Navia
I was on my feet in an instant, leaving Zay sitting in bewildered silence as I ran to Sasha. "What did you do?!"

"I dealt with the traitor." He tipped his chin defensively. "Ask Zay. Ask Sabien. They both saw her kill Xavier. She was about to kill Niko. I stopped her."

"You could've killed her!" My voice rose.

His eyes hardened as he glared back down at her. "I should've."

"Sasha's right." Zay has come stumbling over, her face twisted into something unreadable. "He saved Niko's life– and probably all of ours, as well."

I paused. Lizzie's cries of agony pulled hard on my heartstrings. I didn't want to admit it. I'd hoped that Zarlo was wrong, that there was no mole.

But he was right, and I was stupid for trusting them.

"What in the name of Erdas is going on over here?" Tyler has arrived, angry and confused by the scene.

I stepped back, letting Sasha explain, once again. Lost in thought, a tap on my shoulder startled me. I looked around.

Sabien stood behind me, looking relieved and worried.

"I'm fine." I said before he could even ask. "You saw it happen? You're sure it was Lizzie?"

He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, looking rather like a fish. Under different circumstances, I might've laughed. "Yes. I'm certain it was her." He answered finally, earnestly.

I reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose, massaging it. "I'm an idiot."

"Hey, none of us saw it coming." The chameleon-summoner tried to reassure me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "None of this is your fault."

I chewed my lip. "I should've–"

"No." He cut me off with a shake of his head. "Look, we can stand around here all day playing the blame game. That's not going to change what happened."

I sighed, hating to admit that he was right. I grasped his hand and squeezed it gently.

He smiled softly in return.

A figure moving in our direction distracted me as it caught my eye from over Sabien's shoulder. I dropped his hand. It was Tazi.

Sabien furrowed his brows as I skirted around him, going to head off the stingray summoner.

"Navia!" He paused as I stepped into his path. "What happened? I heard Lizzie scream– hey, let me through." He frowned as I moved in the way of him trying to dodge me.

"Tazi, don't." I caught his wrist before he could pass. "You don't want to go over there."

He attempted to pull himself free. "Why not? What's going on?"

I sighed, knowing there was no easy way to put this. "Lizzie betrayed us."

"She– what?" He stared at me, rooted to the spot now.

"She killed Xavier. Just now, she tried to kill Niko. Sasha saved him, by cutting off her arm. She betrayed us, Tazi. She's a Conqueror."

He turned a deathly white. "No, no, that's not possible. The Lizzie I know would never–"

"I know." My heart ached. "But I'm starting to think that we never knew her at all."

Tazi's legs gave out and he crumpled to his knees. He stared at the ground, not seeing it.

I knelt beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"How could she." He looked up again. Anger darkened his face, twisting it up into something nearly unrecognizable. "We trusted her! We helped her, welcomed her into our team, into our family. How could she?!"

"That's what they do." The words stuck in my mouth. "They make you think you can trust them, but as soon as you turn your back, they bury a knife in it."

Tazi was chewing his lips, his eyes twitching as he held back tears. "Did Sasha kill her?" He asked softly, his voice breaking.

I paused. A memory of him laughing beside Lizzie, holding her hand and planting kisses on her cheeks, flashed through my mind. "No."

"He should've." The stingray summoner growled. His eyes were dark with anger again.

I looked up suddenly, seeing Lucia approach.

Her usual confident stride was subdued. "Tyler wants to talk to all of us. It's about the... situation."

Tazi shook of my hand and stood, shaking his hair out of his eyes. He set his jaw and walked off toward the rest of the group.

Lucia pulled me up from the ground.

"How are you holding up?" I asked her lightly, scanning her features.

They twisted into an expression of sadness. "I'm okay. I just... I don't understand how she could do something like this."

"Honestly, me neither." I watched Tazi's back as he stalked away. "It's going to change everything."

Lucia sighed and started walking. I fell into step beside her.

"I say we leave her here." Tazi was speaking as we arrived, his tone harsh. "If she lives, good for her. If she dies, that's not our problem. If anything, it's one less problem."

Tyler looked taken aback– everyone did.

Sasha recovered first. "I agree." He squared his shoulders and nodded at Tazi. The other boy looked pleased.

"Are you guys crazy?!" Lucia exclaimed incredulously. "This is Lizzie we're talking about! We can't just–"

"I'm with Sasha." Zay interrupted her. Most of the colour was already returning to her face.

"That's three against four." Tyler looked at the rest of us.

"I..." Niko cautiously met Sasha's gaze. "I think we should leave her."

I saw the Zhongese boy grin out of the corner of my eye. Sabien stepping forward drew my attention away.

"I saw what she did to Zay." He said, turning to make eye contact with everyone. He held my gaze longest, an apology flashing in his gaze. "She can't come with us."

Suddenly everyone's eyes were on me. I hadn't made my opinion heard yet.

I sighed. "As much as I can't stand to say it, we should take her. Leaving her here for dead makes us no better than the Conquerors." Even as the words left my mouth, I knew it was no use. It was five against two. She wasn't going to be coming with us.

"That settles it, then." Sasha spoke finally. "She stays."

I saw Lucia's posture fall. Her face turned dark, unreadable in a way that was strange for her.

"It was worth the try." She muttered to me.

I nodded in agreement and started helping the other Greencloaks clean up.

As we started the trek back to our ship, which had returned, closer and in cleaner waters, I fought the relief that bubbled in my stomach. At least I wouldn't have to see Lizzie ever again.

Oop
Lizzie just got ditched
Truly a tragedy

Anyway, enjoy! Next chapter out tomorrow xx