Phoenix’s Fire (The Ruins Of Men #2)

Chapter 36

Thirty-Six

Tobias

W e gathered up in the compound in the morning. Gear was assigned. Duties were dictated. Weapons were handed out, along with the extra magazines of bullets. This wasn't much different than what I'd done as a gatherer, but anxiety was already creeping in.

The entire team of hunters was given a hand-held meal, then sent out just before most of the Righteous would be making their way to the dining hall for their breakfast. And yet, when I stepped through the heavy metal door that secured the compound entrance, the sky was already turning dark.

Streaks of blue and purple still tinted it, and the clouds were clinging to the last rays of pink. Around me, a few of the first-timers murmured in surprise at the brightness. Others were looking around as if trying to take it all in.

"Don't worry," one of the team leaders called out. "The fires of Hell are fading. We'll stay under the trees as we travel, which will block much of the heat and brightness, and when we stop, you'll need to secure your shelter to block it out or your skin will be cooked by it while you sleep."

That caused a murmur of concern, yet the group was already on the move. By the time the sky had turned black, the compound was far behind us, even though we were moving slowly. Our pace was set by the six men hauling the three carts we used for both our supplies and to carry back the harvest.

We didn't want to leave them behind, because there were too many dangers on the surface. Animals, wild men, and definitely Dragons. It was hard work to pull those massive carts, and yet those men were the lucky ones. They wouldn't be attacking the Dragons - which meant they would definitely make it back alive. The payment for that was the blisters they'd get on their hands and the aches in their shoulders from moving the weight.

We'd all been told what to expect, and yet from the sounds of it, half the men around me were doing this for the first time. Every new hunter had been paired with a veteran, and Malcus was my partner. He'd done this a few times. Still, I'd upset him when I'd stood up for Callah, and he'd barely said more than two words to me since.

Today, I had to see if I could fix that. I had a feeling that out here in the wilds of the surface, losing a "problem" could be a little too easy. So when I spotted the guy trudging alone, I moved to catch up with him.

"Isn't this nighttime?" I asked, gesturing to the sky as a way to start a conversation.

He glanced at me and pushed out something between a grumble and a sigh. "Technically, yes, but it's too bright to see during the day. Besides, this is when the lights are on in the compound, so it's our normal hours. Most of us just treat it like daytime and Hell-time."

"I don't like Hell-time," I mumbled.

Which made him laugh. "No, and you don't like your friends trying to talk to your girl either."

Yeah, that was exactly the opening I needed. So, trying to put on my best "idiot" impression, I ducked my head and kicked at some leaves as I passed. Malcus saw and lifted a brow, clearly wondering what my problem was.

"Callah's pretty," I said after a very long pause. "And she's nice."

"And the girls she grew up with both got banished," he pointed out.

I nodded. "But Callah isn't like that. She said Ayla was headstrong and opinionated. Meri was foolish." I laughed once, having to force it out. "She also thinks they ruined her life."

"And that's the only reason they let you court her," Malcus told me. "No one wants to take a chance on her, Toby. The pretty one stabbed Mr. Saunders! The other one?" He made a gagging noise. "Her own brother!"

"Callah doesn't have a brother," I told him, ignoring how he'd changed my name again. "I looked."

Which made Malcus laugh loudly. A few guys glanced over, but he waved them off even as he hummed a few times in amusement.

"Okay, maybe you're not as dumb as I thought," he finally said.

"Well, she also heals us," I pointed out. "Once, she sewed up my hand, but I don't think she remembers."

She had, too. That had been the first time I noticed her. Granted, I'd cut myself on a tree limb, so it hadn't been too bad, but she'd been kind to me as she took care of it. Back then, I hadn't known she and Ayla even knew each other. Girls hadn't mattered to me as anything more than a way to get healed if I got hurt, but I still remembered it.

"I just don't want her to refuse me," I mumbled. "Most girls laugh at me, and I figured you'd get it."

Malcus grunted at that. "Yeah, I guess I can see your point. Standing up for her will make her think you're a good prospect. "

"Yeah," I said. "And you know I don't mean it. Just flattering her and all that. It's what the guys say works."

"Good to know," he said, reaching over to pat my back. "Very good to know. So you going to propose to her?"

I murmured. "Maybe. Figure I should have some sons by now. Won't mind having someone do my laundry either."

"Yeah, well, just know they start whining pretty quick. Women?" He shook his head. "They act like their lives are so hard - as if washing is anything like hunting!"

That was enough to make another man angle toward us. "Are you married, Malcus?" he asked.

I glanced over to see one of the boys who looked to be recently out of sermon. His hair was so blonde, it was almost white, and while the kid had broad shoulders, there wasn't much muscle on them yet. I figured he couldn't be more than twenty-two, and he'd probably been picked for hunting within a year or two of becoming a man.

"I am, Sylis," Malcus said, inadvertently giving me the kid's name, "but my wife keeps giving me daughters. Oh, and you boys just wait until you send the kids to sermon. Your wives will wail and cry about it, as if we all didn't do the same at that age."

I shrugged. "Women are soft and gentle. It's kinda cute."

"Cute," Malcus grumbled. "Keep thinking that, Toby. Once you're married, you'll see it's not that cute." Then he looked over and jerked his chin towards someone else, clearly seeking an escape from this conversation.

But as Malcus drifted away, Sylis moved a little closer. "This your first hunt?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I was gathering before that."

