4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I t was a day for death.

Crowds gathered in the Inner District central square, jostling for the best viewing position of the newly constructed stage. Beneath the gloomy gray sky, the locals stirred restlessly, huddled together with wide, hungry eyes. They had come for an execution. Hundreds of them, adorned in their finery, as if it was a gods damned celebration.

Not the most garish display of an execution Elaine had witnessed, but it was by no means restrained.

They'd all come for death, for a break in the monotony of their lives. Something to fuel the gossip in the twilight hours, whispered over glasses of honeyed wine. Would they recreate this day, pick it down to the bones, spin it up into something new and different? Perhaps in later variations, Lilibet would die by fire or decapitation. Something grand and vicious and bloody.

What would Lilibet think, gazing upon the frocks and feathers and glittering jewels? To know that was the last thing she saw before her life was snuffed out.

"You don't have to stay."

Aya's voice cleaved through her thoughts, plucking her back into the waking world. She blinked several times, clearing the fog from her mind. It lifted so slowly; it took her a moment to take in the worried expression pinching Aya's face. A gentleness so often concealed behind a smirk or sneer. A concern for her, as if she was the one affected the most by what was about to happen.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said thickly; her voice softened as she spoke again, leaning in close so no one else might overhear. "Are you ready?"

Aya's gaze flicked to the stage. To anyone else, her necromancer might've appeared indifferent. She saw otherwise. In the slight tension poised through those muscled limbs, how her jaw tightened faintly. The way she kept silent for a little longer before she answered, an act so often misunderstood as cunning intention or arrogance.

And a single word, so soft she nearly missed it, fell from those lips.

"No."

Elaine closed the distance between them and brushed a curl from Aya's brow. She tucked it behind her ear, her hand lingering against the warmth of Aya's skin. Their breaths danced together, just as their own souls intertwined, clinging to each other for a moment of comfort.

It was these small moments that Elaine cherished the most. Knowing how rare they truly were; that few ever glimpsed the raw, achingly beautiful side of Aya. All those tall, menacing walls brought down; the gates thrown open, inviting her in.

Aya pulled away suddenly, clearing her throat. Before Elaine had a chance to ask what happened, Sabra emerged from the shadows. Behind her, Tobias and Alexios appeared, their hands interlocked. Both were adorned in fine tunics, matching black, and their own faces equally shadowed and pinched.

"Thank you for coming, Alexios," Aya murmured.

He regarded them with a gentle smile, and she could see why Tobias was so utterly enthralled with his vampire. She wondered, not for the first time, what their story was, and hoped that perhaps once the mess was over, she might hear it.

"It was the least I could do."

Elaine slid her own hand into Aya's and offered the vampire a thankful smile. "It's a risk. We may be cleared but we're not liked."

Alexios tilted his head, those fathomless depths unreadable. The corner of his mouth lifted, exposing one of his fangs. It glinted predatorily, in the same devil may care attitude that Aya wore so well.

"Respectfully, fuck the council."

"Oh, I do like him more and more," Sabra crooned.

Tobias growled softly. "He's mine. "

Sabra rolled her eyes as she sauntered to the mouth of the alley. A low whistle speared the quiet. "Well, isn't that quite the turnout?"

Aya stiffened, her grip on Elaine tightening. She squeezed back in answer, reminding her lover she wasn't alone. Whatever happened today, they were all together. For better or for worse. Elaine leaned up and kissed her cheek. As she pulled away, Aya's brows lifted.

"What was that for?"

"I just wanted to kiss you."

Sabra gagged dramatically, earning all the attention on her. Elaine's smile slipped as her gaze slid beyond Sabra, to the gathering crowd and the distinct cloaks of the council members as they ascended the second stage. Only three of the seats were filled; for the banshee, syren, and wolf representatives. The human and witch representative—since none had supposedly been chosen—remained absent, the empty chairs there purely for show.

Aya cleared her throat. "We should go."

United, they strode out from the alley. Elaine remained by Aya's side, reveling in the sleeveless dress that exposed all her witch marks. A statement of who—and what—she was. She lifted her head as the first few locals looked their way. More heads turned, and silence fell over the crowd. She pressed in close, calling on just enough magic beneath her skin so that her marks glowed, and faint ribbons of light eddied in her wake. Whispers stirred, gathering like threads of a tapestry, forming a story to be told later over low-burning fires and tea.

The crowd parted down the middle, as though they were a blade carving through flesh and bone.

