Page 88 of Rising

She grinned as she tossed a metal ball towards us, green fumes leaking from the sides. A pungent, sweet scent filled the air, and the world faded to black once more.

Amaia

My eyes opened, my head heavy though my cheek rested on a cold hard floor, hands still pressed behind my back. Rays of sunlight filtered, illuminating a moldy cinder block room. I kept my breathing still, my stomach pressed into the floor. There were other quick, rushed breaths behind me. I wasn’t alone.

“You’re awake,” a haughty voice said, dripping with malice.

I used my cheek as leverage to push my body up, a wail escaping my lips as my leg throbbed, a reminder of my last few moments conscious. Adrenaline pumped through me, my feet locking onto the floor and pushing me forward. A chain yanked me back before I could rise, my tailbone singing in pain, my hands unable to break my fall.

My body shivered, the air in the basement biting into my skin, the chains keeping my fire from warming my skin. They’d stripped me to my last layer, all of my weapons removed. Moe lay immediately on my right, the red mark around her neck now bluish-black. She was awake. Her eyes are puffy, shoulders slumped in defeat. Seth and Reina lay further down, still unconscious, but shifty.Alive, I thought,butwhere is Alexiares?

“No independent settlement nor representative of another party should engage in any form of espionage or trespassing on another party’s territory”—Finley crossed into view, a piece of paper in her hands—”including, but not limited to; its independent borders, waterways, and any facilities within. If one party suspects another party has engaged in such activities, the matter should be brought to the attention of the other party through diplomatic channels and provide evidence to support its claims. The offending party should be held responsible if it’s found that they’ve engaged in said activities. Any disputes arising from alleged violations of said rule should be resolved through means of negotiating, mediation, or execution.”

A rifle bounced against the back of her long coat as she finished summarizing the most important law in the treaty. Her arms fell to her hips in disappointment as she looked up at me. “You signed that treaty, were there actually. That’s your signature, isn’t it?”

She shoved the paper in my face, too close for anyone to read properly, my head turning defensively. Alexiares sat in a chair near the door, his eyes meeting mine, staring ahead as if he didn’t recognize me. He leaned forward, hands resting on his knees as he watched.

Unchained.

“I see you’ve done your research,” I said, nodding towards the piece of shit in the corner. A knife similar to Alexiares’ now in her hand as she strode over.

“Ooh, honey. I know all about you,General Bennett. Had three days to catch up on what I’d missed, too.” Her knife pushed into the soft skin in the center of my neck. “He despises you, you know? Dreamed about slitting your throat. Even made jokes of burning you to ashes, giving you the ending that you deserve.”

The pommel of her knife connected with my jaw, sending me on my back. Her long legs wrapped on either side of my shoulders, the weight of her body pressing into my chest.

“I know all about San Jose, Redding,Monterey.”—her top lip curled in disgust—”The entire fucking Salem Territory. You people are delusional, living like nothing happened. Behind your walls and rules, pretending that the last five years never happened. It’s pathetic.”

I spat, blood hitting her in the face as Finley laughed, wiped my spit off her face, and licked it as she turned to Alexiares, weight shifting over my right rib.

“What’s that stupid fucking quote you used to say?”

He smirked, eyes piercing at me as he recalled, “Which is better, to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?”

Lord of the Flies.

“Ah, yes. That’s right.” Finley said, thick brows raised, lip curled downwards, mocking me, as she pulled me back up off the ground, “I choose hunt and kill.”

Her free fist balled and swung into my face with force, the impact landing with a thud, and my head snapped back, blood spraying from my mouth. A smile pulled over her thin lips, eyes filled with joy as I coughed, choking on my own blood.

“Lucky for you, Alexi drives a hard bargain.” Disappointment clawed at my insides and my expression fell, a different pain setting in. Finley burst out laughing. “Oh. You stupid little girl. Youactuallythought he cared about you? I remember being just like you. Stunned, wondering what went wrong. Why he’d betray my trust after everything we’d been through.”

With her back turned to me, she sauntered over to Alexiares, her slender legs carrying her with a purpose. I pushed back upright with my feet, not liking the vulnerability of laying on my back as she climbed onto his lap, straddling him and taking hold of his face.

She kissed him with an intensity that left no room for resistance on his part. He surrendered to her advances, his hands firmly grasping her hips as he drew her in closer. As our eyes met, he opened his mouth, allowing his tongue to entwine with hers as he groaned in pleasure.

Despite the rush of blood to my cheeks, I refused to look away. Determined to not allow her to use him as a tool to unnerve me. As she leaned back from their kiss, she tapped him on the face with an air of dominance, as if he were nothing more than a loyal canine. Without breaking contact, she turned around, still seated on him, and gazed back at me with a smug grin that betrayed her true intentions.

She was insecure.

“It hurts, I know,” she said, “Turns out it wasn’t a me thing, and more of a him thing. My poor husband was dealing with so much and I missed the signs. Made it about myself. Guess we’ll have to work through that in therapy.”

Reina yelped from the other side of the room, coming to and startled. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Seth awake too, shuffling on the ground towards her. Moe, no longer shell-shocked, scooted forward to cut off the view from the brother headed to his sister’s aid.

“Something tells me even therapy can’t save this,” I taunted, trying to keep the attention on me and off my friends.

It worked.

Finley jumped to her feet, knife back at my throat in an instant. “Shut your mouth,whore. I should kill you right now for even thinking about putting your dirty little lips on him.”

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