to speak. Let’s go.”
The pair rushed through the streets back to the town square as Chewy tore up tracks in the snow to catch up with the girls.
The stage had been repurposed since the conscription service. The king’s colors were draped as the backdrop. Carpeting had been set across the wooden slats and several knights stood on the ground in front forming a wall of protection.
The crowd had changed as well. It was larger than before, but there was no sign of the men from the mine. Everyone in attendance dressed in clean clothes. Their skin was untouched by the signs of labor and they smiled and gossiped as they awaited the king’s arrival.
The knights at the base of the stage raised five silver trumpets and blared. They gleamed in what little light broke through the clouds and they blared a five-note announcement as the king stepped from behind the drapes and walked to the center of the stage accompanied by two knights.
His presence silenced the crowd and the king began to speak. His voice boomed. “Citizens of the Five Peaks—my friends. My fellow survivors, I come before you today a troubled king. It is my understanding that there is a rumor running rampant through our fair city. It is a rumor that I must say, with heavy heart, is true.”
The crowd gasped and a woman screamed, “Mark, you cheating bastard.” She began to beat the man next to her about the head and shoulder.
“No. Laura … Laura, please wait. That’s not what …” The king turned to one of the knights on the stage. “Make her stop hitting him.”
The knight dropped from the stage and worked his way through the crowd to the domestic dispute. He pulled Laura back from Mark and turned her to face the king.
“Good,” the king said. “Laura, that wasn’t the rumor I was talking about. I hadn’t even heard that rumor. I was talking about the princess.”
The crowd gasped again. One woman raised her hand. “I heard the princess was kidnapped.”
“Right,” the king pointed to her. “That’s the one. That’s the rumor. Now if everyone could just settled down.” Elias cleared his throat and continued on. “I’m afraid it is true. Our fair princess has been taken from us by those that wish to do us harm. I will not let this stand. As I speak, the prince races to his betrothed’s rescue. It will only be a matter of time before she is returned safely to us.
“I’m aware how much she means to all of us. Many of you are her friends or admirers. So, we shall welcome her home with a celebration worthy of a princess. We shall have a feast!”
The crowd cheered with a passion Erica had not seen in years. She watched the joy beam from the crowd and whispered, “Wow.”
Brae hung her head. “Oh yay. A feast.”
The king continued. “I shall need your help. We’ll need banners. We’ll need dancers. All of the bards will play. And we’ll need a meal the likes of which no one here has ever seen.” Elias signaled the trumpeters. “Let the preparations begin!”
The trumpeters blew, the crowd roared and the courtyard quickly emptied as the excited citizens saw to their tasks. Erica and Brae were left all but alone.
Erica was in awe. “Wow, he really does this king bit well,” Erica said.
“Well, he should. He’s been the king for over twenty years.”
“Wait. How could it be that long?”
“Oh, you don’t know the story. Well …”
“Shouldn’t ewe be seein’ to ya chores, ladies?” That voice. That horrible English accent.
The girls turned as Tommy swaggered across the square. Brae couldn’t hide her lack of enthusiasm. “Hi, Tommy.”
“Sir Thomas to ewe, Brae. And to ewe, Jennifa. Ewe may be unaware as ewe’re new here, but the king speaks for the ears of the citizens only. Lil’ Brae ’ere knows better.” His eyes grew hard. “What are ewe doing here, Brae?”
“We were just walking by when it all started. I promise.”
“Right.” Erica agreed with the lie. “We’re really excited about the feast.”
“Oh, really.” Tommy laughed and reached up to touch Brae’s face. “I didn’t think ewe enjoyed feasts.”
Brae knocked his hand away and stormed off. “Come on, Jennifer.”
Erica hurried to catch up as Tommy laughed behind them and said, “See ewe at the feast.”
They walked in silence until Tommy was out of sight. Erica could tell the girl was upset and genuinely wanted to help. “What’s going on here, Brae?”
&nbs
p; “Oh right. The history. You see, Elias has been king like forever.”
It wasn’t what Erica meant, but she didn’t press Brae and let her continue the story. “Explain that.”
“A lot of these people—well, most of them anyway—were Renaissance fair workers.”
