He never did tell me. He never got the chance.
But this time, I would fight. And I would win. I walked up to the soldiers. "Leave him alone!"
They turned to me, batons raised. "Move along, citizen."
I didn't budge. "Leave him." I thought back to last night, when I'd taken control of that one soldier. Maybe I could do it again, with them.
They walked toward me, ready to strike. "Disobeying an Inquisition Officer," Helmet 1 said.
I steeled myself against potential attack as I stared at Helmet 2, willing him to obey me.
As Helmet 1 prepared to strike me with his baton, Jax put himself between us. "At ease." He showed his ring. "She's under my protection."
Both Helmets stepped back immediately, almost cowering before Jax. "Apologies, Sir."
They turned their attentions back to the Zenith laying on the ground, still clutching his gut.
"Leave him with a warning," Jax said before I could intervene again. "I'll make sure he registers that lighter."
They didn't even hesitate. "Of course, Sir," they said as they walked off, likely looking for another victim.
I heard them talking as they left, awe in their voices. "A Knight," Helmet 1 said. "Yeah, a Teutonic Knight, no less," said Helmet 2.
Jax helped the Zenith stand.
"Thank you, Sir," he said to Jax.
Jax grabbed the man's lighter, dropped it on the asphalt and crushed it with his foot. "Don't be an idiot," he said. "Request permission through the Z.R.D. before you carry around items on your forbidden list."
"Yes, sir," he said, stumbling away, his chin leaving a trail of blood.
I looked down at the offending lighter and sighed. "All that for this?"
"He's registered as Elemental Fire," Jax said, a hardness in his tone I hadn't heard before. "He could have used that lighter to kill us. Or blow up this entire street. Zeniths need to follow the law, just like everyone else."
"Then why'd you help him?"
He looked at me, his hazel eyes full of secrets. "I didn't do it for him," he said, then continued walking.
He did that… for me?
I rushed to keep up as we made our way through Times Square. In front of us, a large group gathered and a hush fell over the crowd as all the e-Boards went blank and then lit up with the same image. Live footage of what everyone had come to see—a platform surrounded by Inquisition Officers.
"What's going on?"
Jax crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw set in a hard line. "They're executing The Shadow of Rome."
"She's the one who led the rebellion in Italy, right? Attacked the Vatican itself. I saw it on the news. My parents…" I choked saying that but forced myself to continue, "my parents were in an uproar about it. I guess now I know why."
Jax nodded. "Though the attack failed, the rebels still consider it a victory. The Inquisitors are trying to ensure they no longer see it as such."
"Why do they see it as a victory? Didn't the other rebels retreat?"
"When an Inquisitor was sent to hunt her down, she defeated him in single combat. She's the first person to do that since the Nephilim War. Since the Nephilim were all killed, no one has been able to stand against the Order, no one had the strength. Not until the Shadow."
That part wasn't in the news. "How'd they capture her?"
"The Inquisitors captured some of the rebel forces and used them as bait. When she attempted to rescue them, they surrounded her. It just happened a few days ago."
I pushed through the crowd to get a better look. Jax held out his hand to stop me, but I went anyways, curious to see this woman who incited such fear in the most ruthless of Orders.
She looked so… small, sitting on her knees on the stage, her head down, red hair falling in front of her face. The Shadow of Rome looked up, making eye contact with me, and I took a step back, shocked. She looked no older than me. How did she defeat the undefeatable?
An Inquisitor dressed in robes of red and gold and wearing the customary hat of his Order as a Knight climbed to the stage and stood beside her. He carried a giant hammer in one hand. A hammer no mortal could have lifted. He turned to address the crowd, his face appearing on all the e-Boards, and I recognized him. Ragathon. The Council member who didn't believe me.
"Citizens," he said, his voice amplified by unseen speakers, "this is the Zenith responsible for the deaths of your friends, your families. You may have heard her called many names. But I assure you, there is only one that matters. Criminal. Criminal!"
The crowd took up the cheer. "Criminal!" "Zenith scum!" "Half-breed!"
Even children were encouraged in their blood lust. It disgusted me, and I turned away from the stage and studied these people who could so easily stand and watch someone die.
I noticed, however, that not everyone in the crowd had raised their voices. A few people stood quiet, still. Waiting.
Behind us, a white truck moved through the crowd on a street otherwise blocked. Jax turned, worry lines marring his face. "I don't want to watch this," he said.
"Then you can go."
He growled at me, but stayed by my side. He knew me well enough to know I wouldn't budge once I set my mind to this.
Something hummed in the air. Not an audible noise, but an energy shifting. I had to stay. I knew that much.
As Ragathon finished the speech, the crowd erupted in cheers once again. I waited to see what the Council member would do. I expected a needle, not electrocution considering the setting.