Only once they approached the steps up to the council stage did a guard approach. Aya held out a hand, stopping Elaine and the others. She moved first, meeting the man. Shadows pulled in around Aya, a defensive cloak that no one could mistake, and a threat if anyone dared challenge. The whispers intensified. Elaine smiled, relishing the sight of Aya showing them who she truly was. Embracing what she was.

"Let them up!" One of the council members—a woman whose voice cut the chaos like a scythe—called out and the guards obeyed.

Tension lingered in their bodies, as though none of them trusted Aya not to lash out. As if she were so senseless in her violence. A wild, untamable creature.

Elaine's heart beat a storm against her ribs, the blood a roaring wind. She barely heard the words as Aya turned, one slender hand outstretched. The faint edge of a feral smile, one all too aware of the scene being made, greeted her. Oh, how it promised such wicked things, and Elaine echoed it back, sliding her hand in without hesitation.

Hand in hand, they ascended the stage, and the others followed up behind. At the top, the council woman approached, swathed in a shimmering black dress and a plain circlet atop her midnight curls. Dark eyes raked her in, then the others, before it returned to Aya. Lingering, cautious, all too aware of what Aya was capable of—and what she was liable to do, if threatened.

"Thank you for coming."

Aya offered a thin smile that didn't quite touch her eyes. "A displeasure, as always."

The woman's jaw tightened, and she stepped aside. "We're ready to begin now. Please, take a seat."

Elaine was grateful for Aya's hand and presence as they took their seats. Sabra shot her a wink as she dropped into hers, sprawling out with a leisurely grin. She returned a small smile before turning her attention to the platform where Lilibet would die.

Aya's grip tightened on hers.

She didn't know how long they sat there. The distant whispers of the crowds returned, rising and falling with notes of impatience. The hunger for blood was growing. It thickened in the air, clawing at her nerves until she was frayed at the edges. The sooner this was over, the better. She might be willing to kill to protect those she loved but that didn't mean she had an appetite for it.

"Can't they get on with it already?" Aya whispered impatiently.

The world fell silent once more. The nearby council doors swung open. All eyes fell upon the fairy marched out in chains, shadowed by nearly a dozen guards. Perhaps overkill but it seemed no one was taking any chances.

The air rushed out of Elaine. Lilibet shuffled forward, haggard and filthy, but with her gaze fixed ahead, a little lift in her chin. Not quite defiant in some hope of escape, but that she was not cowering before death. Embracing it, even. Elaine wondered if she felt a little fear or what possible thoughts churned through her mind in those final steps.

Even the crowd remained eerily silent, like vultures watching an animal about to die. She half expected someone to shout or say something, perhaps reach out. Do something.

No one moved.

Lilibet's head lifted suddenly, her gaze flicking right to Aya. A sense of someone familiar close by. It lasted for perhaps only a second, and Aya's grip bit so hard into her hand, the nails drew blood. Elaine summoned a flicker of warmth to her hands, healing the wounds as they came and offering what little comfort she could. An assurance that Aya wasn't alone.

A storm raged inside Elaine's chest as Lilibet was led up the steps, the wood creaking underfoot. A handful of guards remained at the base, the rest following up. One shoved Lilibet into place, another taking hold of the rope before he slid it over her head.

Lilibet stared ahead, a strange calm settling over her face. Almost as if she'd known this moment was coming, that deep down any chance of seeing her people again was all a lie.

The council woman from before arose from her chair once more and moved to the center.

"Lilibet Armand, you have been found guilty of treason against purgatory and conspiracy resulting in murder. Do you have any final words?"

Lilibet shook her head.

"By the laws of Purgatory, you have been condemned to die. May the gods grant you mercy in death."

A guard stepped over to the handle. Elaine's heart thundered against her ribs as he reached for it. Lilibet tipped her head to the sky and murmured something beneath her breath. A wave of peace settled over her.

The guard pulled the handle.

Lilibet dropped.

A sickening crack split the air. Her body jerked violently, followed by a ghastly gurgling noise. She writhed for a few seconds and stilled.

Aya's grip on Elaine loosened.

"It's done," Aya whispered.

Elaine's lips parted when a burst of light exploded from Lilibet.

It roared into the sky and struck the barrier. Shards of energy splintered outwards. In a flash, Elaine was on her feet. Aya was already surging forward to the stage.

A crack splintered across the sky.

And all hell broke loose.