Ashes and Embers

“My mother once told me that before ‘The Collapse’, before human civilization all but disappeared from the world, horrible things like slavery had almost entirely disappeared. Not only that, but war, violence, and suffering had become such rare occurrences that many people lived their entire lives never experiencing such things. She explained that if she had she and her father met before all this, they would have been essentially equal partners in their relationship and that she would have worked with him to support our family. I often fantasized about her stories of the old-world, and how she actively took part in society. But things are so different now.” - Ashe’s Journal

That day started just like any other, Ashe woke up before sunrise and prepared herself as best she could. She hated the markets, but it was usually the only chance she got to socialise these days. Especially since Sara had been sent away. Ashe looked at herself in the cracked mirror for a long moment, remembering what a mess that had been. She still thought about Sara every day: Was she alive? Was she okay? Did her owner treat her well? She had no idea the answers to any of these questions. If her father or mother knew, they hadn’t told her.

She splashed her face in the little water she’d been ‘gifted’ for the day, washing herself off as best she could in the small basin. She then pulled her tangled mess of red hair back into a tight ponytail, using a piece of wire to hold it in place, though it never lasted. She tried to brush it out, but the old comb she’d been given was missing so many teeth she might as well use her fingers.

Ashe didn’t mind helping her father on days like this, it at least meant she was contributing something to the family. But it meant she would need to be mentally prepared for his ‘moods’, as her mother called them.

“Ashe!” Jacinta called from outside the bathroom door, “Dan and Jackson are nearly finished loading the truck. Dad said to hurry up!”

“Okay,” She answered with a sigh, still anything but happy with her hair, “I’ll be there in a minute!”

Poor Jacinta! She was young enough to still be ignorant of the life set out for her, but what happened to Sara had left Ashe under no illusions about her own prospects for the future. “Game time!” She said to herself in the mirror as she mentally prepared herself. Ashe pulled on one of her torn and faded dresses and a pair of canvas leggings underneath. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time before hurrying out of the bathroom and through the living area of the dugout that her family had called home since she was seven years old.

It was hot and dry outside, just like it was most days in the deep desert, but it was the dust that Ashe hated the most. It got into everything, and the wind only made it worse. She pulled a cloth mask over her mouth and nose as she approached the truck.

The region surrounding Bessada was harsh at the best of times with the oppressive heat only very rarely giving way to wild electrical storms. That weather usually came with heavy rain that could flood their dugout in the matter of minutes. But there was no change of it that day. That day, even the shade only offered limited protection from the heat. As much as Ashe hated living underground, she understood why they did it. Not that her family was unique by any means. Most of the town lived in small homes dug into the bedrock. Her father had long claimed that he had been one of the first to do it when Bessada was first settled many years earlier – Ashe knew it was bullshit like so much of what he said, but she’d never dare call him out for it. She’d heard from traders in the markets that some smaller communities outside of Bessada had built entire settlements underground long before her father first put shovel into dirt in Bessada.

But old-world thinking was still prevalent among those who ran this place, and most of the central parts of the town remained above ground. Relying on the insulation provided by thick sandstone walls just as they did in New Alice, at least that’s what Ashe had heard.

She climbed into the truck, thinking about the man that had long ago captured her imagination, not that she thought he would ever be interested in her. While much of the community resented Isaiah and his military unit that had governed them for more than six years, Ashe could see that they had done a lot to improve the living conditions of the town. They had made it a lot safer and built many improvements that had bought wealth into the community that hadn’t existed before. She knew that he could be cruel at times, but mostly he was fair as far she had seen. She respected that about him, and she respected the fact that he had maintained a similar standard for the soldiers that had come with him from New Alice.

Once her brothers finished loading the truck, Ashe’s father climbed into the driver’s seat beside her. He said nothing except to glance at her once and growl in a low voice, “You’ll never attract a man if you keep hiding your legs!” He shook his head before starting the engine and driving on.

He continued through the outskirts of the town without a word and passing several more dugouts and picking up supplies from the families that occupied them, just as they did for every market day. It was all familiar to Ashe, with greenhouses built above ground providing warm and moist shelter for certain crops, while most of the surrounding fields had cloth or old tarp hanging over them to stop the plants from burning in the heat. It was a very common technique used in the area, and it worked well since the supply of water wasn’t a significant problem for the town thanks to the aquifer it was built on. One of Isaiah’s great improvements had been securing the water and building dozens of new wells. As a result, food and water were in abundance in Bessada, and it had attracted a lot of new people to the area in the years since.

Once the truck was loaded with all the supplies for the local families for their respective market stores, her father redirected them towards the centre of the town where the markets were usually held.

Ashe sipped from the bottle of water that sat between them. Just enough to get rid of the dry mouth from the dust that got into her throat and lungs while helping load the truck. But nothing she did ever seemed to be good enough.

“Ration it,” her father grumbled, “there won’t be any more until tonight, so make it last.”

“Yes, Sir.” She said, her eyes looking down as she had been taught to do in his presence. It was far too early for another black eye.

