Rose’s Thorns (The Ruins Of Men #3)

Prologue

Sylis

We weren't Righteous.

That was the thought spiraling through my mind. I'd always known something felt wrong, but I'd assumed it was me - right up until the Phoenix had attacked me without hesitation. Not that I blamed her, but that one act?

It proved all of this was a lie.

We weren't righteous. Women weren't weak.

The world wasn't burning. Meat was people.

Maybe not our sort of people, but I'd heard the Wyvern speak - in two languages!

Granted, I could only assume the other words he'd used were some sort of language.

Ayla had understood him, so it had to be. And now, my thoughts refused to settle.

After my arm had been sewn up last night, I'd finally retreated to my own room.

There, the silence and solitude had felt like a floodgate opening, and now I couldn't make it stop.

All the little things I'd noticed in my life had finally piled up enough that I could no longer ignore them - and it all came down to the same thing.

I was not one of the heroes.

We were raised to believe we'd save humanity from the Devil's clutches.

Only our actions could put people back on the surface of Earth.

Only our faith could repel the evil which had taken over.

Those were the lines they used to control us, but the reality?

All this time, I'd been one of the evil ones.

I'd helped make this Hell possible. I was miserable because every single thing I knew was designed to keep the elders in control.

That meant the rest of us had to suffer so they could thrive.

Heading through the long and winding halls of the compound, my mind kept going back to the conversations I'd had with Tobias Warren. Everyone said he was a lummox, but he wasn't. That man was smart and kind. He smiled so easily. He'd also saved me.

First by throwing himself over me to shield me from the grenade.

After that, he'd made it clear I had to prove myself to Ayla, but now?

I was pretty sure I had. I had the feeling I'd passed some kind of test. The man had even asked me to pick flowers with him.

Yes, they were for his intended, but we'd scoured the grasses together, making sure we had enough.

It was one of those memories I would hang on to.

The sort that kept me from wanting to end it all.

Now, all I had to do was get the code for the door.

That should be enough to prove I deserved his friendship, because once we had it, he could pass it to Ayla.

I wouldn't get it today, of course, since it wouldn't be an easy thing to get.

It seemed the leadership guarded that knowledge carefully.

Still, I should be getting a promotion, since men with more rank than me had died, and that?

It should get us access for the door. The challenge would be playing my part well enough to convince the leader of the hunters I deserved this.

All too soon, I reached the door to the hunter's lounge. Stepping in, I braced for the inspection by the other men. Sure enough, at least five looked over, judging me before turning back to the maps and books laid out before them.

"Is Mr. Peterson in?" I asked.

"Ah, Mr. Underhill," the man said, stepping forward. "How can I help you?"

I had to push my shoulders back. It would make me appear more confident. "Sir, many of us were decimated. Of my team, only three of us made it back."

"Out of six?" Mr. Peterson lifted a brow. "That's better than most."

I nodded, accepting that for the praise it was.

"Much of it was luck, I'm sad to say. Tobias kept me from being destroyed by a grenade.

" And I lifted my bandaged arm. "I repaid him by fighting back the Phoenix when the possessed fiend tried to stab him in the back.

We were able to recover some meat, though. "

"Yes," Mr. Peterson agreed. "And Harald has already talked to me about the battle."

My chest clenched. Harald was the other man on my team who'd survived. He'd seen me chase Tobias into the forest. He must've, because we'd been right beside him when we'd taken off. So what had he told Mr. Peterson?

"It was chaos," I mumbled.

"Sounds like it was," Mr. Peterson said. "But I'll be moving Harald to another team. His experience will allow him to lead the new boys who'll be joining us soon enough."

"Oh." Okay, that didn't make sense. "Mr. Peterson, I thought he'd be taking the leadership of my team."

"Why's that?"

My heart was now racing. My skin had turned clammy. The way this man was looking at me made it clear he had to know something. Something that could be very bad for me, but if I didn't know it, I couldn't make an excuse for it. The best I could do was be honest.

"I know much of the leadership was lost," I admitted after a pause that was a little too long. "Sir, I should be veteran enough to be moved up to a squad leader now."

"You want to lead a squad?" Mr. Peterson huffed, sounding like he was fighting the urge to laugh.

"Yes, sir," I assured him. "As a squad leader, my prospects among the women go up greatly."

Because it always came back to securing an attractive wife. I knew that. It was all the hunters talked about. Having an appealing woman would make living with her easier to tolerate. It would make breeding with her enjoyable - or so they claimed.

Mr. Peterson simply chuckled at my answer. "Sylis, becoming a squad leader isn't about attracting a wife. We need our most tactical and devoted men in those positions. I choose based on results, not the amount of times you've gone above ground."

