House of Ashes by Monique Roffey Read Free Book Online

couldn’t believe it, but his eyes were glistening.
    ‘Your brother was a hillsman?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Boy, them boys was the real thing,’ said Hal with admiration.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Hillsmen. Flatsmen. Alluh them get shot in the end.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘The police shot up the women too.’
    ‘Just one of them. Bathsheba. She was pregnant, though. So they shot two persons in one go you could say.’
    ‘Lousy sons of bitches. Your brother was a hero.’
    Ashes looked at Hal and he could see a kind of pity in his eyes.
    ‘Hal,’ he said, and he knew this was risky. ‘We have shot a woman too, you know. That woman next door. She—’
    ‘Look,’ Hal snapped. ‘Mistakes happen. This is warfare.’
    Ashes shut up and tried to stay calm. Hal sipped his tea and looked far away and then his eyes went hard and he steupsed loudly. ‘Fock this is shit,’ he said aloud.
    Ashes nodded but nothing felt clear at all. He had been disappointed in some of the brothers and their indecent and uncouth behaviour – and now it turned out that their well-laid plans had
not been so well laid at all.
    ‘Our plans fock up real quick,’ Hal said.
    Ashes nodded. Somewhere, he knew he was going to die. Maybe he even wanted to die the same way as River had, a horrible, noble, glorious death, the death of a fighter for freedom. He had
achieved nothing much with his life so far. He had two wonderful sons, true, but sometimes he thought he would die from the pain in his groin. Only the beautiful saved him and even then, only
sometimes.
    Hal steupsed again.
    ‘What we gonna do now?’ asked Ashes.
    ‘Ah thinking,’ said Hal.
    Ashes rested his rifle against the wall and perched on a desk next to Hal. ‘The army weren’t so loyal last time round. They mutinied and locked up their officers. I guess the Leader
figure the same thing go happen again. The army leave us to it. But no. Now they capture us.’
    ‘We have the PM and we have important high-level hostages. We can negotiate,’ said Hal.
    ‘You really meant it about throwing the hostages over the balcony? If so, I ent doing that.’
    Hal shot him a look of contempt. ‘We going to do whatever we need to do to get out of here. I’ll shoot you first and throw your damn arse over the balcony if you don’t shut
up.’
    Ashes went quiet. He didn’t feel brave. He was scared and unsure about being here; it wasn’t what he had expected at all. He suddenly remembered a famous spiritual socialist in Sans
Amen. He lived in the City of Coffee in the south, but he was a labour man, a trade union supporter and a man of the people. The Leader knew him and liked him too; they had been part of a big
leftist umbrella movement. They had marched together only recently, a street march against the cutting of the Cost of Living Allowance. Maybe he might be able to help them.
    ‘What about Father Jeremiah Sapno?’ said Ashes.
    ‘What about him?’
    ‘He could help. You know, negotiate.’
    Hal’s face changed. ‘Howyuh mean?’
    ‘Everybody respect him. He could talk for us. Talk to them for us. You know . . .’
    Hal nodded and looked far away again. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Yes.’ And then he reached for his walkie-talkie. ‘Come in,’ he said gruffly. ‘Come in.’

THURSDAY MORNING, 2 A.M.,
THE HOUSE OF POWER,
THE CITY OF SILK
    Father Sapno was due to reach the House of Power any minute to help negotiate how the hell they would all get out of there alive. Ashes stationed himself close to one of the
large stately windows of the House, and yet partially hidden in the shadows of the long drapes. A ceasefire had been agreed. It was as if they had made the city quiet, all that shooting and noise
and then quiet. His groin ached just to see the streets so silent. This was a different city, scared of itself and held hostage. It was clear to him now, and to the others, that the people
hadn’t risen up to join them.
    Instead, people had already been looting. Out in the quiet dark streets he