INDIGO

I clenched my fists, cursing myself silently again and again. I had seen betrayal in many forms. And the scene before my eyes was the very definition of it.

Lily's gun was pointed straight at Wolf's head as she said, "I'm sorry."

'I'm sorry' my ass.

I watched her stance, the way she held her gun. I wasn't sure how experienced she was in combat, but I knew I was faster, especially when her entire focus was on Wolf.

I slowly shifted my arms behind me, away from her view. She didn't even notice. She was entirely focused on Wolf who was trying to slowly step away from Cree, his hands up, making sure Cree wouldn't accidentally get hit if the gun was fired.

I merely flicked my wrist and my daggers slid out from my sleeve, the familiar hilt bracing my palm. They were slick with blood, but still easy to grip. I formed my plan in my mind—first flinging my right dagger towards her hand, forcing her to drop the gun as I lunge and hold the other dagger against her neck, pinning her to the wall. If she tried to still fight back, well, I supposed she wouldn't live for much longer, though it would pain everyone here to see that happen, even me.

I slowly shifted my feet into a fighting stance, readying myself.

"Lily-" Wolf began. He didn't get the chance to finish the sentence.

I flung my arm out, and extended my hand, watching them splay towards her, knowing the dagger would fly true. My fingers barely left the hilt, the dagger about to start its flight.

And then a hand was grabbing my arm, yanking it back. My palm hit the dagger once more and it clattered to the ground.

What the hell?

Still, I lunged forward, trying to tackle her as she was stunned, but Wolf pulled me back again, holding both my arms firm, my back pressed against his chest. I struggled against his unrelenting grip, but froze as Lily whirled her gun around.

"Don't move!" she shouted. The gun was shaking in her hands, but there was no doubt about whether or not it would hit its target. And now, I was its target.

Shit.

Wolf was also frozen in place, his arms still wrapped around me. We were both trapped at the end of the barrel. And to think I could've gotten us out of this safely...

I craned my neck, glaring at Wolf, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Lily with an expression I had seen before, one I grew accustomed to in my time around Intellects and Kingstons. He wasn't just watching, he was assessing. He was gauging her expression, her movements, her body language. And I knew from the look in his eyes that he thought she could still be talked to. Still be reeled in.

And that was exactly what he was going to try to do.

I wanted to tell him to stop, that it was a waste of time. That I had been in this exact same situation before and it never played out well. That people wouldn't change their actions, their intentions, just for you, no matter how close you were. But I knew I wouldn't be able to change his mind. So, I kept my mouth shut.

Fine. I'll play along. It's not like I have much of another option anyways.

"Lily," he said again. His breath brushed my ear as he spoke over my shoulder. "Just put the gun down and we can talk this through."

She shook her head, now shifting the gun between the two of us. "No. I put the gun down and all you're gonna do is kill me."

"Look around, Lily. No one here wants to kill you. We're not your enemies."

"Indigo just tried to stab me."

"And I stopped her. She won't get to you. Trust me."

I sagged against him for added effect, leaning back against his chest as if to go limp. As if I already quit. The reality was that he loosened his grip ever so slightly as if to say that he would let me do what needed to be done, but to just give him a chance first. I sheathed my other dagger in response.

I could have it inch deep in her neck in a split second anyway.

She seemed to buy the act as she slowly lowered the gun, though not all the way. She merely turned it away from our heads, lowering it to his chest. That would've been great if not for the fact that my neck would be pelted with bullets if she decided to shoot.

Fantastic.

I looked around, searching for some other answers. The other two were frozen in place, Cree holding his hands up in surrender while Nydia just watched in uncanny silence. They were too far from us and Lily to be of much help. I suppose I didn't have another option than to play along with whatever game Wolf was playing.

"I just have a simple question," Wolf said slowly. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't have another choice."

"Why not?"

"Because if I don't kill you, they'll kill Laine."

"So you think you're out of options."

Something in the shadows down the hall started to shift. Though I hoped it was someone who would help us, I knew that was less than likely given my luck.

"I am out of options."

"No, you're not. We could help you. I can help you find a different solution. I can make sure all of us get out of this alive."

"That's a giant lie," a voice called from the shadows. So it wasn't someone who wanted to help us. I resisted the urge to sigh.

We're all going to die.

The boy stepped up behind Lily, his blond hair in stark contrast with the shadows around him. I could tell there were a few more people behind him, though I couldn't count beyond ten.

"Come on, Lily. You need to kill them, to squash our enemies. Prove your loyalty and we give you the benefit of sparing those you wish to be spared. But if you fail, well, someone will be dying today."

"I know Brandon."

"Lily," Wolf started again, "there's no reason for you to listen to the Ravens. They aren't your family, we are. We care about you. We can help you."

"Oh, is that why she joined us? Because you're her family?" Brandon snapped.

"I don't know why or how she joined you."

"Well, let me explain."

"I don't particularly care for your explanation," Wolf scoffed. "Or anything you have to say, really. I'm talking to her."

All eyes turned to Lily once again and her trembling hands.

"Lily, please tell me why you joined the Ravens. I just want to understand, that's all," Wolf said gently. I could feel the vibrations through his chest as he spoke.

