Page 49 of The Promised Prince
“No, really. And look over here.” He walked to a light switch at the end of the hall. “This light switch is the fastest switch in the entire palace.” He flicked it off and then back on again, making the lights above them flash. “See. So fast, you didn’t even notice a difference.”
Renna choked back a giggle, cupping her hand over her mouth. Seran, at least, looked mildly amused, but her mother simply stared back at Trev with a blank face. Trev cleared his throat uncomfortably, clearly sensing that his humor wasn’t appreciated. “There’s one more room I want to show you all.”
Trev led them into a dark room and shut the door behind them.
“Should we be worried that this is where you send the assassin in to kill us in a dark, empty room?” Renna teased.
“Renna!” Her mother exclaimed.
“No one is going to die.” Trev laughed. “I promise you’ll like it. Just give me a second.”
Renna could see shapes all around and above her but couldn’t make out what they were. She could hear Trev shuffling around the room until he threw back thick, wine-colored curtains, letting rays of sunlight illuminate the space.
Renna immediately recognized it as the palace’s artifact room. The New Hope Government Center had one as well. The giant, open room had tables set up in rows with wide aisles between them, the displays making a maze to weave in and out of. Each corner had a different theme with information and artifacts that came from the Pre-Desolation world. The walls were dark mahogany, making the room feel rich and important, and the ceiling was domed in the middle with space large enough to suspend the wing of a pre-Desolation airplane down from the top.
“It’s huge!” Renna exclaimed. “So much bigger than the one back home.”
She marveled at the bits and pieces of what had once been life before Desolation. The first section was dedicated to artifacts that had been part of electronics. Probably things that had been collected in the rubble and donated over the years. She recognized a few items: a broken television screen, the top of a personal computer, a charred cellular phone, half of a remote control. They had a few things like that on display in New Hope as well.
Then there was the section on transportation. That was Renna’s favorite—twisted pieces of automobiles, rubber tires, handlebars, and wheels of all sizes.
Mariele paused, looking at an inscription hanging on the wall. Renna read it over her shoulder. ‘Handlebars of a child’s bicycle.’
Trev looked at the women. “You know I’ve always wondered why bicycles have never been deemed essential. Maybe I will bring them up for discussion at the next Council of Essentials.”
“Really?” Renna exclaimed. “That would be amazing! The only way the working class can get around is by walking or on horseback. It makes travel so much harder.”
“And a lot of people can’t even afford a horse,” Trev said passionately. “What are those people supposed to do?”
“Exactly.” Renna nodded. “It’s a big problem, especially for those in rural communities.”
Excitement danced in Trev’s eyes. “We could take the idea of the original bicycle and build upon it. Maybe design it so more than one person can ride it at once. And we could design some kind of wagon that can attach to it, so people could pull things.” His eyes went wide. “Or we could introduce cars. We already have transporters that are similar, we just need to make them smaller and more affordable so the average citizen can buy them.”
“I love your enthusiasm, but there are many other factors that need to be thought through.” Seran’s voice of reason broke into their conversation.
Trev and Renna turned to look at her.
“For instance, anything with tires would be difficult since our roads aren’t paved. Transporters were made to travel over uneven terrain, but cars and bicycles would mean the Council would have to allocate funds toward developing new infrastructure.”
“Maybe bikes could be designed with thicker tires so people can ride on uneven roads?” Renna offered.
“Perhaps.” Seran shrugged. “But there’s more to it than just tires and roads. If the working class is able to move around more easily, things like the economy could change and be disrupted. The Council is right. Things are much simpler when people stay in the region or area they were born in.”
“Oh,” Renna said, dropping her eyes to the floor. A flood of self-consciousness rushed through her. She hated how the Council always had the final word on everything.
Seran smiled in her genuine way. “It was a good thought.” She clasped her hands behind her back, walking away to join the queen at another display across the room.
Renna pointed to the fragments of what was once an automobile, a crushed door, a fender, a piece of a roof. “I still think the Council should let everyone have one of these. I know the Council helped keep peace and order after Desolation, but nowadays, it seems like they just want to regulate what we can and can’t do. For the working class, at least.” She looked pointedly at Trev. “Your father is a part of the Council of Essentials. Is he trying to regulate his people?”
Trev stole a quick glance at Seran and the queen as if he wanted to make sure they couldn’t hear his response. “Yes. Unfortunately, my father wants power. The Council of Essentials is where leaders can gain and exercise the most power over the world. I don’t think he started out that way. I think in the beginning he had good intentions. Over the years, those good intentions have turned into greed.”
Renna had been taught her whole life that the Council of Essentials and the leaders who were a part of it had the world’s best interests in mind. But ever since she moved to the Government Center, she was beginning to see a new side of the Council, a side that was more about power than protection.
“I worry that the same thing will happen to me.” Trev’s words broke into her thoughts. “I worry that I will start out with all these good intentions, like the bicycle, but I’ll change over time. I’ll start to only worry about what’s best for myself instead of what’s best for my people.”
His honesty tugged at her heart. He walked away, not waiting for her to answer or reassure him he wouldn’t be like his father. He stopped in front of a giant 3D model of the world before Desolation. Seran and the queen were already studying it. Renna followed behind to see what they were staring at.
She ran her finger over the area on the map labeledIndonesia.It was hard to believe that the eruption of a supervolcano halfway around the world had set off a chain reaction that changed the world forever.
