Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Heat. Smoke. My eyes water instantly. The smoke fills my lungs, and I cough. My body shudders. I strain against the rope binding me to the stake.

I feel the flames licking at my feet, the scorching heat against my skin. I want to scream, I want to thrash, but I won’t give the Masters that satisfaction.

I push myself up on my toes, gasping for fresh air. I close my eyes as tears continue to stream down my face. My head spins.

Then I hear a thwack. My eyes snap open, and I stare at the silver blade lodged in the wood beside my face.

I let out a small huff of air. The blade is beautifully carved, the handle made of dark shiny wood. A tanto. Sanoske’s tanto.

I tear my gaze from the tanto, and I see him. He’s standing on the top of the hill, his sword drawn, his eyes focused on me.

“Sanoske.”

My voice is hoarse. The smoke fills my lungs. I start coughing violently. I hear screams, I hear orders shouted and the thunder of running men.

“Alexandra!”

It’s Sanoske’s voice. I see his figure through the smoke. He’s running down the hill. Behind him come others. Kagegun, workers.

The smoke stings my eyes and I’m forced to close them again. The brutal sounds of guns firing echo in my head. I hear Sanoske calling my name again.

My heart hammers in my chest. Sanoske is here. He’s here! Not on my map, not by the white cliffs with my daughter. He’s here. Where is Beth?

Suddenly I can’t move fast enough. My heart races as I twist my body, pulling my feet up from the fire and latching them around the stake. The fire snakes up behind me, filling my lungs with smoke.

I sputter and cough, gripping the stake with my thighs as I rub the ropes around my hands against the tanto. The blade slices through the rope easily.

~I’m coming, Sanoske!~

My hands now free, I grasp onto the stake with my arms and shimmy my way to the top.

Smoke billows around me, but it’s easier to breathe and I can see the fighting.

Workers, Kagegun, and what looks like Chinese soldiers clash with the Perfect soldiers. The Masters are already rushing back toward the house.

For a fleeting second, my gaze meets Eric’s just before he runs into the safety of the house, leaving his men to be massacred.

“Alexandra!” Sanoske’s voice comes through the smoke. I see him carving through the soldiers, heading toward me.

“Sanoske!”

My voice strains through the smoke, but it’s enough for him to hear. His eyes meet mine. There is such fury there. He runs faster than I’ve ever seen him move.

The soldiers who stand in his way are cut down without him even looking at them. He is wild, uncontrollable in his bloodthirst.

When he’s close enough, I launch myself from the stake. He doesn’t expect it, but his arms appear and he catches me through the flames.

I’m in his arms. His scent envelops me, and his strength is my shield. His warm, hard arms immediately crush me against his chest. I gasp in pain as he squeezes my broken rib.

His sword is dropped and forgotten as he spins me down. The cool ashes refresh my steaming feet. I wince.

Sanoske wastes no time. In the middle of the battlefield, his big hands grip my waist as his gaze moves up and down my body, checking all my wounds. I see the fury in his eyes, the hurt in his expression.

His chest heaves. He’s covered in blood. He looks exhausted.

“Sanoske,” I say, coughing.

His gaze bounces back up to my face. His bloody fingers reach up to cup the side of my face. He wipes at my tears. I can barely control them anymore.

“Sanoske,” I croak again, reaching out for him. I feel the solid muscles of his chest, the movements of his heavy breathing, the racing of his heart. I let my arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer.

His heavy arms are locked around my waist, pulling me gently against his solid form. I feel his face bury into the crook of my neck. His body is shuddering. I realize he’s crying.

“Sanoske,” I say, but he doesn’t let me go. His arms only tighten around me.

It’s not until somebody falls against me, knocking us both to the ground, that he pulls back suddenly. His dark eyes narrow on the Perfect soldier who now lays dead at our feet.

Then he’s looking at me again, his hands staying locked around me.

“You broke your promise,” he accuses me.

“I’m sorry,” I reply.

“I am never letting you go,” he growls.

My heart hammers in my chest. His fingers slide up my body to my face, and with one arm tightly tucked around my back, he pulls me up and presses his lips against mine.

His kiss is ferocious, passionate, and hard. He claims me entirely, his hand gripping the side of my face. He doesn’t care about the blood, the ashes, the tears.

I can only lose myself to him. His lips bruise mine, his teeth clash against mine. He’s rough, but I can still feel his chest shuddering.

I pull back, gasping for breath. He presses his forehead to mine as he strokes my cheek. The battle around us is completely forgotten.

“I’m sorry, Alexandra,” he whispers, his breath hot in my ear. “I should have never let you go.”

I shake my head. My tears still flow freely, and I feel him kissing them away. My chest heaves with sobs.

“Where are you hurt?” he asks.

“Broken rib, hand, fingers, burnt feet,” I whisper. “And my back. They whipped my back.”

I feel him wince as I speak. His whole frame shakes with rage. He moves his hand down my arm to my broken hand, taking it gently, the muscles in his jaw twitching.

“I wasn’t here to protect you,” he growls.

“I’m alive, Sanoske. I’m alive.” I reach up and kiss his lips.

“I should have been here. I—”

“Sanoske,” I press my lips to his again. His arms lock around my body tightly.

“Alexandra, I’m sorry. I’ve let you down.”

