The Zodiac Cycle

NO 3.22 What She Stood For

Clementine felt antsy. She hadn't seen Amber since Olive took her. She was worried about Zach, and if he'd hurt Amber.

A little while ago, the rioters had been brought before Zach, and he seemed pissed. Clementine had heard mumbles about them looking for Zodiacs among the group, but the makeup they were wearing covered their signs perfectly, so they were not found out.

Clementine flinched when the door to the dungeons opened. It was a loud, screeching sound similar to nails on a chalkboard. It was a warning.

"I don't get why he's bringing her here, it's not like she'll see something we don't." One of the soldiers complained.

"Are you seriously questioning him?" The two that had entered came into view and hit the bars on Clementine's cell. "Sit up and look straight."

Clementine turned from where she was leaning against the wall to face the metal bars trapping her in the small, musty space. She didn't like the smell much, it reminded her of bad times.

"I'm just saying! Hecate isn't even part of the guard. She's more of a pet." The first guard was the first to disappear from Clementine's sight, and his companion immediately after.

"You're just mad she can beat any of us in a fight." The second guard repeated his banging and yelling at the next stall over.

"She cannot! I could literally throw her if I wanted to."

"Yeah, sure. Look, Maurice, you should just give up and admit that she's better than you and you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous of that bitch, I just don't like her."

"Would you two shut up?" A third soldier yelled. Her voice came from back by the entrance. "Hecate is none of our business. What is our business are these troublemakers."

"Yeah, yeah." The first one, Maurice, seemed annoyed as the second continued down the row, then looped around and came up the other side.

"When's his majesty coming?" The second asked.

"In just a few minutes." The third replied. "So behave."

"Yes ma'am." The two said in unison.

An odd silence fell across the room, as everyone on the wrong side of the bars waited in anticipation.

After a couple minutes passed one of the soldiers coughed. "So, is he-"

Then there was a knock on the door.

It opened, once again screeching warnings at the people inside. Clementine heard the footsteps as they walked slowly. The first person she saw was tall, with black hair and two different colored eyes.

Zach.

Clementine watched him pass. He gave her a side glance, not showing much on his face.

Following him was a small woman that looked all too familiar.

Hecate.

Clementine bit her lip and clenched her hand between her legs. She was angry, so very angry. She wanted to jump up, to scream, to fight.

She wanted to kill.

Hecate did not look at her, in fact, it seemed she was trying her best not to look.

Coward.

As Hecate followed Zach, making the full circle, Clementine scooted forward, so she could see more of the area around her. Each of the cells were separated by a thin concrete wall and were only accessible through the one set of bars. The cells were lined on either side of the wall, with one or two people in each of them. Avery and Dixie were sharing a cell across from Clementine and she couldn't tell the rest.