Zenith Rising

by Gavin Zanker

‘Hard to say,’ Aiden said. ‘Your people are taking good care of them though. Better than I could.’

  ‘Old Nan was a nurse a long time ago. She’s helped a lot of us.’

  They walked on through the forest with only the crinkle of leaves underfoot and the hum of insects around them. Aiden’s breath made clouds in the air, and he buttoned his jacket against the chill. As they hopped over a rocky stream, home to a collection of strange, red fungus, Andrew finally came to the point.

  ‘You knew my sister,’ he said, more statement than question.

  ‘I did,’ Aiden said, wary of the young man’s intensity. Did he blame Aiden for Faye’s death? Was he planning something here, away from the eyes of the others in the village?

  ‘I still miss her.’

  Aiden blinked slowly, recalling her death. ‘Me too. Every day.’

  Andrew stopped. His eyes turned to Aiden, almost searching. ‘You can stop worrying. If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it while you slept.’

  Aiden could only nod, surprised at the boy’s emotional awareness.

  ‘I don’t blame you for Faye,’ Andrew continued. ‘The world is a dangerous place, and she often blacked her eye because she was too slow to run from a losing fight. I don’t know if I trust you though.’

  ‘You’d be smart not to. You don’t know me.’

  ‘No, but my sister did and I trusted her.’ Andrew threw a stick for Willow who bounded over a fallen log and away into a thick patch of undergrowth to fetch it. ‘I want to show you something,’ he said, and they set off once more. A few minutes later they emerged from the trees onto a high ledge overlooking a deep ravine. There was the sound of running water nearby. Andrew pulled a pair of binoculars from his jacket and passed them to Aiden. ‘Look there,’ he said, pointing west.

  ‘What am I looking at?’ Aiden asked, peering through the lenses.

  ‘On the other side of the ravine, follow the river until you see the abandoned town.’

  ‘I see it. Now what?’

  ‘Keep watching.’

  Aiden studied the distant town for a while, the image shimmering through heat distortion and reflected light. ‘I don’t see anything. Wait…’ He caught sight of movement in the town, figures on one of the main avenues. As a few minutes passed, more joined them, swelling together until the street filled with a horde of bodies.

  ‘Ravagers,’ Andrew explained as he crouched down and patted his dog. ‘They seem to enjoy the sun like we do.’

  Aiden’s eyes widened as he looked again. It was hard to tell at this distance, but they certainly moved like Ravagers, and their bodies seemed to be covered in markings. The boy was right. ‘But there must be hundreds of them there,’ he said in disbelief.

  ‘Hundred and hundreds. Probably too many to count.’

  Aiden lowered the binoculars. ‘They disappeared years ago, I thought they all retreated back to the Barren Expanse in the east. What are they doing here? And why so many of them gathering…?’ Realisation dawned on him even as he finished the question. ‘The Rim.’

  Andrew nodded. ‘That would be my guess. They aren’t collecting in numbers like that just to attack a village like ours, that’s for sure.’

  ‘Why are you showing me this?’ Aiden asked. ‘I thought you hated the city.’

  Andrew shrugged. ‘I told you: my sister liked you. I don’t think she’d want to see you get mauled by Ravagers. So if I were you, I’d go warn all your friends in the city about what’s coming. It’s about to become a graveyard, the people there just don’t know it yet.’

  CHAPTER 43

  LEIGH SAT IN the Brentford, idly pulling the lever of one of the dead slot machines. She wasn’t used to being so useless, not since the day Aiden had broken down her cell door and saved her from the Red Hill Gang. She stopped playing with the lever as her thoughts turned to him again, wondering what he was facing down south with that thug Dion around.

  Hitch placed his muzzle in her lap and stared up at her. ‘I know,’ she said, scratching behind one of his ears, ‘I shouldn’t worry. But I can’t help it. You two are my only friends.’

  Julian strode past her, giving her a nod. ‘Keeping out of trouble?’ he asked.

  She rolled her eyes. ‘There’s no trouble to get into around here.’

  ‘Glad to hear it.’

