Ruin (The Ruin Saga Book 1) by Harry Manners Read Free Book Online Page A

accompanied only by the chatter of the few who remained in the street, standing outside what had once been a storage facility.
    They used it as a town hall and kitchen of sorts.
    As the gathering turned towards the returnees, familiar faces began to appear. The gaggle of night owls was gathered close to the main body of occupied housing, farther towards the cathedral.
    A communal meal was afoot for those who had been lumbered with the night shift. Norman caught the deep, gamey aroma of roasted chicken and the tangy flair of stewed fruit.
    To smell such luxury after only days of rotten soup flooded his mouth with saliva, and his mind with feelings of extreme guilt. To indulge in such things when thousands were dying of starvation beyond their walls seemed almost absurd, even callous.
    Their arrival was heralded with great enthusiasm. Cries of welcome rang out in the night. Despite himself, Norman smiled.
    Allison, the most sociable, leapt to the ground and was immediately immersed in conversation, disappearing into the crowd without a moment’s hesitation.
    Alexander was also subsumed into their midst, beset by curious onlookers, but he merely spread his hands until they parted, wielding their attention with practised ease. He answered a few questions, smiled a few smiles, and then proceeded without further impediment. Norman watched with jealous awe. In similar situations, he was usually apprehended for what seemed like hours, tongue-tied and aghast.
    As they reached the storeroom, Lucian jumped down from his mount and began transferring the bags of food and supplies from its saddle with the help of Robert Strong, whose coal-black skin and navy engineer’s jumpsuit had blended seamlessly with the shadows until he’d moved. Now in motion, however, he couldn’t be missed. He towered at least a foot above everybody else, built like a tank.
    “I'll take these over to Heather,” Robert said, hefting their small packet of liberated medical supplies. “She’ll need them. Bumps and scrapes are getting infected left, right and centre. She says it’s our immune systems, shot because of the crappy diet, but I don’t know…”
    He disappeared into the darkness, hurrying in the direction of the clinic.
    “You’re coming in, aren’t you, Lucian?” Allie asked.
    “In a moment,” he said. He clearly had no intention of joining the gaggle of chattering well-wishers, and continued his task of moving the remaining food with his head down, brow furrowed.
    Unsociable to the bitter end, Norman thought. He considered helping to unload the mount, but another look at Lucian’s ugly grimace convinced him to pass on by. He was left looking down at the welcoming party, and realised that he wanted no more part of it than Lucian. He could sense their eyes upon him, silently expectant. They were waiting for him to follow Alexander’s lead and descend into their midst to give the latest on what was happening outside the city, dispensing wisdom and comfort along the way.
    Even Allison’s earlier deference, however, had been more than he could manage. After the horrors of the day, he couldn’t stand being beset by a rapturous audience.
    Before an uncomfortable stalemate could set in, he bade them each goodnight and turned his mount towards the stables, hurrying lest they replied or protested. A brief silence followed, but soon after he heard the others move inside.
    “We’ll talk at breakfast,” Lucian said to him as he passed.
    Norman nodded, firing off a brief temple-flick salute as he moved away. A moment later Alexander appeared at his side, leading Allie’s horse on foot. As soon as they were out of earshot of the storeroom congregation, the atmosphere between the two of them shifted to one altogether more frank and familiar. They were quiet at first, growing accustomed to their privacy, and then Norman sagged, breaking the silence. “So, what do you really think?”
    “Of what?” Alex said.
    “Of everything.” They led the