(eng) M. R. Forbes - Rebellion 02 by Weapons of War

Author:Weapons of War [War, Weapons of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-FIVE

Donovan didn't bury Diaz, despite Murphy's offer of help from the scavengers they had saved. He burned her instead, building a massive funeral pyre in the center of the destroyed city, right near the church, close to where her grandfather had once lived. He had a feeling she would want it that way, especially knowing that there was no way the bek'hai wouldn't see the smoke. He pictured the rising pillar as a gigantic middle finger, casting its opinion back toward the dark spots in the distance. Diaz would have approved of that.

The pur'dahm had promised three days, and Ehri had affirmed that the Dread would keep the promise. For whatever else they were or weren't, they did have an honor system that they held to, one that had survived tens of thousands of years.

He hadn't said anything when he lit the pyre. He simply stood and watched the flames rise up the vegetation until they had enveloped Diaz and started to burn her flesh. He had wanted to turn away then, but he didn't. She was more than Renata Diaz. She was all of the people who had died for their cause, and he wasn't going to disrespect them by looking away.

Ehri, Soon, and Iwu remained close for a long time. Soon took a seat on the ground after a while, his head beginning to bother him. The others helped him maintain the vigil for the three hours it took to begin to die down. Murphy joined them an hour in, trailed by his wife and daughter.

"What do we do now?" the leader of the scavengers asked him. Murphy couldn't have been more than a few years older than Donovan, but he looked so much older.

"Why are you asking me?" Donovan replied. He couldn't even keep his friends alive.

"You're with the resistance. I thought that you might have a plan."

"I had the beginning of a plan. It fell apart."

Murphy looked at the pyre. "Was she your wife?"

"A friend. Maybe she would have wanted to be if it weren't for the Dread."

"Do you think she would have been?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter now."

"It always matters. It's the possibility that motivates us. The potential that keeps us going. If you cared about her, it will motivate you more to make the Dread pay."

Donovan let himself smile. "I already have more than enough for them to pay for. What about you?"

"Everyone here has lost something. It might surprise you to hear that some of the worst stories come from people who have had run-ins with jackals. They say they make the Dread look downright friendly sometimes."

"Is it that bad?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that it isn't safe out there. Not for anyone. We came this way hoping to steer clear of it. We thought this city would stay abandoned. We've only been here a week. The Dread didn't waste any time coming after us."

"They have orders to kill everyone who's left," Donovan said.

"I've heard Washington State. Well, what used to be Washington State, is getting hit hard.

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