The Ashen War by Dan Le Fever

Author:Dan Le Fever
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Daniel Le Fever
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

The training yard was at the back of the prison—a dirt field with six-foot wooden posts lined up in rows. Each prisoner was given a length of rebar and instructed to strike the post while moving around it. Initially confident in his abilities, James soon discovered the task was a lot harder than he’d thought. The thick, smokey air of the city made breathing a chore in and of itself, though the other prisoners appeared unhampered by it.

As he trained, James kept an eye out for Ryan until he spotted him several rows over, gasping for breath while heaving the rebar around. The two locked eyes and James made to go over to him, but a club tapped his arm, and a Talon grunted, “Pairs is later. Keep working.”

James exchanged a look with Ryan before returning to swing at the post. He found the rebar was about the same weight as his old axe and easy to wield one or two-handed, but the balance was quite different. Connor had followed James to the training yard and taken a spot behind him, sweat glistening on his naked back. James moved around his post until he could see the Black man and asked him, “Are these the only weapons we can use?”

Connor shook his head, wiping the perspiration from his brow. “Nah, these’re just to add muscle. What weapon you get depends on what kind of match. Regular ones are clubs like Talons got. Main Event gets you blades.”

James glanced back at the Talons watching them and commented, “They only use clubs? Not just the guards?”

“Broken bones heal, which means you can get back to work. It’s harder to hit your quota if you’re missin’ an arm or got your head blown off.”

A Talon glared at the two and took a step in their direction. James picked up the rebar and swung at the wooden post again. The Talon grunted and settled back to watch.

The Talons didn’t seem to mind if they talked, just that they kept training as they did. So, they continued their conversation between swings and moving around in circles. Connor was surprised to learn that another civilized nation like England had managed to survive after all this time. Interest piqued, James asked him what he meant.

“I mean, look around you. Ain’t none of this the height of civility now, is it?”

“What’s it like ‘a bit south of here’?” James grunted as he struck the post.

Connor snorted a laugh. “Can’t even compare the two. The Great Southern Free States ain’t like here at all.”

Free States. Brian had mentioned them when they’d first met. James wanted to know more, especially since he’d told Elizabeth to head south.

Connor told him he’d originally been from Tubman but had moved to Turner for work. Turner was the northernmost state, putting it right on the border with the Cult.

“How many states are there?”

“There’s five. Aside from the Tubman and Turner, there’s Lincoln, Coffin, and Douglas.”

The names meant nothing to James, but he recognized Lincoln from somewhere.

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