I looked across the crowd of black hoods and wondered what Dunstan and the Foragers had planned. He'd said this would be the perfect time, since we'd all be in the same place, so what was going to happen? I hoped my family and friends wouldn't be hurt.
Dunningham took a sip of water from the platinum goblet on his podium. "Dear fellow Grims, we are gathered here today to witness the execution of a traitor. Naomi Grim is charged and convicted of a grave crime—interfering with death. Now she must satisfy death's appetite by giving her own life. Let this be a message to you all. Do not go against the Covenant."
Another Watcher, not Reynold, led me over to the gallows. I spotted Keira and Chase. Their families stood together behind mine. Mother began to sob loudly as I walked up the steps and to the gallows’ platform.
"Silence!" Dunningham bellowed. Father tightened his grip around Mother's shoulders, and I hated Dunningham more than I already did for yelling at her in her grief.
I stepped onto a large wooden block. The Watcher removed my hood and slid the rope around my neck. It was rough and coarse against my skin.
I took one last look at my city. The beautiful buildings and wonderful shops. Even standing in the midst of every Grim in my colony, I felt so alone. No one could do anything to save me, like I had saved the kids at Kennedy High, not even my parents.
I could tell Dunningham wasn't happy. The crowd wasn't as excited as they usually were for an execution. He held his fist in the air. "Long live the Grim!"
The crowd repeated the chant, but not with the usual fervor. Dunningham had to repeat it four more times before he was satisfied. I took a deep breath and waited for someone to kick the block from underneath my feet. Everyone watched in silent anticipation.
A caw came from somewhere above me. I lifted my head in time to witness a black raven soaring above me. I would have given anything to become that bird so I could fly away from my impending death. The raven drifted across the slate-colored sky until it became a small black dot and then disappeared.
"Long live the hybrids!" a man's voice shouted from somewhere.
Everyone looked around. A worried murmur ran through the crowd.
"Long live the hybrids!" I spotted a man, Moore, to be exact, standing on the roof of Brickman's. Everyone's attention was drawn to him.
Moore was only the distraction. I think I was the first to see the others. Several other Forager men, some I recognized and some I didn't, appeared on the roofs of the stores and restaurants that surrounded the square. They held bows and arrows, which they aimed at the crowd. Something whizzed by my head, and I looked back to see the Watcher standing next to me fall back and land on the platform. An arrow protruded from his chest. He wasn't going to die. He had too many years left, but he was horribly injured.
It only took two seconds for it to happen. The square broke out into the most chaotic scene I'd ever witnessed.
The Watcher tried to pull the arrow from his chest, but it wouldn't budge. Several Watchers whisked Dunningham from the stage while others aimed the silencers they always kept tucked in their jackets at the Foragers on the roofs. The Grims in the crowd ducked, trying to avoid being struck by an arrow.
No one was paying any attention to me. I took the rope from around my neck and sprang from the platform. As I jumped from the stage onto the concrete, something caught hold of my cloak. I turned to see Doyle pulling me toward him. I struggled to get out of the cloak, but he grabbed my arm before I could.
I looked him dead in the eye. I wasn't the least bit afraid of him. I knew he couldn't kill me himself. My death was supposed to be a public execution. An example to the others of what would happen if they broke the rules. Dunningham would flip if Doyle took it upon himself to kill me with no one watching. But most importantly I knew his secret.
"I know about you. I know you've been working with them. I know you go to the Outskirts to see Dunstan. I know all about you."
He looked surprised for a moment then he quickly recovered. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about and you don't either."
"Let me go or I tell Dunningham everything. He'll hang you right next to me."
He thought for a moment, then he let me go. I looked back as I ran. He stood there watching me.
Many of the Litropolites began pushing and throwing punches. They would pay for that later.
Grims grabbed and held on to their children. Several fights broke out, and Grims had dispersed, running into stores and homes for safety. The Grim men were caught off guard. Aside from the Watchers, none of them had weapons on them.
I pulled my hood over my head and dodged through the crowd. I wanted to see if my family was okay, but I had to be smart. None of them could be killed, but I could. I had less than a hundred years. I was mortal now, and I had to get the hell out of there before I was captured again.
Chapter 38
I ducked low and ran through the crowds of screaming Grims who were trying to get to safety. Once I was out of the square, everything was calm, but I couldn't stop running. Fate had given me a second chance at life, and I couldn't risk getting caught again.
A woman slammed into me, and we both fell to the ground. She looked at me briefly. It was Samar, one of Mother's friends. She stared at me, wide-eyed. I helped her to her feet and then we continued in the directions we had been running.
I ran through the streets of Farrington and through the stream. Still weak from the chair, I ran strictly on my will to live. I knew how the Fated felt when they fought for their last breath.
Gun shots sounded, one after the other. I wondered how many Foragers would lose their lives. It was foolish of them to attack when they could be killed and their enemies couldn't.
I made it to the wall. Several ropes hung there. The Litropolites had used them to get over the wall to attend the execution. I opted for the hole. The stones were already pushed away. Apparently some of them wanted to take the easy way through. I ran through the empty city, not sure where to go. I couldn't go back to the Outskirts. The Foragers had used me as bait to distract the Grims. Who knew what else they would do?
