Page 81 of Stormbreaker

“What the fuck was that?” Devon asks, gesturing toward the trees.

I lurch up onto a throbbing knee and look around.

The accused man is gone. “Where’s the person I saved?”

“He returned home. Like I said,” Devon says. Good.

The Keeper kneels on the ground, eyeing the circle of masked people.

“Uncuff her,” I demand. “Let her go.”

Stevie huffs and gestures to a pair of Extinguishers who must’ve arrived at some point. I recognize Lieutenant Dire from my first day of cadet training. He leans down and unlocks her ankles and then uses her wrist restraints to pull her to her feet.

“She gets to leave the city now?” I ask, my voice shaky, suddenly reminded of the itching spreading through my arms and legs. “That was the deal.”

Dire rounds on me and pins me with a dark look, his gaze scanning me from head to toe. I swallow thickly, resisting the urge to scratch. The last thing I need is any more of his attention.

“Yes,” Stevie says, answering for him. “Get her out of here.”

The Extinguishers drag the woman away as I watch her back, hoping she finds a better life beyond the city’s borders. That’s probably wishful thinking, though. Still, maybe at least this gives her a fighting chance.

Now all the attention returns to me as I force myself to my feet. I don’t know what I did, but my knee hurts and my ankle throbs and I can feel my hair sticking to my forehead. I try to clear the strands away, but my fingers come away coated in blood.

I think I’m mostly fine. Physically, anyway.

I wipe the blood on my pants and wait for my sentencing.

Devon shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair.

“What the fuck do we do now?” he asks Stevie.

“I don’t know. Kick her out?”

I make a sound of protest that has them both turning my way.

“Have something to say?” Stevie asks.

“You said I’d only be kicked out if I didn’t save them.”

“Yes, but then you saved them both!” Devon says, throwing up his hands.

“Sorry?” I say, though obviously, I’m not sorry. How could they ask me to make this choice?

Devon huffs out a sound of frustration and paces away, again tugging on his hair.

“Let’s go inside,” Stevie says. “We can talk this over.”

“You’ve entered cadet training?” Devon asks me, and I blink.

“Yes.”

“And you know that if we kick you out of Society, you can no longer train?”

“Yes.” I swallow my pride and my dignity. “Please. I want to be a Breaker more than anything.”

Something imperceptibly softens in her expression before she gestures to everyone around the circle. “Let’s go.”

Devon and Stevie take up the front of the line, and I limp behind them, surrounded by my group of masked escorts. Someone moves in beside me, revealing my cousin Anan.