“What?”
Brae laughed, “I know, right? They travelled the country with the seasons playing knights and damsels and Elias always played the king.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“No. He also ran the turkey leg hut, but mostly he played the king.”
Erica laughed and it broke the frown on Brae’s face.
“So when the world ended, they came out here and basically just kept it going.”
“Why here?”
“They always spent their summer season in Colorado. That’s how they knew about the mine. And if you’re going to be a king, you need gold, right? They settled in and reopened the mines. Soon Elias had his own currency, his own economy and his own honest to God kingdom. Make believe no more.”
“And everyone was okay with this?”
Brae bobbed her head. “About half. There was another king. He mostly worked the weekday shift and wasn’t too big on losing his own fake crown.”
“What happened to them?”
“He took his crown and left. They started a kingdom to the south. That’s who the king was talking about. The princess is the other king’s daughter.”
“He actually married off his daughter? Like the dark ages?”
Brae nodded. “That’s how serious they take this.”
“So that’s why Tommy does the accent.”
“No, he does that because he’s an idiot.”
Erica laughed and looked up at the buildings on the street. The banners flapped in the breeze as far as she could see. The people’s clothes were so well kept they now appeared like costumes. “This explains so much.”
“If you can look past the pageantry, it’s really not that bad,” Brae said. “He’s applied his turkey leg knowledge to an economy that works. He was smart enough to lead everyone here, reopen the mines and keep things running. So what if they like to have sword fights every now and then? It’s a safe place.”
A group of three women called to Brae from across the street. Each wore an expression of disgust that looked as if they had spent an hour putting it on. Brae rushed across the street and hugged each of them. Erica and Chewy crossed the street behind as the women began talking.
“Yay,” the tallest of the women said with no sign of actual joy. “A feast.”
A brunette in the back of the group echoed the disappointment. “Yay. Can’t wait for that. Bunch of drunken assholes.”
“So what?” Sandra, the tall one, said. “Let them have their stupid party. We’ll have one of our own and we’ll have ours first. We’ll be so hungover they won’t want to come near us.”
Brae proudly introduced Erica to the group. “Girls, this is Jennifer. Jennifer, these are the girls.”
They welcomed her with smiles, hugs and compliments. She was gorgeous, they said. They loved her hair. How did she keep it so beautiful in the wasteland? The kind words were nice and Erica found herself liking these strangers. It was an odd feeling to like strangers.
“So, it’s decided,” Sandra wrapped up the conversation. “Go home and put on your best dresses, girls, because tonight we’re going to party.”
There were more hugs, more smiles and the group of women carried on their way.
“They seem fun,” Erica said.
“They are the best. You’re going to have so much fun tonight.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Erica said.
“Don’t be silly.”
Erica gave her a playful pout. “What would I wear?”
“Not to worry. I’ve got plenty of stuff back at my place that will fit you just fine.”
Erica smiled her agreement. It had been an apocalypse since she had a girls’ night out. It would do her some good to cut loose for once.
Brae smiled back. “I have some things I have to do before tonight. Why don’t you take a look around town and then meet me at my place.” Brae gave her the address and walked away.
Erica shouted after her. “Where should I go?”
“Why don’t you pick out a house for you and … Mike.” Brae winked and hurried off.
ELEVEN
Their departure from Durango had been delayed. Sir Dominic and three of the conscripts had gone to gather supplies for the quest and, according to Sir Erik’s screaming, their tardiness had put them behind schedule.
Jerry had envisioned a team of horses waiting for them in Durango, as valiant steeds were the most appropriate mode of transportation for rescuing a princess. He’d pictured the beasts draped in purple and gold, of course, and chomping at the bit to begin the quest.
Oddly enough, this was the safest he’d ever felt on a school bus. When did they get seat belts? Jerry remembered being thrown from his seat every time his school bus went over a set of railroad tracks. In fact, that was the game. This one had comfortable seats, safety restraints and what looked like air-conditioning. In school, his bus had a steel box and vent windows that opened from the top to ensure that there was absolutely no relief from the heat.
Jerry held his hand up against the vent. Warm air flowed around his fingers. The befuddlement must have shown on his face because it drew Shane’s attention.
