***
With all the people milling around the ground floor Niko caught a glimpse of what it might have been like over half a century ago with the warm lights, the murmur of voices and elegant dress. Her own dress was red with a gossamer skirt piled in delicate layers. She’d forced her feet into a pair of heels again but this time they weren’t sandals and she didn’t have to worry about vulnerable toes. Ari had smeared something over her lips. The deep red color was pretty but every time her tongue happened to brush over her lips Niko was reminded of how nasty it tasted.
Every member from all the Circles were there, including their Directors and family members. The hotel was filled with people wearing the blue of Azure, the aubergine of the Dark, the cream of the Pale and the six droplets of scarlet representing the Rose.
Of course symbols of the rogue Circle were present but heeding the Director’s warning they remained subtle enough to pass undetected by Council members.
Ari waved her over. As well as the rose tattoo on her back, which Niko now suspected did not represent the Rose Circle at all; she had placed a dark red rose in her hair. She stood beside a woman that resembled her spectacularly and was the right age to be her mother. She wore green, as did most of the guests who didn’t belong to a Circle. Ari introduced the two of them Mrs. Banerjee gave Niko a friendly smile. “Arianne told me you were an Outsider as well.”
Niko nodded cautiously wondering where the question would lead but all Mrs. Banerjee wanted to know was if Niko had ever encountered members of her family that were still living outside of the city.
Ari joined her afterward as Mrs. Banerjee moved to speak with someone else.
“It’s weird isn’t it?” Ari said. “You get so used to seeing everyone on their own, like they’re a perfectly self-contained machine then you come to these things and you discover they’ve all had lives before and beyond the Circle. Like would you have ever thought that Duc could look so happy?”
It was true; she’d been surprised to learn that Duc came from such a large family with four younger sisters that he seemed happy to keep entertained. Even the Director, who had floated over to his side had a smile on her face. Malik she saw had an older brother, they spoke very seriously. Malik did not look well and his brother appeared concerned. Oddly enough there was nobody near Ben, his expression was carefully styled as to be unreadable and she wondered if they had been unable to make it. Perhaps they were dead.
Before she could find out they were called into the dining room. It had been transformed by the hotel’s staff of Grey-men from a place where six people barely filled up a table to a small auditorium with rows of seats and a stage where the thirteen Council members were able to look down on the audience.
Ari, Duc and Malik left their families to sit together, the six of them barely filling half the row. Niko sat near the end in between Duc and Ben.
Once everyone had settled down one of the Council members stood up. She looked to be the youngest of the Council with a few grey strands streaking her brown hair. Even so she was far older than most members of the four Circles, where few passed thirty. Killing Slithers did not lend to old age.
She wore a dark grey robe, the same color as the pillar in the middle of Amaryllis Square, embroidered down the front was the symbols of the Circles. They disappeared from sight once she stepped behind the podium.
“For those of you new to your Circles. I am Ann Maddox thirteenth seat of the Council in charge of the safety of this city.
“Today we’re here to honor the Amaryllis who, when the world was overrun with monsters and the rain burned everything it touched, was the first of us who refused to be dragged helplessly toward the end. A woman who inspired others to do the same and vanished before her work was finished.
“We honor her memory when we honor those among you who are as fearless, selfless and as strong as she was.”
As everyone applauded Niko felt a tap on her knee. She shot her eyes toward Ben but his attention was on the Council member. The tap had come from the other side anyway. She looked down.
Duc was bent over pretending to retie his shoelaces. Once he had her attention he raised his eyebrow significantly and beckoned her down with a crook of his finger.
She bent over until her face was level with his. “What?”
He glanced away from her briefly, his attention somewhere over her head probably at Ben who undoubtedly was wondering why she needed to retie her laces when she wasn’t wearing any.
Duc’s eyes settled back on her. “When the ceremony’s over you have to get out of here. Leave the city.”
“Why?” More to the point, how?
“Your samples that Ben sent off, the Council’s interested in them, they’re interested in you. You’re different and they want to know why. Ben told us about the people you met Outside and how there was someone else like you. If the Council learns about that and discovers how to find them ...” He didn’t need to finish the sentence, if there was nobody left outside the walls to fight the Slithers neighborhoods would be decimated and then the cities would be next.
“I’m not leaving without my brother.” She insisted. She lifted her head Jared was across the aisle talking animatedly with a small group of boys he had terrorized into becoming his friends. They had barely been reunited three days; she was not losing him again.
Duc tugged her back down. “Of course not.” He said a tad impatiently his eyebrow piercing glinting in the artificial light.