‘Submissive’ didn’t come naturally to Ashe, but it was always a requirement around her father, and most men for that matter as far as she'd seen. She’d had more than a few bruises and minor injuries because of her natural flair, which her father insisted would get her killed one of these days. But not so much in the last year, not since her older sister had been sent away. Apparently, 'submissive' was a trait that made a ‘good wife’. But she knew even then that there was a big difference between following a man she respected, and just being compliant with every 'cock on legs', as Sara had put it. She bit back the resentment at his reprimand for just having a sip of water, put the lid back on the bottle and placed it on the floor as the truck as they continued along the uneven gravel that marked the roads of the central part of town.

The market grounds themselves were held in an area had once been set aside for a game of some sort. ‘Football’ her father had called it. She’d seen old photos and her father and brothers had often tried explaining it, but she really didn’t understand their fascination with chasing around and kicking a leather pouch full of air in the heat of the day. How could that be fun? She’d often thought. But that never stopped Dan and Jackson from kicking around a ball as kids and calling their game ‘football’. Ashe guessed that they pretty much made up the rules as they played. Not unlike the rest of the world around her.

The markets themselves were the biggest outside of New Alice, and it was rivalled only by those around the salt lakes to the south. But on this occasion, Isaiah had put the word out to the settlements, he wanted to expand the market by bringing in more external traders. The idea of acquiring fresh produce and clean water, thanks to the large aquifer beneath the town would no doubt bring people from all over the trade network. Judging by the number of camels and vehicles already there, Ashe knew that it was going to be a success for the community. Cars were rare now, especially with how expensive fuel could get outside of the major settlements, but most traders still moved with at least one for safety.

Ashe had been helping her father run the store since her sister was sent away a little more than a year earlier. Mostly she did it willingly so she could make herself useful in hopes of avoiding her sister's fate. At the very least she hoped to secure an acceptable situation for herself in the future, though she had no idea how or who with, or even if she'd have much choice in the matter when the time came. She'd laughed at herself earlier that morning when she’d considered a more proactive approach to her situation. She had even considered asking her mother about flirting, but when she’d tried to explain it previously, it just sounded ridiculous. Men were just so strange, and someone like Isaiah, she knew, would see right through those kinds of games immediately. She’d seen him turn away from women that had come onto him previously, so she knew it was a flawed approach with a man that was worth putting in that kind of effort. Still, it was wishful thinking that Isaiah might notice her above all the other girls with far better physical assets on offer. But she was seventeen now, and while she by no means saw herself as a knockout when it came to feminine beauty - at least compared to some of the other girls she’d seen being traded by the slavers in the markets - she was “unblemished” and she had no serious scars, except on her leg where she had been bitten by a snake as a child. But what concerned her most of all was that she was also “intact”, which simply meant she hadn’t been successfully assaulted or raped yet. She wondered if Isaiah would care either way about such things. Most men did after all, that’s why virgin women were sold at a premium. Then she returned her mind to the present, brushing aside her fantasies. She wasn’t about to try and compete for a man that had never shown her any interest before, even if she did find him attractive. And what if he turned his brutal nature on her? She reminded herself. That was a hell she simply couldn’t handle if it was true.

The turnout for the market was exactly as Isaiah and the local traders had hoped for. There was little doubt that it would mean a lot more wealth coming into the community, wealth that Ashe, of course, would see nothing of. She once again pulled a cloth mask across her face, covering her nose and mouth from the rising dust as the truck turned into a small parking area reserved for those that ran market stores. The truck came to a stop near the entrance of the fenced-off area surrounding the market, where stores were already being setup and patrons were already moving about in significant numbers.

Ashe’s father parked the truck less than fifty meters from a small shelter from which the guards policed the markets for thieves and scammers. The fence wasn’t perfect, but it made it easier to monitor who was coming and going from the grounds. Usually, policing was a job reserved for the local guards, but not on that day. Instead, Isaiah himself and two others of his group were on duty. It wasn’t uncommon for Isaiah to make an appearance at the markets, but he rarely acted as security himself. Ashe had seen him briefly by the gate when they drove in, waiving the truck through immediately when he recognised her father. While his presence unsettled a lot of the locals, Ashe saw it as a good thing, and she could see the value in it for them. It meant the New Alice soldiers were in regular contact with the local community and not just ruling from the central part of the town in the walled-off district in the heart of Bessada which was reserved primarily for the New Alice group and those who worked directly for them.

Many of the local families had arrived before Ashe and her father, setting up their stores beforehand. But as soon as they saw the truck, they came rushing over to collect their supplies.

Ashe climbed out and rushed around to the rear of the vehicle, opening the doors for the gathering crowd before backing away quickly. The people pushed and shoved to get theirs first, while Ashe lost sight of her father in the masses swamping the rear of the truck. She pushed her way back through the gathering crowd to get clear of the chaos, squeezing through two men before someone pushed her from behind causing her to stumble forward into the vehicle parked beside them.

“Shit!” She hissed under her breath, falling into the side of a faded white pickup. Ashe clutched her wrist tightly as the pain shot up her arm. Leaning against the vehicle for support, she squeezed her eyes shut, taking in a few deep breaths as she felt her wrist, checking for damage.

