Her husband.
The noose became impossibly tight around her neck and the crowd began chanting.
No, not chanting, counting.
They were counting down until her neck snapped. Counting down until the wells of water would be refilled andastrabe restored to their parts of the city.
“Five!”
Desmond, she thought.
“Four!”
You were right. I know you were right.
“Three!”
I will find you.
“Two!”
And we will be together again.
“One!”
I love you.
The crowd silenced and Kamari sent one final prayer, not to Celestria, but beyond, to the stars and the moon to welcome her home. The planks beneath Kamari opened up and she took one long, final breath–
Screams erupted from the stands and Kamari opened her eyes to realize her neck had not been snapped.
The sentry that had tied her up was fighting someone, another sentry was beneath her, his back supporting her feet. She balanced on her toes, trying carefully to keep her weight off her neck, the rope tore into her skin, stinging and burning against the tender flesh.
More sentries entered the arena, more fighting and screaming erupted and Kamari didn’t know where to look. What to do.
There was little that shecoulddo.
Her hands were bound, and if it wasn’t for the sentry beneath her, she’d already be dead.
“Get her to the ship!” a sentry screamed but that didn’t make any sense. Were they helping her? Denying a sacrifice? “Get ready to catch her!” He pulled out a knife as dozens more sentries filled the arena, headed straight for them. The rope swung as he cut across it and Kamari struggled to keep her balance on the man’s shoulders.
“Kill them!” A sentry called out and Kamari could not tell who he was talking to. Kill Kamari? Kill the intruders? Kill the other sentries?
Everything happened so quickly and soon she was falling, tumbling through the bottom of the dais and into the arms of the man whose back had saved her life. Rough hands grabbed her, hauling her over his shoulder before he ran through the arena.
Shouting and screams and the grisly sound of metal on metal sounded behind her but the sentry didn’t stop. Kamari closed her eyes, praying, praying, for whatever was to come.
He carried her through the winding tunnels of the Citadel. Through passages that were so void of light, she couldn’t understand how he knew the way. He carried her so far, the screaming from the arena began to fade and only when they came out the other side of the tunnel, emerging in the Boneyard District did he set her down.
Her throat burned from the rope, her wrists marked red. He cut the ropes free and she kicked them away as they landed on the ground. The man who’d saved her towered over her, his sentry mask fit snugly over his face.
She opened her mouth, to thank him or to scream at him, she wasn’t sure, when voices rose from around the corner. The man grabbed her waist and pinned her to the tunnel wall, his large hand pressed over her mouth, the other firm on her waist. When the voices faded, he slowly peeled his hand away.
“Who are you?” Kamari’s voice was hoarse. “What is going on?”
The man stepped back and peered out the tunnel. A flash of light flickered across his mask, once, twice, three times.
A signal.
