Page 11 (1/2)

Should I do it? I study the red pill Is helping To arrested? Before I can make a decision, the pill is snatched froh the croay froh et the pill back before she can give it to her Tracker friend The crowd starts to close around us; there’s not hly shove thee of her satchel, but she twists out of !

"What are you doing?" The blond-haired Tracker narrows his green eyes at her

"I want to look that race traitor in the eye, if that’s all right with you, Sebastian," she says

Sebastian So that’s his name

He stands aside, and she leans over Tom

"Your kind ing to slip the pill into his ood, no one would’ve noticed unless they were looking real close To crosses his face

She helped hile to process this thought as Beetle and Roach joinbored

"Kill the race traitors! Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" they chant

Sebastian clears his throat, steps forward and reads aloud fro indecent relations with a Darkling, I sentence Thomas Shreve to death by crucifixion"

There are cheers fro indecent relations with a human, I sentence Jana Marwick to death by crucifixion"

There are angry howls frour raises a hand, silencing theur? I didn’t realize he had any faht they’d all been executed at the start of the war

"For the criitives of the United Sentry States, I sentence Frank Shreve to death by crucifixion"

Movement on the wall draws my attention There’s a shift in the atuards in black flowing robes appear on the wall, their dark eyes glittering in the dusky sunlight, capturing everyone’s attention One by one, the Legion guards turn their backs to us

"What are they doing?" Beetle whispers

"I think it’s a protest They’re refusing to watch the execution," I say Purian Rose may have the power to execute us, but he doesn’t have the power to ot left

The three crosses are winched upright and screarandfather is mercifully already unconscious from shock, but the other two are still alert as they stare out across the crowd Blood seeps down Tom’s body froins to crackle and sizzle as she finally succumbs to the toxic effects of the acacia wood Flas

"Deory

I can’t i faces as you slowly suffocate, all alone

The fire rapidly spreads up Jana’s body, but she doesn’t scream, she doesn’t make a sound She simply turns to look at Toaze for as long as he can before sing the pill It’s not a moment too soon, as the fire spreads to his cross and sets him ablaze

The crowds cheer as the lovers burn

"One race under His Mighty!" they chant

Froe, Natalie’s eyes meet mine as red flames and black se and hands her over to another guard, a brawny black e claw marks down his neck She’s ushered down City End away from the mob Day chases after Natalie

Roach turns to us "Get out of here, kids"

We don’t need to be told twice--we slip through the crowd and out onto City End I iarette and pass it to Beetle

"I’arette There’s a fierce look in his eyes that I only see when he’s off on one of his rants "All Purian Rose has done is given us a martyr Tom’s death won’t be in vain"

"You can’t be serious He was your friend"

"He was a freedohter; he’d want to die for the cause if it helped us, which it will"

I rake a weary hand through ue with him We turn the bend and couards and a Tracker--the black uards draw their swords and point them at me

"Where’s your ID bracelet, nipper?" Claw Neck says

Beetle stands in front of me "He doesn’t have to wear--"

I roll uard er and humiliation

Beetle’s eyes widen

"Lower your weapons I know these people," Natalie orders

They look at Claw Neck, who also orders theo, Kurt," she says to Claw Neck

"You know I can’t do that, miss, I have strict orders--"

She rolls her eyes "Fine Will you at least walk down the road a little way, so I can have so under his breath

"I’m so sorry about your friend," Natalie says to us "That’s no way to die"

I give a gruff laugh "Look, thanks for your help, blondie, but if it weren’t for your kind, he wouldn’t have been up there in the first place"

"My kind? Honestly, Ash, you’re such an ass" Natalie heads toward Bleak Street with Day She doesn’t look back

My heart’s slowing do that Natalie is walking away

"Why did it have to be her? Why is s "Karma’s a bitch someti She’s a Sentry, end of story," he says

"But--"

"Forget it, Ash I’, and Natalie did help Too in her favor, but she’s still a Sentry That’s wrong on epic levels, bro That’s like collaborating with the devil!"

"I know! Do you think I wanted this to happen?" I kick the wall

"Why didn’t you tell me about your ID band?" Beetle asks

I let out an irritated sigh "Because I knehat you’d say, and I don’t want to join Hun you should reconsider"

"What’s the point? Nothing’s ever going to change Fragg, I hate it here!" I yell