Red as the Dawn

Chapter 7

(/Mare/)

It was chaos when we returned early in the morning. The sun was just barely reaching into the sky, and a few wisps of clouds patrolled the endless cycle of blue, red, and orange. As we approached the main hanger entrance, a few distinct smudges could be discerned. The closer we got to them, the more I noticed the guns and stiff attention of the Guard. 

A patrol of ten guards were waiting for us at the main door, with Farley at its stead, her face like granite and her eyes like lightening as we arrived. My mother was behind her with Tramy and Bree, both of whom had rifles mounted on their shoulder and poised at the cabin of the truck. Seeing their restrained expressions, I rolled down the window and stuck my head out at we approached, waving my arms to get their attention. I saw Bree lower the gun in surprise, and Farley barked something at him that made him raise it again.

I pulled my head back inside and Cal slowed us to a crawl before stopping completely. I glanced at him, my eyes soft as I whispered, "I can have Maggie and Shade out in seconds, you still have a chance-"

"No," he replied softly, yet sternly, he met my gaze and with a tired smile finished, "I still have no where to go."

I reached out and taking his hand tightly between my own I whispered, "I-I can't thank you-"

"You don't have to, daring rescues are in the job description for a prince." He gave me a wan smile with comment and then turned the key, shutting the engine off completely. In the silence that followed, Farley's men moved forward, surrounding the truck so that there was no way out. I didn't look at them though, all I could see was Cal's eyes. They sparkled with a light that I hadn't seen in months, as if the broken pieces of him had been put together again, and I was looking at a whole person instead of the fragmented man I had seen underneath the Bowl of Bones. His lips quirked up in a smile upon seeing my expression, and I felt my own lips turning up into a bright grin as I chocked, "you're too kind for your own-"

The door behind him was ripped opened and he was dragged out, one of the men reaching up with a knife to cut the seatbelt so he didn't get caught on it. I gasped in horror, and reached a hand out to him, but someone opened my door and yanked me out as well. 

I stumbled out of the truck, barely landing on my feet. The morning air was brisk and refreshing after sitting in the back of a truck smelling Shade's blood. Glancing down, I saw that it had stained the front of my shirt and my hands, and for a moment, it was colored Silver, like the blood I had already spilled. Eventually my captor squeezed my arms and I recognized the scent they carried with them. Bree was the only person in my life that could pull off a musky scent without it being overpowering. He held my arms behind my back like when we were children, but when he hissed in my ear, it reminded me that that was the thing we were farthest from. "Do you have any idea-"

Our mother screamed near the back of the truck, her voice rising up in a cry of joy and anguish as she chocked, "my baby! Oh my baby!"

Both of our heads snapped to the back of the truck to watch a few of the guards pulling Shade out. He barely made it to the dirt, his legs like noodles it seemed as he took a weak step and embraced our mother, who let out animalistic sobs while she stroked his hair and pressed kisses all over his face. I sagged in relief at the scene, Shade had never been one to lean on our parents, I'd learned from him long ago that relying on yourself would get you much farther. 

Farley's stood off to the side, watching the same scene with eyes wide in surprise, but that ended quickly when she turned her flashing gaze on Cal. The scar that ran through her face crinkled as she pointed to the guards holding him and shouted, "put him on his knees, and put a bullet through his head!"