Chapter Text
If I vote for peace, I will be going against her and everything I was raised to be. I would be the fox, clever but disloyal, slipping through the cracks of expectation. My hand trembles, just slightly, as I slide the ring off my finger and set it on the table before me. The metal is cold, heavy with meaning. For a heartbeat, I stare at it, wondering if I am betraying my blood or finally becoming myself.
The debate has raged for what feels like hours, but now it’s time. My decision. My voice. With a deep breath, I slide the ring off my finger. It’s heavier than I remember. I set it gently on the polished wood in front of me, the sound barely audible, but to me it’s thunderous. It’s a promise to myself: I will not hide behind old fears.
I raise my hand, feeling the weight of history pressing down on my shoulders. “I support Counselor Talis’s proposal.” My voice is clear, but my heart is racing. For a moment, there’s silence-then a murmur, a ripple of surprise and relief. I can almost see the tension unraveling, thread by thread.
Counselor Shoola is the first to respond. Her hand moves with a kind of weary grace, and the light above her seat flicks on with a crisp, mechanical click. The sound is final, like a judge’s gavel. Bolbok follows, his face unreadable, but his vote is decisive. Hoskel’s hand trembles slightly as he casts his vote, and I wonder what private battles he’s fighting.
Salo hesitates, his eyes darting between us. When he finally votes for peace, it’s with a sigh, as if surrendering to a tide he can no longer resist. I watch Counselor Kiramman, her eyes flicking back and forth between the others. She’s always so careful, so deliberate. I can see the conflict in her furrowed brow, the way her fingers drum nervously on the table.
My gaze drifts to Jayce. He’s sitting across from me, his expression a mixture of hope and exhaustion. When our eyes meet, something shifts inside me. I allow myself a small, genuine smile. For the first time in days, I feel a flicker of hope. Maybe this can work. Maybe we can save our city.
But then, a strange sensation crawls up my arms. My tattoos-ornate, gilded lines tracing my skin-begin to glow, brighter and brighter, until they’re almost too hot to bear. I gasp, the pain sharp and sudden. Instinctively, I turn, searching for the source of this wrongness.
Everything happens at once. A flash of movement outside the window. A deafening roar. The glass explodes inward, shards spinning through the air like deadly snowflakes. The force of the blast lifts me off my feet, and I feel Jayce’s arms wrap around me, pulling me close. There’s a moment-a heartbeat-where I’m suspended in air, weightless, before the world goes black.
When I come to, everything is muffled, distant, like I’m underwater. My ears ring. The taste of blood is sharp on my tongue. I can’t move at first, but then I feel a hand-warm, trembling-on my cheek. Jayce. His voice is distorted, as if coming from the end of a long tunnel, but I hear my name. I force my eyes open, blinking against the dust and the pain.
He’s there, his face streaked with blood and soot, his eyes wild with fear and relief. His thumb brushes gently along my cheekbone, wiping away tears I didn’t know I’d shed. I lean into his touch, desperate for something real, something safe. He’s saying something-“Mel, are you alright? Mel, stay with me”-but the words are warped, the world spinning around us.
His hands slide down to my arms, lifting me slowly, carefully. My own hands find his shoulders, gripping tightly. I can feel the tremor in his muscles, the way he’s holding himself together for my sake. Around us, the chamber is in ruins-broken glass, overturned chairs, the acrid smell of smoke and burning fabric.
We stagger to our feet. The chamber is unrecognizable-smoke, rubble, the acrid smell of burning. Two Enforcers pick their way through the debris, their armor scratched and dented. I look around, my breath catching as I take in the destruction. My hands press against Jayce’s chest, needing to feel his heartbeat.
Tears blur my vision. I cover my face with one hand, sobbing. Jayce’s hand finds my shoulder, squeezing gently. “It’s okay,” he says, but his voice trembles. I know he’s lying. Nothing is okay.
Footsteps echo through the haze. Shoola stumbles into view, her right eye swollen shut, blood matting her hair. I stare, horror mounting. My gaze falls on Hoskel-his body twisted, neck snapped. Bolbok lies nearby, his robotic head torn off, sparks flickering from exposed wires.
I press myself against Jayce, grabbing his arm so tightly my nails dig into his skin. He turns, shielding me. My mind races-how could this happen? Why didn’t I see it coming?
A scream cuts through the chaos. An Enforcer is trying to pull Salo’s legs from beneath a slab of marble. Salo’s face is contorted in pain, his cries raw and desperate. I can’t look away.
Jayce’s eyes scan the room, searching. His gaze lands on Counselor Kiramman, sprawled on the floor, motionless. He runs to her, and I follow, my legs barely working. He kneels, shaking her shoulder. “Kiramman… please…” But she doesn’t move. Her skin is pale, lips parted in a silent question. She’s gone.
I sink beside Jayce, resting a trembling hand on his arm. My heart aches. The chamber is a tomb.
Suddenly, my mother bursts through the smoke-Ambessa, fierce and unyielding. She grabs me, pulling me to my feet. “Mel! Are you hurt?” Her voice is sharp, commanding. I nod, but my voice is barely a whisper. “I’m… I’m okay.” I don’t know if it’s true.
I look back at Jayce, at the ruined council, at the bodies of those I called colleagues. My ring lies forgotten on the table, a small circle of gold in a world turned to ash. I wonder if anything will ever be whole again.