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My hand closes around the ny hier onit impossible to breathe For the first time since I entered the arena, the cold hand of fear clenches around , I’s screa the water choke s like fire, like death

The tiniest spark runs through h the water and up into Osanos He yelps, ju through the wet sand Air sears asp for breath, but there’s no tiain; this ti foot of water

But I’h to touch o, shocking through flesh and water, he screa teakettle and flops backward As the water falls away, draining into the sand, I know he’s truly dead

When I rise, soaking wet, shaking with adrenaline, fear, strength,all over, but his arht red fire and Ptole forto see hi with eline If only I could do it myself "He tried to kill us Kill hih his teeth He looks so torn, eager for vengeance, consu back to the calhtful man he used to be The man he can’t be anyed He steps back, fla away

"I won’t"

The silence presses down, a wonderful change froo But when I look up, I realize they aren’t staring They aren’t seeing Cal’s reat arena has e sent them away, to hide the truth of e have done so he can supplant it with his own lies

Froins to clap

"Well done," he shouts, h the shield, his mother close at his shoulder

The sound hurts e It echoes over the e feet, boots on stone and sand, drown him out

Security, Sentinels, soldiers, all of theate There are hundreds, thousands, too ht Too many to run from We won the battle, but we lost the war

Ptole into the crowd of soldiers Noe’re alone in a steadily closing circle, with nothing and no one left

It’s not fair We won We showed theht, but the bullets will get er well in my eyes, but I will not cry Not in these last moments

"I’m sorry I did this to you," I whisper to Cal Nohere I knew the risks but he was just a pawn, torn between so a as he looks for some way out of this But there isn’t one I don’t expect hiive me, and I don’t deserve it either But his hand closes overon to the last person on his side