Content Warning for violence and offensive language

Sweat beaded along Ryker's grime covered forehead despite the relatively cool temperature within the cavern. His chest rattled as if breathing was a struggle, and he blinked several times, not making eye contact with anyone.

Yasmin was on her feet with her hand on her baton still attached to her belt. Glaring at Malus, who stood over Kanden's battered form, she silently dared him to try something as his attention honed in on Ryker.

Ember and Arlo sat, shifting their gazes between Ryker and everyone else. No one in the crowd said a word, all waiting for the single word that would determine their fates. Kill Bastion and lose whatever secrets he and Kanden potentially held, or show mercy to their most hated enforcer?

"I can't do this," Ryker whimpered, shaking his head. "I don't want this power; I don't want to decide."

"Well, too bad," Kanden spat. "Part of being a leader is making those tough decisions. If you don't like it, maybe next time you should stay away from politics."

Blood pounded away the seconds in his ears as Ryker drew back, lips parted and jaw slackened as if he'd been slapped. Beneath the Undergrounders' heavy stares, Ryker recoiled and trembled in his seat as tears dripped down his nose. "He's hurt so many people..."

"People who harmed others," Yasmin corrected, keeping her attention on Malus and inching away from the table. She stopped when Malus bent his knees, maintaining his aggressive stance. At an impasse, she scowled. "The boy is right though; you need to make a choice. You know the truth, and nothing anyone says will sway whatever you rebels think. Consider your actions wisely; no matter what you decide, there will be consequences."

Rebels? Ryker? Had Kanden missed something, or did Yasmin have her own biased opinion of the lower classes?

He glanced at Father, who inclined his head a fraction of an inch and actually smiled. Kanden would have called him crazy — the man didn't know how to lift his lips in an upward tilt — but paused when the older man mouthed, "It's okay."

It wasn't okay; nothing would be fine unless something changed, and Kanden was too far out of his depth to go about it alone.

Gathering his courage, Kanden met Ryker's desperate gaze one more time and sighed. "It's now or never, Ryker. Make your choice already." Stop drawing this out.

When Ryker froze, Malus snarled, "Damn it, if you can't do it, I will!" He whirled around and moved in on Bastion.

"Stop!" Ryker shouted, reaching across the table and grasping only air. "We can't do this! I vote to exonerate!"

The silence following was the only thing louder than Ryker's judgment ringing in the cavern like a gong. No one said anything. No one moved. Even the water dripping from the stalactites seemed to pause, gathering at the edge of the mineral deposit as it waited for the storm.

Intuition made Kanden seek out Malus, whose face darkened to an unhealthy red. His curled lip revealed several rotted teeth, and spit sprayed the air when he snarled. "So that's it? Two years of waiting for this moment, and you're backing out?!"

The remaining color drained from Ryker's face, but he nodded. "We can't achieve peace through murder. And I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to waste possibly our only opportunity to go to the Overland."

"Have you lost your mind?" he sneered, breathing heavily between words. "You can't believe this little mole rat actually holds that information. He'd say anything to keep his worthless father alive. I say we kill them both and be done with it!"

With his shoulders slumped and dark circles masking Ryker's features, he seemed ready to topple at any moment, and by the way he cowered beneath the earlier scrutiny, Kanden thought for sure he'd waffle again. He held his ground though, sighing deeply. "We agreed to honor the terms set before the trial. Kanden is not to be harmed, and we are to accept the outcome of the tribunal."

"And I would have if you'd done your job!" Malus bellowed, earning a collective gasp from the crowd. Then he faced everyone else and spread his arms, laughing like a madman. "What? Do any of you expect a peaceful change? That's why we fought, and I'd do it again until every last elite is dead at my feet! They starved and poisoned us, and now you want to show them mercy just because some retarded brat made you feel sorry for him?"

"I'll make you feel something," Father slurred, dropping to his side and rolling onto his back. The moment Malus spun to face him, the enforcer slammed a boot in the latter's crotch.

Malus dropped to his knees with a groan, allowing Yasmin to use the table like a spring board and vault over. Her baton was unlatched and ready as she approached, but Malus recovered enough composure to swing wildly in her direction. In the chaotic movement, something gleamed in the flickering light.

