Read Online New World Ashes by Jennifer Wilson - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Wilson
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Hatred welled within the pit of my stomach.
Pushing the nausea aside, I focused on that hate and pushed myself unsteadily to my feet. My temple pulsed where the blood continued to ooze, but I stood my ground. There was a bigger crowd than usual. There were many older soldiers now mixed with the young ones. This was not merely a sparring class. It seemed my punishment was to be a spectacle for the entire academy. Well, if they wanted a show, then I would give them a show.
Assuming my fighting stance I grinned at Gage, letting the blood trickling from my temple run over my lips and into my bared teeth. Surely I looked crazed. I stretched out my hand beckoning him to come fight me. The result was exactly what I had wanted. Several cadets took tentative steps back while Gage lunged hungrily forward, eager to contest me. All I needed was fifteen seconds in the ring with that psychopath. Fifteen seconds and I could snap the neck of the Minister’s prize pet. An all-consuming rage surged within me, a fiery desire to put that rabid dog down.
To my utter disappointment, The Minister’s hand clasped tighter, holding Gage back. Fandrin’s white head tilted as he whispered something in his left ear. A glint sparked in Gage’s eyes that made my scalp prickle.
“Private Riggs front and center.” Gage bellowed, grinning at me.
My heart stopped.
Struggling to keep my stance firm, I felt the entirety of my body run hollow. A tiny child had stepped into the ring, her brown hair pulled into a low ponytail, her large brown eyes wide with fear. Her tiny frame shook slightly, but her mouth was set in a thin line of determination. She was so small, the youngest child yet, maybe seven at the most. I choked back the tears threatening their way to the surface… it was Mouse. My nightmares were becoming reality. They had captured her!
No… no that couldn’t be right.
I stared harder at the little girl. Her eyes were too light, her mouth was too small. I knew all of this, but still, all my exhausted mind saw was Mouse. The girl’s mismatched features blurred from existence and standing before me I saw only my friend.
A door banged open at the far end of the room and while every head turned toward the sound, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the child standing before me. I could hear the crowd parting, the steady march of heavy boots. It wasn’t until I heard ragged breathing through his broken nose that I realized Major Ryker James had finally made it to the party. He stopped close, his body’s heat radiating against my back. Ryker’s labored breathing was the only sound in the room for a few seconds. Then there was a hiss of fabric and whoosh of moving air. I recognized the sounds of an arm raising to strike.
Please… yes, let him end this. I couldn’t help the thought as I stared at the child in front of me. Not her…
“NO!” The Minister’s voice rang out. My hair moved with the force of Ryker’s swing as his fist came to an abrupt halt.
“ Please sir,” Ryker’s voice was distorted by his broken nose.
“Your carelessness, Major, is what started this little fiasco in the first place. Now stand down and let a true leader show you how to handle a hostile criminal.” The Minister’s words were simple, but I knew their true meaning. He was tired of playing with me, tired of being patient. He meant to break me, tonight. “Cadets pay close attention! This fight will show where true loyalties lies, that desire for self-preservation will always wither under The Sanctuary’s power. We fight for the many , not the few .”
Liar , I thought.
Ryker hesitated a moment longer before stepping away. While I could no longer feel his presence against my back, I knew he had not removed himself very far. The tension and anger emanating from his body was still hot against my skin.
I only vaguely heard Gage call out to the cadets around me. “Who do you fight for?”
“The Minister!” The resounding cry echoed off the
Pushing the nausea aside, I focused on that hate and pushed myself unsteadily to my feet. My temple pulsed where the blood continued to ooze, but I stood my ground. There was a bigger crowd than usual. There were many older soldiers now mixed with the young ones. This was not merely a sparring class. It seemed my punishment was to be a spectacle for the entire academy. Well, if they wanted a show, then I would give them a show.
Assuming my fighting stance I grinned at Gage, letting the blood trickling from my temple run over my lips and into my bared teeth. Surely I looked crazed. I stretched out my hand beckoning him to come fight me. The result was exactly what I had wanted. Several cadets took tentative steps back while Gage lunged hungrily forward, eager to contest me. All I needed was fifteen seconds in the ring with that psychopath. Fifteen seconds and I could snap the neck of the Minister’s prize pet. An all-consuming rage surged within me, a fiery desire to put that rabid dog down.
To my utter disappointment, The Minister’s hand clasped tighter, holding Gage back. Fandrin’s white head tilted as he whispered something in his left ear. A glint sparked in Gage’s eyes that made my scalp prickle.
“Private Riggs front and center.” Gage bellowed, grinning at me.
My heart stopped.
Struggling to keep my stance firm, I felt the entirety of my body run hollow. A tiny child had stepped into the ring, her brown hair pulled into a low ponytail, her large brown eyes wide with fear. Her tiny frame shook slightly, but her mouth was set in a thin line of determination. She was so small, the youngest child yet, maybe seven at the most. I choked back the tears threatening their way to the surface… it was Mouse. My nightmares were becoming reality. They had captured her!
No… no that couldn’t be right.
I stared harder at the little girl. Her eyes were too light, her mouth was too small. I knew all of this, but still, all my exhausted mind saw was Mouse. The girl’s mismatched features blurred from existence and standing before me I saw only my friend.
A door banged open at the far end of the room and while every head turned toward the sound, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the child standing before me. I could hear the crowd parting, the steady march of heavy boots. It wasn’t until I heard ragged breathing through his broken nose that I realized Major Ryker James had finally made it to the party. He stopped close, his body’s heat radiating against my back. Ryker’s labored breathing was the only sound in the room for a few seconds. Then there was a hiss of fabric and whoosh of moving air. I recognized the sounds of an arm raising to strike.
Please… yes, let him end this. I couldn’t help the thought as I stared at the child in front of me. Not her…
“NO!” The Minister’s voice rang out. My hair moved with the force of Ryker’s swing as his fist came to an abrupt halt.
“ Please sir,” Ryker’s voice was distorted by his broken nose.
“Your carelessness, Major, is what started this little fiasco in the first place. Now stand down and let a true leader show you how to handle a hostile criminal.” The Minister’s words were simple, but I knew their true meaning. He was tired of playing with me, tired of being patient. He meant to break me, tonight. “Cadets pay close attention! This fight will show where true loyalties lies, that desire for self-preservation will always wither under The Sanctuary’s power. We fight for the many , not the few .”
Liar , I thought.
Ryker hesitated a moment longer before stepping away. While I could no longer feel his presence against my back, I knew he had not removed himself very far. The tension and anger emanating from his body was still hot against my skin.
I only vaguely heard Gage call out to the cadets around me. “Who do you fight for?”
“The Minister!” The resounding cry echoed off the
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