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"Stop this war," she says

Darkness descends over my heart like a shroud This is a trick! I release her hand

"Why would I do that?" I snap

"Because it’s over, Rose," Ash says I turn toward his and your plan to infect everyone with it at today’s Cleansing" My stomach twists as he lifts the white bowl in his hands "You’ve beenpeople drink it!"

There are confusedat the foot of the stage stare at the white bowls in their hands, their brows furrowed

"Lies," I growl

The Buchanan girl lifts her chin "Samples of the retrovirus have been sent to news stations all across the country, along with evidence that it’s been killing people!"

"That’s not true," Sebastian says uncertainly His upper lip glistens with sweat "Wings is a perforer, better, that’s all"

Natalie looks at him "He lied to you, Sebastian He lied to all of you It’s a retrovirus and a lethal one at that Unexpectedin some of the patients"

"I don’t believe you," he says

At that ital screens around the plaza flicker and a new ie taken inside a hospital A female Sentry doctor avy brown hair walks down the ward, passing es, Bastets and humans who are chained to the beds, their naked bodies dark with bruises and welts The cairl, about twelve years old, her brown hair slick with sweat, her ulcerated skin oozing with yellow fluid She stares fearfully up at the cahs, spewing up blood, painting her face and chest in red There are horrified gasps from the crowd

"Patient seventy-six was injected with the F-09 Wings virus teeks ago and is now displaying signs of liver failure," the doctor says, turning back to the camera She rolls her eyes "That’s the tenth one this week Back to the drawing board, huh?"

The e cuts off and the live feed returns The Pilgrier back in horror Sebastian looks at irl’s in the video

"You told me it was safe," he says "You promised me"

"A neorld cannot be built without sacrifices," I reply harshly "I felt it was an acceptable risk; ed shouts from the crowd Cries of "murderer" and "traitor" fill the air I take a few steps back as people start throwing things at the stage, allare at thee toward the platforuards, but I’irl turns to h!"

She grabs ripsbetween us and all her emotions flow into irl’s life, as if I were living it myself: the time her parents were murdered in front of her by a Tracker; her terror as her heart was torn out by a Sentry doctor; her grief at being trapped behind the Boundary Wall Her life is full of suffering and sorrow; it consu in it And it’s my fault I did this to her, just like irl, knocking her off the stage into the crowd below She hits the cobblestones with a thud Ash turns, distracted by the Darkling girl’s fall, and I take round and grab Ash by his hair, yanking his head back He grunts in pain as I force him to his knees in front of me His skin sizzles as I press the silver blade to the side of his throat

"Get off him!" Natalie rushes forward, but she’s stopped by the boy Sebastian She bites his aro I turn my attention back to Ash He stares up athis black hair

"This has gone on long enough, Mr Fisher," I snarl "I should have done this o, when I had the chance"

"Go ahead" Ash spits the words at me like bullets "It doesn’t matter now Everyone in the country knows you betrayed them I did what I came here for, so I’m not afraid to die!"

"No fear, no power!" Natalie cries out

Panic surges through ets picked up by the rest of the crowd Their words spread down the streets and alleyways, crawling through every door, every , until the whole city is united in one furious, defiant voice:

"NO FEAR! NO POWER!"

There’s a clatter of swords as e

"Get back here!" I yell, but my command falls on deaf ears I whip around to Sebastian He’s still holding the Buchanan girl "Control your men!"

A muscle twitches in his jaw Without a word he releases her and caluards The Buchanan girl snatches one of the abandoned swords off the stage and points it at

My heart clenches as it experiences soht Theora died

Fear

And if I’m afraid

I look down at Ash, and a hint of a smile spreads across his lips

He has the power

Terror wraps itself around rip I’rabs round He holds ust of wind catches his black coat, flashing its vivid orange lining, so he looks like he has wingsto ainst the golden sun, so all I can see are two glinting eyes staring down at le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>