Content Warning: This part contains very triggering content for themes of miscarriage, a mention of child eugenics, and violence. This chapter gets pretty dark, so get your weed and find your calm center as you proceed with caution.

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No one moved. Silence dominated the room, broken only by Mother's uneven breath and low sniffles. Rage in its purest form radiated from Father's tightly coiled body, saturating every particle of air in the hollow, dark space. Fear shimmered in the sweat forming on Chancellor Helix's shiny bald head as apprehension twitched in the other two Council members' nervous movements.

A single move from any of them would shatter the fragile truce in their unspoken No Man's Land separating them across the table.

Kanden lay rooted in place, too shocked by Chancellor Helix's blatant confession. Why admit to the truth now? No one had needed to know who the true target had been. Yet the three officials sat in place, completely unapologetic as they'd delivered that crushing blow.

Drawing a controlled breath, Father slowly rose to his feet, keeping his left hand at his hip where his baton rested strapped to a belt. With his right, he brushed his fingertips over his wife's hand before leveling his attention on the rest of the Council. "I will give you one chance to explain," he declared, rumbling with the low hum of ground before a catastrophic earthquake. "If you lie to me; if you even think about concealing the truth or avoiding the subject, I will rip out your entrails and hang them in the main square for everyone to see."

Holy shit.

As Chancellor Helix squirmed and cleared his throat, Arlo broke the tense silence with a soft voice. "I can not speak for the others, but as a friend, you deserve the truth."

"Friend?" The single word was an incredulous gag, barely covering Kanden's choked scoff. Father tilted his head upward for a second, making his son duck despite his cover. The former recovered within seconds, returning his attention to the man with the audacity to utter such a falsehood. "That is a bold statement, Terrathorn. A friend does not sneak behind one's back while plotting to murder their child. Do you have any idea what Ivarra and I have been through just to have our son?"

Father's tone rose with each word, reaching a crescendo by the time he'd finished the last sentence. Fury mixed with contempt and pain colored his voice, betraying more emotion in minutes than he'd shown throughout Kanden's entire life. Witnessing this side of the man was far more terrifying than the calm executioner with cold, dead eyes.

"We do," Sabre replied, clasping her hands together. Unlike the others, her inflection held contrition — she was a mother herself, after all. But in Kanden's mind, nothing could justify their reasoning. Uttering a soft sigh, she continued. "You know how dire our situation is. The maintenance tunnels are blocked and our only exit to the Overland has been sealed off for years. While we might encourage others in their disinterest for children, as a member of a Founding Family and the Council, you hold a heavier burden than most."

Father's hands gripped the edge of the table as his body shook, but he said nothing.

Silver strands of aged hair among the black shimmered in the flickering lights, giving Sabre the appearance of a wizened elder. Even her voice remained calm and collected, as if she'd born her share of difficult decisions over the years and had learned to quash any associated emotions. "We can't afford any weak links, Bastion. You've always known this. You were offered an opportunity seventeen years ago to remedy the situation, a humane way to begin anew."

Mother, who'd sat wordlessly throughout the exchange, rubbed her face and hiccuped. Then she cleared her throat and said, "You wanted us to kill him — a toddler — for his developmental delays. As if my previous pregnancies weren't difficult enough; I had to watch our first child die in my arms as she struggled to breathe. There is nothing wrong with our son!"

"On the contrary," Chancellor Helix interjected, shifting in his chair and refusing to look in her direction. "Your son does nothing to benefit our society. He barely grasps concepts appropriate for his age, he works in a garden instead of contributing to our chances for survival, and has spurned any opportunity to at least produce a more capable heir. We know he steals from the conservatory, though we've let it slide because of his mental deficiencies, but in the end, we have to consider what is best for our people. He is one person against the needs of many."

The needs of many... dire situation... I'm wrong... wanted me dead... sister... Oh, gods, I had a sister. Shit, this is why Father pushed me to have a child. Mother... oh, that poor woman.

Too many thoughts flooded Kanden's mind, each demanding attention over the other in a jumbled mess. Everything and nothing made sense as it came together, filling in those missing gaps he could never understand while his parents went about their business as usual.

Wails erupted as Mother folded into herself and buried her face, unable to hold in her overwhelming agony any longer. All those years, she'd held herself upright, never complaining — always a ray of hope in the darkest shadows, and she'd been reduced to nothing in a matter of minutes after reliving perhaps the darkest moments of her life.

If Kanden could have jumped from the vent to hold her as she wept, he would have. No one deserved such a cruel fate, least of all the woman who'd protected her child after so much heartache.

Father's shoulders rose and fell, and his fingers curled around the hilt of his baton. He remained in place, rigid and tightly wound as he stared the other leaders down. "My son hasn't made a decision yet regarding a child," he lied, surprising Kanden and forcing him to bite his bottom lip a little too hard. "I'd barely broached the topic with him last night."

Casting a glance toward his wife, he touched her shoulder before moving away and slowly walking around the table. Chairs scraped against the stone as the three Council members shot to their feet, retreating with each step he took forward. In the shadows, unhooking and clutching his weapon, Father was more than an enforcer and executioner: he stood tall as a god of vengeance; a judge ready to condemn and seek justice.

"Perhaps I should remind you it is our responsibility to protect the people. Our duty to seek solutions when things go wrong. I have lost count of the lives I've taken, but each has been done through the consent of the council and in accordance with our laws. And perhaps I've turned the other way here and there when you've made decisions I don't agree with, but you do not get to take my free agency away. You do not get to decide who is useful just because they're different. Most of all, you do not harm my family, especially my wife."