“No, you haven’t,” I tell him, my voice firm. His dark eyes meet mine. “You just saved my life. Again. Where’s Beth?” I ask, my eyes scanning the battlefield.

Suddenly, I realize the battle is almost over. The Kagegun are chasing down the last of the Perfects who are scattered around.

“She’s not here,” Sanoske reassures me. “She’s with a worker named Julia.”

I let out a sigh of relief, feeling the air rush out of me. He bends down to retrieve his sword from the mud, his hand still resting on my hip.

“We need to get you out of here,” he murmurs, sliding his sword back into its sheath and lifting me into his arms, holding me close to his chest.

“Wait,” I say, placing my hand on his chest. He looks down at me. “There’s someone I need to see first.”

Sanoske’s lips tighten, then he nods. I point to the house. He carries me over the bodies, over the ashes, to the front door, kicking it open with ease and striding inside.

A group of soldiers rush at us. Sanoske ducks down, still holding me close to his chest. He draws his sword and leaps forward.

He moves so quickly. Even nestled against his chest, I can’t keep up with his movements. He cuts through the soldiers, then continues upstairs into the house.

Behind him, I hear the Kagegun and workers following us, taking down the last of the soldiers Sanoske didn’t reach.

Sanoske moves from room to room, until I catch sight of a truck pulling up in the back and the Masters start to get out. I just point.

Sanoske shatters a window and leaps out, landing solidly on the ground in front of the truck. The driver tries to shoot at us, but Sanoske dodges him and beheads him in one swift move.

Another soldier lunges at us, but Sanoske kicks him back and drives his sword into his chest. Then he turns to face the seven Masters, all backing away from the truck.

I hold onto his neck tightly. I know we’re both covered in blood, and I can feel Sanoske’s chest rising and falling, his hot breath against my neck.

I see Master David turn and start to run. The older Master starts coughing. My gaze lands on Master Eric, a pistol gripped in one hand, his face twisted with rage.

Sanoske lifts his hand and throws a dagger. It buries itself in Master David’s back. He falls to the ground with a scream.

As the Kagegun men quickly surround the Masters, teachers, and nurses who had come for my execution are dragged out of the building, wailing and screaming.

“I’ll shoot!” Eric threatens, his pistol shaking in his hand.

Sanoske and I face him head on. I glance up at Sanoske. His face is impassive, like stone.

“Put me down,” I whisper.

His resolve cracks, and his expression changes to one of anger and pain. He shakes his head stubbornly.

“Sanoske, put me down,” I insist.

His jaw muscles twitch, and he bends down to let my feet touch the ground. All the while, he keeps his gaze locked with Master Eric.

I try not to wince as my tender feet touch the ground. Sanoske keeps one arm wrapped around my waist, holding me close to him.

“This is the Master who hurt you,” he growls.

“Yes,” I say. “So he’s mine.”

Sanoske hesitates. I can feel his grip tighten around me. Master Eric is shaking with fear. His eyes dart back and forth between us.

For a long time, I wanted him to feel the same fear I felt when he had me in his arms, when he was around my daughter. But seeing it in his eyes now brings me no satisfaction.

I pull away from Sanoske. He lets me slip from his grasp with a grunt. I step shakily toward Eric, wincing with each step. Eric watches me approach. Behind him, the Kagegun men force the other Masters to their knees.

Eric points the barrel of his gun at my forehead. I look up at him, reaching for the pistol. I grasp the cold metal.

“I’ll shoot,” Eric hisses. “I’ll shoot. Let me drive away, or I’ll shoot her.” He’s talking to Sanoske now.

I can feel Sanoske approach, so I raise my hand to him, signaling for him to stay back.

“You won’t shoot me, Eric,” I say. “You won’t hurt a hair on my head anymore. Not ever again.”

His gaze flicks back down to me, his brows furrowing. My grip on the barrel of the gun tightens. I feel Sanoske hovering behind me, the anger radiating from his body.

“But I can,” I whisper.

Eric’s eyes widen. I twist my wrist, hard, knocking the pistol out of his hand. Eric gasps and tries to grab me.

But he can’t hurt me anymore. I’m the one who grabs him. I throw myself onto him, wrapping my knees around his waist. I grab his hair and pull his head back.

Then, while he stumbles back to regain his balance, his hands immediately moving to push me off, I press the barrel of the gun under his chin.

He suddenly freezes, only blinking his eyes. I see his mind racing with ways to escape, to survive. I shove my face in front of his.

“This is for Beth. And Abby and Gael and Kylie. And for all the other girls and boys you’ve manipulated and sent to fight in this senseless war!

“I, Traitor Alexandra 958,687,487.64.4.2.1, sentence you to death,” I whisper in his ear.

I feel the pistol go off. I feel its recoil through my arm, the impact of the bullet through Eric’s skull.

It seems like a long second that he sways. I stay perched on his body until he sinks to his knees and falls backward with me on top, hitting the ground with a thud.

There’s nothing left of his head anymore. I’m covered in his warm blood. I feel it trickle down my face.

I look up and see Sanoske holding his hand out for me. I take it, and he pulls me quickly back into his arms, into safety.

Sanoske turns to me, his eyes questioning. “What should we do with them?”

I follow his gaze to the other Masters. They're on their knees, their heads bowed under the threat of the Kagegun blades. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what I'm about to say. I turn back to Sanoske.

“Kill them.”