Read Online Children of Ash: A Meridian Six Novella by Jaye Wells - Free Book Online Page B

point, I still had faith in him, and my goal was just to keep as many of us alive as possible until he came back. But the longer it took, the more my goal became to just stay alive, period. I knew eventually something would happen that would give us new hope. That’s why I finagled my way into being in charge of the children. I figured if I could train them to be survivors then at least a few of us might be alive once hope arrived.” She looked up and squeezed my hand. “And now it has.”
    I blew out a long, slow breath. “Look, I want nothing more than to have Zed bust down those gates and free all of us. But I have no idea how long it will take him to rally the help he’ll need.”
    She frowned. “You mean this Zed doesn’t have his own army?”
    I froze. “Of course not. It was just him and me and the children.”
    Matri withdrew her hand and made a disgusted sound. “You’re putting all your faith in your boyfriend ?” She spat the words out like venom.
    “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my friend. And yes, I have every faith he will come rescue us.”
    She crossed her arms over her flat chest. “How can you be so sure he’ll come?”
    “Because we’re his family,” I said simply. “Besides, Zed is the most pig-headed person in history. If he decides he’s going to save us, he will fight until his dying breath to make it happen.”
    The anger in her eyes dissipated and was replaced by a small spark. “Oh, to be young and dumb again.”
    “Hey!”
    She patted my hand. “Sorry, dear, but it’s true. It’s nice you have so much faith in your friend, but it’s going to take a lot more than wishes to free you from this hell.”
    I rose and paced away from the cot. Her words had sparked a black flame of doubt in my belly. It burned away some of the hope I’d been nurturing and left me unsure. If I didn’t move, I’d cry, and I refused to give in that easily. “He’ll come, and when he does, the Troika won’t know what hit them.”
    “You said he doesn’t have an army,” she pointed out, her voice not as unkind as it was before.
    “If I know Zed, he’ll go to the Scribe.”
    Her brows rose. “You know Saga?”
    I shook my head. “Never met him, but Zed told me lots of stories about the man in Book Mountain. If I had money, I’d bet it all on that being his first move.”
    Matri laughed. “And he’ll find nothing. The Scribe is a myth created by the rebels. Just like that Meridian Six bitch.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t know who that is, but I know Zed. He’s coming.”
    She rose and sucked at the few teeth remaining in her mouth. Finally, she pursed her lips and tilted her head at me. “Then it will be up to you and me to make sure that when they arrive, the people are ready.”
    She came forward, spat in her palm, and held it out to me. I stared at the leathery skin for a moment, but then something happened. That black flame of doubt snuffed out and the bright light of hope exploded in my gut. I had no idea how or when Zed would arrive, but I knew that the woman standing in front of me was the right person to help me prepare for him. I spat in my palm and slapped it into hers. “Deal.”
    Then we sat down and began mapping out our plans.

Fourteen
    M eridian Six

    V ery little light penetrated the tiny cracks in the railcar’s walls. The rhythmic sound of the train’s wheels bouncing over the tracks would have been soothing had those wheels not been taking us closer to the vampire work camp with each passing second. Zed’s rapid breathing and the echo of my heartbeat pounding in my own ears were the only other sounds.
    The car we’d ended up inside held several crates of supplies. As promised, one of them turned up two of the blue uniforms required for all prisoners of the Krovgorod camp. On the right breast of each was embroidered the downward-pointing arrow that the Troika used to identify humans of less desirable blood types.
    “How did Saga manage this?” Zed