A/N: Hello, people who still happen to read City of Ember fics! I recently reread the series while home for break and rekindled my love for it. I was inspired to write what's essentially a continuation of the series, a "fifth book" if you will, that imagines what could happen after The Diamond of Darkhold. I'm a little sad that City of Ember doesn't have much fan content, but hopefully my contribution means something! (Also it's been forever since I flexed my creative writing muscles, so bear with me!)
Disclaimer: I do not own the City of Ember series or Jeanne Duprau's intellectual property.
When Lina hopped off Fleet's back and onto the ground, she stumbled ever so slightly. She had pushed Fleet to go a little longer than usual since the sun was setting and she knew she could make it before dark. Not that she needed the daylight, since Sparks was now filled with lights, but she didn't have a diamond on her, and she preferred not to be caught out in the Empty Lands without a light.
Lina led the visibly exhausted Fleet to the river that ran by Sparks, just beyond the town's edge. As her horse drank greedily, she decided now would be a good time as any to sort through her saddlebag. I can probably make quick rounds with the mail before heading home, she thought. Lina unhooked the saddlebag, settled down on the riverbank, and proceeded to dump the bag's contents onto the rough grass.
Lina combed through the bundles of papers, picking out the one with all the letters labeled SPARKS. Once she set that aside, she proceeded to scan over the packages. She quickly noticed one unmarked package: a small, dark bundle tied with a string of yarn. Though she was puzzled for a second, she quickly remembered what the object was with a grin. Suddenly, Lina was filled with an eagerness to find its intended recipient. She finished sorting the packages and scrambled to get going, even startling Fleet with her briskness.
Once Lina arrived at the Pioneer Hotel, she brought Fleet to a halt. His stable was an old garden shed at the side of the building, which Lina had fitted with a water trough and an iron peg for the saddle. She quickly hung the saddle up and slipped the unmarked bundle into her pocket before leaving Fleet to graze. Lina then slipped into the Pioneer and started stomping up the steps two at a time. She hoped that her instinct was right.
Sure enough, Doon was at his usual spot in the attic, with several devices of varying sizes beside him. He appeared to be mulling over a space heater. Lina was curious to see what he had been up to since she was last in town, but she was more eager to show him what she found.
"Delivery for Doon Harrow!" she cried, thrusting the dark bundle out.
Startled, Doon nearly dropped the pliers he was holding. He looked up and raised his eyebrows at Lina. "Oh, you're back. What's that?"
"It's for you!" Lina said. She walked up to Doon and handed the bundle to him.
"For me?" Doon stared at it, a puzzled look on his face. "What is this? And who would be sending me..." He suddenly gave Lina a knowing look, and she giggled.
"Just open it," she urged. "I promise I'm not trying to trick you."
She watched as Doon unfurled the bundle gingerly, making sure to watch his expression shift from apprehension to incredulity. He had just unwrapped a beautiful pair of scissors that shone in the dim light. The scissors in Ember had always been dull, and it'd often take many snips to finally cut even a piece of paper. Sparks had the same problem, since the scissors that the roamers brought back were always just as worn down, if not worse due to rust. These scissors were clean and perfect, which Lina had never seen before in the short eighteen years of her life. Doon picked it up and turned it over carefully in his hand, as though he might break it. He kept staring at the scissors, until he finally looked up at Lina and asked, "Where did you find this?"
"A roamer was selling it in one of the other towns," Lina said proudly. "He wouldn't tell me where he got it, but gave it to me for a diamond. Isn't it lovely?"
"A diamond?" Doon echoed loudly. "That's ridiculous! Why didn't you just trade with some seeds?" Lina normally carried seeds with her to trade for supplies on her trips, since they were small and Clary—the Hotel Gardener—usually had plenty of them.
"I was already low on them by the time I came across that roamer," Lina admitted. "I got them in the last town I was in. But when I saw those scissors, I just knew I had to get them for you."
She thought she saw Doon frown for a moment, but then he shook his head and smiled up at her instead. "Thank you, Lina," he said.
She smiled back, glad that he was so happy with her gift. "By the way, what are you working on? Is that the heater from Dr. Hester's?"
"Yeah." Doon picked his pliers back up. "I've been trying to repair it for two days, but it seems like no matter what I do, it won't start again."
This wasn't a new occurrence. Doon had become something of Sparks' unofficial repairman. People often brought him things that needed repairing, and even got requests when he and Lina were visiting other settlements. She knew that Doon felt like he had a large responsibility on his shoulders, but at times like this there was nothing that Doon could do to fix them. "It's kind of like the Generator," Lina said quietly.
Doon nodded in agreement. "It's so old and it can only be patched up so much before it's dead for good."
"But I don't understand...these machines went unused for so long. They're not overused like the machines back in Ember were," Lina said. "Why are so many of them breaking down only after a couple of years?"
That exasperating question seemed to hang in the air as Doon sighed and rubbed his temple. "If only I knew," he muttered. "If only I could just replace these machines myself."
Electric machines were still considered a luxury in Sparks, but were slowly becoming more essential to everyday life. Once people were able to start using electricity, it was easier to survive the winter. Miniature refrigerators could help preserve food for much longer. Microwaves and electric kettles prevented the need to start a fire every time someone wanted to cook, saving firewood. Even electric saws made construction move almost twice as fast, allowing new houses to pop up quickly for those who still lived in the Pioneer Hotel. Lina knew that Doon was determined to lead the way for bringing electric machines back into everyone's lives, but that there was only so much he could do. She could practically see his frustration burning in his dark eyes.
After Lina delivered the mail, she returned to Dr. Hester's house to see Mrs. Murdo bent over a pile of carrots and muttering to herself. As soon as Lina closed the door though, Mrs. Murdo looked up and smiled warmly. "Welcome back, Lina!" she said.
"Hi, Mrs. Murdo," Lina said. She glanced around the room but didn't see anybody else. It was already sundown and dinner was supposed to be served soon. "Where is everyone?" she asked.
"Dr. Hester's out mending a broken leg, and Torren and Poppy were supposed to be back from the Dukes' with some potatoes a while ago..." Mrs. Murdo frowned. "Those kids never come back when they're supposed to."
As if on cue, the door swung open and in ran Poppy. "Lina, you're home!" she cried. Poppy ran up to Lina and hugged her tightly. Lina smiled and patted down her sister's unruly hair. She had clearly been running all day, since her hair seemed tangled beyond reason. Poppy reminded Lina of herself when she was a younger girl back in Ember, running the streets with dreams of becoming a Messenger.
"Hello? Someone help me out?" Torren grunted from the doorway as he lugged a large basket of potatoes. Lina rushed over and caught the other end of the basket before it could go lopsided. Once it was on the table, Torren groaned and stretched out his shoulder by swinging his arm in circles. "Jeez Poppy, you're no help, making me carry this by myself," he said.
"Liar, I was holding that thing with you all the way from the Dukes' house," Poppy retorted, sticking out her tongue. "You just couldn't tell because I'm too young to be much help."
"You two! Help me out with dinner if you don't want to go to bed hungry," Mrs. Murdo chided, looking pointedly at Torren and Poppy.
"But what about Lina?" Torren complained. "She's home now, can't she help instead?"
"She looks exhausted, you nut brain," Poppy said.
As the two continued to bicker, Lina smiled to herself and slipped away to go up to the loft, where she, Poppy, and Mrs. Murdo slept. She collapsed on the bed and savored the comfort after days of sleeping on earth. Poppy was getting far too big for the three of them to remain in the loft. Lina absently remembered that they were finally going to move into their new house soon, before she easily slipped into unconsciousness.