Chapter Twenty-Two Noah

On the stage, Danforth had finished reading the list of names. Nodding to someone out of sight offstage, she began to speak once again. Powerless, Noah clenched his fists. With no way to get down to the square, he was forced to witness Danforth's nauseating performance, unable to intervene.

It was torture.

"We are many different women," the chancellor began, "but I am certain we all agree on one thing. Whoever was responsible for the deaths of so many innocents should be made to suffer." Noah's heart twisted at her words. "These men behave like beasts. They cannot be permitted to take our sisters from us."

Beneath him, the crowd murmured in agreement. Noah bristled with fury. How easily swayed these women were! They'd forgotten Faith's words so quickly. Why couldn't they see that the woman who promised to protect them was the very woman responsible for so many of their deaths?

For what felt like the hundredth time, he glanced at the door to the store room, considering his options. While he hadn't been followed up the stairs, if he went back down to the restaurant, he risked attracting unwelcome attention again. The drudges working in the restaurant had specific duties, different from those he was accustomed to at the hospital. Without being sure of what those were, Noah knew he couldn't pull off the drudge act convincingly.

Even if he wasn't caught, there was no way for him to get through the restaurant and out into the square without one of the blue drudge uniforms. And a frantic search of the store room he was in had revealed it was used to store food and nothing more.

The window was his only access to the square. But there was still the issue of the thirty-foot drop.

All he could do now was watch. Wait. Bear witness to what was about to happen.

It was killing him.

As Danforth began to speak again, he turned back to the window, gritting his teeth.

"The citizens of Eremus must be forced to take responsibility for their actions." The chancellor turned to the back of the stage and gestured to someone who was out of sight. "I know you'll join me in hoping that our execution of this man today serves as a warning to them. To anyone who seeks to harm us."

With impeccable timing, as she finished speaking, Flynn was thrust onto the stage. Flanked by several well-armed guards, he was hauled towards a raised platform to Danforth's right. Noah clasped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from crying out at his father's appearance. Blindfolded and gagged, his hands bound behind him, he staggered rather than walked.

His skin was pale, and decorated with multiple colourful bruises. Clearly, those in charge of guarding him had been torturing him. A terrible thought struck Noah. Had Flynn kept quiet about Eremus? Or had he given away information which would jeopardise the cave community? Sagging against the window frame, Noah prayed his father had been able to stay strong.

As the guards pushed Flynn up onto the platform, he stumbled and almost fell. The women in the crowd jeered. They wanted him punished. Danforth had them convinced he was to blame for their loss, and they were hungry for his blood. Clenching his fists, Noah strained forward, praying the Resistance was ready.

Silence fell as Flynn was put into position. The guards stepped away, surrounding the platform in a semicircle, ensuring the crowd had a head-on view of his death.

"This man," Danforth turned towards her citizens, "is the mastermind behind the recent bombing."

Noah's eyes went to Flynn, his battered body stiffening at Danforth's words. He attempted to speak, his words muffled by the gag, which was so tight it threatened to choke him. One of the guards hit the back of his leg with a baton. Noah stifled a cry as Flynn crumpled. Regaining his balance though, he stood tall. He was determined to retain his dignity.

"This man," Danforth's eyes were glittering dangerously, "deserves death, for what he did. He–"

Tuning her out, Noah glanced at the crowd. Where was the Resistance? Surely, they had to act soon.

The square was full, but he focused on those closest to the stage. To even stand a chance of rescuing Flynn, the women would need to be close by. He ran his eyes over the faces of the citizens gathered around the steps to the left of the stage.

His heart stopped.

A familiar figure stood at the foot of the steps. She was wearing a hoodie and a pair of sunglasses, but he'd have known her anywhere. Her posture was tense and her eyes fixed on what was happening on the stage above.

Why was she here?Faith was a wanted woman, the first subject who had shown any promise in Danforth's experiments. And she wasn't a fighter. There was no way that Madeleine would risk her life. She was too valuable a pawn, too…

And then he knew.

Faith wasn't here with Madeleine's permission. And Faith wasn't intending to fight. Noah followed her gaze. She was paying Flynn no attention. Instead, her eyes were fixed on the screen at the back, waiting.

Waiting for another interruption. Another video, where she would give evidence of Danforth's crimes.

But anyone could see the increased security since the Liberation Day event. And Noah knew Faith. She was here because she was worried that Blake wouldn't be able to break through the additional security measures Danforth had in place. She was here to make certain that the women of the city heard her words.

And if the worst happened, if the video didn't work, she was prepared to deliver them in person.