As he walks through the snow-covered vilge, Adamus Atheneum finally learns how it feels to be an average person of unremarkable birth.

  Awful.

  It feels awful.

  At least to him.

  Jasper and Leo are walking cautiously.

  The only thing that seems to bother them is the fear of being followed by Republic officers. They don’t think about the cold or the itch of fur against their skin or hiding their face. They don’t even care about how embarrassing all of this is for Adamus.

  The street is growing more and more crowded by the minute. It will soon be flooded with vilgers. Don’t any of them know that they should be clearing the street for him?

  When Adamus was in Rome, his mere presence would not only draw eyes, but his people would all gdly step out of his way.

  That was respect.

  That was power.

  This though?

  Walking down a snow-covered street while having to hide his face?

  This is humiliating.

  Adamus should try to make conversation. That might take his mind off things. “I’ve noticed you’re wearing bck,” Adamus mutters to Jasper as his shoe cracks against the ice and the vilgers talk over him. “I take it you’re doing so for the sister that you mentioned was in Rome when everything went to shit.”

  Jasper stays silent.

  He doesn’t want to talk about Valerie right now, especially not with Adamus. Besides, the question itself is incredibly inconsiderate. Jasper thought that the heir to the Division would have at least some social skills, but clearly, he was wrong. Jasper has been wrong about a lot today, now that he thinks about it.

  However, he doesn’t think about it for long. Leo makes sure of that.

  He reaches for Jasper’s hand about partway through the walk. Jasper rejects his gesture. Leo rolls his eyes and looks back to smirk at Adamus. “You’re right. He is mourning his sister. She was a fan of yours, you know.”

  Adamus smiles at the fact. “Oh, really? Please, do go on then.”

  Jasper keeps his silence as Leo’s smirk grows. “Her name was Valerie. Valerie Sullivan. She helped out a lot at her aunt and uncle’s Tavern, sure, but her real passion was volunteer work, especially construction. Valerie was a true borer. She loved to get her hands dirty.”

  “I do love a woman with a sturdy backbone.” Adamus chuckles.

  “That’s enough.” Jasper breaks his silence. His feet leave the snowy ground and crash against the wooden steps that already had the snow shoveled off them this morning.

  “We're here,” Jasper informs Leo and Adamus as his eyes dart from side to side. Once Jasper is sure that no one is watching them, he opens the door to Marqus’s home.

  A dagger flies into the door.

  The sharp stone lodges itself into the wood with a thud. The rubber hinges stretch as the door smacks the wall.

  “Shit,” Kiren mumbles as her Father marches down the stairs.

  “I told you to lock the door.” He grunts as he pulls the stone dagger from the door.

  Kiren sinks into the couch. “You did…” She utters as Marqus scolds her. “What if a Republic officer or spy had just strolled in here? They won’t come knocking on our door when they take us, Kiren; they’ll kick it down without warning. We have to be careful.” He stabs the dagger into the table beside the couch.

  Kiren flinches. The vase on the table shakes. “Now what do you want, Jasper?” Marqus huffs as Leo closes the door. “We still have an hour before everyone gets here.”

  “I know.” Jasper sighs, preparing for the worst. “But before you say anything else, just know that this was all, Leonidas’s idea.” Marqus narrows his gaze on the hooded stranger. “This better be important, and that man better be one loyal to our cause.”

  “Oh, sir…” Adamus slowly draws back his hood in an overly dramatic fashion. “I am the very cause itself,” He states with a grin.

  Marqus drops to his knees.

  Kiren hops off the couch and does the same. Jasper looks on in disbelief as Marqus tugs on his pantleg for him to kneel.

  Leo can’t help but snicker as Jasper reluctantly bows before Adamus.

  “Now, now.” Adamus waves his hand. “There’s no need for that.” He says, even though what he really wants to say is Now that’s more like it! It’s about time I was shown some respect!

  “Of course.” Marqus rises in embarrassment. “I apologize, my lord. I was so shocked by your presence that I forgot you Atheneum’s are men of the people.”

