Alix grabbed her by the back of the shirt and yanked her off the bench.
The sobs came next. “Please! Please don’t do this to me!”
Alix dragged her across the ground to where the wooden pole stood, the ground still stained with the last victim’s blood.
The woman didn’t rise to her feet and, instead, dug her fingertips into the ground, clinging to life for just a few seconds longer.
I couldn’t watch this.
I walked down the steps and turned my back to the clearing, heading to my cabin so I could close the door and shut out the sound of her screams.
“No! Please!”
I stopped walking.
My cabin was in front of me, just twenty feet away.
Why was I walking away?
“I work! I work hard every day!”
Why was I allowing this to happen?
Why was I trying to convince Fender to do things differently when I could just do things differently myself?
I turned around and walked back to the clearing.
The noose was tight around her neck, and she stood on the small box that would be kicked from under her at any moment.
When I moved past the line of torches, I saw Raven at the table, her head down, her eyes closed.
Alix pulled out his knife and prepared to kick the box from underneath her feet.
I walked past the tables and pulled out my own knife. “Stop.”
Alix turned to me, his eyes narrowed.
“Cut her down.”
A gust of wind blew through the clearing, making the lit torches flicker and almost go out. The energy was totally different now, even tenser than it had been a few seconds before I’d halted the slaughter.
Alix wasn’t tentative with me like he’d been before. Now he was angry, unsure what act I was trying to pull.
When he didn’t do what I said, I told him again. “Cut her down, or I’ll cut your throat.” I didn’t care if I was outnumbered twelve to one. I wouldn’t let this shit happen anymore, and I would kill anybody who got in my way.
Alix still didn’t obey. “What are you doing?”
“The Red Snow is over.” I pulled out my knife and aimed it at the wooden pole where the rope was tied. I threw the knife, and it cut the rope, freeing her from the noose. The blade embedded in the wood behind the platform.
The woman fell to the ground, praising God and digging her fingers into the soil as she cherished her good fortune.
Alix turned to the other guards to see their reactions even though their faces were hidden under their hoods. “What the fuck, Magnus?”
“We aren’t doing this shit anymore.” I stepped on the box and pulled my knife out of the wooden frame. I returned to the ground and turned my back to Alix as I walked away. I’d kick his ass all over again. “You got it?” I projected my voice so the other guys could hear without a hint of confusion. “The Red Snow is permanently prohibited. Anyone who tries will be hung themselves.”
Alix’s voice came from behind me. “Fender gave no such orders.”
I turned around and faced him. I threw my hood back because I didn’t care about hiding my face anymore. It was the first time I wasn’t ashamed of who I was. “He’s not the one giving the orders anymore. I am.”
I sat in the chair in front of my desk, my body pivoted toward the door. My decision had been spontaneous, caused by a rush of adrenaline and guilt. I’d never planned on doing that, but now it was done, and I would face whatever consequences came to pass.
The door to the cabin opened, and Raven stepped inside. The girls were always excused after the conclusion of the Red Snow—or after the conclusion of whatever just happened.
She closed the door behind her then stood there and stared at me.
My eyes were on the floor, one elbow on the desk, while the other arm was over the back of my chair. My knees were apart, and I was surprisingly calm after everything that had just happened.
She stepped toward me until she was directly in front of me. “Look at me.”
My head wasn’t bowed in shame. It wasn’t bowed with guilt. I just wasn’t prepared to see her expression, to witness the look on her face that I would never forget.
Her hand went to my shoulder before it slid up my neck and then to my chin. Her fingers tugged at me slightly, forcing me to look up.
I met her gaze and would never forget the way she looked at me.
Her eyes were wet, and tears had fallen in rivers down her cheeks, creating two shiny streams of emotional release. Her bottom lip trembled once our eyes met.
It was hard to look at her, but I didn’t turn away.
She lowered herself to her knees in front of me so our faces were level. Her palms cupped my cheeks, and she looked into my eyes like she never wanted to look away. She sniffled as more tears fell to her lips. “I love you…”
My chest tightened and my stomach did somersaults when I felt the heaviness of her words hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t just the words she said, but how she said them, how they were visible in every teardrop. It was the first time I’d really felt loved since I’d lost my family, since I’d lost my mother’s warm embrace, since I’d had my last good Christmas. She was a new version of the family that I’d lost, all the love that had been taken from me. Now, it was back…and it was beautiful. “I love you, ma petite amie.”
Thirty-One
Brother
I stepped into the cabin carrying a tray of food. I continued to eat in the communal cabin with the other guards just so I would be present within the camp, to hear their conversations and be part of them. After the Red Snow yesterday, it was definitely tense, but none of them opposed me.
Raven sat on the floor in front of the TV, and she looked up at me when I walked in.
I handed her the tray.
She took it and set it on the floor beside her, eyeing the cup of yellow liquid. “What’s this?”
“Lemonade.”
She took a drink and licked her lips. “I haven’t had lemonade in a long time.”
I took a seat in the chair in front of my desk. My shoulders hung with the heavy weight that no one else could see but me. My heart was having slight palpitations because of the dread in my veins. It was only a matter of time before I would come face-to-face with the consequences of my decision.
She listened to the TV with her eyes down on her food. She was always starving at the end of the day since she didn’t get breakfast and had to work for hours straight.
I stared at the TV, but I really paid it no attention. There were only a few channels in English, so there was very little entertainment for her to enjoy.
When she was done eating, she turned off the TV and got up to place the empty tray on the table. She looked down at me, studying the consternation on my face. “What’s going to happen?”
I kept my eyes on the dark screen and didn’t answer her.
She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes still on me.
“Fender will arrive tomorrow. And we will have words.”
She rubbed one of her arms gently, taking a deep breath at my answer. “What do you think he’ll do?”
I shook my head. “He’ll be angry.”
“Will he hurt you?”