The Fall of the Keepers

Chapter 47 The Launch

The red-haired woman became quite tight-lipped, refusing to tell me any more about this execution. I think she was afraid of saying something that might get her in trouble with the rebels. So instead I was given a protein bar with water and hurried back out the door when Cassian returned. I was ushered into the armored vehicle, my companions perfectly silent all the while. I cleared my throat and as a long list of questions came to mind, I attempted to prioritize them.

"So, am I going to my own funeral?"

It was a fair question, the jailer had told me I wasn't going to die in the dungeon not however, that I wasn't going to die.

"Why would we have bothered cleaning you up for that?"
Cassian pointed out, arms crossed over his chest almost defensively.

"Well, that's certainly relieving to hear."
I replied back.

"So if I'm not dying today then who is? Or is this a wait and see kind of thing?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Ah, so it was a wait and see. That was always comforting.

"Okay, then tell me why I'm here. If I've been locked up for two months already, why bother with me now?"

"Six weeks and four days."
Cassian corrected.

"You were counting?"
I said in surprise.

He shifted in his seat, pressing his lips together. Through my view of the windshield between the two front seats, I watched as we took the main road down to Los Eres.

"Where are we going then?"

"The underground."

That was a strange place to hold an execution I couldn't help but think.

"Will Quetta be there?"

"Stop asking so many questions."
Cassian snapped.

"Sorry, am I annoying you? I haven't talked to anyone in so long, it's easy to forget about social etiquette."
I quipped.

I straightened my spine and kept my mouth shut as we entered the city itself, working our way through the maze of streets. Cassian continued to study me without reservation, though I wasn't sure what he was looking so hard for.

"Did you have something you'd like to say to me?"
I finally asked.

He shook his head, only to make a face and open his mouth a moment later.

"What is with you? People lose their minds in isolation during shorter periods of time than you were left in the dark and yet you come out calmer than I've ever known you to be. I don't feel like I'm talking to Astrid Coften, you don't look like her and you certainly aren't acting like her."

"Would you prefer I get angry and attack you?"

"Obviously not, I just don't understand it. It's like there's this essence of peace about you now where there used to be storm clouds. How does that happen?"

I couldn't help my smile, it reassured me that the change I had felt in my heart was legitimate.

"That's because I finally found the peace I spent my whole life searching for."

"Alone in a prison cell?"
He asked skeptically.

I shrugged and tipped my head to the side.

"Stranger things have happened."

The armored vehicle came to a halt outside of an entrance to the underground. There were rows of identical vehicles parked in a line and I wondered idly if the entire Coalition was down there. The four of us exited the truck and Cassian led the way with an LED flashlight down the cement staircase into the dark. Having just come out of the dark one might assume it would rattle me to be going back into it, but in reality, it was a relief to my eyes that were feeling the strain of having to take in so much light at once.