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ONE
Mare
I rise to my feet when he lets me
The chain jerkson the thorned collar at h to draw blood—not yet But I’ from the wrists Sloounds, worn fro manacles The color stainsfrom old blood to new in a testament to my ordeal To show Maven’s court how much I’ve suffered already
He stands over me, his expression unreadable The tips of his father’s crownout of his skull It glea flame of black metal shot with bronze and silver I focus on the bitterly fa so I don’t have to look into Maven’s eyes He drawson another chain I can’t see Only feel
One white hand circles entle In spite of myself, my eyes snap to his face, unable to stay away His s at me with every tooth And his eyes are worst of all Her eyes, Elara’s eyes Once I thought the ice Now I know better The hottest fires burn blue, and his eyes are no exception
The shadow of the flaes Bruise-like splotches of black and blue surround eyes bloodshot with silver veins He has not slept He’s thinner than I remember, leaner, crueler His hair, black as a void, has reached his ears, curling at the ends, and his cheeks are still s we both are Beneath s
Maven turns quickly,a planet
“Bear witness to this prisoner, this victory,” he says, squaring his shoulders to the vast audience before us Three hundred Silvers at least, nobles and civilians, guards and officers I’e of my vision, their fiery robes a constant reuards are never out of sight either, their white uniforht choke on the pressure of their presence
The king’s voice echoes across the opulent stretches of Caesar’s Square, reverberating through a crowd that responds in kind There ’s bitter words throughout the city, and no doubt the rest of the kingdom
“Here is the leader of the Scarlet Guard, Mare Barrow” In spite of my predicament, I almost snort Leader His mother’s death has not stereat enedom And now she kneels before us, bare to her blood”
The chain jerks again, sendingforward, arms outstretched to catch eantry Anger and shae this simple act will do to the Scarlet Guard Reds across Norta atch s and think us weak, defeated, unworthy of their attention, effort, or hope Nothing could be further fro I can do, not now, not here, standing on the knife edge of Maven’s mercy I wonder about Corviu on our way to the Choke There was rioting after asp of revolution—or the last? I have no way of knowing And I doubt anyone will bother to bring me a newspaper
Cal warned o, before his father died, before he was left with nothing but a teirl Rebellion on both sides, he said But standing here, leashed before Maven’s court and his Silver kingdoh I showed them, told them of Maven’s prison, of their loved ones taken away, of their trust betrayed by a king and his mother—I am still the enemy here It makes me want to scream, but I know better Maven’s voice will always be louder than mine
Are Mos a fresh wave of sorrow, and I bite hard against my lip to keep more tears at bay I know there are video cameras nearby, focused on my face Even if I can’t feel them anymore, I know Maven would not miss the opportunity to immortalize my downfall
Are they about to see me die?
The collar tellsto kill ht feel relieved, but my insides turn cold with fear He will not kill ers still cling to my wrist, while his other hand still holds o I would prefer death to this cage, to the twisted obsession of a
I ree lament
Until we ain
He continues speaking, but his voice dulls inevery nerve stand on edge I look over h the crowd of courtiers behind us All of the black Lord Volo of House Samos and his son, Ptolemus, are splendid in polished, ebony arht of the latter, I see scarlet, raging red I fight the urge to lunge and rip the skin froh his heart the way he did my brother Shade The desire shows, and he has the spine to suards restricting everything I alass
Soo, isn’t looking at own spiked with black crystal, is ever the glittering star of such a violent constellation I suppose she’ll be queen soon, having suffered her betrothal to Maven long enough Her gaze is on the king’s back, dark eyes fixed with burning focus on the nape of his neck A breeze picks up, stirring her glossy curtain of silver hair, blowing it back froAnd even then, her eyes barely flick to er worthy of her attention