“It is…”
“But it hasn’t been six months, and the curfew is about to start!” she shrieked.
The alarms continued blaring.
With Seda’s nerves on edge, she rushed back into the kitchen and immediately forgot why she’d gone there in the first place. She spotted the flames from the stove and quickly turned them off. Cahir promptly went back to the bedroom and changed into regular clothes.
Seda paced around the room while she waited for Cahir to finish, which was only about thirty seconds, but felt like an eternity.
They immediately headed toward the Palatium, both forgetting to say their prayers, walking as quickly as they could. Anxiety crept through Seda’s spine like static electricity gripping her nerves.Everyone else around them was moving in the same direction, their faces mirroring the confusion.
Birds flew high in the sky, cawing loudly amid the pulsating alarm, an eerie warning of what was to come. The garnet sun was low on the horizon, and the sky was darkening rapidly. They quickened their pace and started jogging.
As they walked through the gates, more and more people gathered inside the stadium, with confused conversations echoing through the crowd. Seda and Cahir found a safe place to stand and waited for the alarms to stop.
Ten minutes of ear-splitting alarms finally ceased. The stadium lights flicked on and illuminated the stage. The Palatium door swung open, and Teivel stepped out, wearing a nervous expression. His robes were disheveled, and his usually clean-shaven face now had a bit of a beard. He hurried on his short legs toward the podium.
Seda watched with anxious curiosity as she bit her nails.
“Thank you all for coming on short notice,” he said. “We have a special event for you tonight. Due to recent events, Lord Mordred would like to speak with everyone collectively.” He extended his arm toward the Palatium door and bowed at the waist.
Lord Mordred stepped out, his scarred face looking stern under the bright stadium lights against the darkening sky.
Everyone in the crowd dropped to the floor and bowed.
Silence ensued.
“Rise,” he commanded as he waited for the crowd to settle. “As you all know, we have seen increasing Jotnar attacks lately, and because of that, our food supply has decreased significantly.”
Someone in the crowd yelled, “Stop lying! We’ve seen the papers around the city.”
Lord Mordred nodded to the nearest Rozzer. The Rozzer stepped forward and struck his baton against the man’s head, knocking himto the floor and dragging his body into the cell. Everyone else stayed silent, watching in stillness.
“Would anyone else like to interrupt me and spew lies?” His words hung in the air, and the eerie silence of the crowd echoed around the stadium. “There has been an increase in misbehavior and people going to the Camp as a result. We have kindly asked for your cooperation in this matter as we work to resolve these issues. But…” He paused and looked over the crowd.
Ten seconds, fifteen seconds.
“As punishment for these recent acts, we have decided to host a very special series of Wyrds—a reminder as to why we’re here to begin with. Our continued growth is essential to our survival,” he said.
No! No! No!
The crowd all murmured at once. “Now, now. Do not fret. This Wyrd will be smaller. We will host these eventsweeklyuntil we see a change in behavior around the city. Teivel, bring me the list.”
Teivel rushed forward and nearly tripped on his robe as he handed the scroll to the lord.
“Today and all the Wyrds moving forward, until we get full cooperation from everyone, we will select ten citizens who have yet to complete their duty and prove their love for our society. These ten will have a chance to redeem themselves with our specialists at the Camp.” Lord Mordred looked back over the crowd.
This can’t be happening. Please, please, please.
Seda’s legs gave out, and she fell into Cahir’s side. He quickly wrapped his arm around her, stabilizing her.
“Mary Jones. Jessica Blue.” Both women slowly walked forward and were registered for placement in the cell. The lord continued calling names until he reached the last one. “And last but especially not least…”
As Lord Mordred’s eyes blazed a deep red, he locked his gaze onSeda. Seda’s heart plummeted into her stomach, and her vision faded to black.
“Seda Arbor.”
The birds attacked.