  “Indeed,” Adamus yawns as he plops down on the couch. He tosses his coat aside. Marqus rushes to grab it.

  Jasper can hardly believe what he’s seeing, and from the looks of it, neither can Kiren. “How are you even alive?” She asks with wide eyes. Marqus gres at her before telling Adamus. “Please, forgive her, my lord. You don’t have to answer such a question. I for one never doubted your survival.”

  Adamus ughs. “There’s no need to apologize, mister…”

  “Kracus. Marqus Kracus, and this is my daughter Kiren.” He gestures toward Kiren, who’s staring down Adamus as if holding back the urge to say Get off my couch.

  Adamus kicks his feet up on the table and drapes his arms behind his head. “You have a lovely home, Mr. Kracus. I forgive your daughter. Children will be children after all, and you have given me a warmer welcome than some.” He eyes Jasper. Leo eyes him as well.

  Jasper folds his arms. “I drew you a bath, clothed you, and even let you sleep in my bed for the night. How much warmer could I have been?”

  “That’s no way to talk to your leader, Jasper,” Marqus coldly states.

  Adamus shrugs. “I could have done with something to eat, like I said, I’m hungry.”

  “Well, what would you like to eat?” Marqus asks as Adamus continues to make himself comfortable on the wide couch.

  “Anything.” He procims.

  Marqus cps his hands and points toward the kitchen. “Kiren, you heard the lord.”

  Kiren marches toward the kitchen while grumbling something to herself that everyone pretends not to hear.

  Jasper is already growing tired of this. Adamus is no lord. He’s seen enough of him to know that much. He can’t help but wonder if it even is Adamus Atheneum who now lies on Marqus’s couch cushions within this humbly unremarkable house.

  Jasper recalls hearing something about Lungozas being able to bend the light around their orb-like bodies to resemble any shape, so long as it falls within a certain size. He can’t help but wonder if that’s the case with Adamus.

  The fact that he stumbled upon him before anyone else did feels more like a grim joke of fate than a coincidence. It’s only once Kiren returns with a sandwich on a blue ceramic pte that Jasper feels the need to say. “You made a good point.”

  “I did?” Kiren asks in confusion as she pces the pte before Adamus.

  “Yeah, when you tried to ask before,” Jasper nods before shifting his gaze to Adamus. “How are you alive?”

  Adamus sits up and snatches the sandwich. “Let me eat first.” He bites into the soft bread and tender meat, “Then I’ll expin everything.”

  “It will also be best to wait for everyone else to arrive.” Marqus snatches his map. “Then you can make a statement, and we can pn our next move. We have much to discuss, my lord.”

  Marqus wrests the dagger from the table and moves the vase aside to roll out the map. Adamus shoves what remains of the already half-eaten sandwich into his mouth. As he hurries to chew and swallow the meat and bread, he scans the worn parchment and its complex markings. “Next move?” He coughs.

  Marqus nods. “Indeed, my lord. The Republic has gained quite the firm hold over this pce.”

  “As I’m sure you’ve already noticed.” Leo takes a seat on the couch beside Adamus. He points to the extensive stretch of tally marks. “That’s how many Republic officials are crawling around here, Officers or otherwise. Kiren was the one who helped add those up.”

  Leo gestures toward Kiren, who is still staring at Adamus in an offended confusion. “These lines are the patrol routes they take.” Leo runs his finger across the red ink lying within the gaps of bck that mark the map’s terrain. He taps a mass surrounded by red. “The spaceport is where they concentrate their efforts.”

  Adamus pretends to follow along. “Makes sense.”

  “We’ll expin more once the others arrive, my lord.” Marqus leans over the map. He turns to Leo. “There’s no need to go through it all now. It isn’t your pce to do so.”

  Leo smiles and apologizes. “Sorry, sir. Guess I just got ahead of myself.”

  Jasper adjusts his gsses.

  He’s positioned himself at the edge of the room, by the door.

