The City Will Crumble

A PERMUTED PRESS BOOK

Published at Smashwords

ISBN: 978-1-68261-217-0

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-68261-218-7

The City Will Crumble

The Five Flames Book Four

© 2016 by Kristina Circelli

All Rights Reserved

Cover art by Christian Bentulan

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Permuted Press, LLC

permutedpress.com

Published in the United States of America

The Five Flames Series

Book One: Follow Me Home

Book Two: In Sickness

Book Three: Lie the Liar

Book Four: The City Will Crumble

Book Five: Avenge the Forgotten coming soon

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Epilogue

About the Author

PROLOGUE

The night was clear and cool, a chilly draft filling the large Savannah house. It blew across covered furniture, stirring up years of dust and dirt, finding the home’s only occupant tucked in the corner of a dark hallway.

The Will O’Wisp stirred, unfolding itself and stretching to its full height. With a curious gait, it strolled to the front window, not seeing anything of note. The sidewalk was empty, lit only by pale beams of orange from streetlights. Occasionally a couple or group would pass by, some cautiously glancing at the house and scurrying past, others ignoring it altogether.

Something would happen on this night, something dark and heartbreaking and life-changing. The Will O’Wisp could feel it. Someone was coming, and it had a strong intuition as to whom it was. The house on Abercorn Street had many visitors each night, but one came most often, one who had escaped the darkness before but would not be so lucky again.

Augustus Jones.

CHAPTER 1

L ook how cute! I love it!

Rolling her eyes in a way only surly teenagers could do, Hayden ignored her mother’s cheerful cry and threw her suitcase down, immediately marching toward the television in the shared living room of their hotel suite.Maybe she could find an old sitcom or something to help pass the time in this god-awful town.

I don’t think so, Hayden, her mother said behind her. Pick up the suitcase and take it to your room. You are in the one on the left, your father and I on the right.

With another roll of her eyes—this time accented by a sigh—Hayden did as directed, stomping into the bedroom and frowning at what she saw. A small, narrow bed with the ugliest flower-print bedding she’d ever seen, an old dresser her mother would say had character, a tiny closet, and one window that looked out onto a boring street.

No TV? she muttered, tossing her suitcase on the bed. Lame.

Digging through her bag, she searched for the handheld gaming device she’d snuck in there before they left California for Georgia. Later, she’d use her phone, but didn’t want the battery to die when she’d be stuck in public with her parents and nowhere to charge it.

Hayden! You better not be playing video games in there! We’re going out to eat in ten so get ready to go!

Biting back an aggravated snarl, Hayden pawed through her clothes, then decided in protest she wasn’t going to change out of the clothes she’d worn on the plane. I didn’t even want to come on this stupid trip, she thought, flopping back on the bed. Stupid way to spend a birthday. Thought thirteen was supposed to be special or something.

*

A half-hour later, they sat, a family of three, in a booth at a nearby restaurant. Their window overlooked the Savannah River, where they could see large tour boats gliding across the water and pedestrians strolling along the sidewalk bordering the shore.

Hayden glanced around the restaurant, not impressed by the sea-themed décor, smooth oak surfaces her father kept raving about, the bar in the center of the room with white lights twinkling around it and reflecting off the large mirror in the back. And the menu, she certainly wasn’t impressed with how fatty and unhealthy everything was. She perused the few types of salads available while her parents chatted about work.

Before long their waitress stopped by. Did y’all decide what you’d like?

Hayden scoffed inwardly at the word y’all, while her father replied, Yes, we did. Great menu, by the way. I’m having trouble deciding what looks best since it all sounds delicious.

Thanks! the waitress, whose nametag read Carol, replied with a smile. We’re famous for our burgers. Y’all must be from out of town.

San Francisco, he confirmed. Well, a small section of it, not downtown or anything. We’re in town on business. I’m Bruce. This is my wife, Sherry, and our daughter, Hayden.

First time in Savannah?

Sure is, Sherry replied with a grin. From the other side of the table, Hayden glared at her menu, wishing her parents would stop feeling the need to talk to everyone they met like they were old friends, and just order their food already. She wanted to get back to the hotel, and to her video games. It was bad enough she was missing some major online battles with her team.

Well, Carol continued, "be sure to take a ghost tour. They are amazing. You learn so much about Savannah, and get a little scare at the same time. So much fun."

Oh, we are. Sherry nodded with excitement filling her voice. We signed up for one for Hayden’s birthday. We’re going tomorrow night, with Augustus Jones as our guide.

