by Casey Hays
The other boys are quiet inside their cages as Mona takes my elbow and we walk. The Council follows, the guard bringing up the rear with Ian.
“I’m sorry for you, Kate,” Mona says. I sense sincerity in her words. “You made a very poor decision, and now you will pay for it. If only you had been willing to follow the rules. You’d more than likely be happy—possibly pregnant and safe in your own sweet hogan.” She glances at me, a sadness in her eyes. “I hope these ideals of yours are worth dying for.”
I glare at her without replying. Her jaw tightens. I owe her nothing, and I feel no compulsion to give an explanation for why my heart has chosen to take its own path rather than submit to a life designed by Fate. She doesn’t deserve to know.
We are nearly to the wooden ladder before I realize that only Ian has been taken from the cages. Mona stares straight ahead. I glance over my shoulder at Ian. His eyes glow with intensity. He seems to be formulating an alternate plan.
“What about the others? Aren’t you bringing them, too?”
Mona’s green eyes flash with delight for the first time this morning. “Not today. It’s your day, Kate—yours and Ian’s. We wouldn’t want anything to interfere with it, would we? Those four together, I am sure, are a force to be reckoned with. Two at once were difficult enough to handle.”
She brushes a finger against my cheek. I immediately flinch away.
Something greater than terror begins to manifest inside me, and for the first time in my life, even after all the beatings and whippings and threats, I truly feel Death breathing down my neck. Me. Ian. And no one to help.
We reach the ladder, and I climb, and for a few moments, Mona and I are alone at the top. She looks out over the expanse of the Pit, and a heavy sigh explodes from her lungs. My eyes dart toward her warily.
“It is a difficult job to run a village. You must be many things at once. A problem-solver, a caretaker, a judge.” She faces me, her eyes soft. “You would not like that part.”
I raise my chin, purse my lips, and keep in tune with my defiance. Mona watches me a moment and shakes her head, smiling.
“You mean a great deal to me, Kate. It pains me to think of your death, but you have given me no choice.”
Her voice is quiet, almost sad. I refuse to allow her words to affect me.
“You may not want to believe it, but you are a lot like me in many ways. Strong, beautiful, if I must say, and intelligent. I could not see anyone more suited to lead our village after me.” She clasps her hands and stares out over the Pit again. “I still can’t, and I am so afflicted with my decision to take your life. I wish you had not placed me in this predicament.” She sighs, closing her eyes. “Traitors must be punished,” she whispers.
I turn away, tired of this pointless speech. In a little while, it will no longer matter. All the compliments in the world will not change the facts: she’s going to kill me. It’s too late for kindness. I determine here and now that if by some chance I live through this day, I will continue to be a thorn in her side for as long as I have breath.
The others gather at the top of the ladder, Ian still in tow. Tara comes to us.
“Mona. A word, please.”
Mona nods and walks a few paces away to speak to Tara in private. Ian stands near the ladder, surrounded by guards. They shove him forward. He’s strong enough to break away from them, but he doesn’t. His eyes find me, and he winks. My heart soars with a bit of hope. He has a plan.
“I will not argue this matter with you again, Tara.”
I peel my eyes from Ian and focus on Mona. She places one hand on her hip, irritated, and shakes her head. They stand a few feet away, their voices muffled, but I perk my ears to listen.
“And what of the others?” Tara’s voice is urgent. She flicks her eyes toward Ian. “Mona, your plan has failed. You took him, and he escaped. Now he brings more with him and places our village in harm’s way. You cannot think to do this again.”
“Enough! You have no idea how much I’ve vested in this effort. I will not have you import to me what I should think is best. You will do as I say. Is this clear?”
Tara starts to object, but something in the way Mona glowers makes her hold her tongue. She turns on her heels and traipses off in the direction of the clearing.
Mona comes to me and takes hold of my arm again as if nothing has interrupted our journey. And we march on after Tara toward our destination: the same place where Layla and her mate were so carelessly slaughtered, the same place Meg and countless others met their ends. Will there be a crowd of spectators today? Will this be a mandatory viewing?
