Chapter 157: Ember Hold

Chapter 157 — Ember Hold

The sun came up over the fortress, and Ember Hold was still locked down beneath Kharvek’s banner of black hands. Every few seconds, the glow of red light could be seen through the walls of Ember Hold. It spread through the main granary and out along the old supply lines. From far away, it almost looked like it was pulsing like a heartbeat.

The refugee camp wasn’t waiting on Austin Veyron and his team to fix things. Arin was standing outside the walls next to some open ration wagons, along with guards from the convoy and medical personnel from the camp. The food had been counted and the totals posted on the wagons. The water lines could be seen as well. Those who had felt the fear from the sickness could rest in the witness tents without being made to feel like criminals. Children sat around the water supply, and some of the people who had been fighting over food the day before were now reading the food counts to anyone who asked.

"It’s working," Vessa said, looking over the camp.

"For the time being," Austin Veyron said.

"The time being is what we do," Arin said.

The strike team assembled outside the walls. Ceryn had been able to find an old charter from the Ember Marches stating that there was a tunnel leading into the fortress for its food supply.

"The northwest wall should have a tunnel leading to the back of the old infirmary. It’s not shown on Kharvek’s current map of the fortress," Ceryn said.

"Should?" Rin asked.

"The charter only goes so far," Ceryn said.

Nyra held the heart shard up to the fortress. She could see its blue-black light pulsing against the red light inside the fortress walls.

"The sample is not stable," she said. "Kharvek broke it when we faced him in the square. It will most likely spread through all the grain at once."

Austin Veyron’s wrist mark glowed dark. Veyra grabbed his hand. "Beacon?"

"It may be reacting to the sample."

"Then we can use it to our advantage," Veyra said. "We won’t go in alone, or go after a target without a witness."

"Understood," he said, knowing his wrist was still burning.

The team came to a stop at a collapsed building covered in ash. They dug through the rubble and found the latch to the door that led into the old relief tunnel. The door creaked open, releasing a cold smell of dust and grain from an old war that no one in the camp knew about.

The tunnel was only wide enough for two people to fit through at a time if they stayed close together. There were grain tracks on the ground, and white markings on the walls that were now covered with Kharvek’s red hand symbols.

"Feeder traps," Sable said, touching one of the red markings with her shard of the broken crown. "They will not harm you, but they will make you fight over the nearest source of food."

Ceryn pulled out the old relief charter. "These tunnels were originally built so that more than one person could have access to food. If we can reactivate the old markings on the wall, the traps may not think we are stealing."

"They may," Rin said.

"We’re sensing a theme here," Orena said.

Vessa used the transfer book to write down what each member of the team would be as they moved through the tunnel: scout, shield, witness, attuned, bookkeeper, path, and decision. The old markings on the wall lit up beneath the red hand symbols, as if the tunnel was happy to be used again.

The first trap activated. Black mist came out of the wall, smelling like fresh-baked bread, and took the shape of a person with a ration tag for a face.

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED. TAKE IT FIRST.

Rin’s arrow went straight through the mist. Veyra sliced the trap in half, but both halves crawled toward them.

Austin Veyron could see what the trap was targeting. "Target," he said. "The take-it-first clause. Not the memory of food, or the tunnel, or any of us."

"Witness," Veyra said.

"Witness," Sable said.

DEVOUR opened. The clause felt like a warehouse full of food that had been locked away.

TAKE IT FIRST.

Austin Veyron consumed the word first. The black mist disappeared into the stone, and the red hand symbols faded from the walls.

They made their way through the tunnel until they reached the infirmary. People were trapped in this section of the tunnel: ten adults and two young adults behind a supply door. They weren’t chained, but they all held empty bowls and were staring toward the red light at the end of the tunnel. They were all starved, and they didn’t recognize the people that were in front of them.

An older woman with gray hair stood up. "Don’t take the food. He says we can eat after the ritual."

"Who is he?" Nyra asked.

"Kharvek. His soldiers brought us down here and said it was safe to eat in the granary. But no one who went in came back."

Veyra knelt down and lowered her weapon so they wouldn’t get scared. "We can take you to the tunnel that leads north. Do you want to leave?"

The woman looked at the others. "Yes."

Ceryn unlocked the door using the seal from the relief charter. The civilians were hesitant to leave. The red light made it seem like a bad decision to go out.

Arin spoke through the relay token. "We have witness tents set up outside. Get them out when you’re able."

The woman with gray hair looked at the team. "There is food outside?"

"Yes," Veyra said. "We have a count of what we have, and no one will ask you to pledge anything."

The woman looked relieved. "Then let’s go."

Orena and Rin helped lead the civilians out of the tunnel, and Veyra stayed behind to make sure no one was left behind. Selka had taught them that the path was as important as the battle. Austin Veyron, Nyra, Sable, Vessa, Ceryn, and Veyra continued down the tunnel.

They reached the inner supply room and were met by soldiers of ash. They wore fresh armor and had their weapons ready. Red marks were visible around their mouths from the fever that was consuming them. Kharvek hadn’t given them the sample. He had given them the idea of having the sample.

"We need to protect those inside," one of the guards said.

"You need to feed those inside," Veyra said.

The guards charged at them. Veyra blocked the first sword that was swung at her. Austin Veyron grabbed the wrist of the second soldier before he could strike Nyra. The mark on the soldier’s jaw glowed red. DEVOUR wanted the fear that the soldier was feeling and the red sample that was in his body.

Austin Veyron found the smallest target he could consume. "The clause in the fever mark to obey," he said.

"Witness," Sable said.

"Witness," Veyra said.

Austin Veyron touched the red mark on the soldier’s jaw, and DEVOUR opened.

PROTECT THOSE INSIDE BY OBEYING.

He consumed the clause to obey. The soldier dropped his sword and looked at his hands. The other soldiers stopped fighting, and Veyra was able to disarm them. Many of them dropped to their knees and began to pant.

"You can go to the tunnel that leads north," Veyra told them. "We have a food line outside, and you can decide what you want to do after that."

The door to the inner granary was in front of them. A red symbol that looked like an open bowl was blocking the door. Kharvek’s voice could be heard through the walls.

"Witness what it looks like to be responsible. Witness a man who can feed an entire city."

The mark on Austin Veyron’s wrist began to burn. He could feel the sample trying to pull him through the door. If he consumed it, everything would be easy, and he wouldn’t have to make a decision.

Nyra held the heart shard up to the door. "The sample is open."

Red light poured out from the seams of the door and pooled on the ground like a bowl that was overflowing with food.

Ceryn looked at the charter and the path that led to the old supply room. "There is a path that can release the food if we open it up."

"It will take time," Vessa said.

"We have time," Veyra said, checking to make sure the exit was clear. "Rin and Orena are leading the civilians to safety. Arin has food lined up outside. Once we open up the supply, it will need people to receive it."

Arin spoke through Vessa’s token. "The camp outside has been notified, and they will not try to force their way through the gate."

Austin Veyron could feel the people outside the gate making their own decisions.

"We have one breath," Nyra said.

Something broke inside the granary. Kharvek had opened the sample over the food and was waiting for it to feed.