“To see my mother,” I say, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“I’ll come,” he offers. “The guard may be awake now.”
We step into the house and we’re met with hushed whispers and the sound of panic. I head for the kitchen, and Summer spots me first. She gasps, taking in my bloodied hands, and runs to me, wrapping me in her arms. “Oh my god, Wynter. Someone took Father,” she cries.
I nod, unwrapping her arms. She glances down at my hands again, this time arching a brow. “What did you do?” she whispers warily. Then she sees Wrath and backs away with a horrified expression.
Annastasia begins to cry, and Mother stands. “Where is he?” she demands.
“He’s not coming back,” I say firmly.
Mother remains quiet as she assesses my face, but Annastasia wails like a heart-broken lover, and I wonder if he treated her better, like Silas did me. Summer is quiet, her eyes still fixed on Wrath. “All of you sit down,” I say firmly, and they do. “This is Ares,” I add. “He doesn’t talk much.”
I move to the sink and wash my hands, smiling as the water turns red with blood. “You might be able to wash it away, but it’s still going to haunt you at night,” snaps Annastasia.
“Oh, shut up,” Mother sneers. “I am so sick of your whining.”
“You can’t speak to me like that,” yells Annastasia.
“All of you shut up,” I yell, and they immediately fall silent. I smile again. “I can see why he was so addicted to the power,” I muse. “We’ve been trapped in this circus for far too long and it ends today. There will be a meeting for the villagers in the town hall at sunrise. They will learn that the forefathers have left us, and that from now on, there will be no more stupid ceremonies or warrior fights. The young boys will be released, and we’ll be contacting the appropriate authorities outside of this village.”
Mother sits up straighter, her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“The boys were stolen, Mother,” I tell her. “Taken from families and forced here so they could be made to fight and become warriors.”
“No, that’s not true,” she mutters, frowning.
“I was one of them,” says Wrath, and I squeeze his hand to encourage him. “I was with my mother, and while she was in the store, I was taken and brought here.”
They all stare in shock. “I need the code for the safe,” I add. “The keys to the gates are in there, and from today, they will never be closed again.”
“They keep us safe,” Mother snaps.
“From who?” I cry. “Everything they told us was a lie, Mother. There is a real world out there, a normal one. You can leave here today and never have to fear him again.”
She stares at me open-mouthed. “Where will I go?”
I shrug. “I don’t have all the answers, but maybe someone out there will.”
I go to Summer. “You can keep your baby,” I say with a smile, and she returns it. “And you can meet the warriors. They’re not bad men.”
She recoils slightly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” she admits, and I nod.
“Okay. But they’re leaving with me too. They’re my responsibility.”
Wrath steps forward. “No one will hurt you,” he reassures her. “I promise.”
I use my old bathroom to clean up, and Wrath does the same. When I return to dress, he’s lying on my old bed, staring up at the ceiling. “You know the other warriors will be with us for some time,” I say, sitting beside him.
He brings his eyes to me. “I want you to myself,” he admits, “but I understand you feel responsible for them.”
“For all of you. Anyone who leaves here today will be with us.”
“What happens to the ones who don’t want to?”
I sigh. “I guess they can stay and live off the land as they were. But once outside authorities know about this place and the horrors, surely, they’ll close it down.”
He shrugs. “I’ve been thinking about my mother a lot.” I lie beside him, and he wraps his arm around me. “Wondering if she’s still alive, if she still thinks about me.”