  This still isn’t sitting right with him. He arrived with Leo and Adamus early, sure. But the rest of the group should have already begun to trickle in by now.

  Normally, Jasper arrives with Helga from the archery center. If anyone were to ask where the pair were going, they could simply use anything to do with archery as an excuse. This whole group rebellion may have only started a few weeks ago, but the tradition has held up.

  Jasper is only just now realizing that this was the first time he didn’t adhere to it. Should he have stopped by Helga’s? Or should he have been more sporadic to begin with? Was using his trips to Helga’s center as his cover becoming suspicious?

  Jasper begins to tap his foot.

  He only taps it five times before flinging the door open.

  “I’m gonna get some air,” He tells no one in particur.

  Before Marqus can say anything back, the door is smmed shut.

  But not by Jasper.

  “Tarlen?” Marqus rushes over to the stout man who pushed Jasper to the floor.

  Jasper stands only to lose his footing. He’s slipped. The floor is wet. Wet with blood.

  Tarlen pulls an arrow from his shoulder. More blood leaks out.

  Marqus helps his friend to the couch. “Steady, Tarlen.” Marqus huffs. “Stay with me now.”

  “What happened?” Adamus asks as Kiren rushes to grab a basket of medical supplies.

  Leo leaps to aid Marqus with Tarlen. “What can I do?” He asks as Kiren pces down the basket. “Bandages.” Kiren sets the bundle in her Father’s hand at the word.

  Marqus hands the bandages off to Leo, “Start wrapping.” He orders as he stands.

  “What’s happening?” Adamus asks, clueless as ever.

  Jasper pulls himself from the puddle of blood.

  His bck robes are soaked now. If he doesn’t toss them aside, he’s bound to slip. He adjusts his gsses, accidentally coating the lenses a dark crimson as he does so.

  His breathing is fast and growing faster. His hands are trembling. He knew it.

  He knew something would go wrong. Why didn’t he speak up earlier?

  Stupid.

  Stupid.

  Marqus throws himself against the door. “Stay away from the windows,” He orders. “Adamus, get down, and don’t get up until I say so. Jasper stay with him. Kiren, get my sword and get your things.”

  His voice grows tight. “If they come, run as fast as you can and don’t look back.”

  Kiren runs upstairs.

  Jasper remains locked in pce beside Marqus.

  Leo tightens the bandage around Tarlen’s wound.

  Adamus goes deafly silent.

  Something twists inside him.

  Something calls inside of him.

  Something speaks to him.

  One.

  There’s a knock at the door.

  “Jasper? It’s your uncle. Come outside, please.”

  Don’t move. Jasper thinks. Don’t move, he’ll leave. Just don’t move and don’t say a word.

  The house is still.

  Kiren waits at the top of the small staircase with a stone sword in one hand and a travel bag in the other.

  “Jasper? I know you’re in there.”

  How do you know? Jasper thinks. How do you know I’m here, Uncle Rob?

  The house is silent.

  Kiren slowly moves down the stairs.

  “Jasper? Please come outside.”

  Is this how Valerie felt? Jasper wonders. Right before she died?

  The house wants to scream.

  Kiren hands her Father his sword.

  Tarlen holds up his hand.

  He has four fingers raised.

  Marqus nods. He unsheathes the bde and smiles at Kiren.

  “Run.” He says before opening the door and stabbing Robert Sullivan in the throat.

  Blood sprays onto the Republic Officers. Their white and red uniforms are quickly overpowered by the single secondary color. The one that makes them live up to the name the people of this pnet have given them.

  The four men are all dead by the time Marqus steps back inside.

  “I told you to run.” He grunts as he wipes the blood off the stone bde.

  “Tarlen can barely stand.” Leo huffs as he pulls the stout man off the couch with Adamus and Kiren’s help. Marqus sheathes his sword and holsters it over his shoulder.

  He rushes to the couch and grabs Tarlen. “I’ll take him, now run.”

  Kiren is the only one to speak up, “But-”

  “Run!” Marqus shouts as an arrow flies in through the door.

