The Garden of Eden (Silent Moments Series: Book 5)

Chapter 25

 The desperation in my voice was evident as I pleaded, "No. No. Please. We had a deal."

The man holding the gun, Joroum, hesitated, his voice quivering slightly. "These are my orders," he said, though his resolve seemed to waver as he aimed the gun at my chest.

Then, unexpectedly, Madi spoke from behind me, her voice carrying an uncharacteristic authority. "Put the gun down, Joroum."

I turned slightly to glance at her, startled by the change in her tone. It was as if she were channeling someone else, a voice from the past.

Madi continued, her words resonating with authority. "Yu laik joroum kom Sangedakru. Yougon gon Lisbeth kom Sangedakru. You served with honor in the Royal guard of Lexa kom Trikru. You believed in her. Now believe in me."

Joroum's grip on the gun loosened, and he slowly lowered it, his demeanor shifting from aggression to reverence. He fell to his knees before her, uttering a single word in awe, "Heda."

In a split-second decision, driven by a mix of fear and necessity, I pulled my gun and shot Joroum in the head. The sound of the gunshot echoed in the tight space of the rover.

Madi reacted with shock. "Why did you do that?" she demanded, her voice sharp with disapproval.

"You know why," I retorted, my voice tense. The reality of our situation left no room for hesitation or second-guessing.

As I moved to close the rover door, Madi interjected, "Kegan, if we run, Octavia wins. Gaia, Indra, and Bellamy will die."

Her words halted me, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. The weight of the decision was crushing, but the path forward seemed clear, however painful it might be.

"They made their choice," I said resolutely, a sense of finality in my voice as I closed the door. Behind us, the consequences of our actions would unfold, but ahead lay a path we had to take, a path fraught with uncertainty but necessary for survival. The sound of the rover door closing felt like the end of one chapter and the uncertain beginning of another.

***

 The rover hummed softly as we drove through the desolate landscape, the only sound breaking the heavy silence between us. Madi, sitting beside me, had been quiet, her thoughts seemingly as tumultuous as mine. After nearly an hour on the road, her exhaustion finally overtook her, and she drifted off to sleep, her breathing evening out in a peaceful rhythm. Watching her sleep, a sense of protectiveness washed over me. I knew what I had to do, though the decision weighed heavily on my heart. Once I was certain Madi was deep in slumber, I cautiously slowed the rover to a stop and shifted it into park, careful not to disturb her.

With a gentle touch, I brushed Madi's hair away from her shoulder, revealing the band that secured the Flame. My fingers trembled slightly as I reached for the clasp. This was a critical moment, one that could change everything. I hesitated for a moment, the gravity of the action settling in. Removing the Flame was risky, but leaving it in could have dire consequences. As my fingers finally undid the clasp, Madi's eyes snapped open, wide and alert. Her big blue eyes fixed on me, filled with a mix of confusion and awareness. The suddenness of her awakening startled me, and I froze, my hand still on the clasp. In that moment, our eyes locked, and a thousand unsaid words seemed to pass between us. The urgency of the situation, the danger we were both in, and the unspoken understanding of the necessity of my actions were all conveyed in that brief, intense exchange.

Madi's reaction was immediate and visceral. "Stop! Were you—no!" she exclaimed, her voice a mixture of shock and betrayal.

"Madi!" I called out urgently as she scrambled out of the rover, her actions swift and determined.