Within the Walls [NEW VERSION]

Chapter 40

I march after him, ready to shove a blade against his throat until he spills answers and blood. "Edward!" I growl but the rain splats my cheeks, and the petrichor smell permeates the air with such melancholy, I wonder if it has brought the ghosts of the rebellion with it. A hollow carves into my chest, and I know that only the water trailing its icy fingers down my spine keeps me tethered to sanity. But that madness, that darkness, scrapes at my soul and calls my name.

I let out a grunt as I slam into someone's chest. The smell of citrus and pine needles curls around me and my thundering heart eases.

"Who were you talking to?" Ruben asks, tilting his head and running a blood-stained hand through his dark hair.

I heave a sigh, resisting the urge to glance past him. "No one. Shall we go find the boys?"

He pulls me closer and presses a soft kiss to my lips. The palace is gradually clearing as we exit the courtyard. I sweep my gaze around the grounds, as if half-expecting to catch Edward blending in.

Every instinct tells me to send all remaining Tranqs after him. But instead, I help the rebel Tranqs load the last of the Convex and Concave rebels into wagons, or out of the palace gates.

"Elle!" Aston calls as he emerges from a small throng of Convex men, blood, dirt, and charcoal smeared across his cheek.

"Are you okay?" I pull him into a hug.

He nods, rubbing his face and grimacing at the blood. "We... disposed of the royal body," he says, voice low, flicking a wary gaze to Ruben who stiffens.

"What did you do with it?" I whisper.

"There's a pyre around the other side of the palace. Should be all done by morning." Aston presses his lips together as he slaps Ruben on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, man. I know he was your father."

Ruben nods once and shrugs, doing a terrible job of masking the impending grief swimming in his eyes. "It had to be done."

Ajax hobbles up to us, a group of men following him. Soot and smoke stain his cheeks, hands, clothes, and hair. "We've put out all the fires... except the pyre of course." He pulls Ruben in for a tight embrace. "If you go say goodbye, just be aware of the Tranquillity worshippers singing hymns. Creepy."

I grab Ruben's wrist, feeling his racing pulse thrum beneath my fingers. "Do you want to go?"

He opens his mouth to respond when a spot of reddish-brown hair materialises from the thinning crowds and vehicles. Killian. My jaw tightens and I lift my chin.

"Elle," he says, in such a pathetic whimper I almost feel sorry for him.

"Killian."

Ruben grips my hand tighter. But I do not yield. My gaze is forged from the coldest reaches of the realm.

Killian's reddened eyes swell with tears. "Will you forgive me, Elle?"

"For all you've done?" I shake my head, raising my brows and he startles. "You will need to prove yourself. Do a little soul-searching and figure out why you can't handle compromising some of your privileges so others can suffer less. Your little mishap didn't just almost kill me. But if we failed tonight, the king would have taken everything from the Convex Sector, burned their crops and spilled their blood like wine."

Killian's face pales and he casts his brown eyes to his feet. I wonder if he truly understands the gravity of my words, or if he's just ashamed that he's exposed his true character. He mutters another pitiful apology. Smoke speckles the air as he draws back, muttering his condolences to Ruben.

The chants of the Tranquillity worshippers curl and swirl around us as we turn the corner and approach the wall of flames. A sea of hooded cloaks surrounds the whooshing and roaring pyre, and the smell of burning flesh clouds the air. The sound of a crackling, bubbling royal body draws vomit into my mouth. I bend over and hurl it out.