I went to Odessa's tent and waited, wondering how long it would take her to come home, or if she would even get home. Odessa didn't have enough years to be indestructible, I didn't think any of the Litropolites did.
Still feeling ill, I laid down. I would feel this way for another week probably. Nausea churned in my gut, but I didn't feel like moving. Odessa would have a fit if I threw up in her home.
The never-ending gunshots still worried me. I thought about the children and the innocent people who were in the square.
After a while, I heard noises—the murmur of voices and people moving around. Someone wailed in the distance. A woman's voice shouted over the wailing. "This was a mistake! I told them not to do it!"
"Shut up! It isn't over!" Odessa replied.
She pulled back the sheets that covered the shack's opening. Her eyebrows raised when she saw me, but she didn't seem too surprised. "Oh, you got away."
I nodded. "What happened?"
"What we expected to happen, I guess. They captured and killed some of the men, a lot of them are hiding out in different places throughout the city."
"Oh. Where's Nigel?"
Odessa went to the corner and dug through her dishes, pulling out a pot. "He's in hiding." She looked at me. "A lot of Grims are wounded."
I would imagine so. That was something we weren't prepared for. Grims never got sick, and it was a freak occurrence when someone got hurt. When that happened, the family took care of the injury themselves. There were no doctors or hospitals in Nowhere.
"So this rebellion was a mistake, huh?"
Odessa smiled. "No, it's going just the way it's supposed to be. They need medical attention. Home remedies aren't going to help the wounds they have from swords and arrows. The Grims in the Outskirts have medical equipment from the human world. There are doctors there, trained to help them. Someone will put the bug in Dunningham's e
ar, and he'll send for them. Well, at least that's what we're hoping."
"How did they get stuff from the human world?" We could never bring things from their world to ours when we were dispatched. Only our personal belongings could come back with us. How did they manage to do this?
Odessa sighed. "Oh, I don't know." But I could tell she was lying.
"That plan's stupid, and it's not going to work," I said bitterly. I was angry at them for hurting innocent people. Sure, things weren't the way they should be, but it wasn't the Grims’ fault. They didn't have a choice but to follow the rules. "Dunningham will let those Grims live with their wounds forever before he lets Foragers in his colony."
Odessa poured some water from a pitcher into a pot. "Half of his Watchers are wounded, and his important people from the Upper Estates. Trust me, he'll send for Carey and medical supplies. I only wish they had hit Dunningham himself, but of course he was pulled away from the scene immediately.”
"I wonder if my family's okay."
"Why don't you go check?"
"I can't. They'll capture me again. Your friends set me up."
Odessa shook bottles of spices over the water. "What do you mean they set you up?"
"They kept wanting me to go to Farrington so Dunningham would catch me. They wanted the execution to happen so they could stage this."
Odessa rolled her eyes at me. "You're an ungrateful little twit, you know."
"What?"
"If they wanted you to die, they would have waited until after you were hung to make their move, but they didn't do that. They saved your life. You would be dead if it wasn't for the rebellion and instead of thanking them, you accuse them of setting you up?"
I hadn't thought of it that way, but she was right. They could have easily waited a few seconds later, and I would have been dead. My body would be hanging in the square for all to see.
Odessa took the pot outside. I didn't follow her. I needed to stay out of sight. I thought it would be best if no one knew I was there.
"So what's the next step?" I asked once she come back inside.
"They'll make their next move. During the execution, every Grim in Nowhere was in the square. That means stores and homes were left open and unattended. Those men could be hiding anywhere. We all know they're very skilled at hiding and lurking in the shadows. The prisoners in Gattica, the Foragers who work in the Mill, they're in on it too. Our men will join them when the time is right. We have the Watchers and the men of Farrington and the Upper Estates outnumbered."
Dunningham wasn't stupid. I was sure he was planning something as we spoke. "What about Grims getting hurt?"
Odessa shrugged. "The casualties of war, my dear."
Chapter 39
I wanted desperately to check on my friends and family, but I knew Nowhere would be under heavy surveillance following yesterday's attack.
Odessa and I sat in her home, waiting. Something strange was in the air. Dunningham and the other Grims had to be stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened before. After we'd eaten a meager breakfast of plain white rice, Colden appeared.
"Hey," he said, startling us as he entered the shack.
"Hey, yourself," Odessa said. "Where've you been?"
"Here. I stayed with Felina last night. Her tent is the closest to the opening, and I couldn't risk being seen in case the Watcher's came here."
"Where's Nigel?" Odessa sounded like she was afraid to ask that question.
Colden sat in front of us. "He was captured. He's in Gattica, if they didn't—"
"Dammit!" Odessa said under her breath.
"It's okay. If he's in Gattica, he'll be out in a few days."
"What's going to happen in a few days?" I asked. Maybe now people would start answering my questions.
Surprisingly, Colden didn't look as annoyed as he usually did when I asked him something. "What happened today was designed to get them to let their guard down. Dunningham and his Grims think we're weak and insufficient. They're not expecting much from us. They're going to think that this was some pathetic attempt at an attack and go on about their business."