Before Kanden could utter a warning, Yasmin blocked what could have been a fatal stab but stumbled when she lost her footing. Taking advantage of the opening, Malus forced himself to his knees with a guttural yell and yanked her to the ground. Feet kicked, almost landing a blow to Kanden's face and forcing him to scramble backward at the bizarre turn of events.

Still bound, Father rolled out of the way as the brawlers wrestled for dominance. Ember had jumped to her feet, cheering for Malus while Arlo and Ryker called for peace. The crowd joined the riotous symphony, forming a chorus of bellowed shouts. But rather than joining in, people formed a tight ring around the dais, clambering over each other to see the events unfold.

An instant migraine slammed into Kanden's temples, and the sensory overload of all the noise sent spasms through his body. He had no way to quell the noise and no escape between the wall of bodies and entangled combatants intent on killing one another.

Malus swung hard, connecting his fist with Yasmine's head. She landed with a thud, banging her forehead on the floor and lying still. Her baton slipped from her hand and rolled in Kanden's direction, and Malus scrambled over her to reach for it.

Instinctively, Kanden grabbed it the moment it touched his boot, but then his mind went blank. The hard metal felt so wrong in his clumsy grasp, and his only objective had been to take it before the killer giant in front of him, ready to crush him like an insect.

Malus tripped, struggling to remain upright and grimacing. Globs of blood trickled down his fat lip, dripping onto his filthy gray shirt. Spitting at Kanden's feet, he wiped his lip on the back of his arm, matting oily hair to the grime and dirt-stained skin. "Give me the baton."

Kanden hadn't realized he clutched the weapon to his chest like a precious treasure. With his back against the crowd and his rib still smarting, he was trapped. His fingers found the dreaded button at the top, primed to release its deadly spike. All it needed was a target and for someone to push the button. A life taken in a flash.

"No." He shook his head and inched away until someone's knees dug into his shoulders. His lungs threatened to burst as he suffocated, too lightheaded to think properly. "Please don't do this. Too many people have died."

Something moved in his peripheral, but everything was blurry in the spinning room. He would never win against Malus, yet he couldn't willingly relinquish such a devastating tool to a murderer.

Malus laughed as he yanked it from Kanden's hands, popping his shoulder when he met resistance. "You're pathetic. It's no wonder the Council wanted you dead."

"And you should make sure your opponent is down before you run your mouth," Yasmin snarled behind him, unsteady on her feet. Through the blur, a gash mixed with mussed hair clung to her face, and in her hand was a knife small enough to fit in her boot.

Without waiting for a response, she thrust it into Malus's abdomen, grunting as he slumped and dropped the baton. Yasmin held him, keeping her hand on the knife as the fight left the bigger man's body and he eventually slid to the ground, face first in an expanding pool of blood.

The raucous clamor stopped with the fight. Like everyone else present, Kanden waited for the victor's next move. The rebellion had lost, not once, but twice — first, when they had lost the expected vote they needed to execute Father, and now, by the leadership their selected champion had failed to depose.

Taking a moment to breathe, Yasmin retreated a step and braced her hands against her thighs. Then she straightened, glancing toward the tribunal before facing the crowd. "We have seen enough violence these past several days. Let us be done with the riots and honor the votes of the special council. Per our laws and terms agreed upon by both sides, I declare Bastion Calvorite pardoned and exonerated of all charges brought forth. Tomorrow, we can pick up the pieces and move forward peacefully, but tonight, go home. Mourn your loved ones. But no more violence."

Soft murmurs rippled through the crowd as people dispersed, breaking into small groups of two and three. The mountain weighed heavy upon everyone's slumped shoulders and slow gait. A few snuck glances at those left on the dais, and some fled when Yasmine's hardened gaze flitted in their direction.

Meanwhile, enforcers traversed the hallways, following the citizens at a distance while others gathered around Father, Yasmine, and the tribunal table. Ryker hadn't attempted to leave; he sat in his chair, propping his elbows on the table and covering his face with his hands. Arlo pressed his mouth into a firm line as he shook his head and stared down, and Ember glared defiantly as enforcers bound her hands behind her back.

When they freed Father's hands, he kept them at his sides, hissing when he tried to make a fist. Kanden had to squint and take shallow breaths — the lightheaded sensation and nausea hadn't stopped — but from his position on the floor, he could tell something wasn't right. Father's fingers were bent at odd angles as if they'd been snapped.

