Jayla scrunched up her nose at the far side of the stage, where the seven Ardaton’s Heads stood, guarded by Ava and Zion. The seven rulers were powerless for once in their existence.
“Okay, I guess. Like all of us.” She rubbed the freckles emerging along her collarbones, the sleeves of her yellow knitted sweater rolled to her elbows. “The doc said one kidney is more than enough for a normal life.”
Ava had been lucky. The bullet had ruptured a major blood vessel, and if not for the help of a green-banded woman, she would have…wasted away.
Waiting for Damia and Gedeon to raise their voices, to declare the three cities had been confirmed to have lost the war and that Ardaton would be re-named together with Ilasall and Coriattus, I nudged Jayla with my elbow. “I heard she got you a gift.”
Her cheeks instantly matched the hue of her braids. “She did. We’re thinking about naming him Frost because he’s all white, but his ears have black tips, and the tip of his tail is dark too, and he’s so cute I just want to squish him, but Ava won’t let me, so I…” she babbled on and on about the kitten Ava had brought home.
Gradually, her prattling morphed into calming, ambient noise. I was happy for my friend, I truly was, but the baffled,content, unbelieving, celebratory, ruminating, lost, and all-the-shades-in-between expressions of the throng listening to our leaders’ speech had seized my attention.
We had an incredibly long way to go. The new system of how our communities were supposed to function couldn’t be established overnight. Many sleepless nights awaited us. With the decision to distribute everyone across the three compounds and the trio of cities, we had ended up with six territories in total.
“…the wristbands will be deactivated,” Damia announced. “You will be assigned a date and a time for when to come to the Matching institute, where the electronic devices will be removed. Skipping your visit will not result in punishment, but be aware that the color of your band has officially lost its value. Going forward, all will be treated equally.”
Thinking about how we’d have to give a similar speech in Ilasall tomorrow, I swung my legs?—
The heels of my boots bounced off the side of the stage, and I mentally cringed at the sound as people in the front row snapped their focus to me.
Unbothered, Damia continued. “With that resolved, we can move to the last part.” The silver buttons of her black vest sparkled in the sunshine as she gave Gedeon a curt nod.
“Thank you, Damia,” he said, sucking all the air out of the atmosphere and replacing it with ruthlessness. “We have already sentenced your government for their transgressions. I will not repeat myself, nor now, nor in the future, so listen closely.”
The executions were about to begin.
Gedeon made a come-hither motion at Zion, and he herded the offenders forward, Ava at his side and his catch-and-play team at the group’s back, the formation effectively sandwiching Ardaton’s higher-ups and cutting off any routes of escape.
Once the seven men had lined up, Gedeon marched to the front of the stage, where a tree stump had been placed. “The judgment has been cast, and the figures of Ardaton’s authority will repent for their wrongdoings as follows.”
As he listed the different fates awaiting the city’s government, I hummed with contentment. Gedeon had taken my proposition and made it come true. Each Head was going to die in a way corresponding to their area of responsibilities.
The Head of Nutriment? Death by starvation.
The Head of Health? By dehydration.
Labor? Stoning. Something I’d read about in the black-market books.
Education? Suffocation. He could die as slowly and painfully as how he killed the minds of their citizens.
Military? Dismemberment. While he was alive, of course. No fun otherwise.
Welfare? Fire. At last, the man would experience the burning sensation of when an unwanted presence invaded you, licked you, bit you.
Identical punishments were being declared for Coriattus’ government right this second too, only by Dain and Nissa. We’d timed the announcements to the minute.
“That leaves us with the Head of Ardaton.” Gedeon yanked the axe out of the tree stump, the blade polished to perfection—undeniably Zion’s work. “Who we will also begin with.”
My stomach knotted, but in a good way. Gedeon’s accepting-no-objections tone had curled my toes.
Zion brought the man who’d ruled this city to stand before the tree stump. Oak, to be precise.
“Kneel, Adder,” Gedeon barked. “Your sentence has been determined to be decapitation.”
His chin held high, the City Head lowered to his knees, his white button-up shirt smeared in filth and his own blood. Aline of crusted crimson stretched from his tumble of black curls down to his dimpled chin. “Good luck living with the knowledge that you have just single-handedly caused the extinction of the human race.”
“I willrevelin it,” Gedeon hissed, so low, only those closest to him could hear his promise. “Every morning when I wake up with Zion and Kali in my bed and every dinner we share with our friends, I will take pleasure in knowing you are dead.”
Ava raised the axe above her head, her sun-kissed brown hair braided like a crown atop her head, highlighting her pointy chin and angular features.