He stopped, but he hadn't given me the full story. "Yeah? And?"
"We have an army. The hybrids. The Grims of Litropolis. The prisoners in Gattica. The workers in the Mill. Doyle. Farrington and the Upper Estates won't know what hit them. Dunstan will take care of his brother."
"What are you going to do with the Grims there?"
Colden narrowed his eyes at me. "The same thing they've done to us. Throw them in Gattica. Make them work the Mill. Banish them to the Outskirts where they'll shrivel up and die in that heat."
I understood their anger and the injustices they'd been dealt, but they should limit their revenge to Dunningham, not the Grims. It wasn't their fault.
"You can't do that. I have family—"
"They're not your family!" Colden screeched at the top of his lungs, causing both me and Odessa to jump.
"Colden, stop it," Odessa said gently.
Colden took a deep breath, but his face stayed the same, twisted in anger. "I'm tired of hearing you whine about your precious family. You need to realize that you're not one of them anymore. You're one of us. Everybody is paying a price here. My brother is in Gattica. My mother only has a few years left. What we're fighting for comes with a price."
I wanted to go back to Farrington, to at least warn my family, but I knew that was impossible.
"We need to get back to the Outskirts," Colden said. "Dunstan wants you."
"What does he want me for?"
Colden didn't answer, he'd already left the shack.
I turned to Odessa and thanked her again. She gave me a sympathetic smile. "I know this is hard for you, and Colden's tough, but listen to him."
I nodded and followed Colden because I didn't have a choice. I couldn't stay in Nowhere in Odessa's shack forever, and I couldn't risk being caught again.
* * *
Back in the Outskirts, the women carried on with their daily lives as if nothing had happened. Most of the men were in Nowhere, either in Gattica or hiding somewhere, waiting.
Colden had been quiet the entire way. He didn't even yell at me for not climbing the wall fast enough and for falling behind during the walk back. I had stopped to remove my cloak, cursing that blasted heat.
We went straight to Dunstan's cottage. Jax let us in. Dunstan sat at his kitchen table, which was covered with maps and diagrams. Colden and I stood, waiting to be recognized.
"Well?" Dunstan asked, not even looking up.
"Well, what?" I demanded impatiently.
"Aren’t you even going to say thank you? I mean, we did stop your execution yesterday."
I took a deep breath. “Thank you,” I mumbled.
It wasn't that I wasn't grateful, I just knew what had happened hadn't been done to save my life. I didn't think any of them cared whether or not I lived or died.
"I'm going to need you for a project," Dunstan said, finally meeting my eyes. "It's experimental, but the doctors and I have been doing some research and it should work."
I looked at Colden. There was no concern in his eyes. He must have known already. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. "What kind of project?"
A knock at the door prevented Dunstan from answering.
We waited a second and Jax appeared, looking worried. "It's Grims. They said they need to see you and Naomi."
My heart skipped a beat. Dunningham had sent his men to capture me. Did he know that full-blooded Grims could survive here for a very brief time period?
Dunstan didn't seem bothered at all, as if he had been expecting this. "Let them in," he said, actually sounding bored.
Jax went back to the front door. A moment later, Bram, Keira and Chase entered the kitchen.
A swell of relief washed over me. I ran to hug Keira and Chase. "I'm so glad you guys are all right."
"We're fine," Chase said. "What about you?"
I let go of them. "I'm good," I answered.
"I still feel a little weak."
I glanced at Bram.
"Hey," he muttered
"Hi, Bram. Mother, Father, and Dorian, are they okay?"
"Everybody's fine."
Colden took a seat at the kitchen table, glaring at my friends and brother.
Dunstan stood and folded his arms across his chest. "What are you children doing here?"
I was curious too. "Yeah, how'd you guys get out of Farrington without being seen?"
"Your brother sent us," Bram said to Dunstan. "He has a couple of requests, demands, really."
Dunstan chuckled to himself and sat back down. "Is that so? Please do tell, what are my brother's demands?"
"First, he wants doctors. Some of our people are hurt and wounded. He wants supplies and medicine that he knows you have."
Dunstan appeared to be thinking about it. "What's in it for me?"
"Ten lifestones," Chase answered. "We know you need them."
Dunstan laughed heartily that time. "Ten lifestones? My brother must really think I'm an imbecile. We'll send you our doctors, but for no less than one thousand lifestones."
Bram and Chase looked at each other. Bram opened his mouth to speak.
"That's not negotiable," Dunstan said before my brother could get a word out.
Bram was about to argue, but Keira put her hand on his chest. "Fine," she said to Dunstan. "We'll bring that back to him and see what he says."
"What's the next thing?" Colden asked impatiently. Bram shot him a look. The two of them were so much alike, I imagined they would hate each other.
Keira took a deep breath and looked at me. "We have to bring Naomi back."
Chapter 40
"What?" I looked at the three of them, not believing they were actually standing there saying they had come to return me to the man who wanted to kill me.
"I'm sorry, Nay," Bram said. "He said he'll kill all of us and our families if we don't bring you back to him." Then he coughed.
Naomi Grim: Complete Novel (Parts 1-4) (The Silver Scythe Chronicles) Page 3