Page 47 of Can you take it?

“Listen, the only way we can get out of this tier is if the two of you calm down and focus on peace instead of violence. You’ve had your share of fighting and battle for today. Now you need to move on. It’s not something you can get stuck in, or you’ll be here forever, and you know I’m right,” she said.

Silence from both of them let me know that they had also realized there was a solid chance of being stuck here.

“I want each of you to promise me that you will not hurt Bexley,” she said softly.

Silence.

“Promise me,” Anna said more sternly. “I promise,” said Eletha.

“I promise,” added Walter.

I felt Anna’s body move and realized she had turned to look at me. “Promise me you won’t hurt Bexley.”

I scowled at her, feeling slightly offended. “Why would I hurt Bexley? I was the one that came to talk him down. I don’t want to hurt anybody.” For some reason, it bothered me that she thought I would hurt him, but I nodded softly. Our eyes held each other for a long moment. A sort of truce seemed to form then. I didn’t know how long it would last, but we didn’t feel like enemies anymore.

Bexley returned with an armful of some of the wildest weapons I’d ever seen—a giant scythe that looked like a black thorn, with a point so sharp on the end it sparkled; blades that seemed to ooze and drip. He came closer, holding out the largest blade, paused in front of Anna with a look of uncertainty, and handed it to her.

“Please don’t hurt me,” he said under his breath.

“No one here is going to hurt you, I promise,” she said. Her voice was stern and solid, giving an air of confidence.

He nodded, then moved to me, hesitating again before handing me the second-largest blade.

“Thank you,” I said when he placed it in my hands, which were still tied, so the weapon had to sit in my lap.

He continued to Walter next, giving him the third-largest weapon.

“Just do as I say,” he said to Walter, looking genuinely afraid of him.

Walter took the weapon and nodded. Next, Bexley moved to Eletha, where he paused longer than he had with the rest of us.

“I don’t know, Miss Anna,” he said.

“It’s all right, Bexley. She’s not going to hurt you, right, Eletha?” Anna said.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Eletha ground out through her teeth.

Reluctantly, he handed her the weapon. “You can’t fight them,” he said. “If you fight them, we’ll stay here forever.”

I had no idea what his words meant, but I could tell we were about to find out.

Bexley loosened the chain just enough to put it around him. He pushed himself between me and Anna, and then tightened the chain around his hips, sitting with his legs stretched out like the rest of us. He pulled the smallest blade, a mere pocketknife, from his pants and held it. “Here they come,” he whispered.

Sure enough, the dark, shadowy figures poured out of the buildings, each with a weapon in hand. Immediately, my pulse quickened, and my blood thrummed. It felt submissive, weak, and dangerous to be sitting here when they were coming right at us.

“Walter,” Eletha said through gritted teeth.

“I won’t let anything happen,” Walter stated, and even I believed him.

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Anna said, “but do not raise your weapons to them, no matter what.”

Within seconds, the looming black figures surrounded us. My stomach clenched. Each of the shadowy figures came closer and closer until they were so near, the smell of decaying flesh permeated my nose, making me want to vomit. It was only then I realized they weren’t just shadowy figures. They had crimson eyes set deeply in cloaks made of shadows.

“Do not raise your weapons,” Bexley said softly.

I couldn’t imagine how Eletha and Walter were faring, but all I wanted to do was lop some heads off. It took everything within me to not dig my blade into one of the figure’s sternums.

“Hold your weapons out and drop them,” Bexley said. “What?” Eletha said. “Drop our weapons?”