I look at Mona sidelong, but she shows no indication that she and her first-in-command are not in agreement. And I don’t dare ask her what Tara meant. She would have no reason to tell me, and besides, I gathered enough from what I’d heard. Mona plans to bring others here. Others from Eden with super human strength and speed. But why? What could she possibly gain from bringing that sort of power among our people?
And perhaps she isn’t planning to execute all the boys. Only Ian. The rest she’ll keep.
My heart thuds in my head. This is her plan.
A scuffling and a shout penetrate the morning air and my thoughts at once. Together, Mona and I turn, and my heart pounds harder as shouts from the Council lagging behind us rise into the air, loud and desperate. They call to Mona. I break free from her grasp and take a step forward.
My eyes strain, looking for Ian who I am sure is the subject of the shouts. I see him, and I gasp. Somehow, he has managed to break free from the group of guards surrounding him, and to my shock, he runs back toward the Pit. No. He flies across the ground at amazing speed! And we all watch—stunned.
Mona’s eyes are sheer fire, and after a second, she charges after him, whipping out her cattle prod at the same time. I stare after her, finding it ridiculous that she aims to catch him. But a sudden fear that she will envelops me, and I’m on her heels.
We race toward the Pit. Ian runs far ahead, and my gorge rises when I see what he drags behind him attached to the end of the glistening rope: the guard. She bumps along grotesquely, lifting and crashing with each step Ian takes. Mona sprints after him, fumes practically rising from the top of her head. She’s fast, but not fast enough. I follow with the Council close behind.
Ian stops at the edge of the Pit, the titanium embedded ropes still twisted around him like so many shiny vipers. He turns with cool confidence and waits patiently.
I helplessly come to a stop, heaving. I bend over and clutch my aching side.
Mona halts directly in front of Ian. Her breath comes in heavy but even spurts. She is a tall woman, and her forehead comes to just below his chin. She lifts her eyes and meets his, no fear in her at this moment. Only anger.
“What is your plan, boy? Do you think we didn’t expect something like this? You won’t get away.”
Ian doesn’t answer. He stands firm, breathing evenly, his eyes two blue torches lit with anger, hatred, and bitterness toward this woman who’s interfered with his life for the last time. I see the message etched in his expression. He lunges, but she’s ready, and in a flash, Ian is writhing in agony as the electricity soars through him. He falls to his knees, and his screams fill the dead air. They’re worse than Jesse’s, worse than any sound I’ve heard in all my life. I leap forward.
“Stop it! Mona, stop it!”
My cries are drowned out by Ian’s tortured screams. Mona’s eyes are wild with excitement, and she hears nothing as she concentrates on her victim. I can’t bear it. I cover my ears and scream at her.
“Please, Mona!”
The Council watches with stone faces. No one moves; no one touches me; no one cares that my heart is being ripped out of my chest. And no one will help Ian, the intruder. Adrenaline pumps fast through my veins, and before I lose my nerve, I lurch forward and shove Mona. The current breaks, and Ian crumples to the ground. Mona whirls on me, the cattle prod still in her hand. It hisses once.
/> “Do you want a taste of this too, then? Is that it, Kate?”
Her eyes dance insanely. She’s lost all her cool control, her breath heaving in hard waves. Still gasping for air, I plant myself between Mona and Ian. I know it’s insane. I have no upper hand here. No power. But I do it all the same.
“Leave him alone!”
Mona’s eyes clear. She laughs, softly at first, but soon it turns into thunderous bellowing. She holds her stomach. The Council shifts uneasily and casts wary glances at each other. Mona’s laughing ceases as quickly as it came. She stares straight at me.
“No,” she says.
She makes a move to dash past me for Ian, but I block her hard, jabbing her with my shoulder. She falls back a pace. I’ve had enough of her tyranny. She will never touch him again.
