Page 19 of The Freedom You Seek

“Anytime, Fig,” I growled under my breath. I was so close to abandoning the plan. Why didn’t the others act? My fingers itched, and my body still vibrated with nervous energy.

“Fuck, what are they waiting for?” I cursed, and a man next to me frowned, obviously misunderstanding the intent behind my exclamation. As I glared at him with fury and bared my teeth, he took a step back, and it filled me with some kind of sick satisfaction. He had to sense that he wouldn’t stand a single chance against me. His instincts surely told him that between the two of us, he was the prey.

Satisfied, I turned back to the stage, and, with my eyes widening in horror, I witnessed just in time how the merchant kicked the stool the woman was standing on.Shit.

As I stood on a tiny object, my breathing grew shallow while rough material coiled around my neck, and a rope dangled from the wooden beam behind me. Nevertheless,I felt nothing apart from those physical sensations. I should have emotions. I should protest and tell them the truth. Tell them about my innocence and how everyone was misunderstanding the whole situation. But I didn’t. I was merely a spectator in my own body, watching my own demise.

If there were sounds, I couldn’t hear them. If there were smells, I couldn’t perceive them.

The end.This would be my end. I would die today.

Still, I felt nothing.

The crowd observed me, and I caught a glimpse of Rewi raging against two guards who held her down, stopping her from running toward me.

My best friend. I’d never talk to her again. Was Bryon also here? We never made it to the dance together.

Why wasn’t I sad? Or scared? Or angry?

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet disappeared. The drop seemed to last forever until the rope tightened around my neck. My body was consumed by pain, and I silently screamed.

I couldn’t properly breathe anymore. Everything inside of me was burning. For air. I needed air.

And then everything went dark.

When the woman dropped, I couldn’t move. I wasn’t able to fucking breathe as her body was swinging lightly from the gallows. It was as ifmyairways were blocked by the noose. I was completely frozen, something that had never happened to me before.

Why weren’t the others acting? We had a plan, and nothing in it involved the woman actually hanging!

Finally, I broke free from the weird paralysis holding me captive, and I couldn’t stay inactive for even a second longer.

Just as I jumped into action, three arrows burrowed themselves into the rope, weakeningthe integrity of the material. Finally, Antas had woken up, godsdammit. Those arrows weren’t enough to cut through the rope entirely, and it still held the young woman suspended in the air. Her face had already turned into a deep shade of red. She would need to breathe soon, or our mission—and her life too—was over.

Fuck subtlety, fuck consequences. Fig could rage at me later. Let him, I didn’t care. I was done considering diplomacy.

I reached inside myself to the part I’d suppressed for the last months. My power answered my beckoning eagerly, jumped to the surface in submission to my will, and within the blink of an eye, the whole town square was drenched in complete, utter darkness. Sorry, Fig—your orders sucked, and I was done following them.

The crowd’s terrified screams were the most beautiful symphony to my ears, fueling my rage and wrath. Of course, no one understood what was going on. They were all fools, having long forgotten magic existed.

Oh, how I relished in the thought of what each and every one of them would feel. Terror, confusion, and fear so thick I could almost taste it from the crowd.

My grip on the darkness was absolute, and I jumped on the stage. No one would witness what I was going to do. I might have been the only one to see just fine, as my magic wouldn’t dare to take away my vision. Every other person couldn’t claim to be so lucky.

Within seconds, I was at the female’s side and wrapped one arm around her middle, lifting her up to ease the pressure of the rope on her neck.

The earlier feeling of rightness returned in full force, and my head was spinning again. My skin burned as all my senses were assaulted at once. I growled and shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts as my free hand reached for the rope. After I’d gotten a solid grip, I pulled.

Antas’ arrows had weakened the material, and it was easy to rip it apart, even with only one hand.

I jumped off the stage, holding the woman tightly to me, and my free hand deftly loosened the remnants of the noose. She was unconscious and barely breathing, but still alive. Thank the gods, I’d acted in time.

Once we were on the ground, I ran, dodging everyone around us. The crowd was completely lost in my darkness, and the music of panicked screams resounded all around me. I smirked and felt more alive than I had in ages. If that made me a sick bastard, I couldn’t care less.

As I looked down at the unresponsive bundle in my arms, my expression fell and hardened. I adjusted my hold so it was easier to run while ensuring that her prone form wasn’t put under unnecessary strain. “Breathe, girl,” I growled, commanding her heart to beat on. “If you die on me now, you’ll be in major trouble.”

Of course, I received no response, but at least her chest was still faintly rising and falling.

I was running for what felt like forever, but it’d only been a few seconds since I’d grabbed the woman. We arrived at the eastern edge of the town square where the field of darkness ended, and I rushed into the dim light of a small side street.