At the name, the waitress’s expression changed slightly, but none could read if it was for the better or worse. Augustus has seen Savannah through some rough times. He’s a good guide. He’ll give you all the dirt on the city.

Like Tessa Taylor? Now Hayden spoke up, suddenly interested in the topic. She’d done her research on the tour guide and all the stories surrounding him. One in particular stuck out despite her parents’ frequent attempts to turn her away from such gruesome tales. Will he tell us about how she killed all those people and all the rumors about her being possessed and stuff?

Don’t mind her, Bruce said before Carol could reply. She’s obsessed with video games and movies that blow stuff up and cause chaos. Hayden, what do you want to eat?

Annoyed by the brush-off, Hayden stared at her father for a few seconds before selecting her meal. Fine, she thought as her parents put in their order, I’ll figure it out on my own.

CHAPTER 2

Hayden followed her parents down the sidewalk, grimacing as they approached a cemetery. Normally graves and looking tombstones didn’t bother her, but there was something too creepy about walking by them in the middle of the night, with hardly a sound around them save for what she guessed were frogs. She found herself looking over her shoulder a lot as though a ghost would appear at any second.

Get a grip, she chastised herself, squaring her shoulders. It’s just a cemetery. Nothing exciting ever happens in real life.

Just in front of her, her mom and dad chatted eagerly about the upcoming ghost tour, wondering what they would see and learn, while she wondered how she could get away with sneaking a couple games on her phone. It had been her parents’ idea to set up the tour. She’d asked for a puppy for her birthday, but had been laughed at. Meeting the allegedly great and handsome Augustus Jones was the consolation prize, she supposed.

This must be it, Bruce said as they approached a small crowd already gathered at the front gates of the cemetery. I wonder which one the guide is. We’ll recognize him, won’t be?

Sherry, who was busy taking pictures of the cemetery, replied, Oh, I’m sure he’ll be along soon. I bet we recognize him. He’s been all over the news. I hope he’s just as dashing in person as he is in his interviews and online.

Rolling her eyes for the hundredth time already that short trip, Hayden shoved her hands in her pockets and looked around. To one side they were surrounded by the cemetery. To the other, random houses and buildings she figured were local businesses or maybe residents. Nothing exciting, certainly nothing worth being out a midnight to see.

Then she saw a shadowed figure approaching, head down, long black cloak wrapped around a lithe body set against a starless sky. One by one, everyone around her began to notice him as well, shifting from foot to foot eagerly, cameras lifting in anticipation of the mysterious stranger asking—

Who wants to uncover all the dirty sins of Savannah?

*

Lame, Hayden thought at the man’s question, though she noted everyone else was really into it. Her mother and father included. She stepped to the side as their tour guide waltzed through the crowd like he was king of the sidewalk, taking a minute to look him up and down.

He was dressed in all black, but with flair, with long sleeves and a flowing shirt open at the collar, reminding her of a pirate. Black boots with wide buckles came up to his knees and covered equally dark pants. His hands were decorated with sparkling rings and he wore two silver necklaces, one with a chunky pendant of some sort. Unruly hair curled around his ears, accenting lively eyes lined with black.

Wow, he’s hot. Despite herself, Hayden couldn’t help but stare. His pirate looks combined with the Irish accent had her teenage heart fluttering, so much so she forced her stare at the sidewalk and schooled her features just as their guide began his speech.

I am Augustus Jones, your fearless midnight leader into the city of ghosts. Welcome to Savannah, where sickness once spread through the veins of the earth, murders went unsolved for centuries, and hauntings are just a ghost tour away.

Her father chuckled, her mother putting an arm around Hayden protectively. The girl tried to shrug Sherry’s arm off but she held fast.

First things first, my brave companions. Everyone must check in. Otherwise, how are we to know who has been sucked into the underbelly of Savannah by the end of the tour?

Hayden watched him out of the corner of her eye as he read off the list. The calm and confident way in which he spoke both annoyed and fascinated her. She concentrated on the annoyed part and crossed her slender arms, determined to show her parents just how much she hated having to come to Georgia and spend her birthday doing something she didn’t even want to do in the first place. But when those lively and mysterious eyes turned to her, her resolve nearly faltered. He seemed to stare straight into her.

Little adventurers must be thirteen or older, the guide said, turning his gaze to her mother.

Hayden just turned thirteen, Sherry replied. My husband is here on business so we signed up for a tour for her birthday. I can show you her ID. We brought it just in case.