  Behind him came Zachary who smiled at her. She ignored him, turning away. Something bothered her about the guy — his expressions seemed fake, as if they were glued onto his face. A few times she had even caught him staring at her when he didn’t think she could see him.

  She wondered where they were going. Not much point asking though, it’s not like they’d let her go with them; everyone treated her like a kid around here. She was no different to little Nathan and Raynor in their eyes.

  Hitch padded away, sniffing around the stage nearby. He caught sight of something and his ears flared up. Leigh watched as he stalked, dropping his belly low to the wooden floor. He prowled towards a chair, carefully, slowly, before jumping forward and barking excitedly. The cat that had been sleeping on the chair leapt several feet into the air before scrabbling away under a nearby curtain, its claws skating over the polished wood. Hitch sat, tongue lolling and tail wagging, looking quite pleased with himself.

  Leigh sat up straight and brushed her hair out of her eye. Maybe she could do something useful after all. She hurried over to Hitch who rolled onto his back at her approach. She rubbed his soft belly. ‘Stay here, okay?’ she said. ‘I’m going to look around for a bit.’ Hitch cocked his head at her. ‘Stay,’ she repeated, more sternly this time.

  She left the casino and headed into the back. No one minded her wandering around these days, she was a fixture that everyone seemed to just accept, like an ugly lampshade, or a bad smell. She came to the door she was looking for and stopped.

  Zachary’s private quarters.

  Leigh knew she shouldn’t go inside, but her instincts kept telling her he couldn’t be trusted. If she could find proof, no one would mind that she went through his things. Besides, she’d gotten away with poking around Grace’s room the other day, hoping to find something suspicious to put Aiden off the touchy-feely reporter. She had felt a little guilty after she’d found nothing but a stockpile of half-chewed pens and a few unfinished articles, but at least no one had found out. If she could pull it off once, she figured she could get away with it a second time.

  She checked the corridor was clear before crouching down and, using a hair clip like Orlen had shown her on the slot machine coin returns the other day, started picking the lock. She wasn’t much good at it yet, but the lock was flimsy enough; it only took a moment to click open. She slipped into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

  Zachary’s quarters were much bigger than her room, and apart from the constant hum of a light bulb overhead, eerily quiet. There was a neatly-made double bed, a wardrobe with a set of drawers, a large metal desk, a stack of papers, a calendar, a chipped enamel mug, and a small rug. She started with the papers on the desk, but they were just sheets of endless numbers and had no meaning to her. She checked the desk drawers, but they held nothing except a few photos of a young boy about her age. He was splashing in a pool of blue water under a strangely bright and yellow sun. She didn’t realise Zachary had any kids; she shuddered to imagine him as a father.

  She tried the wardrobe next, cringing as the heavy wooden doors creaked open. There were plenty of identical, dark suits on hangers, and some gross underwear at the bottom which she stayed well away from. In the lower drawers she found a few scraps of newspaper with handwritten notes scrawled on them, but they were too difficult to read. Amid them she found a piece of rolled-up paper. She unfurled the edges and read a message written in neat capital letters.

  The rebels will be dealt with soon enough, and the Syndicate with them. Carson Waters is to be the real problem. Crippling trade and cementing their dependence by destroying the Hermes will open up an opportunity. Accomplish this a
nd consider your loyalty proven.

  Before she had a chance to decipher the meaning of the message, she heard footsteps coming from the corridor. She desperately searched the room for a place to hide. She dropped to her belly and scrambled beneath the bed just as the door swung open.

  She recognised Zachary’s expensive leather shoes as he strode over to the desk and dropped something on it. He took a step towards the wardrobe before pausing. She cursed inwardly as she noticed she had left the wardrobe door ajar. She held her breath, gripping the slip of paper in her fist, and squeezed her eyes shut, positive he must be able to hear her heartbeat knocking against the floorboards.

  But he didn’t move.

  Why was he just standing there? What was he doing? Leigh waited. The Smith and Wesson holstered under her shirt dug painfully into her hip, but she was too afraid to move, let alone draw it. The moment dragged on for an eternity, but still he didn’t move. She considered bolting for the door, but her limbs were numb with fear and wouldn’t respond.