He nodded. "My third. Well, the first time I got to pull a cart, so I'm not sure if that really counts."

"Half-way counts?" I offered. "Means you got to see the surface at least."

"There's that," he agreed, and for a bit, we trudged on in easy silence.

The sound of so many feet shuffling through the leaves and sticks was louder than I remembered. Then again, there were a lot more hunters than gatherers, so that probably made a difference. It had to be why all the animals were gone too. I took the chance to glance around, aware there weren't even birds in the trees or bats skimming through the sky.

"So..." Sylis said, finally breaking the silence. "Callah, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Kinda hoping I get to see her again."

The young man pushed out a heavy breath and nodded. "No kidding. You heard what happened last time, right?"

"The things I heard don't make sense." I glanced over. "You were there?"

He nodded. "I was in the first wave. We got one and hauled it back just as everything went crazy."

I lowered my voice a little more. "They said it was the Phoenix. "

He nodded. "Remember that girl who got thrown out? The first one?" He looked over and his eyes were a little too big. The kid was scared. "She had a gun ."

"How?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I saw it. She was with a brown one - and shooting at us."

"I thought they just had bows."

"So did I," he agreed. "Most of us died last time, and the reserves are almost gone. If we don't get some meat this time..."

"Yeah, I was told. What about the Wyvern?"

"You'll never see him," Sylis said around a wry chuckle. "The veteran hunters say that if you see blue, you've already been hit. You simply hope someone drags you back."

"I'll drag you back," I told him.

He made a point of looking me over. "Yeah, I have bad news, Tobias. I might not be able to return the favor."

"I'll be fine," I promised.

"That's what my last partner said. He's dead."

I gripped my gun a little tighter to keep my hands steady. I wasn't sure I'd be fine. In truth, I was terrified I wouldn't make it back, but I couldn't admit that. Men didn't show fear. We pushed through it. If we couldn't, we weren't meant to be hunters, and I needed to be out here.

"Malcus says he's good at taking them down," I tried next.

Sylis rocked his head from side to side. "He's usually at the edge of things. Not sure if that counts as good, though. But if you don't make it back, is there anything you want me to tell your girl?"

"You'd do that for me?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I don't have a girl, but if I did, I'd want someone to let her know."

"Just tell her the Phoenix didn't get me," I decided. "I don't care if that's true, but tell her? She was scared about it."

"She knows about the Phoenix?"

I nodded. "She saved Jamison. He was screaming about it."

"Ah." He nodded. "Does she know who that is?"

"No," I lied.

"Do you know who that is?" he tried next. "Callah used to share a room with her, Tobias! The other woman who was banished? She did too, and you're courting the last one?"

"Callah's pretty," I said, because that had worked for me this far.

But Sylis narrowed his eyes and looked me over again. "They say she stabbed her husband rather than marry him." Then he made a little noise. "What was her name?"

"Ayla," I said. "She was a healer and used to make me hold for her."

"Ayla," the guy repeated to himself. "Do you think she remembers God's language? "

"I wonder if it's why we failed last time," I admitted. "Do you think she can speak to the Dragons?"

"I do," he said. "Well, I mean, they say Dragons are beasts, but I think she communicates with them somehow." He pressed his lips together hard, and turned his eyes to the ground. "I just wonder if maybe she could be reasoned with."

"Probably not. We threw her out and chained her for the beasts."

"And they took her in," he hissed. "But maybe she'd..." He didn't finish the thought.

"We're not supposed to forgive the enemy," I reminded him.

"I'm not worried about forgiving," he snapped, struggling to keep his voice down so the men around us couldn't hear. "Don't you get it? I'm worried about her killing me. Or the Wyvern, but at least with her, I could beg to be let go."

"Do not ever say that again," I warned.

"But we have to do something," he insisted.

I reached over and grabbed his arm, giving the young man a little shake. "Listen to me, boy. We are the Righteous. She is the enemy now. We are fighting for God, and she is a minion of the Devil. If your partner hears you say such things, it won't be an arrow that will kill you."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking out loud," he assured me.

I nodded once, making it clear I'd heard him. "So you keep those thoughts to yourself, okay?"

"Yes, sir," he hurried to say.

"But if you happen to blurt something out in the frenzy of the moment, you were just scared. You were hoping God would hear you. Never know, He might still have a little hold on her and offer a miracle, right?"

Against my hand, Sylis's body relaxed and the fear began to ease on his face. "Right. And if you do the same, well, a good man prays in the face of death, right?"

"Exactly," I said. "This is God testing us, so a good man will turn to Him. That's all. If a woman hears, that's not something we should worry about."

He nodded, so I let him go. Sylis reached up to rub at his arm, proving I'd grabbed him a little harder than I'd meant to, but he didn't move away. He also didn't speak for a little too long. I figured I'd scared him enough to keep him from making another mistake.

But after much too long, he leaned towards me and whispered, "They say you're dumb, you know."

"I'm not that smart," I agreed.

"Yeah..." He laughed once. "A smart man would've reported me. Sorry. I'm just scared. It was stupid."

"It was."

But he flashed a little smirk at me. "Stupid like you?"

"Yep."

He nodded and kept walking, but for the rest of the night, Sylis didn't leave my side. I'd probably said too much, but I was pretty sure none of it could be used against me. Hopefully, some of it might help this boy, because otherwise, he wouldn't live long enough to cause problems.