A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 8: A Persuasive Argument

I try to turn to get a look at my attacker, but she draws more blood as a warning to remain still. All I can do is shift my eyes to the left to see Kilgorian in a similar protective stance as Arlo, but he looked more eager to attack.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The person warns Kilgorian as he tries to take a step. "Don't want to make a scene, now do we?"

We were all frozen in the middle of the crowd, afraid that one wrong move would expose us to Maximus who was still lecturing his people from the balcony above.

"Drop your weapon, Loxley..." Arlo murmurs under his breath.

"You know her?!" Kilgorian almost shouts, but he managed to control his temper and let the words fall out in quiet contempt.

"She's the one who sent us the message in the palace."

The image of the hooded figure in the hallway flashes in my mind. My cheek stings at the memory of her arrow grazing my face before reaching its target.

She pulled her dagger out of my back, letting it hover an inch away from the flesh in case she needed to hurt me again. She spoke directly to Arlo, mixing a tone of annoyance into her naturally fierce pitch, "Why didn't you follow my directions?! I laid out your escape plan to be as simple as possible but-"

"There was a complication." Arlo cuts in despite her frightening attitude.

"What happened?" She demands.

"It doesn't matter! I got her out... that's what counts." Arlo looks around at the crowd, realizing that we were starting to draw some attention. "We should continue this conversation somewhere safer." He turns his back on the girl who was still threatening me with her dagger, clearly trusting that she wouldn't fatally wound me. He begins to slowly make his way out of the crowd, expecting us to follow his step.

Kilgorian doesn't take his eyes off the girl's blade, following us as she guides me through the crowd to where Arlo was waiting.

As we push through the people, I take in Maximus' final declaration to his people.

"The safety and well-being of the Romallian people has always been my first morning thought, my last evening sigh, and every damn thing in between! I will win this war for you. That is a promise directly from your Emperor. It won't be easy, but nothing of value ever is."

Once we reached the edge of the crowd, the girl tried to push me down a road through the city so we could find some privacy, but I pull away from her abruptly despite the new gash it left across my back; it was nothing compared to the lashing Decimus gave me months ago in the coliseum. Kilgorian stepped in her path to make sure she couldn't grab me without making a scene. But she had nothing to worry about; I wasn't trying to hide from her. I just wanted to witness such an extraordinary moment to its fullest.

Despite the Emperor's best efforts to both persuade and threaten his people to follow his rule, the crowd slowly began to raise their open palms up to the sky in resolve as they sang the lullaby.

"Close your eyes my dearest love,

Look to the stars that shine bright above.

Listen to the wind as it sings through the trees,

Dream how wondrous things can be.

Kiss me goodnight and hold me tight,

I'll miss you until you wake from this dark night.

I'll wait for you if you wait for me,

Dream how eager I will be.

When the moon fades and the stars burn out,