“We’ll make a commotion, so that you can get out of here. Head for the South Gate, the Director arranged something with Bobby. There’s a train coming, be on it.” He briefly explained where to find it.
“I’m coming too.” Ben had bent forward and joined their whispered conversation.
“You’ll slow her down.” Duc said. Something was passed to him and he handed it to Niko. It was the jaunty red purse Ari had been carrying. Pinned to its side was a black fabric rose.
“I was Outside too, I took the samples. If they can’t get her they’ll get me.” Ben insisted.
“He’s right.” Niko said.
Duc let out a long sigh, his mouth twisting as he rethought the plan. “Okay fine, but make sure you get out of here.” He gave Ben a pointed look. “No matter what.”
He sat up and she and Ben soon followed suit. She clutched the purse in her lap staring straight ahead at Ann Maddox. Her demeanor hinted at nothing.
She called out people’s names and handed awards to lucky recipients. What for Niko had no idea, she was barely listening.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and she took several deep breaths to quiet it. There was such a small window of time that she needed to be able to think clearly. Her eyes settled on Jared as she tried to calculate how many steps it would take to reach his side. He wouldn't ask questions, he was used to situations where the tiniest hesitation meant life, death, or serious injury.
Ben wrapped his hand around hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She hoped he wouldn't decide to hang onto it while they were making their escape, it’d only slow them both down. But at the moment while they weren’t running his grip slowed the raging of her heart and she was able to focus.
“ ... Harmony Niko.”
Her name was being called. Ann Maddox stood to the right of the podium holding a plaque in both hands. She scanned the crowd expectantly as she called Niko’s name again.
She stood up breaking Ben’s grip before heading down the aisle. Ann did not look like a woman capable of planning a kidnapping or executing clandestine experiments. She simply looked proud as she handed Niko the wooden plaque and placed a congratulatory hand on her shoulder before leading her to a chair just in front of the stage facing the audience. Niko sat beside a boy from the pale Circle who’d received an award for bravery. She perched on the very edge of her seat. It was going to be even more difficult to make her escape by blending into the crowd and since she was so close to the Council members she was also closer to the band of guards
and Officials that always stood near them.
Judging by the faces of her friends they were worried as well. She rubbed her fingers against the edge of the plaque going over the route she would take in her mind. She was glad the ceremony was being held at the hotel, it made things easier, she wouldn't have to worry about getting lost in a city she still didn’t know after living in it for over a month.
There was a burst of applause that made her flinch and the audience rose to their feet still clapping, happy expressions on their faces.
This was it. Her brother was hidden by all of the taller people around him but she knew where he was.
She leaned forward slightly, she couldn’t move too soon or that would tip their hand but she couldn't help but feel that every second spent waiting for the right moment was a second lost. Where was that distraction?
A scream. It sounded like Ari’s and that was enough for Niko. She surged forward.
A hand fell heavily on her shoulder. “Ms. Niko, come with us please.” The grip was vise-like and expected nothing less than compliance.
There was a ripple from the audience originating from the Rose Circle and spreading outward like a toxin. It began as murmurs then cries of astonishment, screams and shoving until it finally reached her as full-blown panic. Whatever her friends had planned she need to take advantage of it.
She raised her award for determination and smashed it against his head. The wood plaque broke in half and the man reeled back letting her go as he tried to stop the blood pouring from the deep gash in his forehead.
She slipped into the crowd pushing against people who were trying to get away from whatever the Rose Circle had done. They tripped over overturned chairs as husbands tried to protect their wives and mothers their children from being trampled by the mass of people blinded by one emotion.
“Jared!” She called out.
“I’m here!”
She followed the direction of his voice and found him struggling to stay upright as people bumped into his small frame. She grabbed his arm. “We have to get out of here.”
A series of bangs erupted overhead. Niko ducked and a scream escaped her lips. Sparklers and small firecrackers had been lit crackling and showering colored sparks everywhere. Arid smoke began to fill the room.
She coughed. The plan was more elaborate than she’d expected; the fireworks were a bit excessive when the first part seemed to be working fine. But if it got her out of the hotel she wasn’t going to knock it.
Smoke began to obscure her view of the room and she shoved Jared toward where she hoped the door was. She didn’t have time to look for Ben; if he was smart he would be heading toward the rendezvous point.
A man stumbled toward her. His features were an indistinguishable wash of blood with a hole ringed by very white teeth. He screamed then tripped over a chair. Gouged into his back were four deep furrows.
Niko knew of only one thing capable of inflicting such an injury. As if to confirm the dreaded hypothesis out of the smoke stepped a Slither.
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