Chapter Forty-Nine Faith

The microphone squealed as a nervous Flynn cleared his throat. The sound reverberated throughout the crowded square. Faith's heart went out to him. Microphones were tricky things, and the Eremus man had no experience with them at all. Wincing at the shrill sound, he pulled back. But when he leaned forward again, he stood tall.

"I know the sight of a man is a frightening one for you all." He stared out at the women in front of him, his gaze unflinching. "And I must apologise for my threatening appearance here today." He gestured to Helen. "Unfortunately, these actions were necessary for me to gain access to your city."

Faith's body ached with tension. The speech had gone better than they could have hoped, but they were still waiting for confirmation of Sophia's rescue. Having completed her own part of the mission, Evelyn had joined Diane's group in the square. Once Flynn and Helen had taken the stage, the Bellator citizens had surged forward, seeming intrigued, curious, fascinated.

Faith had to confess she felt the same.

"I am here today to support Faith Hanlon. To corroborate her story about Eremus." Flynn's earnestness brought tears to Faith's eyes. "And to provide evidence of our good intentions."

A noise at the back of Blake's office made them both jump. Turning, Faith saw Madeleine in the doorway.

"They're back." She was out of breath. "Robyn's team… they came through the tunnel just now."

As Blake pumped a fist in the air, Faith felt her entire body sag with relief. Finally, Sophia was safe.

"Where are they?" She stood up. "I should–"

"Leave it a few minutes." Madeleine stood in her way. "The journey here really took it out of her. Lily asked that we give her time to get Sophia settled in. Check her over."

Faith started to argue, but changed her mind at the look on Madeleine's face. She had waited this long to be reunited with her friend. A few more minutes wouldn't make a difference. The important thing was that Sophia was here. They'd rescued her.

As she returned to her chair, she said a silent thank you to Noah. Without him, Sophia would never have escaped Danforth's clutches.

"Something's not right." Blake had turned back to the datadev. "It shouldn't have been this easy for Flynn to get up there."

Madeleine joined them, leaning over the back of Faith's chair. "You're right. But what are we missing?"

"Nothing!" Faith turned to her. "He's holding a Bellator citizen hostage! That's why Danforth's allowing it."

"You think?" Madeleine tapped a finger against the screen, zooming in on the stage. "She doesn't even look perturbed."

Faith peered at the chancellor. She had to admit that Madeleine was right. Danforth stood a few feet back from Flynn. She almost looked like she was smiling.

"I thought she'd at least put up a bit of a fight." Blake frowned. "Helen is a single citizen. One Danforth cares nothing about."

"Maybe so," Faith stared at her, "but it would be fairly tricky to explain away her actions if she let Flynn shoot a vulnerable teenage girl in front of a crowd of hundreds."

Madeleine's eyes stayed glued to the screen. "Well, I'm not convinced."

"Me neither." Blake shook her head. "Danforth's too calm."

"Look at the crowd." Faith pointed. "They're listening to him. It might actually be working."

Blake grunted, her expression unchanged as Flynn continued to speak.

"We do not wish to be at war with this city. In fact, we would like to coexist peacefully with the women of Bellator."

"Danforth could have instructed her tech team to cut the feed by now. Limit the damage to the square alone. There must be someone left in Matriarch House." As Madeleine leaned closer to the screen, Faith thought of Ella, hoping that she had made sure she was well away from the Control Room. "I mean, this is going out to every household in Bellator. Why would–"

She stopped. Faith went cold as she saw the reason why. Flynn had taken a deliberate step away from Helen. First, he raised his hands aloft in an unmistakable gesture of peace. Then, very deliberately, he lowered the gun to the ground.

"What's he doing?" Madeleine's face was stricken.

With the weapon on the stage beside him, Flynn turned back to the crowd. "I hope this serves as a symbol of our desire to end the feud. We have to start to build trust. So I'm starting by showing that I trust you. That you won't simply execute an unarmed man. The people of Eremus…"

"This wasn't part of the plan… w-was it?" Faith stammered.

