The convoys wait for us just outside, three armored vehicles with the Syndicate’s emblem emblazoned on their sides. We load in silently, and I settle in the corner, my leg bouncing the moment I sit.
I switch from counting steps to counting the rhythmic taps of my foot against the vehicle’s floor. The change in pattern helps keep my mind focused, prevents it from spiraling into the endless loop of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios that threaten to overwhelm me.
The other recruits talk among themselves, their voicesmixing into a low hum of conversation. They discuss the mission, the combat, the prisoners who escaped. Nash looks miserable, head bowed, knowing he’ll face punishment for failing in his duty. The others offer half-hearted reassurances, but everyone knows failure has consequences for the Enforcers on Arayik’s team.
If only they knew who was really responsible for his failure.
I’m so lost in anxious thoughts that I miss the entire trip through the wall, only raising my eyes when streaks of light greet them. At least my turmoil is good for something.
Hours pass. The sun reaches its peak descending toward the horizon, and the landscape outside grows more familiar as we approach the training center. Soon, too soon, we’ll return to that sterile environment of concrete and steel, where I’m likely to find my end.
Twelve thousand three hundred four. Twelve thousand three hundred five.
My family is probably sharing dinner right now in our small house. My mother setting out plates while my father tells them about his day at the library. My brother helping with the meal, unaware his identity has been borrowed for treason and murder.
Do they think about me? Do they wonder if I’m safe, if I’m succeeding in whatever mission I’ve set for myself? Or do they try not to think about me at all, knowing that worry will only make the waiting harder?
I’m ashamed I’ve done the latter. It hurts to think of them—something I cannot allow myself to acknowledge in this environment. I do miss them, though. More than they’ll ever understand.
I wonder if they’ll be informed of my death.
Twelve thousand six hundred ninety-one. Twelve thousand six hundred ninety-two.
The Enforcer base appears on the horizon, a lump forming at the center of my throat. My prison for the past weeks. Perhaps soon to be my grave.
No, I can’t think like that. It will just make what’s coming worse.
The vehicles slow as we approach a checkpoint, confirming identification to the stationed Enforcers. We pull into the central courtyard, the engines silencing with a finality that makes my heart skip.
This is it. Whatever happens next, it was still worth it.
Thirteen thousand seventeen. Thirteen thousand eighteen.
The recruits disembark in silence, falling into formation automatically. Arayik stands before us, his posture tense and angry.
“Debrief in thirty minutes,” he announces, his voice spraying across the courtyard. “Dismissed.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CASSIA
Difficult couldn’t come close to describing how I feel as I barely make it through my door before my legs give out. The mission weight drags at my limbs, yanking me to the floor and I lean against the wall to keep from dropping. Trembles wrack my body as I reach for my mask, desperate to welcome actual air against my skin after days of suffocation.
But I stop.
Not yet. Not until I’m certain.
Pushing myself upright, I scan my small room with frantic eyes. Nothing appears disturbed—no one has been here. At least, no one who wanted me to know.
The thought raises hairs along my arm.
I cross to the small sink in the corner and splash cold water on my mask, letting it seep through the narrow eye slit. It’s not enough, but it’s something. My reflection stares back at me from the dingy mirror. I was the perfect disguise…until now.
Elias saw me.
Eliassawme.
The memory replays in my mind with merciless clarity. Relief washed through me as the escapees disappeared into thedarkness. Then the shadows shifted, revealing Elias standing there, observing me with those piercing hazel-green eyes. He didn’t say a word. Didn’t raise the alarm. Just…watched. And let me go.
