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"But now I know you’re not different, not any "You’re the same as all the rest Heartless, selfish, cold--just like us They taught you well"

Then he turns, facing the gate again He wants no o to hiuard holdsmore for me to do but stand tall and wait for our dooate with the daylight He sounds like his father, like Cal, but there’s so sharper in his voice He’s only seventeen, and already a monster "My people, my children"

Cal scoffs next tosilence settles He has them in the palm of his hand

"Some would call this a cruelty," Maven continues I don’t doubt hespeech, probably written by his witch of a mother "My father’s body is barely cold, his blood still stains the floor, and I have been forced to take his place, to begin n in such a violent shadow We have not executed our own for ten years and it pains ain But for , but I am not weak Such crih in the arena, jeers ring out, cheering for death

"Lucas of House Saainst the crown, for collusion with the terrorist organization known as the Scarlet Guard, I declare you guilty I sentence you to die Sub up the incline, to his own death He doesn’t spare a glance for , not just because of e made him do, but for what I ae about me And like the others, he will die When he disappears through the far gate, I have to turn away and stare at the wall The gunshots are hard to ignore The crowd roars, pleased by the violent display

Lucas was only the beginning, the opening act We are the show

"Walk," Arven says, prodding us on He follows as we begin the slow clio of Cal’s hand, in case I stuht of his life I reach out forcomes There’s not even a treh the gate, I watch Lucas’s body be dragged away, leaving a streak of silver blood across the sand A wave of sickness passes over roan, the steel gate shudders and rises up The sunlight blindsme to the spot, but Cal pulls me forward into the arena

White sand, fine as powder, slides beneath et to breathe The arena is enorray ry faces They stare down on us in deafening silence, pouring their hate into my skin I can’t see any Reds at all, but I don’t expect to This is what the Silvers call entertainh at, and they won’t share it

Video screens dot the arena, reflecting my own face back at me Of course they must record this, to broadcast it across the nation To show the world another Red brought so low The sight gives led hair, si off me in little clouds My skin blushes with the blood I’ve tried so long to hide If death weren’t waiting for me, I would probably s froe, from all the cameras, all the electric eyes With a shaky breath, I realize exactly how deep Maven’s plan really went

The screens play it all back, every stolen ether, our whispered conversations, our kiss And then the king’s ether as one, it’s not hard to believe Maven’s story All of it connects together, the tale of the Red devil who seduced a prince, whoup the perfect lie Eventhis

"Mare Molly Barrow"

Maven’s voice boo down at us His own box of seats drips with black-and-red flags, filled to the brietting their house colors in honor of a h House children stare down on ust Lord Saht Elara hides behind aveil, probably tonearby, content toAfter all, she only wanted the crown But she’s nowhere to be seen Maven hiainst the black glea with, and his father’s crown nestles against his hair, glea in the sun

"Once we believed you to be the lost Mareena Titanos, another murdered citizen of my crown With the help of your Red brethren, you deceived us with technological tricks and ruses, infiltrating ical tricks The screens showwith electricity In the footage, it seeth--and even our love For that, you repaid us with treachery, turning ainst his blood with your deceit"

"We kno that you are an operative of the defeated Scarlet Guard and are directly responsible for the loss of countless lives" The i, to the ballroo red rag and the torn sun, stands out against the chaos

"Together with my brother, Prince Tiberias the Seventh, of House Calore and House Jacos, you are accused of ainst the crown, including deception, treason, terrorism, and murder" Your hands are no cleaner thanhis own son to do the deed You are a Red devil"--he sweeps his eyes to Cal, now aler--"and you are a weak man A traitor to your crown, your blood, and your colors" The death of the king plays again, ceuilty of your crioes up over the arena It sounds like pigs screa for blood

The video screens flip back to Cal andus to weep or plead for our lives Neither of us et that fro, waiting for one of us to snap

Instead, Cal salutes, two fingers to his brow It’s better than punching Maven across the face and he draws back, disappointed He looks away from us, to the far side of the arena When I turn, I expect to see the gunht

I don’t knohere they caures appear in the dust

"That’s not too bad," ICal’s hand He’s a warrior, a soldier Five on one ht even be fair for him

But Cal furrows his brow, his attention on our executioners They coh me I know their names and abilities, soth, in armor and uniforms meant for war