Hayden scoffed, just as her mom held up her ID. She hated that ID. It was three years old, back when she’d been young and pudgy and awkward. Now she was growing into who she was meant to be—striking blue eyes people told her could cut ice, pale and smooth skin her mother raved about, and a slimmed-down body she earned by throwing away the lunches her parents made for school and pushing food around her plate to make it look like she’d eaten more than she really had.

Well, happy birthday, Miss Hayden, the guide said to her, nearly making her smile. Instead, Hayden glanced down at the ground.

Thanks, she mumbled, only uttering the word because she knew otherwise she’d get in trouble for being rude, and was relieved when Augustus seemed to dismiss her and begin the tour. The guide moved through the crowd, gesturing for them to turn their attention to the front of the cemetery. Her parents pressed to the front, dragging Hayden with them, but she already wasn’t listening. The cemetery didn’t interest her. She wanted to know what happened with Tessa Taylor.

As the guide droned on about rituals, Hayden stared down at her shoes, wondering how she could get away with pulling out her phone and playing the new game she’d downloaded just last night and played for a few hours before finally drifting off to sleep. Her fingers itched to get back to the fantasy world, one where she was the dictator and got to decide who lived, who died, and which cities to destroy as they threatened her reign.

I can see you all know where we are, Augustus’s voice cut into her daydreaming, but I’m going to make you wait for the good stuff.

Hayden rolled her eyes but listened to the guide tell them about the Yellow Fever outbreak from last year. The ground excavated, bones pulled from the earth in order to study a disease people thought they understood but realized was beyond their comprehension. Cool, she thought, imagining what it must have been like to see all those bodies piled up under the surface. Briefly, she wondered what they did with them, if they buried them somewhere else or burned them in a big fire or something.

Hayden grimaced when a tourist pushed past her, eager to get to the front of the group to ask his question. So this entire memorial here is named in honor of Jason Waters, the man who discovered the cure to the Resurrect Virus?

She remembered hearing about Jason Waters on the news, and from her parents talking about it. The outbreak was the reason why they were in Savannah now, rather than last year when her dad was supposed to travel for business. His trip had been delayed, and as a result the new date meant she had to tag along, too, since her mother decided it would be the perfect family weekend getaway.

She kept her eyes on Augustus as he answered the older man’s question, easily talking about Yellow Fever and Jason Waters. But she saw something in his face—hesitation or fear, almost like what he was saying didn’t match with what he was thinking.

He’s hiding something, she thought, anticipation building within her. He knew something about the outbreak that he wasn’t letting on—and she was going to find out just what that was.

When the tour guide squared his shoulders and asked, Shall we? Hayden lifted her chin. Now she was ready to pay attention, and uncover all those secrets and sins Augustus Jones was trying to keep hidden.

CHAPTER 3

Hayden listened intently the rest of the tour, though she tried to make it seem like she didn’t care. It wasn’t like her parents noticed anyway. They were too wrapped up in taking pictures and oohing and ahhing over every single thing they passed. So much for this being her birthday gift—it seemed like this tour was all for them, not her.

It would be so easy to slip away, she realized, an idea beginning to form.

The group finally came to a stop in front of a large house. The house, the one she had been waiting to see, the only thing that would hopefully make the trip to Savannah worth it. She’d researched the house on Abercorn Street before the flight to Georgia and knew what it looked like inside and out, if the pictures online were accurate. Some tourists moved forward, trying to see through the windows, but she stayed on the sidewalk, craning her neck and taking in the sight.

From the outside, it was nothing impressive. Two stories with basement windows visible even from the ground level, a cement staircase leading up to the front door, and ugly gray walls that really needed to be painted.

It’s just a boring, stupid house, she thought, disappointment twisting her mouth into a frown. She’d been hoping for something a little…more, from the house that supposedly haunted Tessa Taylor.

Some say, if you look closely enough, you can see a child in that front window, there, Augustus said then, pointing at one of the first-floor windows, and sometimes a woman standing behind her. Ghosts of Savannah’s past, forever trapped within four walls.

One of the tourists asked a question, but Hayden ignored her and turned her attention to the window. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to see something, anything, that would make her a believer in ghosts. But it was just a window, dirty and colored with age, with a lacy-looking curtain hanging on the other side.

Then the curtain moved.

Whoa, she whispered. Just the air-conditioning, her brain instantly told her. Don’t be stupid.

Still, she looked closer, harder, not taking her eyes off the window. Did the house even have air-conditioning if it was abandoned? Or maybe