“Kids these days, right?” Shane said.
Jerry nodded. “They don’t know how easy they’ve got it.”
“Not like when we were kids. We had it hard.” He smiled.
Jerry chuckled and looked out the window. The New Mexico desert just went on and on. The only color besides dehydrated brown was the greenish blue of the Animas River that ran along highway 550 south of Durango. Aside from that, there was nothing at all.
Though it called to millions before the end of the world, Jerry never understood the draw of the desert. Others found it magical and enchanting. Jerry found it hot and thirsty. And the idea of the sand made him itch. It made sense for those with allergies or arthritis, but it had never been for him. Even the river outside the bus wasn’t wet enough to ebb the dryness that arose in his throat just thinking about it.
Rocks and sand rolled by and blurred into a boring tapestry that stretched mile after mile as the highway ran straight forever. Every time it curved he questioned it. Why bother? Maybe even the engineers got bored and cranked the wheel on the steamroller just for kicks.
The rescue party had shrunk. The train had been full of knights. Now it was just the four that had traveled in the car with the conscripts and a fifth to drive the bus. The four were stationed at each corner of the bus. The prince and his Dog sat three rows behind the front guard. The contingent of conscripts sat in the back.
The men quickly grew tired of the scenery and began to chat. The conversation was dominated by talk of Aztecs.
Jerry was content to sit in silence and let the desert views put him to sleep. Considering the breakdown, the fight, his arrest, the train ride, the other train ride and fighting off the raiders, it had been a full day already.
“Have you ever seen an Aztec?” Shane asked to ruin the silence.
Jerry shrugged. “I’ve never heard of one. But I guess that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen one. Every region has its particular names for nightmares.”
“I’ve never seen one either. But I heard one. That was enough for me. It was when we first came out west. We’d come across 40 from Tennessee. We stopped for the night just off the road. It got so damn dark you couldn’t see a thing. Hell, once I went to pee and couldn’t find the car. If it hadn’t have been for Brae flashing the lights, I’d still be out here hoping I didn’t blindly step in my own puddle.
“But we felt safe in the car. We’d spent more than a couple of nights like that. We figured if I couldn’t find the car after a pee, no one was going to be sneaking up on us.
“But that nig
ht there was something out there. It shrieked and wailed like nothing I’d ever heard. And I use to play in a hair metal tribute band.”
This made Jerry smile, but he refused to open his eyes and hoped Shane would notice.
“But this was worse than teen angst and frustrated hormones. It was—it was a human scream mixed with a monster’s. Like the voice was trying to get away from something terrible but that something was itself.” Shane looked out the window. “They came from everywhere. Not all at once. One in front of us. One behind us. Then off in the distance. And then one so close you were afraid to open your eyes in case it was just standing there.
“We didn’t sleep that night. When we got to Five Peaks, they explained what they were—men and women driven mad by something that blew in after the end of the world. No one knows what it was. But the Aztecs can’t think. They can’t function. They can’t open a can of food. So they eat whatever they see.”
“More cannibals? Do all the local monsters eat each other?”
“No, this is worse.”
“There’s a worse way to be eaten by another person?” Jerry asked. “Seems it ends badly no matter what.”
“The men in the mountains … they have enough decency to kill you first. They’ll kill you, cook you … hell, they may even bury what’s left, I don’t know. But you’ll get nothing like that from the Aztecs. They’re less than primitive. The only fire they see is caused by lightning or victims setting themselves on fire to avoid their fate. They’re not going to put you in some giant headhunters pot. They’re just going to dig in whether you’re ready for dinner or not. All they do is wail and eat.”
The brakes squealed like a gremlin in the works as the bus slowed. The driver cranked the wheel and set the bus sideways across the road before engaging the parking brake.
Jerry opened his eyes. “Why are we stopping?”
“This is the edge of the kingdom,” Shane said. “It’s where the reign of the Five Peaks ends and the Desert Kingdom begins.”
“Another kingdom?” Jerry looked out the window. “Why isn’t there a guard?”
Knights of the Apocalypse (A Duck & Cover Adventure Post-Apocalyptic Series Book 2) Page 10