Ian staggers to his feet and watches the exchange in stunned silence, along with the rest of the Council. I stand my ground, shakily, but still standing. With an inhumanly angry growl, Mona dodges me and leaps at Ian. But she never reaches him because I slam myself into her again and send her toppling over the edge of the Pit. With a final screech, she disappears from sight, but not before she grabs hold of Ian’s ankle. Still weak from the massive, electrical shock, he cries out, losing his balance.
And they tumble to the ground below.
Chapter 33
“All share a common destiny, the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun. The same destiny overtakes all.” Ecclesiastes 9:2-3
Everything blows around me like a whirlwind. I see the Council members rush to the edge of the Pit and peer down at the bodies below. Tara’s face contorts with pain. Then I watch as maddening rage takes over. Guards move toward me, their faces hard, their movements dull and trudging, as if someone has sounded a horn that slows the world down and threatens to stop it completely.
I dive for the edge, my chest and stomach making hard contact with the ground. I make myself look—force myself to see what I’ve done.
The horror of it all stares up at me from bloody, crumpled heaps. Mona is flat on her back, her head turned to the left, eyes wide and blank. Her right leg is twisted awkwardly underneath her broken body, and her gold-colored curls, riddled with red drops, are splayed like a fan. A thick red stream seeps slowly from under her and puddles across the dirt, staining it forever with the weight of my guilt.
I don’t want to look at her anymore, but I can’t stop myself. I can’t tear my eyes from her. Hot tears gush, dripping in rivers down my cheeks. Mona blurs. I rub my eyes and find Ian. He’s pinned under Mona, his arm bent grotesquely beneath him. His face—smashed part way into the dirt—is a bloody mask. Blood is everywhere. It flows from his head at an unnatural rate to mingle with Mona’s crimson stain. I wipe frantically at my eyes. But the tears keep coming until I can’t see him anymore.
“You see, we’re pretty indestructible. We aren’t even sure how we can be killed . . .”
And now . . . we know.
With a desperate sob, I jump to my feet and rush for the ladder, but a jailer grabs me by the elbow and jerks me backwards. And then Tara has a hold of me, glaring with those menacing eyes of stone. With one quick motion, she reaches out and back-hands me squarely across the jaw.
“What have you done?”
Her voice is thick and raspy, and her eyes are wet. I convulse with pain. My heart is cracking right in half, and I drop my head. I’m suddenly bellowing, loud and long and mournfully. I fall to my knees before Tara.
“I’m—I’m—I’m s-s-sorry. I didn’t m-m-mean for this to h-h-happen.” My face is so close to the ground, in a kind of bow before the only one who can render mercy now. I taste the dirt mixed in with the salt of my tears. “I n-n-never meant for—for—”
“It’s too late for that, isn’t it? You are to blame. You and that stupid boy!”
She struggles to control her emotions—to keep from looking like a weakling in front of the others who have now become her responsibility.
“At least Mona had the sense to take him down with her.” She yanks me to my feet and shoves me toward the path. “Mona may have had a soft spot for you, but our plans have not changed. Today, you will die for your crimes, which have just multiplied.”
My eyes strain toward the Pit one last time, but Tara drags me away, and the dust kicks up all around us. Several guards scramble down the ladder one after the other to retrieve Mona’s body. Only Mona’s. Ian will rot right where he lies.
With wet and lowered eyes, I begin the long walk toward the disposal site, a guard on each side. And I sob.
Ian! Oh, Ian, what do I do now?
The Council falls in step behind Tara and follows. They will waste no time. I’ll be taken care of immediately. My shoulders sag despondently. I have no fight left in me. It’s crushed beneath the weight of my heart.
As we near the site, I hear the buzzing of voices. So the villagers gather after all to see the spectacle. My staggered breath escapes my lips. They will be sorely surprised by what transpires today.
I head straight to the platform without hesitating, weaving my way through the women. I hear the hushed whispers laced with sadness for my doom, but I don’t have the energy or the desire to try and make out what they say. I climb the steps silently, without looking up, and take my place center stage with slumped shoulders. The Council members file in and crowd into their designated spots.