  Then, just like that, he turned on his heel and left the room. The door clicked shut behind him and she was alone once more.

  Leigh gasped for air, her entire body trembling. She lay there for a moment, waiting until she was sure he had gone, then she scurried out from beneath the bed, almost tripping as she lurched back out into the corridor. She closed the door behind her and started walking away, but as the thought of almost being caught caused adrenaline to surge through her, she couldn’t stop her pace quickening and her boots were soon thudding over the carpeted hallway as she flew towards the safety of her room.

  CHAPTER 44

  ON RETURNING TO Havenstead, Aiden asked Andrew if it was possible to speak with Rowan and the village leaders. A few hours later, Aiden received a summons to the community hall. He was surprised to see Albert Morning among the three sat behind a long table.

  ‘You’re the village leaders?’ Aiden asked, stepping up to the table.

  ‘We speak for the village on most matters,’ Albert said. ‘I believe you’ve already met Rowan,’ he gestured towards the imposing hunter. ‘And this is Claire. She has been here longer than just about any of us.’

  ‘My name is Aiden Fielding, and—’

  ‘We know who you are, stranger,’ the woman snapped. Her face came to a sharp point at the end of her nose, reminding Aiden of a quartered lemon. ‘What is it you want?’

  Aiden paused. He hadn’t expected such hostility. ‘Albert,’ he continued, ‘your son showed me something this morning. Surely you’re aware of the Ravagers gathering near here?’

  Albert nodded. ‘We are. It causes many of us great anxiety to have those beasts so close to the village.’

  ‘Then you must have surmised that their intention is to attack the Rim.’

  ‘We expect so,’ Claire said with a shrug. ‘What’s your point, stranger?’

  ‘That doesn’t bother you?’ Aiden asked.

  ‘Why would it? The northerners have never cared about our survival; they banished most of us from the city on false accusations and declared us Outlanders — dehumanised us for their own gain. Why should we shed a tear for any of them?’

  ‘The city isn’t a single organism,’ Aiden pointed out. ‘There are innocents there, people like you that are just trying to make it through each day as best they can. I have no love of the place myself, but I would not be able to sleep knowing I left them all to die.’ He surprised himself with the argument, knowing that just a few years ago he would have left them without a second thought.

  ‘There are also many terrible influences in the city,’ Albert said. ‘Are they also worth the risk?’

  ‘Weren’t you a Dawnist when you lived there?’ Aiden countered.

  Albert flinched at the question. ‘It’s true. Once I was manipulated by those in that… soulless organisation. That was a long time ago though.’

  ‘What is it you want, Aiden?’ Rowan asked, his deep voice filling the hall. ‘You expect us to leave our home and fight these Ravagers? We couldn’t hope to stand against them. And if we travelled north to offer help? The city folk would never let Outlanders past the gates; we would be shut out. I have no wish to see more slaughter.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Claire said, ‘we would rather take our chances out here than throw in our lot with people like you who turned your backs on us.’

  ‘I don’t come from the city,’ Aiden said, causing her to snort in contempt, ‘and I only turn my back on those that deserve it. That’s why I stand here now, asking for your help.’

  ‘I understand your point, Aiden, but she’s right,’ Albert said softly. ‘This isn’t our fight.’

  ‘But it will be, can’t you see? Once the Ravagers are done with the Rim, they’ll spread again. They’ll find your village. It might take a week, a month, a year. But they will find this place. What will you do then? If they aren’t stopped, they’ll destroy everything.’

  ‘Our village is well hidden,’ Claire said. ‘We have cellars to barricade ourselves underground if it should come to that.’

  Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew too well how her smug expression would turn to terror if the Ravagers did run through this community, carving a path of death. No cellar would protect her from the horror then. ‘So you refuse to help?’ he asked.

  ‘As much as hiding from those beasts shames me,’ Rowan said, ‘we cannot hope to fight an army.’

  ‘You and your friends can stay here,’ Albert said. ‘We welcome anyone who doesn’t cause trouble. Of course, if you wish to leave, we understand.’

  ‘You’re not saying he can just walk out of here?’ Claire said. ‘He’ll sell us out in a heartbeat; there’ll be mercenaries burning down our homes within the week!’

