Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5)(21)

She destroyed the book like she destroyed Coriane.

And she dreamed of nothing.





While the Delphie archives and libraries of Norta are all but brimming with the Silver side of our recent history, a Red perspective is far more difficult to find. Naturally, such records were neither scientifically made nor well maintained, and I’ve done what I can to begin piecing together some form of a Red point of view. The vaults of Horn Mountain have been supplemental to my research, and, while helpful, their records are lacking as well. Most useful have been my contacts within the Scarlet Guard, who have connected me as best they can. Unlike Silvers, many Red communities have relied on oral tradition to pass down their histories. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be unreliable, and I’ve done what I can to corroborate this evidence with other, more concrete historical records. Despite the difficulty of such an endeavor, I find it more than necessary to do what we can to preserve some other angle on our history, lest we forget what came before and what befell the Reds of this world. As such, I’ve compiled what I have so far from Red-specific sources, in a combination of documents and interview transcripts.

Though I am as guilty as any Silver for the abhorrent treatment of Reds throughout my lifetime and deserve no penance, I hope this is helpful to the future.





—JJ





(MR. ELLDON turns over a small but brilliant RUBY) ELLDON: Been in my family near 300 years. We used to serve kings, the first kings of this land. The old Calores, Caesar and his heirs. He was good to his servants, so they say. Son wasn’t. That’s how my grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather or whoever ended up with this. Used to be more. A whole necklace full of them. But they disappeared over the years, sold or traded or just lost. This is all that’s left.

JACOS: He stole it?

ELLDON: He took it. The king’s pleasure boat was sinking. The king was shouting orders, shoving Reds into the water trying to save himself. Old Grandfather didn’t like that. And in the confusion, he ripped the rubies right off Caesarion’s neck and pushed him into the sea.

JACOS: I see.

ELLDON: King wasn’t a relative of yours, was he?

JACOS: Most likely yes.

(Mr. Elldon holds out the ruby.)

ELLDON: You want it back?

JACOS: Not in the slightest.



* * *



Mr. Tem Elldon of the Archeon Red sector claims his ancestor was responsible for the death of King Caesarion, who drowned in a boating incident in 44 NE.



* * *





While overseen by Silvers, the center itself was staffed by Reds—either those favored by the overseers or those who bribed their way into the less-grueling position. Their daily notes were stored and ignored with other official documentation.

From the Records of the New Town Administrative Center:

June 1, 144 NE: Still snowed under by the deported from up north. Staffing otherwise untrained individuals is more dangerous than difficult. Two got chewed up in the gear works yesterday, and another nearly ignited a depot in the weapons sector. We’ve sent requests up to the overseers to approve accelerated training for the Maiden Falls Reds, just to give them enough so they don’t kill themselves or anyone else on the manufacturing floors, but every single one has been denied. Any training is to be done outside shift hours, at our own discretion. The center is currently organizing volunteers to get the surviving two hundred or so ready to work. Most are under eighteen and separated from their families, as they’re too young to be conscripted with the rest of their communities up north. Still attempting to improve housing, especially for the young children.



* * *



The above corresponds with Julias III’s crackdown on the Red communities around Maiden Falls following the death of his son at the hands of Red bandits. He forced them to destroy their villages and build the fortress city Corvium at the border. Thousands of Reds were either conscripted into the Nortan military or deported to tech slums in punishment.



* * *





From the Records of the Red Watch in Harbor Bay:

. . . what we can to hide our people across the city, now that the Silvers are on the hunt. They don’t know who killed the queen’s brother, just that it was a Red with the Allegiance. As far as we know, the Allegiance is being rounded up. Some whisper got a hold of one of them and cracked the poor man right open. All the safe houses and escape routes. Tore it out like a bad tooth. We’re trying to cooperate, or look like we’re cooperating at least. Keep our own safe. Not much we can do for the Allegiance. They weren’t smart about this. Weren’t smart at all, and we’re going to suffer for it. . . .

The Red Watch officer’s account refers to the assassination of Queen Andura’s brother and heir, Prince Marcas, in 197 NE. He was killed by a Red uprising in Harbor Bay. I assume the “Allegiance” referred to above was a predecessor to the Scarlet Guard.





Increased movement out of the Lakelands along the River, look to be Red soldiers. Odd, they don’t head south, but turn east and head upriver at the Fork. All pay in full up front. Have ferried the same group twice this year. Other ferriers say they’ve done the same. I’ve got a strange feeling about this lot. I’ve got a strange feeling about this lot. They aren’t running, that’s for sure. And they aren’t acting on Silver orders. They pay too well for our descretion discretion.