New World Ashes Read Free

longer I stared at his smug face, the more I could see the resemblance. There was something in the shape of his jaw, in the hollow of his cheekbones, that looked so much like my mother…
    So much like me.
    But more than that—what really chilled me—were those eyes.
    They weren’t just bright and piercing… they were my eyes.
    I tried to swallow. For the first time in my life, I had no quip to cut back. Instead I just stared blankly at the man claiming to be my grandfather. All I had ever wanted was my family back, but as I gazed at the man before me something within me churned. It was as if a tiny moth’s wings fluttered against my spine, warning me something wasn’t right. I tried to ferret out the source of those feelings but nothing came to my broken mind. My memories were too far gone. Whatever it was that my body seemed to remember, my mind could not.
    However, one thing I had learned to trust over the years was my intuition. It was what so often kept me alive. While the man reminded me of my mother—of myself—I had no recollection of his face. He was nothing more than a familiar stranger, and a dangerous one at that.
    Growing restless, The Minister paced the small space in front of me, his hand twisting over the top of his brass cane as he moved. His withered knuckles turned white as he gripped and re-gripped the handle repeatedly.
    His voice was flawlessly controlled when he spoke again. Kind, gentle, just flirting with cold. “Imagine my surprise when I was informed that a band of the exiled had actually managed to penetrate The Wall. And not only had those parasites managed to infiltrate my city, but they had killed several of my troops and were being lead by none other than my supposedly dead granddaughter. Disappointing really.”
    I wasn’t sure which he was more disappointed in—that I had acted against him or that I wasn’t as dead as he thought I should be.
    “You have come into my city, threatened my people and stolen from me . I have had people killed for much less, little girl.” He turned to face me, but I stared determinedly at the barren grey floor. Pressing the tip of his cane to my throat, he jerked it upward forcing me to look at him.
    “I have taken nothing from you—” I snarled, trying to disguise my rising panic. I knew almost nothing of this city. I had no bargaining chips here, nothing I could swap for my protection.
    Then he gave it to me.
    “Oh, but haven’t you? That child is not yours.” The tip of his cane pressed down harder, cutting off my airway as a dark shadow flashed across his features. Then he suddenly pulled back just a little, allowing me to suck in a desperate breath. “But unlike your mother, I can be forgiving. If you return what is mine, I will be lenient with you. After all, it would be nice to have my bloodline back at my side. We could be a family again.” He eyed me possessively.
    A young man in the corner shifted, drawing my attention. His eyes were filled with disdain as they focused on me. They were deep brown and despite their malice they reminded me of Mouse. She was the only one I had ever broken my rules for, the first person I had loved other than my parents. She was the sister I never had and the child I could never be. I sat in this very chair as my sacrifice to save her. She was what The Minister was asking for, what he claimed—like property—was stolen from him. She was my bargaining chip. My way out. At another time in my life, I might have taken that offer, but not anymore. He would never so much as lay eyes on her again.
    As I stared at the older man before me I knew—deep down—that he wasn’t lying. He was my grandfather. His blood ran in my veins. But regardless of blood, Mouse was more of a family to me than he could ever be. She and Triven were the only people in the world who mattered. And despite my selfish nature, I now would sacrifice everything to keep them alive—to keep them safe from the monster standing before