Lanne Garrett - The Cinder City Embers: Singularity

The Cinder City Embers: Singularity

ISBN # 978-1-78651-776-0

Copyright Lanne Garrett 2017

Cover Art by Posh Gosh Copyright August 2017

Edited by Jamie D. Rose

Finch Books

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the authors imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Finch Books.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Finch Books. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2017 by Finch Books, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, UK

Finch Books is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

The Cinder City Embers

SINGULARITY

Lanne Garrett

Every revolution begins with a spark .

In a world torn apart by war, one nation remains standingCinder City. It is surrounded by three state ringsFringe, Boundary and Limitsand run by the Authority, President Atlas Gold, the tyrannical leader of the golden city. The population is divided into two groups, the rich and the poor, the Solvents and the Insolvents, and controlled under the threat of being named an Embera death sentence.

Each year, Cinder officials open their Golden Gates and hold the Ember Harvest of all eighteen-year-olds. The Harvest is a test of the potential Embers. It is said that over three hundred years ago, the Insolvents had grown tired of their treatment and had mastered innate abilities to help them wage war against Cinder City. Now, as a precaution, every child is tested for the Scoria Singularity, remnants of the genetics from a time the world had been almost destroyed overnight, for the Authority would never risk another war. He would remove the sparksthe Embersbefore they started another revolution.

For Ezra, an Irish Chippewathe last of the Chippewa people and recently named a potential Ember sent to Ember Gatessurvival is in her blood. As the Ember Gates transforms her and the others, Ezra must determine who her real allies are, what parts of herself she is willing to sacrifice and where her newfound love fits into the cruel world of Ember Gates. Ezra will be pushed to the limits, having to decide between her humanity and staying.

Dedication

Dedicated, with much love and admiration, to my mother and father.

Hey, Dad, I think its time to get a guinea pig.

Hi, Mom!

Acknowledgement

To my editor, Jamie Rose. Without you, editing would feel like being dragged over glass. You are an amazing woman, editor and teacher. Thank you for all you do. A huge thank you to the rest of the team at TEG. Emmy, I always look forward to your creations. You never cease to amaze me.

A special thank you to my readers and my family. None of this would be possible without your support.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Jeep: FCA US LLC

Hummer: AM General

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy.

It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. He continued, The other is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside youand inside every other person, too.

The grandson thought about it for a minute then asked his grandfather, Which wolf will win?

The old Cherokee replied simply, The one you feed.

Cherokee Indian Legend

Preface

The Year 2216, World War 4The War of Embers

After the third war, the population of the world had been cut in half. Countries had been left in ruins, their people starved and dying. Four major cities had remained that controlled each corner of the planet. The President of each city had held power over who lived and who died. And for the most part, everyone outside of the golden gates of each city had died.

As the fourth war was coming to an end, the Insolventsthe poormastered the gift of using innate abilities buried deep within the subconscious. It was discovered that a small group of the population was born with these abilities. They banded together and stood up against the four largest powers. They called themselves Embers. Each Ember had the power to spark a fire and all it took was one spark to start a revolution. A life of misery was the fire from which they climbed and they planned to use it to burn the Authority to the ground.

Almost every major city was destroyed, their leaders dragged out into the open and executed. There was one city remaining, Cinder City. It was surrounded by three state ringsFringe, Boundary and Limitsand run by the Authority, President Atlas Gold, the tyrannical leader of the golden city. The Authority governed all corners of the world now and had ultimate power. The Embers were aware that this would be their final stand.

Cinder was where they would all fall, killed on the grounds that would soon host the Ember Harvestthe killing of children who displayed the original Embers abilities, for the Authority would never risk another war. They would remove the sparksthe Embersbefore they started another revolution.

Part One

The Raptus

Raptus (n): Latin, meaningsnatched, having been snatched, grabbed, having been grabbed, carried off, having been carried off.

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. Ferdinand Foch

Chapter One

Present day

My mother, EzraGod rest her soulwas a proud Chippewa woman and an Ember sympathizer, so they say. I think she had just gotten tired of sending children to their deaths. Those who werent afraid to talk say that she had been part of an activist group, Free Embers. They had stood against Cinder City and the Authority, President Atlas Gold. She and twenty others had tried to storm City Center. Theyd never even made it to the Golden Gates. All of them had been shot for treason. Forty bystanders had been killed on that same day by stray bullets. The City Controllers had opened fire on a square full of men, women and children. The Authoritys message had been heard by all. No one stood against President Atlas Gold and lived to talk about it. Hed sooner kill his own people than allow the faintest whisper of hope to spread. The Authority saw hope as a sickness and a bullet was the cure. Hope was harder to come by than grain outside the Golden City.

I was named after her, my mother, Ezra Larkin. I was the last person in all the Rings to be of my mothers peopleChippewa. Even as a young girl, I understood that the Chippewa people could end with me. My father Coran Irish hothead with the temperament of a caged liondidnt speak much about my mother. Some said he was ashamed of her, but I think he missed her so much that it hurt him to speak her name. The odd times he did talk about her, it was usually about my stubborn nature being much like hers or how my laughter reminded him of her.