Tara ascends the steps and faces the crowd. She wipes her eyes and takes in a deep breath before facing the women. Her gruff voice echoes out over their heads, and they grow silent. All eyes are on me.
“Today, tragedy has struck the Village.” She takes another deep and dramatic breath before continuing. “Our dear beloved leader, protector of this land, has been slain.”
As if rehearsed she raises her hand, and all eyes turn.
The crowd parts for the guards who carry Mona’s body—still with death—on a wooden litter. They hold her above their heads, solemn respect lining their faces. Gasps and sighs of surprise burst from the onlookers as her body passes them. A white cloth shrouds her from view, but as if to taunt me, one lock of blood-stained gold spills from the wrap. And like gold, the women handle her as a treasured jewel, carefully placing her at Tara’s feet. Tara’s eyes swim, but her face is a hard mask of hatred, every bit of it directed toward me.
The shroud parts slightly, and Mona’s lifeless face gapes up at me. It is absent of all the rage that was creased into it just moments ago. Except for the blood that stains her cheek, she could be only sleeping. In anguish, I feel myself push her over the edge. It replays in my mind—a hateful jeering against her peaceful expression. I turn away.
This was not part of the plan—not my plan. I never wished her dead. Tears threaten to take me over again, and I fight them. I close my eyes.
Tara bends and brushes a gentle hand across Mona’s cheek.
“Good-bye, my friend,” she whispers.
She doesn’t move for many minutes, and the women grow fidgety, wanting to know what happens next. Some cry softly; others speak to each other in worried whispers, while still others remain silent, staring at the stage. Each woman lost in her own experience.
The Council members are solemn, their eyes downcast. I see several wipe at tears. Tara is second-in-command under Mona, and they will allow her these few moments of mourning before turning to the task at hand.
I scan the crowd. Mia and Diana are here. They cling to each other and stare at me with wide, interrogating eyes. I know what they must be thinking. Trouble follows me wherever I go, and they are afraid I’ve outworn my luck. I see it in their frightened eyes, and I want to reassure them, but I can’t. My mouth is frozen into a tight line, unable to make any kind of gesture. And they are right. I am doomed.
&n
bsp; Ian’s face presses in through my sorrow. A fat teardrop falls with a splat against the wooden platform. I am doomed in so many ways.
Tara’s voice, full of command now, rings loud across the clearing.
“Mona’s death will not go unpunished. Her killer will be shown the same courtesy. We will have justice by her blood.” She roughly pushes me forward holding my arm up over my head like a victor. “Here is your murderer! Justice for our leader!”
Another gasp escapes the shocked crowd, but this soon changes to a dull roar that slowly builds into a thunderous pounding in my ears. All around me their angry cries for revenge reverberate back from the surrounding mountains screaming for justice—and for my death.
I’m blank. Numb. With no strength to defend myself, and no reason to do so. I am what Tara claims: a murderer. And it matters not that it was unintentional. Who would believe me when I have hated Mona for so long? They will kill me, and I deserve it.
My tears run free now, but not for me. No. I cry for the lives I’ve taken and for the Village so callous they’ll gather to see an execution of any kind to appease their obscene thrill or to break the monotony that defines our lives here. I cry for Ian, who was pulled into my nightmare against his will and paid a price he didn’t owe.
And in the deepest part of my pain, I make a fruitless wish that is far too late. I wish Ian had not been a hunter with a brave bow. I wish he had never left Eden at all. If only he’d been a baker or a farmer. Then my heart would be intact still. It would never have known the touch of love only to have it devastatingly ripped from its roots.
I lose sight of the crowd in a blurry, wet mess. But the sounds of their chanting voices explode inside my head. They demand my death. I cover my ears and sink to the platform.
“Stand up!” Tara grits her teeth and yanks me once again to my feet. “You will face your accusers on your feet. Have some pride, girl!”