No, no, no. He couldn't be saying this! "So I'm not being promoted?"

"No. I'm sorry." Mr. Peterson clasped my shoulder.

"Mr. Underhill, if you want a promotion, you need to study more.

You need to bring back the largest selection of meat.

We need you to prove that giving you the privileges which come with the position will be repaid by your squad's effectiveness, and at this time, I'm not sure you're the best choice.

Felix Holmes has only one less hunt than you, but he killed three beasts himself.

" He paused. "I'm sorry, Sylis, but he'll be the next squad leader. "

"Oh."

Mr. Peterson nodded almost like he was trying to reassure me. "Gideon Kobrick chose him, and as the operations leader, it's important to have hunters he feels confident working with."

"That makes sense," I agreed reluctantly.

"But!" Mr. Peterson went on. "You'll have time before the next hunt to brush up on tactics and strategy like these men.

" He gestured to the ones now behind me.

"I'll be assigning new teams this week, so you'll know your men.

Also, with the reprieve, you'll have the chance to train them the way you'd like so you can prove you deserve that promotion. "

"What reprieve?" I asked.

One of the men by the map chuckled. "He was in the infirmary last night, Mr. Peterson. Sounds like he hasn't heard the news."

"What news?" Because what news could there be?

"We have enough meat now to cancel the next hunt.

You men will have extra free time to walk with the girls you might be interested in, and hopefully propose.

" Mr. Peterson smiled knowingly at me. "I will also say that marriage will help convince us you're mature enough for a leadership role, Mr. Underhill. "

"I see." Because what else could I say to that?

They were really pushing the need for marriage. Never mind that skipping the next hunt would give us nearly five weeks locked down here! Five weeks before we could speak to Ayla again. Five long weeks, filled with multiple weddings and mounting pressures.

And Tobias would be wed on the Day of Seven Trumpets.

That was one week away. Not enough time for us to stop this!

He'd made it clear he didn't really want to get married, but he had no other choice.

Callah was his friend, he'd told me, but women would expect a child.

It was their reward for the labor they provided us, and I didn't think Tobias had any interest in that.

I left the hunter's lounge with my mind spinning all over again. Tobias couldn't get married. He just couldn't! I knew we'd all have to, but I'd hoped that maybe we'd find a way around it. Once we had the code, Ayla would let us stay above ground. She'd save us!

Now that wasn't going to happen. I'd failed.

I hadn't even realized there was a competition for promotions.

Lately, too few men had made it back, so anyone alive would get moved up.

But last time, plenty of us had survived.

The grenades had worked. They'd beaten back the dragons and wild men. They'd turned the tide.

And now I was stuck.

I didn't want to get married! I had no interest in holding a woman down to put a child inside her. I didn't want to have her in my space, moving my things, and sprawling on the bed beside me. I wanted to spend that time with my friends. No, with Tobias.

He was large, strong, and so very kind. He was calm and patient. His strange hazel eyes always felt so knowing when they landed on me, as if he could see each and every sin I carried. Almost like he had to know the secret I was hiding, but I couldn't tell him. I didn't dare.

He'd only told me the smallest fraction of his.

He'd hinted, sure. So had I. The problem was that neither of us could just talk about it.

We couldn't say what we really meant! The risk was too great.

Someone could overhear. In truth, while I hated to even consider it, he could be trying to lure me into admitting it so he could turn me in - and I was sure he worried about the same with me.

But this? This was not good news. Five weeks without a trip to the surface? Five weeks filled with weddings and celebrations? Five whole weeks of prayer, public attendance, and countless other ways I could mess up and get demoted to the fungus farms!

That was if I even survived the punishment the elders would heap upon me.

No, I'd been counting on the Phoenix saving us. She might be a mere woman, but the Dragons listened to her. She had a beast at her side nearly the size of a man. She'd moved fast enough I'd barely gotten my arms up before her weapon had sliced me open.

That woman was a fighter. She was so much more than just a hunter.

She had made herself into a warrior in only a matter of months, and because of her, the Righteous were losing.

Without that code, there was no way for Tobias, his intended, and me to get out, which meant we'd likely be destroyed along with the rest of the people in this cursed hole we were locked inside.

Even worse, I was going to have to break the bad news to him.

We were stuck in here, I hadn't gotten the code, and he was going to be married.

The plans we'd talked about? All those beautiful things we'd said out there under the stars?

They wouldn't happen now, and I didn't know what we were supposed to do.

Maybe Callah would? Tobias always said she was as smart as the Phoenix. He said she would know the answers, and this time I didn't. All I knew was being locked down here for five weeks was too much time, and the elders were already altering the rules.

Something was going to change. My fear was it wouldn't be for the better.