  Leo, Adamus, and Kiren all make it outside through the back door and into the snow. The rush of cold jolts everyone to their senses.

  The sound of Grogrung hooves beat in the distance. The Officers have begun to circle the street. The trio run out into the field of white.

  Marqus soon joins them with Tarlen in hand. The blood leaves a trail of red behind.

  Leo looks back and tries to catch his breath. “Where’s Jasper?” He asks through his heaving breath.

  “Has anyone seen Jasper?”

  Robert Sullivan’s blood has frozen now.

  So has the blood on Jasper’s bck robes.

  He should take them off. He is going to slip on them if he keeps running this fast.

  He can’t stop though.

  He needs to keep running. He needs to find Helga. He needs to find his Aunt. They may have gotten to his Uncle, but they can’t get to everyone. Gods be good, don’t let them get to everyone.

  Keep running. Just keep running.

  Jasper trips on his robes.

  Snow covers his bloodied gsses. Tears cover the lenses as well now. Jasper didn’t even notice he was crying.

  He can’t stop though.

  Get up. Get up, you idiot. Jasper digs his fingers into the snow. Valerie used to love the snow. Why couldn’t Jasper love the snow? It’s not snow that kills after all. Snow just freezes. A flower may wither and die, but new ones bloom again in the spring. How could Jasper have been so foolish?

  He takes off his gsses that are now far too dirty to see out of. Even if all he can see without them are hazy blurs, it is far better than seeing nothing.

  Jasper gets up and sees a hazy blur. It is an orange blur. The blur is rising. The blur is hot. The blur glows red.

  Officer Crovon tosses the st torch onto the archery center.

  The fire spreads fast over the wood. Each wall slowly crumbles to ash.

  Helga looks on the sight in terror as Officer Silonas keeps her restrained. Her boots stomp and struggle in the snow. The boots of the other Republic Officers march across the white, plunging into the cold with every icy step as they round up those who would oppose them.

  Jasper watches the mass arrest as best he can through his blurred vision. His blood runs as cold as his heavy, freezing breath. The archery center is gone now, and the members of the group that met in it just st night are being forced to their knees.

  Silonas sighs as her fellow Officers reach for their bows. She closes her eyes as the arrows are nocked into the strings.

  Jasper gasps as the bows rise, drawn on the helpless people. His people.

  “No.”

  Crovon gnces at him with dark, tired eyes. “Orders came from on high.” He wipes his brow with his fur gloves as he speaks. His hands are trembling from more than just the cold.

  “Leave.” Crovon huffs. “Please, just leave.”

  Jasper steps forward. Helga looks at him now. Silonas as well.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Jasper states with gritted teeth.

  His aunt Cire is somewhere in the gathered crowd, watching him.

  Jasper will never know that she was the one who told the Republic he was hiding Adamus. She had spotted Adamus in the bath and immediately gone to Crovon with the news. Crovon had already gotten Helga to tell him about the meetings the night before.

  She gave up the information with little pressure. Helga is an old woman, and fighting is for the young.

  Crovon wasn’t happy about all of this, but orders are orders. The Republic has strict views on those who resist its will. Crovon was given instructions by his commanding Officer back at the spaceport.

  He has to do his job. No matter the cost.

  Crovon raises his hand.

  His comrades prepare to fire.

  Crovon’s hand falls to the snow.

  Then his body falls.

  And his head, and his arms, and his legs.

  A mess of jagged bone stands over the mangled pile that was once a man.

  “One,” Adamus says as his bones twist out of his arms.

  Jasper Sullivan kneels down in the snow as the blurs he watches are all struck down in an instant.

  Each Republic Officer dies before they hit the snow.

  They are all cut down and torn apart by something that defies nature and defies possibility. Blood runs across Adamus’s bones. The beast has his body and his mind. He hasn’t let it out in so long, and now it has all of him, every part of him, every part of these people, all against his will and theirs.

  And in that single moment, just like Jasper had feared, everything from the snow to the flowers…

  turns red.