  ‘No. I believe Aiden can be trusted,’ Albert said. ‘He’s proven himself in the past.’ Claire tried to protest, but Albert carried on, speaking over her. ‘You’ve experienced our way, Aiden, and I can see it appeals to you. You could make a life for yourself here if you chose.’

  ‘While that’s true, I have a stake in this fight — friends in the city who I can’t leave behind. Maybe one day when—’

  Woody burst into the hall, limping forward with a grim expression. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ he said before taking Aiden aside. ‘Patrick didn’t make it. Old Nan couldn’t save him.’

  Aiden rubbed his gritty eyes, remembering first seeing the young man at Orlen’s, tied up and terrified; their escape from the Hermes together; the stories he told of his family. Aiden’s shoulders slumped. ‘He deserved better.’

  ‘There was nothing else we could’ve done for him.’

  ‘I’m sorry about your friend,’ Albert said, overhearing. ‘We can give him a proper burial. Our cemetery is on a slope above the village, a peaceful place, blue with wildflowers.’

  Aiden looked to Woody who nodded. ‘That sounds fine.’

  ‘We would appreciate that,’ Aiden said. ‘Thank you,’ he added.

  Albert clasped his hands together as if in prayer. ‘We take care of people here, even after they pass on. If you still wish to journey north, we can spare a horse to help you on your way.’

  ‘What?’ Claire said, her voice shrill. ‘We can’t just give these—’

  ‘The man gets a horse,’ Rowan said, cutting through her whining. ‘If need be, he can take one of my own. This may not be our fight but it is still the right one.’ He nodded at Aiden. ‘I will help you in what little way I can by leading you north. There is a well hidden passage that leads back over the Falls.’

  Aiden bowed his head in respect. ‘Thank you. If Woody is capable of making the journey, I intend to leave as soon as we have buried our friend.’

  ‘I can make it,’ Woody said firmly. ‘We’re not waiting around here on my part.’

  ‘I’ll be sorry to see you go,’ Albert said, ‘but sometimes the world calls to us and we have no choice but to answer. I hope we meet again one day when all of this business is finished.’

  CHAPT
ER 45

  LEIGH SQUEEZED BETWEEN the mass of bodies, fighting to get through the crowd in Oldtown. As she emerged at the front with Hitch at her heels, she saw the stage that had been constructed in front of the town hall. Samuel stood up there on a pulpit, flanked by his two gigantic bodyguards. A woman Leigh had never seen before stood off to the side; her was hair cropped to a shadow on her skull and with her sunken, hollow features, she looked more like a skeleton than a person. Her eyes carried a faraway look as she gazed up at the sepia-tinted sky with a hint of a smile. Holding her hand was Travis, his other arm in a sling. Hadn’t he gone south on the expedition? Leigh suddenly felt panicky about what might have happened to Aiden.

  Grace finally caught up with Leigh, red-faced and irritated. Before she could complain about Leigh ducking out of the Brentford, there was a commotion; someone broke away from the crowd, running at the stage and screaming something incomprehensible as he waved a heavy revolver over his head. The Faithful positioned between the crowd and the stage moved to intercept him, but not before he managed to fire a shot. The bullet hit the podium with a snap, burying itself in the cheap wood. Then the Faithful were piling on to the shooter and beating him until he lay unmoving. The rusty gun was kicked away in the scuffle. Leigh eyed the weapon as it skittered towards her. No one moved to pick it up as the man was hauled away unconscious.

  The speakers set up around the market whined and crackled as Samuel stepped up to the microphone. Leigh thought she saw his eye twitch slightly as he adjusted his glasses and raised his hands. ‘Residents of Lightgate,’ he said into the microphone as Oldtown fell quiet, ‘it seems some of you are not happy. I have heard your complaints. Everything in my power is being done to help you. But now you will hear this from me.’ He paused briefly as he looked over the people. ‘Violence will not be tolerated. Breaking any of the new laws will result in your immediate expulsion from the city, as this would-be assassin is about to find out. Now let that be the end of it, for your sake as much as mine.’