Cooper reaches for a sword he must have brought with him. Smart. I hadn’t thought to take any from the tents around his camp. I was too worried about getting away undetected to think they would have weapons. Of course they would. They’ve been hunting and protecting themselves for seven years. So, two against one, and we have a sword and my gift. Confidence builds in me as I weigh the scenario in my head. This is going to work.
Cooper nods to me, and I nod back and mouth the words, “Three, two, one.” We sprint through the clearing. I immediately run to the cage encasing Zavy and Toby. As I run toward the cage, Cooper runs from the trees and I watch as Codian jumps to his feet and draws his sword. He flips his head between Cooper and me, not sure who to attack first. The sight of Cooper, someone he doesn’t recognize seems to panic him even more. He wasn’t expecting an ambush, but he definitely wasn’t expecting someone besides Alexander to be helping me. I turn my attention back to Zavy as I hear the clashing of metal behind me. Codian has chosen his fight, and it’s not with me yet.
“You came for us?” Zavy asks, crawling to the edge of the cage, pulling Toby with her. I pass the necklace through the bars and it glows red.
“Of course I did. Put on the necklace. It’ll let you pass through the bars.” Zavy does and then passes it back to Toby, who does exactly as Zavy did.
“Thank you,” Zavy says, throwing her arms around my shoulder.
“You would have done the same for me,” I brush off.
Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal behind me stops and I whip around to see Codian holding Cooper in a headlock with a sword at his neck.
“Codian,” I start to say as I raise my hands until I remember my gift won’t affect him. Slowly, I rise and walk toward him. At my movement, he tightens his arm on Cooper’s neck and I watch as Cooper struggles to get air to his lungs. He’s suffocating, just like my mother, our mother, had died. Furry and fear mix in my chest as my emotions swell at the thought of her death.
“Adaline,” Codian mimics back to me. I see tears brimming in his eyes and his hands are shaking. Something’s not right. He’s not the confident killing machine I’ve been made to believe he was.
“What’s going on?” I ask, trying to calm him down. Why is he crying? He looks as though something inside him snapped.
“I can’t do it anymore,” Codian says in a hysterical voice. “I can’t do this anymore.” He pauses, then says, “I need you to kill me. Adaline, please kill me.” The tears are running down his face and he’s almost brought his voice to a shriek. I’d be surprised if Paylon and Chadian haven’t heard him.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Paylon’s been controlling me,” he yells out between his sobs. “Since I have this necklace he can’t control me anymore, but I don’t know how to live any other way. I’ve done so much harm to so many innocent people, Adaline. Please, just end this for me.” I imagine all of the awful things he’s been controlled into doing. All the lives he’s ended with a clouded mind full of Paylon’s voice edging him on. I would hate myself, too, when I finally woke up and had to accept the monster I had been. That’s when I confirm in my head that he hadn’t had the necklace on at the camp earlier. He would have asked me to do this then. The thought that Paylon’s control could reach that far makes me sick, imagining how many other minds he’s infiltrated. My guess is the entire army. I had no idea the kind of power he really has.
“Okay, but Codian, I can’t do anything when you have that necklace on,” I lie, trying to buy some time to let my brain process what is happening. Codian slips my sword to the necklace and cuts it from his neck. It flies across the clearing to my feet. Then, he returns the blade to Cooper’s neck.
“Okay. Now do it!” he pushes and I watch as his head begins to tick and his eyes squeeze shut. “He’s taking control back. You have to do it now!” Codian roars at me, and I instantly regret making him remove the necklace.
“Codian, I don’t think this is what you want,” I say, because I honestly don’t want to kill him. I don’t want his blood on my hands. He isn’t what Paylon made him do. I truly believe if he had been given control of his actions, he never would have done those awful things.
“Do it!” he yells, and the blade presses on Cooper’s pale neck. I process how drained Cooper’s face is becoming. He’s not getting enough air. I’m running out of time.
“There are other options. You could just come with us,” I offer, but I know that will never work.
“I swear Adaline, do this or we both die,” Codian says back to me, and I can see how broken he is in this state. I could probably freeze Codian, get Cooper and us out of here and not have to kill him. Somehow I know I’d be hurting him more if I leave him here alive to do Paylon’s bidding. Codian let’s out a shriek of pain as he continues to fight Paylon’s voice that is threatening to return now that the necklace has been removed.
I take a breath in and tell myself what I’m doing is right. I watch as I move Codian’s blade to his own neck and watch him drop Cooper to the ground. The