One glance at Madeleine's face told her it wasn't. Flynn was supposed to keep the gun trained on Helen at all times, to protect himself.

A wave of fear washed over her. "Won't Danforth just…"

"Shoot him?" Blake was never one to mince words. "You'd think so."

But Danforth had made no move toward Flynn, nor had she given her guards any further instructions.

Flynn paused to glance at the chancellor, as though he too had expected some kind of reaction. When she did nothing, he continued. Faith spotted the first vestiges of hope in his posture. Standing tall, he motioned to the young woman beside him with a now-empty hand.

"I hope that Helen's presence here serves as further evidence of our peaceful intentions."

For the first time, Flynn glanced at the screen behind him. Catching sight of his face, magnified to alarming proportions, he faltered. Faith understood his anxiety from her own experience. For her, at least, the technology in use on the stage was familiar. To Flynn, it was totally alien.

Once again, she was struck by the bravery of the man, prepared to stand vulnerable in front of hundreds of women who hated him. Noah might not be his biological child, but she could see Flynn's influence on him. Forthright, honest, and resolute, he was a product of the man who stood on the stage today. The man who had volunteered to take him on and bring him up as his own.

Faith blinked away tears as Flynn recovered. He pushed on, driving his point home.

"What Faith said is true. Eremus has been holding a number of the Danforth students hostage." He hung his head. "In hindsight, the kidnapping is an action we very much regret. All I can say is," he stared up at the crowd, his expression fierce, "that the Eremus people did not see any other option at the time."

The camera zoomed in on Flynn's face, showcasing his every emotion to the entirety of Bellator.

Blake leapt to her feet. "Why would she allow a close up?" She stared at Madeleine, open-mouthed. "I mean–"

On the stage, Flynn continued to press his message home. "I know it's a lot to ask that you take me at my word, but I assure you that these girls have been treated…"

"Look at Danforth!" Blake jabbed a finger at the chancellor. "This is a woman who hates men. Who has done everything she can to rid the city of them completely. It doesn't make sense that she would permit one to speak to her people like this. Not for this length of time. He doesn't even have the gun anymore!"

Faith stared at the chancellor. She wore her usual mask of calm, her expression revealing nothing. Considering there was an Eremus male sharing the stage with her, she seemed utterly unperturbed.

Flynn's expression, in contrast, was passionate, honourable, open.

"I urge you to listen to one of your own. Trust in a fellow Bellator citizen." He gestured to Helen. "This young woman asked if she could speak to you all. She wishes to share her own experience with you. I hope that her words will further convince you that Eremus wishes you no harm."

He turned to Helen, who took a tentative step forward. Faith could see how nervous she was. Before she reached the microphone, she stumbled.

Flynn reached out a hand to steady her, and a gasp ran through the crowd. The unplanned gesture could not fail to demonstrate the gentleness of the man on the stage. The way Helen took his hand without hesitation, as though it was the kind of behaviour she expected from him, was even more powerful.

Faith felt hope flare inside her.

How could the crowd fail to see Helen's lack of fear? Here was a Bellator female willingly accepting the help of an Eremus male. A man who, since he'd stood in front of the crowd, had shown nothing but courage and decency.

Once Helen spoke, adding her words to those of Faith and Flynn, the citizens of Bellator would have to believe. Have to admit the things they had been told did not add up. Have to question their leader's behaviour.

And, with Sophia's rescue, Danforth no longer had the shiny miracle she intended to distract her citizens with.

She had nothing.

Beside Faith, Madeleine's fists were clenched, and Blake was shaking her head in disbelief. Ignoring them, Faith strained to listen to Helen's words.

"Fellow citizens," she began, her voice shaking slightly.

But before she could say any more, a thunderous roar split the air. The crowd erupted into panic, their screams of terror shrill and haunting.

Faith tensed. She pressed closer to the screen, where a dense column of smoke billowed into the sky above the city. Citizens hurried in every direction, panic etched on their faces. Madeleine, Blake, and Faith exchanged glances, searching for an explanation.

But before they could make sense of the chaos, the screen went black.