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She nods, and we turn to the men. I watch as Frederick’s face hardens, and he tries to step away from Alex. He’s stopped when Alex grabs his arm, wrinkling the fabric of his robe as he brings his lips to his ear. They move to a corner, continuing their conversation.
“Is that about the, um?” Lori murmurs.
“Yes,” I say, careful with each word as more and more adherents enter the room.
“But… why tell him?” She raises an eyebrow.
“That or it’s gone,” I say. “And… I saw… something.”
She brings her hands to her front and says, “Okay.” That’s all the explanation she needs.
“What is all this?” I wave my hand around the room. “When I met the Eminent before, I didn’t see any of this.”
“I’ve never been here,” Lori shrugs. “Seems to be his style. Heard he’s the owner.”
I laugh at her joke, trying to let the butterflies in my stomach settle.
I see the flash of paper move from Alex to Frederick, and I smile, closing my eyes and hoping we’re making the right decision.
The vision hits me without warning, cold rain pouring on my skin and the earth shaking beneath my feet. I grab Lori’s arm, and she swoops around me, shoving me against the wall so no one notices.
Dean’s vicious face is there, but that’s not what steals my focus. I’m looking at the dirt and debris in the distance that billows into the sky, followed by the screams of men that pierce my ears. I watch the earth collapse in a thunderous explosion, while I’m powerless to do anything but stare.
I know the tunnel isn’t open yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Chapter Nineteen
The Show
Theroomfillswiththe breaths of nervous men. They shift on their feet in fancy robes, listening to a ticking clock.
I feel nothing.
I’m numb with my head buzzing and skin tingling, the awe I felt from the artwork fading into disdain. The Eminent’s coming soon, and nothing good happens when he’s around. Everyone in here is oozing dread as the minutes pass, and when Lori reaches for my hand, I want to smile at her, give her a sense of peace, but I can’t.
Alex doesn’t speak as we walk through the hallway, observing artwork I would never see in my old life, trying to kill time.
I ask a one-word question. “Yes?”
He nods, knowing we need to keep the communication sparse.
Frederick has taken the sketches, and he’ll give them to the men that want an uprising. If it’s not a chance to get out, it’s more than they had before, and that’s something. I hold out hope that Alex will take the chance to escape if that tunnel opens, but he won’t leave without his wife. My family goes with or without me, and I’m fine to die here if the time comes.
That time might be today.
When the hour chimes and the crowd grows quiet, I pray Dean isn’t on the other side of the double doors, a worry that didn’t occur to me until this second.
They open with a creak, and the speaker from my hearing stands in the entryway. He’s pompous for an errand boy, and I wonder if the Eminent would get bored one day and pluck out his eyeballs or chop off those fingers he loves to point around.
“Are we spectators or what?” I ask Alex. This feels different from the hearing before and not in any way that puts me at ease.
“Adherents, file inside,” the speaker announces. His eyes narrow down the hall, finding Alex, and he sneers before turning and leading everyone inside.
“This isn’t a trial,” Alex explains.
“You act like I know what happens down here,” I hiss. We’re shuffling forward, and I need to know toward what.
“It’s proclamation day. It’s usually only adherents, but he’s added some guests.” I look around and realize the only ones not in robes are Alex and the women of the adherents, something I hadn’t realized as I hid in the corner.
