Nika had never seen the place so silent. Luo stood with his wrists shackled, back to a wall. Five men stood opposite him, guns in hands, held confidently as if they had been trained, and faces carefully blank.
The crowd was expressionless. Nika could feel the hatred rising off them. She guessed that less than half hated Luo. The involvement of the guns had been an error, or it would have been had she made it herself. The ruler had them swept off their feet and they were still struggling to find their balance.
“What’s happening?” the Raven came sprinting up behind her, two of his best soldiers behind him.
“Look,” Aono gestured. “You have eyes.”
He wasn’t angry, as such. Just upset and ashamed at his own escape. Nika knew that feeling. How dare you stand free whilst they are in chains? How dare you still breathe while their lungs give out? How dare you have made it when they could not?
The Raven cursed loudly, drawing a few curious stares. Nika winced. He was too recognisable. Nobody would sell him. Not yet, at least. Not till the bounty was really high. But even so…guards have memories too.
“We’re doing something,” the Raven snapped. “Now.”
“What can we do?” Nika asked, hopelessly. “We all voted not to carry guns. You want to take them on with a knife?”
“Yes,” the Raven said, instantly. “Yes, I do.”
Aono put a hand on his shoulder but the young man shrugged it off.
“You don’t understand,” he hissed. “Luo isn’t like the other people we’ve watched die. And they never killed them like this.”
“I know, I know, but….”
“For god’s sake, Luo is innocent! You hear that? The boy is innocent!”
Nika stepped back, shocked.
“He’s innocent!” the Raven raged. “He’s just a boy! He was honourable! He wasn’t a murderer like us! He never killed! He’s innocent! Do you hear that? He’s innocent!”
“Raven, please,” Nika begged. “Don’t make this worse.”
“Innocent,” the Raven repeated. “How many times do I have to say it before you listen? Innocent. Innocent. Innocent. He did nothing wrong. He’s just a person. He did good things for good reasons. He’s better than us.”
“I know,” Nika sighed, softly. “Raven, I know. Please. Let it go. We can do nothing now.”
“We can save his life,” the Raven pointed a knife at her throat. “We can die instead. You understand heroics. So let the innocent live and let the guilty die.”
“No,” Aono stepped between them. “Nika, don’t even look tempted. You cannot hand yourselves over as a bargain.”
“Why not?” the Raven roared.
“Yes, why not?” Nika demanded. “It’s our right to die as we choose!”
“You’re both as bad as each other! This city needs you! This city needs people who will do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons but to the right end! Alright? You need to live.”
“But…”
“You stand at the execution of an innocent boy, a friend, an ally, and you squabble over whether you can die for him? Don’t look away. That’s what we’ve done so many times before. You have delusions of grandeur. Don’t look away. That’s all we know.”
After a brief resentful silence, Nika nodded.
“I’m sorry,” she said, quietly. “There is really nothing we can do.”
YOU ARE READING
The Rising Dawn
AdventureTwenty years ago, two thirds of the world's population silently and mysteriously died in one instant. A new regime fell into place: a regime controlled by the Ruler. Confined within place, ordered and structured, the new regime is designed to keep...
