Free Ruins of the Fall (The Remants Trilogy #2) by Nicholas Erik Page B

me. This was not the plan either of us had in mind, but it was the best one available under the circumstances. I back up, wondering if I can make it to the door before the council rip me apart. They stalk forward, forming a tight line between the rows of benches.
    “You son of a bitch,” Jana says, with a venom I’m not quite expecting. “I had a plan.”
    “And I told you we had to kill him.”
    “This wasn’t the plan,” she repeats, like it means something.
    “Next time actually have a plan,” I say, scanning my adversaries, their glowing eyes focused on me with a singular purpose.. “One that didn’t involve convincing a group of morons.”
    A rumbling growl erupts from one of the black-robed throats. I can’t tell who it is, because, frankly, they all resemble feral dogs in their one-mindedness. My boot catches on a loose stone, and I stumble backwards.
    It’s ignominious to scramble and grovel, so I slide along the floor, keeping a cool distance between me and the council. More of a symbolic gesture, since only a few yards separate us. They’re drawing it out on purpose. The member at the head of the line unsheathes his sword.
    “Stop,” Jana says. The group tilts their heads, unsure if they should listen. “As your leader, I command you to stop.” To my surprise, they obey, giving me time to stand. Jana finally begins to move, pushing through the throng until she’s eye-to-eye with me, just the two of us standing before the onlookers.
    “You gave me no choice,” I say. “Contingencies, right?”
    “To hell with your contingencies,” Jana says. I’m not sure whether she’s here to kill me herself, or about to break down crying in my arms. Her body quakes with unbridled emotion.
    “He killed your mother.”
    “Don’t talk about my mother,” Jana says, her gaze white-hot. “Don’t ever talk about her.”
    “All right, all right,” I say, raising my hands in a peace offering. “Look, I’m sorry—”
    “No you’re not.”
    “You’re right.” I say. “It was him or me.”
    “You made your choice. Now I’ll make mine.”
    I don’t have a response for that. Rustiness. Reading the situation wrong. I thought she was pissed because she just became an orphan. Rather, she’s pissed because this is the messiest transition of power that could possibly go down.
    After a long silence, she nods to the rest of the council. “Tell everyone we ship out tomorrow.”
    The council doesn’t move or answer.
    Jana brings her foot down against the stone with a thunderous boom. “Tell them they can either come or go. But we leave for the Gray Desert at daybreak.”
    There’s a hushed, involuntary gasp as the council members hurry past us. I tense up, still wary. After all, two minutes before they were ready to feast on my limbs. Or whatever the customs are around here. But soon the meeting room is empty, leaving me and Jana alone.
    “I’ll help bury him,” I say. Because, really, what do you say in this situation?
    “No,” she says. “I’ll bury the bastard alone.”
    It’s not open for debate. So I leave the new queen of the Remnants by herself, and exit into the chilly air.
    Tomorrow, we head to the Gray Desert.
    Tomorrow, the flashbacks might end.
    Or tomorrow might bring a whole new host of problems that today I knew nothing about.

12 | Fields of Opportunity
    I drive the truck. Jana, always talkative, says nothing in the passenger seat. I check the mirrors, watching the procession trailing behind us on the cracked highway. It can’t be more than a thousand people.
    After the call went out over the Remnants’ network, this is who agreed to come. Ten percent. The rest stayed with Mirko. I think that says a lot about what will befall them.
    But then, throwing in with Jana doesn’t look much better. Two days after getting my life back, it’s already over. An army of a thousand against Blackstone’s and the NAS’ millions won’t get it done.
    I play with the satellite radio, but all