Free Phoenix Burning by Bryony Pearce

“We’ll be eating good food, relaxing in the sun and looking for the inverters when everyone else is asleep. There’s nothing to worry about.”
    “I’m going to enjoy the break.” Rita stretched. “Come on, D’von.” She shoved the big teen ahead of her towards the pathway.
    Toby squeezed his father’s hand. “See you in three weeks.”
    The captain pounded up the gangplank and Toby looked one last time at the Phoenix . The giant ship rose and fell on the tide, her rusting orange hull like a piece of evening sunlight that rested on the sea.
    He turned back to the pathway; Rita and D’von were racing ahead. He fell into step with Ayla and together they followed their crewmates, only swaying slightly now with the stillness of the land.

EIGHT
    The path they climbed wound along the jagged cliff. At first Toby’s bare toes kicked up sand as he walked, but the sand gradually turned to dust. When he looked over the cliff edge he could see houses, like teeth, submerged beneath the waves. Gaping roofs and landslides of tile and brick were revealed and then hidden by salt spray and clumps of rubbish that had passed through the dam. Through one unbroken window he could see a drowned living room: children’s toys floating against the pane – a doll with her arm outstretched, as if pleading for rescue.
    He shuddered and turned to Ayla; she faced the sanctuary. Now that he was closer, Toby could see patterns cut into the grey concrete wall. Sunbursts covered the stone; some of them carved deeply, others mere scratches. Some of the images glittered with shining stones, had glass embedded in the centre, or long rays made from chains of beads. Directly ahead the path forked; one way –their way – headed into a low archway that bisected the wall, the other led into a formation of houses.
    The properties were squat, with no chimneys; what would be the point in a world where combustibles had all but vanished?
    The walls were whitewashed and there were no trees planted in the wide streets. Everything was designed to reflect the sun.
    The streets remained silent as they passed the fork; no voices greeted them, no eyes followed their path.
    “Where is everybody?” Toby whispered.
    “When you get past the ports and go inland, this is what most land is like,” Ayla replied. “Almost everyone died from wars, disease or starvation. You reckon there’re a lot of people on land because you’ve only seen the docks, but that’s just where most people ended up. Inland it’s like this almost everywhere.”
    “But there must be people here somewhere, you said—”
    “They’re all sun worshippers and today’s a big day. They’ll be up there.” Ayla pointed. “Waiting for us.”
    Toby exhaled. “Do you think we’re the last to arrive? How many couples do you think are up there?”
    Ayla smiled. “At least trois .” She pointed as Adele and Adrien passed through the arch, D’von and Rita close behind them. “Are you ready for this?” She adjustedthe collar of her jacket. “How do I look?”
    Toby cleared his throat. “You look fine.” He stared at his filthy feet. “Me?”
    Ayla used her palm to brush a rain of grit from his hair. “You look fine, too.”
    “OK.” Toby held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
    Ayla closed her fingers around his arm. “It’ll be like catching lobsters in a pot,” she said.
    Inside the archway, Toby found himself facing another wall. As his eyes adjusted he saw a solid gate.
    “This must be where deliveries are left.” Ayla indicated a hatch with a nod of her head. Toby nodded and she knocked.
    The hatch creaked open and a second brother stared out at them. This one had blond hair, paler and shorter even than Toby’s. “State your business with the Solar Order,” he said in a Gozoan accent.
    “We’re here for the festival.” Ayla gestured at Toby. “He’s the Sun.”
    The brother cracked a lopsided smile. “Of course he is.” He vanished from the hatch and Toby heard