The other officials skittered away until Chancellor Helix backed himself into a wall, whipping his head left and right while his colleagues abandoned him. Father ignored Sabre and Arlo as he closed a hand over the old man's throat, slamming his baton into the wall with a loud crack. The chancellor squeaked and clawed at Father's iron grip, wheezing unintelligible pleas.

Keeping his attention on the cowering man in his grasp, Father issued a single command. "Ivarra, close your eyes."

Whether she did or not, Kanden didn't know. He buried his head into his arms, pressing himself against the cool metal of the air duct as air blew around him and into the room believe. He already knew what was coming.

"Stop."

Kanden lifted his head and peeked through the vents. Mother's plea came as a broken whisper, small and filled with compassion for the man who would have murdered her child.

Still holding on to Chancellor Helix's throat, Bastion angled his face over his shoulder, displaying his features in the light for the first time. Anger creased his forehead, grief contorted his turned down lips and hollowed cheeks, while betrayal shined within his broken gaze. "He will have us both killed for this," he warned. "Helix never reveals information unless he plans to silence someone. And who better a scapegoat than the enforcer and his wife who'd been meant to heal the sick?"

"We aren't murderers," she insisted, finally climbing to her feet and using her chair for support. Trembling, she took a tentative step forward, lifting one hand in supplication. "Let him stand trial among the people. They can decide how to answer for his crimes."

"Are you insane?" Sabre snarled from her corner, dropping her sympathetic demeanor. She stomped toward her female rival, halting less than arms' length away. "They can't know the truth!"

Arlo approached from the other side and stepped between the women as he carefully pushed them apart with each arm. Calm and collected, he said, "I agree with Ivarra. We withheld the truth on the chancellor's orders. The people don't need to know we have no way out of the caverns — not yet, but we have no way to keep this quiet, regardless of the outcome. If Chancellor Helix lives, we run the risk of losing an entire Founding Family. If he dies, his heirs still have a chance to help." Turning his head in Father's direction, he said, "We shouldn't have lied to you. I will defer to your judgment."

Dipping her chin, Mother sniffled before releasing a sigh. "Let him answer to the people. I agree we should keep the other issues silent for now, but he coerced the other two members to act against us and the population."

Turning to Sabre, Arlo asked, "Well?"

The woman folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, sending hair flying from her messy bun. "You've lost your damn mind. Who's to say Bastion won't kill us too?" she demanded, whirling around to stare at the group's enforcer. "Who's to say you won't become a tyrant in his place?"

A smirk crossed Father's face as he watched her with calculated eyes beneath his dark, lifted brow. "That's rich, coming from a woman who voted behind my back to kill my son. I act in the people's best interest. You and Helix only sought benefit for yourselves. I became the public gatekeeper for death because no one else had the stomach for it. I was forced to bury my emotions over my daughter's death all those years ago until the only thing left was tempered rage. So yes, my hands are covered in blood, but so are yours. The only difference is I don't hide it."

Releasing the chancellor, Bastion spun the man around before he could collapse and slammed him into the wall, face-first. Then he produced a set of canvas cuffs from his belt and bound Chancellor Helix's wrists, cinching them with a yank.

As he grabbed the man by the back of the collar, Helix whimpered pathetically to his colleagues. "Don't let him do this. The people would easily believe us over the man responsible for so many deaths!"

Turning away, Arlo guided Mother toward the door with a gentle hand. "You're a disgrace. I only acted because you threatened my wife."

Before they could reach the door out of Kanden's view, Sabre snapped, shrieking as she lunged for the pair. "You're all insane! The people will kill us, and everyone will die! It will be all. Your. FAULT!"

Scuffles, followed by metal zinging from a small sheath, drowned by a sudden shriek and a struggle echoed around the chamber. Were it not for the wide-eyed horror in Father's features accompanied by a slack jaw and him tossing the chancellor to the floor, Kanden wouldn't have known who the cry belonged to. Baton back in hand, Father sprinted forward until he was out of sight with the others, and the sound of beating, a sick crunch, and a strangled noise of raw grief Kanden had never heard in his life howled until it made his ears throb.

Seconds stretched into eternity as the screams became wails mixed with broken speech. "Ivarra! Ivarra, no, stay with me, please!" More cries. More screams.

As the horrendous reality sank in, Kanden clamped his mouth shut as tears traced rivulets down the length of his face. His shoulders shook in silent sobs as blood pooled into view below from two separate points.

Father shuffled back into sight, body hunched in rage and crimson staining his hands as he strode forward. Before anyone could react, he punched Helix in the stomach, sending him doubling over before landing another hit to his ribs. When the man crumpled, Father kicked him repeatedly until Arlo joined the fray and jumped on the taller man's broad back, attempting to pull him off. "Not like this, Bastion! Let him stand trial in the square! You'll have your justice, but don't tarnish Ivarra's last wish."

Stumbling away, Father sank to the ground and dragged a hand over his face, screaming and gasping for air between cries. His impenetrable mask had finally fallen, shattered by the death of the only person he'd ever openly displayed affection.

Dizziness washed over Kanden in waves, and his first thought was to flee before they caught him in the vents. Scooting away as fast as he could, he quickly slipped back into the shaft, not paying attention as the metal banged with his careless movements or smacked his legs. He tumbled onto the floor, landing hard on his knees, but pushed himself up. Hobbling into his distressed boots, he half ran, half limped as he darted through the corridor and into the open square with no care for the sentries at the conservatory calling his name. Chest aching, he ran until he reached Ryker's quarters, bolted the door behind him, and joined his lover in the bedroom.

His boyfriend's head came up with a snap — his mouth came open as if ready to speak, only for him to close it and hold his arms open. Needing no prompting, Kanden flung himself into Ryker's warm embrace and wailed until long after his voice turned hoarse and his heart withered into dust and ash.