Page 87 of Captured By the Scaled Outlaw
I realize that I don’t have any leverage in this situation. Kinsley is offering me a proposal,again,that will allow me some semblance of a normal life, but for the price of my allegiance. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the worst I could do.
I raise my crossbow, pointing the tip between Lowell and Kinsley. “You said if I shoot Lowell, you’ll allow me back?” I ask. “Why?”
A cheeky smile pulls at Kinsley’s lips. “Think of it as a handshake — an agreement of terms. And it’ll show Nilsan that you foughtwithus.”
“Even if I shoot him, he won’t die from a single bolt. What are you planning to do with him?”
Using the heel of his boot, Kinsley grinds it into Lowell’s cheek. Lowell’s eyes open in terror, his pupils thin, and his neck muscles ripple.
“I fully intend to collect on thealiveportion of the bounty, but a little torture could be fun, hmm?”
I look away as Kinsley stomps on Lowell’s head, laughing each time his boots connect to scales.
My heart squeezes, uncertainty freezing me still. “All I have to do is shoot him? Not kill him?”
Kinsley’s laugh grows louder, his expression wild. “If you want to put him out of his misery, go ahead. But you’ll owe me the bounty difference.”
The wordsput him out of his misery, coupled with the pitiful look on Lowell’s bloodied and bruised face, feel like stabbing pains in my chest.
Kinsley claps his hands together. “Alright, May, load up a good old piercing bolt and shoot this animal bastard. Don’t forget about my proposition for your promotion to ‘help the world’ or whatever it is you think you do.” He beckons me over with his hand. “Isn’t this exciting? We’re two traitors with an unspoken alliance, two accomplices who will end up extremely wealthy after the bounty.”
He thinks he’s invincible. He’s not afraid of me at all.
“I’m not a traitor,” I state.
Kinsley raises a bushy eyebrow. “It’s a joke, May. Are you going to shoot the damn lizard or not?”
Before I can respond, soft, choking words fall from Lowell’s mouth. “Go with him,” he grunts, coughingbetween each word. “It’s over for us.”
“I—”
“This is the only way for you to go back,” Lowell cuts me off immediately, his eyes pleading. He coughs, blood splattering across his chest. “And I told you not to get involved. So thank the Goddess for this blessing andgo.”
As stubborn as always.
I can’t stop the tears forming, frustration, anger, and sadness all hitting me at once.
Reluctantly, I replace the non-piercing bolt in my crossbow. The mechanical noise that had filled me with joy only moments ago now brings dread.
“It’s a bit ironic that Nilsan spends so much time and resources fighting Gaia 4 when domestic terrorists are already living within the bounds of the city,” I say more to myself than to Kinsley.
“Everyone is bad. You’re just a silly little idealist,” Kinsley sneers. “I am not the first, last, or only person who will go against Nilsan for the sake of money. You’re just slow to catch on.”
I shift my gaze to Lowell, my vision blurred from tears. Seeing him like this destroys me.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, my voice cracking. I bring the bolt tip to rest against the grey scales I’ve grown accustomed to. Something of a strange comfort.
I stare at Lowell, my heart feeling like it’ll explode with grief.
I don’t want to leave my life behind. Learning that there is more internal corruption than I’d initially suspected makes me want to gut Nilsan with even more conviction than before. But to do that, I’d have to align myself with someone truly vile.
Then again, if I let Kinsley go, my only other ally is someone equally as crazed.
I bite the inside of my cheek so hard it bleeds.
Lowell coughs, crimson coming out in chunks. “Shoot me, kill me, whatever — just go back,please. I won’t be mad,” he begs, his voice gentle. “Fight for the city you’ve poured your life into, avenge what is lost. You said you wanted to make change from the inside, and that can still happen and be true.”
Lowell’s weak smile spears through any logical thoughts I have. I can’t think straight anymore.
