Page 91 of Rising

They’d checked our mouths, ensuring we’d swallowed, but I’d managed to hold it in the swelling of my cheeks, Finley’s assault playing in my favor. Feigning a sneeze when it began to dissolve in my mouth, I spit it out. Careful to ensure the force slung it across the room, undiscoverable unless they knew what to search for. And by then, I’d hope it’d be too late.

None of their magic came back over the next two days. I’d seen Alexiares only once. Finley had ordered the guards to bring Seth and I to have our wounds healed to a certain extent. Just enough for them to judge our physical abilities as she ran through an assessment similar to my own, but crueler.

Real weapons were used, and her soldiers weren’t playing nice. Alexiares had watched me avoid a stab to the spine as I fought off two attackers at once and barely flinched, Finley clapping with joy at my skill at his side.

They’d been all over each other. No sign of remorse in his body language, though there were moments where his eyes lingered on mine a second too long before closing them as he kissed Finley. A weird ping of jealousy swirled through my gut as Seth took his turn. But mostly disgust.

Disgust with myself for feeling jealousy and not having realized when I’d been ready to move on. And disgust for opening myself up to him, someone that would spend time with a woman like her. I’d stupidly let myself fall victim to his con.

Finley had them see to our wounds from the assessment before dismissing us, stating we’d receive a test assignment soon. Something supervised. The guards escorted us back to our rooms as we said nothing to each other, not feeling safe to speak. Nothing positive would come out of either of our mouths in this moment of shared fury. They’d separated us in an old hotel downtown, guards posted outside each of our doors who’d been instructed to follow us each time we left, never giving us a moment of true privacy to talk, let alone plan.

A note was under my pillow as I sank into the bed shortly after arriving back in my room. I knew this handwriting, this language. I jumped up. Pulling on the size too big black pants and shirt Finley had graciously supplied me with, my head spun on what excuse I could come up with in the seconds it’d take me to get to Moe’s room.

The guard jumped as I swung the door open, not expecting me to have come out so soon as I rushed to knock on her door.

She opened it moments later, eyes alert, and I wondered what she’d been doing.

“Wanna go for a walk? Not too cold out today,” I said inconspicuously. The guards were used to me going for a stroll, my claustrophobia, and anxiety not letting me find peace outside of sleeping in my room.

“Uh, sure,” she agreed, not having been included in them in the past two days.

“Great,” I said, grabbing her hand and slipping the note as I pretended to eagerly pull her along. She kept her hand in mine, slowly pulling the note into the sleeve of the hoodie she wore.

Walking outside, the guards kept pace behind, where they could point their weapons should we try to take off. We sat on a small grassy patch down near the river. Moe pulled her knees to her stomach, nonchalantly dropping her head to her thighs and shifting the note forward.

I glanced back, pretending to crack my back. The guards remained unaware in their own conversation.

“What’s—” she said, pulling her head up too quickly, the note visible in her hand.

“Shh.” I mouth, pushing her hand back down.

She read it again, memorizing it before crumbing it. Grabbing a rock and skipping them both into the river.

Αγορ?. Τετ?ρτη. ?ρα 16

“Agora, Wednesday. Sixteen hours.” Her tone was hushed, translating what she could but not understanding the meaning.

Our eyes locked in recognition. His note had been written to where Moe’s translation had been required, but had she fallen short history wise, I’d be able to step in and take her place. I thought back to the documentaries I’d watched with my parents every weekend as a kid. Agora … a place of gathering in city-states in ancient Greece.

The heart of the city.He wanted to talk.

“I knew not to give up on him.” Moe grinned.

Yeah, me too.

Amaia

Around three p.m. the next day I wriggled my way through the narrow vent in the ceiling, grateful for my small frame that made the task easier. The searing pain in my thigh was but a distant memory now. Our rooms were on the fourth floor, and I only needed to make it to a room around the corner before making my way down the stairwell to freedom.

Peering down from the vent, I scanned the area below for any sign of danger or occupation. Silence greeted me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Swiftly pushing aside the vent, I braced myself for the impact of the fall, gritting my teeth as the sting of pain shot up my ankles. I pressed my ear against the door, listening intently for any sound.

Every nerve in my body was on high alert as I stepped out onto the street. I struggled to keep my composure, not wanting to draw attention to myself. My heart pounded in my chest as I scanned my surroundings, eyes wide open for any sign of recognition.

We hadn’t seen much of the city, just the immediate few blocks from where they’d kept us in the basement to the hotel they had us locked in now. My day shift guard had always been rather lenient, allowing me to get air near the river, and most recently, the building Finley had tested us in. I didn’t know where most of them gathered,ifthere was even a space here for that. It was pretty clear to me that they didn’t do much of anything here besides work and looked pissed. Their world was tremendously gray, from the pavement down to their clothes.

My best bet was to follow the crowd, allowing it to take me where the masses headed. I stopped where they did, taking in the row of shops where people lingered. Casting uncertain glances, I was taken aback by the stands selling skinned rats and an array of mystery meats, mutated animals. My stomach turned at the thought of what horrors they might have served me in the stew. The river was right there, and it wasn’t frozen. Surely there had to be other options.

Further down ale and other liquids sold off carts as people swarmed around them, drinking away the problems of their day. I considered joining them for a second, staring in the direction before a shadow in the alleyway to the right caught my attention.

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