“Are you alright?” A man asked, sounding genuinely concerned. The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it right away. She’d definitely heard it before, but now it was out of context.

Holding her eyes shut, she just nodded in response before letting out a small sigh. Not another one! She thought to herself, before answering abruptly, “I’m fine!” Then she slowly opened her eyes, looking down at his feet as was expected of her in public, her gaze fixing on his high-quality brown leather boots. They look expensive! The odd thought distracting her from the pain.

She was surprised when he didn’t speak. And when she glanced up to see the face of a man in his late twenties, she was suddenly mesmerized, by his sharp jaw and stubble, and the deep scar that ran down his left cheek. If she had to describe him in a word, she would have called him ‘rugged’, but he was also beautiful in his own rather intimidating way. Then recognition hit her at once, followed by an undercurrent of fear as she looked into his dark eyes. She couldn’t help but stare, before glancing at the long scar that marked the left side of his face and neck then back down to his feet – this was the face of the man they had all told her to fear in Bessada. She stood frozen for a long moment, unsure what to say, to the man before her. This was Isaiah himself.

Ashe started to tremble as he took a step closer, her eyes focused intently on his feet. She prepared herself for her punishment for that moment of disrespect for the man. Even with a look of genuine concern in his eyes, she couldn’t suppress those dark thoughts that accompanied his name everywhere in that place. His light grey overcoat shifted, revealing a pistol strapped and holstered on each side of his hips along with several knives tucked into almost every pocket.

He reached for her hand, and said in a low reassuring voice, “I won’t hurt you.” His warm fingers wrapped gently around her wrist as he gently probed the bones for damage. He gently manipulated the bones and massaged the joint, causing her only mild discomfort as the immediate pain from the impact faded and her panic melted away in an instant. She once again looked up to see him focused on what he was doing, seemingly taking longer than necessary to check for damage before eventually letting her go, “You’ll be fine, there’s nothing broken. It’s just a sprain and it’ll probably bruise, but it’ll pass. You should rest it for a couple of days, or at least try and go easy.”

“I will, thank you, Sir,” Ashe said, trying her best to sound grateful, but her words sounded forced, even to her. She was trying desperately not to tremble as her eyes fixed on his boots again, mumbling, “Thank you for your concern.”

He gave her a small nod and stepped back to give her a little more space, seemingly realizing that his presence was scaring her. “You are very welcome, Miss McNeill.” His tone was almost gentle, which caught her off guard and made her look up again, meeting his eyes for a second time.

The man was renowned as a brute, but at that moment, she realized that it was all probably just a part of his act. There was nothing false in his eyes as she looked up at him. It was more than a little confusing to her – she knew only the side of him that he presented to the town, just as everyone in Bessada did. He was basically royalty after all, and the son of the ruler of New Alice: Malcolm Adams. But Isaiah didn’t seem to carry himself that way at all, certainly not at that moment. Perhaps it was a trick, but Ashe didn’t think so.

Then his eyes returned to their usual cold glare when he looked back at the chaos around the truck. He turned to the mass of people and called out above the noise, “Form a line, and collect your things one at a time.” A few faces around the crowd looked up, noticing him for the first time, and they hastily followed his instructions, tapping the others on the shoulder to let them know. Satisfied that they’d listened, he raised his wrist, pulling back his overcoat to reveal a worn silver watch. He checked the time as he turned a tiny nob on its side before once again looking her in the eyes with a stare that unsettled Ashe, it wasn’t a bad feeling she got from him, but it's like he could see right through her. His expression remained gentle, almost warm, and while his familiarity with her was more than a little unsettling, she couldn’t help but feel herself relax slightly in his presence. “Have a good day, Miss McNeill.”

“Thank you, Sir!” She said shyly, unable to take her eyes off him, “You too.”

Then he hesitated for just a moment as a playful smirk formed on the edge of his lips. “Is it true that you told Chris Dorian that he was… uh... ‘ill-equipped’ to be your husband?”

His light banter brought a matching smirk to Ashe as well, as she felt her fear slip away just a little further. “It was worth the black eye to get out of that one. He didn’t even bathe before trying his luck.” That was one story she was still proud of, especially since the creep had attempted to force himself onto her before any deal had even been agreed to. But it was nothing a well-placed knee to the groin couldn’t stop. He wasn’t the first to try, but he had been far more pushy then most.

“I’m glad to hear it. I understand he has only one testicle now, I’m guessing it was well deserved.” He said, but his look gave Ashe the impression that her words had caught is attention.

She shrugged as she let the ‘good woman’ mask slip for just a moment, the natural flare of her fiery red hair shining through as she said, “Being ‘difficult’ has its advantages.”

He too let any trace of his mask fall away for just a second, “I could not agree with you more, Ashely McNeill. I do hope that whoever acquires you respects your fire. Don’t let it die, it shows strength of character and an intelligence not easily found the days.” He let out a small laugh. He then smiled once more in her direction before he turned and left. And through that short interaction, Ashe began to look at Isaiah very differently, and she started to see and understand this place in a way that she never had before.