Whether the older man sensed his son watching, or simply happened to look that way, their gazes locked, and he half-heartedly smiled. He said something to one of the men on his team, receiving a nod in return, before heading toward Kanden and squatting. He rested his arms on his knees, and up close, his injuries appeared even worse. Not only had his fingers been broken, his skin had swollen into an angry shade of red as his hands shook.

"Hey," he whispered. "You okay?"

Kanden shook his head. Not even a little bit.

Father hummed, bobbing his head in acknowledgment. "I understand. Why don't we go home? You'll feel better with rest."

How could he return when Mother wasn't there to brighten the small unit with her smiles and soothing words? "Does it have to be our quarters?" he asked, hoping Father would take the hint.

"Not tonight," he murmured, glancing over his shoulder and standing with a groan. "Too many eyes on everyone's movement."

Kanden looked toward the table, where Ryker was now being cuffed. Gritting his teeth and using Father's arm for support without touching his damaged hands, Kanden shuffled forward. Despite Ryker's betrayal, he couldn't bear to watch him taken away. "What's going to happen to them?"

"Ryker and Ember will be locked inside unoccupied quarters under twenty-four hour guard until we decide what to do with them."

Kanden's breath hitched. The words weren't a condemnation for death, but in this society, they might as well have been synonymous. No one committed a crime, especially one of this enormity, and lived. "Please don't kill them."

"That's not up to me," he said quietly, guiding Kanden across the square, matching his slow strides. "Yasmine is injured, as are many others. Ryker is one of the few healers we have, and he didn't incite the violence or participate in the riots. He will be questioned for his involvement with the rebels, but the death penalty isn't so clear cut this time."

"And Ember?" She'd been grieving, just like Blaze when his dad had succumbed to the poison. She was carrying his baby. Would leadership take that into account?

Father released a sharp breath. "I don't think her situation is so simple either. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone has a solution except to contain them for now, and decide after everyone has had a chance to process the massacre. We lost a lot of people."

That would have to do for now, even though Kanden couldn't shake the knot in the pit of his stomach. He'd been with Ryker for almost two years, and the shattered young man deciding Father's fate was not the person Kanden had come to know and love.

"Am I stupid for not seeing the truth about Ryker sooner?" he asked, swallowing when his voice cracked.

Father shook his head as the enforcers led Ryker and Ember down a corridor in a different direction. "No. We can't help who we love."

Ryker turned at one point and locked eyes with Kanden, mouthing, "I'm sorry." Then he stared ahead again, disappearing from view as the taller guard eclipsed him.

Once they were gone, Kanden trudged toward the tunnels leading to the habitation quarters."But you hate him."

"I don't like him," he conceded, "but that doesn't mean I want to see him dead. You didn't deserve to learn his character this way." Taking a deep breath, Father wiped his brow on the back of his arm. "Let's rest and figure this out tomorrow. I'm tired, and we have a long road ahead of us. We also have those schematics you found to deal with now."

Right. Those plans Kanden had threatened to destroy in his fit of rage. Thinking about it now, he felt embarrassed and ashamed of his tantrum, at what he almost did to punish everyone for the sins of a few. Maybe he wasn't such a good person either. He wanted to blurt out the truth there and now, but the words caught in his throat. What would Father think?

They walked the rest of the way in silence, ignoring everyone in the halls, each lost in their own thoughts, neither looking at the other. As they approached the door, Father stopped, and Kanden watched as tears tracked the older man's gaunt cheeks. His crooked fingers hovered over the door handle, but he didn't touch it as he shook with choked sobs.

Kanden grabbed the handle instead and held it, waiting for Father's approval. "Together?"

Sniffing, Father placed a hand over Kanden's. More tears fell as he blinked, but an emotion akin to gratitude shined in his dark eyes. "You and I are all we have."

"So, is that a yes?" Kanden asked, not sure where Father was going with that statement and no additional context.

He received a laugh in response. "Yes. Wherever we go from here, it'll be together. I can't promise we'll get along or see eye to eye, but I'll try if you will."

That was the best they could ask for. Mother wasn't there to run interference, and ignoring each other was no longer an option. For better or worse, they had to become a functional family if they wanted to survive, rebuild their society, and reach the Overland.

A special thank you to MasterAdam for deciding Bastion's fate. I couldn't decide while I was on hiatus, so he took it upon himself to keep Bastion alive and tell me to stick with it. You're all welcome. 😆