Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2) Read Free

for freedom. For equality. I lead because I can. Because no one else will. I follow in my father’s footsteps and build from what my grandfather created. I lead the Crowns. I am Simon Hedcrown.”

FIVE
    VINCE AND SAUL both reacted when they heard the name Hedcrown. The name of the famous inventor from Rodin, who had ventured into the unknown, never to return.
    “Yes,” Simon said. “You heard correctly. I am a Hedcrown. I have Rodin blood.”
    “How is that possible?” Saul asked. “Harry Hedcrown left Rodin hundreds of years ago. He vanished into the flatlands. There’s no way he could have survived.”
    “But he did,” Simon responded. “Greene sent someone out to rescue him. A contact agent to bring him back to the City. And that’s when he formed the Crowns.”
    “What are the Crowns?”
    “We are the Crowns. We stand for freedom and fight against Greene. We strive to rescue every prisoner in his hold and provide them with the freedom they deserve. Live. Free. Forever.”
    Alan stepped forward. “I guess our goals align. We’re here to stop Greene as well. We want to stop his tests and free all the test subjects.” He stuck out his hand. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. We should be working together, not against each other.”
    Simon nodded. “If that’s the case, I completely agree.” He signaled for the others to lower their guns. “I apologize if Jonah frightened you. He can be a bit aggressive, but it’s a good quality to have for an operation like this.”
    Jonah stood in the corner and watched them, leaning against the wall and sipping tea from his turtle mug.
    “What’s going on up there?” Ella asked. “The dust was crazy. I couldn’t see anything. All I heard were explosions.”
    “Yes. We’re charging the Spire. That’s where Greene hides. The tall tower you probably saw when you came in. It’s protected by three walls, each equipped with cannons.
    “Cannons?” Rupert asked.
    “You don’t know what a cannon is?” He chuckled. “Wow, you guys really are outsiders.” He pulled out his gun and held it up to show them. “Do you know what this is?”
    “Yes,” Vince said. “We encountered one earlier. It shoots thunder.”
    “Thunder? Ha! That’s priceless. No, my friend. It shoots bullets.” He opened the barrel and pulled one out. “These little metal balls. A cannon is a bigger version of this. About ten times as big.”
    “Holy crap!” Alan said. “I’d hate to run into one of those.”
    “Yes, they are very dangerous, but we counter them with our homemade bombs. That’s how we took down the first wall.”
    “So you’re just going in with brute force.”
    “That’s really our only option. There’s no way for us to sneak in.” He paused for a moment, then pointed his finger towards Vince. “If you’re from the outside, how do you know about Greene? How do you know about test subjects?”
    Saul answered without thinking. “We are test subjects.”
    Vince glared at him. That was not information he wanted to share, not yet.
    Simon stumbled back. “What? You’re saying we have a group of escaped subjects?”
    “Just Vince and I. The others are friends. And we didn’t escape. They tested us outside of the City, without our knowledge.”
    “Fascinating. They have subjects in the outer world. What did they test?”
    “We have the power to drain life from the living. Plants, animals, that kind of thing. It extends our life expectancy.”
    “Perfect!” Simon exclaimed. “You embody our motto. Live free forever. Two of Greene’s prisoners defy his orders and live a free life. You represent everything the Crowns stand for. We need to spread the word. Make you the face of the Crowns.” He turned to Jonah. “Make an announcement. We’ll throw a rally tomorrow morning. That’s where we’ll introduce them to the people.”
    Jonah put down his empty turtle mug and left through the back door.
    “Wait,” Ella said. “We don’t want to go around