Chapter Forty

                                    

                                          
Tramy 
                          
When Jon rips the bag off of my head, I find myself in a room with Maven. He looks like he's ready to kill me, and for a second, I hope he does. I betrayed my family. I betrayed everything I believed in and for what? Nothing. For a while, Jon had me believing that he was on our side, that he was working underground for the Scarlet Guard. I should have listened to Mare, but I thought she had just grown cold when she told me that anybody can betray anybody. 
                          
I am that person. 
                          
My soul is drenched in my own family's blood. I killed them. I just killed everybody. I look at Maven and shrug my shoulders, deciding to be bold instead of a coward in my last days. 
                          
"Can I see my sister?" 
                          
He laughs, not looking at me. "Jon, please make sure my wife stays far away from my office for the next hour, will you?" 
                          
I scoff. Of course. I watch Jon leave and Maven shut the door. I hear the click of the lock. 
                          
"So I guess you're my brother now." I say, looking around the room. "Cool." My voice fades on the last word, filling the silence. 
                          
Maven walks around his desk and gives me a glaring glance. "Shut up, Tramy. I don't have a problem killing you." 
                          
♥
                          
Mare
                          
I sleep a lot. Maven makes sure that I do. Naps after breakfast and lunch are required for his little queen. For his baby. 
                          
But it's not his baby. 
                          
He's gone, away in his office, finally leaving me alone. The news has worn off. Everything is back to normal, but I feel eyes on me wherever I go. I just got married. I just became queen. And now I'm having a little prince or princess. 
                          
Restraining my tears, I rush to the bathroom and fill the sink with cold water. The mirror has been replaced. The glass shards have been swept up. My blood did not stain and I bear no marks of my breakdown the other day. But this war has taken its toll on me and my heart can't hold it any longer. It will burst through my chest.
                          
Hot tears make their way down my cheeks and I dunk my head underwater, staying there as long as I can hold my breath. 
                          
These walls are closing in on me, and I fear I will be crushed.
                          
♥
                          
Kyra 
                          
Luka does not mention the visit I paid him 3 nights ago. The days since have been as normal as ever. Blake and him haven't even been on my night watch since. I pay close attention to everything I see, trying to find him alone again. I will just have to be patient. 
                          
The new guard hasn't made another appearance either, and I don't know whether or not that is a good thing. Maybe he's also apart of the Scarlet Guard and is here to take me away. 
                          
That sounds a bit too much like a fairytale for me. Damsel in distress, locked away in a tower? Please. 
                          
I wander into the dining room around midnight, my guards trailing behind me. The moonlight shines through the large glass windows and I ask if I can go outside. Esmun reluctantly agrees, as long as they can still see me and I stay on the balcony. Giddy and awake as ever, I swing the doors open, letting the cool ocean breeze sweep into the dining room. I take a breath of fresh salty air and stare at the ocean below. 
                          
I can see the bottom of the tower. I don't remember ever being down there, on the beach. The island itself isn't much larger than the tower, only about a mile wide in each direction, I guess. The two bottom floors I am banished from. Jon makes sure that everybody knows what he will do to them if I go down there. He described it to me in great detail, taking away every rebellious thought. 
                          
What would happen to the other guards if I leave with Luka? Will they be tortured and killed, like my mother and brother? 
                          
I sense someone beside me that isn't either of my guards. I can still see Esmun and Silas sitting with another in the dining room. Without moving, I whisper.
                          
 "Luka?" 
                          
 The figure shifts so that I can glance at him in the moonlight. But it isn't Luka. It's the new guard; I never got his name. 
                          
 "Oh hi." I say, sounding chipper. "What are you doing out here?" I ask, pretending to be dumb.
                          
He smirks, his eyes reflecting the moon. "There isn't a plan, or else Jon would predict it." He whispers. 
                          
 "True." The word comes out of my mouth on its own. I shake my head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand." I turn away from him, gawking at myself. How could I have said that in front of him? 
                          
 His deep voice appears at my ear. I can feel the breath of every word. "Be ready, at any time, to rise." 
                          
 I find myself whispering back to him. "Red as the dawn." 
                          
 I whip around, expecting to find him smirking again. But he's gone. 
                          
Hey! I'm bored! I like Kyra and totally wanted her and Kilorn to happen but then I realized that Kilorn couldn't be the new guard because Jon knows him. So sad. My plan failed, and he's still kinda in love with Mare, I guess. Woops. Plot hole. 
                          
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