Insurrection [On Hold]

20 A Different Kind of Pain

The execution is scheduled for six am. I sit up on the edge of my bed. hugging my knees to my chest. Right now, it's somewhere around two in the morning. A two inch ray of blue LEDs are my only source of light. In four hours Nate will be dead, and this time, I'm not sure there's anything I can do about it. My father's spoken. He's out for blood. For revenge. He wants to show everyone who doesn't listen him what happens.

He wants to show me.

I rub my hands up and down my legs. Even if my mind hasn't been in torment the past hours, I couldn't have fallen asleep with the wounds on my back hurting with only the slightest pressure against them.

Someone knocks at my door, causing me to tense and hurt my back.

"Raksana?" Gale's voice comes through the wall.

"Come in."

He unlocks my door with the code I gave him. The swoosh from the door seems so foreign and alien in the silence I've been growing accustomed to this morning and the light that floods in is even stranger. But he shuts the door and the light vanishes. My bed squeaks as he takes a seat next to me.

"You're awake," he says.

"You are too."

"I couldn't sleep knowing you were probably going through Hell."

I raise my hand to rub my face, hoping it will help me wake up some more, because I am tired— I just can't fall asleep. My hand freezes right before my hand presses against the stitches. I probably look like a patched up monster right now. "Not as a much as Nate is."

"Do you want to see him?"

My head snaps to look at my brother, his face blue and black. My last chance to talk to him. To say goodbye to the rebel.

"Yes."

"Okay, then." He stands up and walks to the dresser. Pulling out a cloak, he stares at it for a while. He's not so much staring at the fabric as he is staring at a thought. He doesn't think I should do this, while at the same time, I know he thinks I should.

He helps me into the cloak, pulling the hood over my head and tying the strings. "Remain silent. It'd be best if Father wasn't made aware of this rendezvous."

"My lips are sealed."

As we walk to the holding cells, he keeps an arm wrapped around my waist. I'm thankful for the support; my punishment earlier took more of a toll on me than they usually do. The guard at the door to the cells nods at Gale, allowing us through. My brother retains a tight grip on me as we walk past the guard and into the elevator. Once the doors close, he releases me and I slouch forward against the wall.

What kind of state will Nate be in? Will he even be conscious?

The elevator doors part, revealing blackness. Gale again supports me.

A beam of blue light appears in our eyes. "Prince Gale, what bring you here at this time of night?"

I can barely make out the silhouette of the soldier behind the light.

"Business."

"Who is that with you?"

"Someone who would like to pray with Griffith."

"Don't know who would spare a thought for that—"

"Sir, there is a lady present."

It's not like it's anything I haven't heard before, but I'd rather not hear it about Nate right now though he didn't seem to mind calling me what he did early. However, right now isn't about me. I'm not the one who's dying.