Chapter 100: Mercy of a Blade

Sky’s POV

Three minutes, that’s how long Ember said it would take them. I wanted to object, but Forest spoke up before I could. He was right, of course… attempting something like this is just plain stupid. If I had said anything myself, it would’ve been pretty much the same but phrased differently.

And before I knew it, they were gone. I don’t understand why Hunter felt the need to volunteer… was it an act of bravery? And why did Ember have to go with him…?

65:48:09… 08… 07…

A huge weight lifted off my chest when I saw the blaze of their torch reappear in the darkness. Ember and Hunter returned in just over two minutes without a scratch, a basket of food at Ember’s feet while Hunter held the torch and the sword.

“That was foolish of you,” says Code, looking at Ember before shifting his gaze toward Hunter. “Both of you… what the hell were you thinking? What if you died? What if you didn’t come back? What would we do?”

“Well, we didn’t die, did we? So does thinking about that kind of stuff matter?” says Ember.

“No, but next time, I doubt you’ll walk away from such a rash decision unscathed,” says Code.

Acknowledging his words, Ember only jerked her chin toward Code as if to say, ‘So be it.’ She then glanced at Delta, to which Delta just rolled her eyes. Ember shook her head, looking away.

“The dilemma we’re faced with now is…” begins Forest, his voice and body language projected for all of us to hear. “Should we approach Cliff tonight? Or wait ‘til morning?”

Hunter wipes away sweat as he angrily spats, “What was the point of us going out there now if we’re just going to wait?! Unlike your proposal, the timer won’t stop ticking!”

Remaining calm, Forest responds, “I understand that, but just because we’re pressed for time doesn’t mean we should run around like chickens with our heads cut off. We need to remain logical. Three days is a lot of time. And about your complaint, the rest of us never once agreed to your impulsive, impetuous act of volunteering. Only Ember did, and you two ran off before we could discuss anything properly. So yes, I am again proposing we wait until daybreak to move forward.”

Grinding his teeth together, Hunter’s mouth twitches as he mumbles, “That’s… it’s not like anyone else would’ve gone!”

“I’m not discrediting your courage… because, honestly, courage is something we all need a little more of. But we must remain rational if we want to survive. You running off into the woods on a whim in the dead of night is unreasonable, and you risked your life for something that could’ve been resolved in a much safer method,” adds Forest.

“Intentions aside, we shouldn’t talk about the matter any further. What’s done is done,” inputs Faith.

“Agreed,” says Code while rubbing his eyes, lack of sleep clearly taking its toll on him. “Now, about Forest’s dilemma, I believe the best way to approach it is if we take a majority vote. That way, everyone has a say. Are there any objections?”

Stolen novel; please report.

He looks around the campfire, and nobody says a word. Taking that as an answer, Code continues, “All in favor of seeing Cliff now, raise your hand.”

Hunter’s hand shoots up, and a few seconds later, Ember’s goes up, as does Delta’s.

“Okay, you three can lower your hands. Now, all in favor of waiting until morning?” says Code as he puts up his hand.

Forest quickly mimics the same action, and I also raise my hand. Faith was now the decider, and as I glanced at her, it was evident that she was putting a lot of thought into her decision. But ultimately, she didn’t raise her hand.

“We should see him now. Who knows what will happen overnight…” says Faith.

“Well, there you have it. The people have spoken,” says Code, slapping his knees and rising to his feet. “Hunter, Forest, take us to him.”

After individually obtaining a sword or an axe from the supply area, we approached Cliff as a group. Faith tagged along toward the back with me, both the least enthusiastic about this conversation. As we all walked up, Cliff’s head was hanging down. He was asleep.

“Cliff…” says Ember.

No response.

Extending her foot out, Ember taps her shoe against his face and repeats, “Cliff… we’re here.”

Cliff’s head rolls to the side, and he groans. His eyes gradually blinking open, Cliff grumbles as he rests his head against the trunk. Cliff then tried to move his arms, but his hands remained bound behind the tree.

“Shi… right,” he mutters, stretching his neck out to the side, his eyes closed again. “I’m tied up… you guys could’ve brought me a pillow at least. My neck is killing me…”

“After what you pulled today, I think our actions are a little justified. You nearly killed Faith,” says Code.

“Ah, f*ck off, Code,” says Cliff, opening his eyes again and scanning each of our faces until he found Code. “You weren’t here for the build-up. I never actually intended to kill her. My finger slipped.”

“Sure. And whether your finger slipped or not, pointing the arrow at Faith is enough to tell me that you at least considered it,” coldly responds Code, his brows knitted in judgment.

Eyeing Ember and then Code, Cliff instigates, “What happened these past few hours? You two seem to be good chums again. The last time I saw you two, Ember was about to strangle you.”

Code sighs, “Shut up, don’t waste your breath trying to turn us against each other. You should just get talking about what you promised Ember.”

Looking at Ember briefly, Cliff says, “I seem to remember requesting to be unrestrained before I began speaking.”

“And I seem to remember not giving a f*ck,” says Code, which causes Ember to shoot a hesitant look his way.

"Now that's more like it!" cackles Delta.

Ignoring her, Code resumes, “Who says you won’t just lie again to get your sword back?”

“It looks like that’s a risk you have to be willing to take…” scoffs Cliff.

Not happy with that answer, Code abruptly slashes his sword down Cliff’s arm, and Cliff’s shirt partly rips as a gash opens up.

“A bit deeper than I intended, but I’ve never felt comfortable with a sword,” mumbles Code.

“Code, what are you-” starts Ember, but Code raises a hand and looks at her. I couldn’t see Code’s face, but it must’ve expressed something that made Ember back down on her disapproval.

“I’m not going to play your game, Ace’s game, Scar’s game, or Zeris’s game any longer. You’ll f*cking talk, and you’ll speak the truth. Let me make this clear. We aren’t the ones at the mercy of a blade. You’re the only one in any danger… we can dispose of you at any second, any moment we desire.”

Cliff opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. The rest of us standing behind Code exchange astonished looks, and then Code says, “Ember, untie him. Sky, give him some food. Forest, go get his canteen that you filled up earlier.”

We all stand there, taken aback by Code’s change in demeanor and dauntless orders... but Delta snaps us out of our collective daze as she says, “You heard the man. Let’s get ourselves some answers from this son of a bitch!"

65:43:46… 45… 44…