Page 17 of Tear of Destiny

“And what punishment is he facing?”

“Can we maybe change the subject?” Frances snaps at me with a scowl.

I raise my eyebrows inquiringly.

“It’s none of your business,” she grumbles. “This is not your world, and you don’t understand this stuff.”

I keep my comments to myself, and we walk the rest of the way in silence. The closer we get to the temple, the more anxious I become. I only have one thought: what if someone notices that I don’t belong?

Noah leads the way, trying to shield me a little with his body. I don’t sense any nervousness in him, which is good because that would only draw attention. But he’s definitely keeping a close eye on our surroundings.

We reach the first of the houses, and to my relief, there’s nobody around. It’s not until we turn into the main street and approach the town center that we encounter the temple residents. And there are loads of them! As Frances said, the whole town seems to have gathered for the occasion. They’re standing around in the street, talking and waiting for something.

Noah, Frances, and I weave our way through the throng until we reach a wide square bordered by large ostentatious buildings. Their entrances are framed by columns, and small figurines adorn the gleaming white facades.

At that moment, the hubbub around us swells to an excited buzz, and then I hear angry shouts. Two men step out of an alley, leading a thin, pale man between them. His long dark hair hangs over his face, and he seems barely able to stand. He lifts his head when he hears the abusive shouts and turns to the two men in a panic.

“Please, I’ll do anything. I’ll make amends somehow. I promise. You know I didn’t want to do it. I couldn’t help it. You have no idea what it’s like.”

But his pleas fall on deaf ears. He’s dragged to one of the buildings and through its doors.

The shouts of the onlookers are deafening and so full of hate that I can only feel sorry for Travis.

“We need to go inside,” Frances says to Noah.

He nods and regards me earnestly. “Stay here until we get back. Hopefully it won’t take long.”

I nod and watch them both disappear into the building where the poor guy is about to be interrogated. At least it’s not a public hearing.

Most of the Noctu remain in the square discussing the prisoner, but I’m standing off to one side, so I only catch fragments of what they’re saying. I still feel uncomfortable in this crowd, and I can’t stop thinking about the fact that they’re all my enemies. I’m reminded of Ayden’s apprehension about me having to return to the Odyss again and again until I’m completely cured. I can imagine what he would say. And right now, I’d agree with him because being here can’t be a good idea. But so far everything seems to be going okay, and nobody is paying me any attention. Why would they? They’re focused on something else entirely.

Time passes slowly, and I wonder how long it will be before Noah comes back and I can leave this place. I restlessly shift my weight from one foot to the other and try not to let my fear show. I turn my head, and a rapid movement catches my eye. It’s so fast that I can’t be sure I didn’t imagine it. What did I just see? A face, I think. A sinister face with dark eyes staring at me. I get goosebumps and search for the face in the crowd. But it’s gone.

At that moment, the doors open, and Travis is brought out, followed by a handful of men and women – presumably Assembly members. Some other people exit the building a short distance behind them, and I recognize Noah and Frances among them. Travis looks wrecked, hanging between the two guards like an inanimate object as he’s subjected to loudcondemnations from the crowd and dragged away, probably to a cell.

The faces of the Assembly members are impassive, impossible to read. So I have no idea how the interrogation went. A few of them stop and confer briefly and the rest disperse. The crowd of onlookers also dissipates slowly once it’s clear that there won’t be an announcement.

It’s a while before Noah and Frances deem it safe to join me. She looks pale and harrowed. But Noah seems relieved that it’s over and I’m still here.

“Everything okay? Did anything happen?” he asks.

“Nobody noticed me,” I reply. Then I recall that face. Should I mention it? But Noah is already holding my arm and leading me away.

“Come on, we’ll take you back. You must be keen to get home.”

We leave the temple together, and I feel more relieved with each step that takes me farther away from this place. I still can’t believe I was actually here.

“How was the hearing?” I ask, trying to shift my focus to something else.

Noah shrugs. “No surprises. Travis was pretty spaced out. He had these moments of confusion and didn’t seem to remember much. He just kept pleading for mercy and saying he wanted to make amends.”

“Will he be given a chance to do that?”

Noah’s sidelong glance says it all. “He sold information to the Tempes and betrayed us all. There’s only one punishment for that. And there are a number of Assembly members who follow the law to the letter.” He glances at Frances.

“My parents were never much for compassion or forgiveness,” she explains. “They see mercy as a sign of weakness. If someone makes a mistake they have to stand up and face the consequences.”

“That sounds harsh,” I say quietly.

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