Lily took a shaky breath and spoke, her words barely more than a whisper.

"Dad, Laine, he never— I just always felt ignored. Like I held no value, like I was useless to everyone. I was never enough no matter how hard I tried, and I tried. That's all I did. I—I studied more than anyone on base, I learned multiple languages, I practiced my sparring until I couldn't even move. And when no one wanted to practice with me, when no one would even give me space in the training room to even consider practicing, I still went there in the dead of night and I practiced. I trained with every single weapon in that room while everyone else was sleeping, or fooling around, or getting high and passing out in the middle of the street. And yet, every single time, they were always the ones praised, the ones who were respected, who advanced to the top. And I'm still right where I was since the moment I was born—the bottom.

"And I used to think it was all Laine's fault, but it wasn't, was it? One man can't be the reason I was held back, the reason I was being pulled down over and over again. It was everyone. All of you. You talked to me, you were kind to me, but none of you tried to help me. Not in a way that mattered. And you all had other priorities. None of you would ever choose me over someone else."

She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I just wanted to be loved, to be seen. I wanted to be special to someone, anyone. I just wanted to be someone's first choice, but I was always last, even to my own father."

I was always last.

The words clenched a fist around my throat.

Echo.

I shook my head. Now was not the time to be thinking of her, of just how much she truly thought of me. Of how much she made me vie for her love and attention only for her to manipulate me.

But wasn't that what was happening now too? With the Rebels? Wasn't I just another pawn for them, another asset for them to use? And yet I forced myself to be someone I wasn't, tried to manipulate my own identity, tried to prove myself to them to no avail while I was left wondering why they couldn't see who I really was.

I clenched my jaw. I would not think of this right now, would not go down that unending spiral of thoughts while I faced the end of a barrel. I needed to focus.

Lily continued. "And then the Ravens found me. I just left the base to get some snacks, and they approached me, told me my skills were valuable, that I had potential, that I could be someone powerful and respected in their ranks. I rejected them at first and I wished that you guys wouldn't make me regret it, I really did. But when I got back to base all I could see around me were reasons to accept their offer. So when they came back to convince me a second time, I caved.

"And they didn't lie. When I joined the Ravens, I was leagues ahead of most of them, and they finally recognized that. I thrived, even becoming the overseer for the Ravens in Orleans. And now they offered me a position on the main board, second to only the lieutenant and the Ruler. All I have to do is prove my loyalty, one way or another, and I could become an esteemed member of the most powerful organization in the world. But if I fail, everyone I love will die."

"And I suggested she kill all of you," Brandon added with a satisfied grin. "And even she couldn't deny that it would be the most logical way to prove her loyalty. I mean, how could they refuse after she kills the Rebel's lieutenant, main guard, spy and assassin, and their only piece of leverage all in one go?"

Wolf scoffed. "If she kills us, they might let her join the board, but they would certainly kill you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Wolf grinned. "You are certainly more foolish than you look, which, to be honest, I didn't think was possible."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Brandon bristled as Lily asked, "What do you mean?"

"The Ravens are trying to overthrow the Crowns, but so are we. Sure, the Ravens might be able to defeat us, but the Crowns? They're far too powerful, especially with their international ties. A direct war with the Crowns would be devastating. Even if they managed to overthrow the Crowns, they would be so weak that they could easily be overthrown by another faction, like us. If they want to survive this war, the Ravens have to either gain an immense amount of power, block Cressida's alliances, or avoid fighting the Crowns head on. The Ravens know this. That's why they've kept us alive—to fight their war for them."

The gears started to click into place as he spoke, and it suddenly felt so obvious. As I watched Lily and Brandon, I could tell they were thinking the same. Wolf continued.

"Why do you think the Ravens haven't launched a full blown assault on the base yet despite knowing exactly where we are and how our security systems operate? Why didn't they try to assassinate me before even though I've left the base numerous times? Why have they been letting the Rebels rally up, become more and more restless and wary of the Crowns? Why did they let us keep Eveleen Sharpe in our base long enough for her to reveal a secret that would anger them? Because they're trying to spur us to take action, to rally us into war. They want us to go to war for them. And all they would have to do is merely squash whoever is left."

"But that only happens if we all live," I said. "Or at least, it wouldn't be as effective if we died."

"So," Wolf concluded, "it would be well within your best interests to let us go. All you would be doing is hurting yourselves."

Lily hesitated. "But Laine..."

Wolf shrugged. "You didn't back down because you weren't loyal to the Ravens. You backed down because you were. Explain that to them and they will give you another opportunity to prove your loyalty in a different way. And if the idiot next to you tries to tell them otherwise," Wolf's eyes narrowed, "just explain to them that he was making up stories because his ego was hurt because you didn't listen to him. I'm sure they would take care of him beautifully."

Brandon took a step back and shook his head. "The Raven Ruler is never going to believe you. They will know the real reason you backed out and they will kill you and everyone else anyways to teach us a lesson. If you don't do this now, you will lose."

"Do you know who the Raven Ruler is, Brandon?" Wolf asked, his voice as deadly as a snake. Brandon tensed but said nothing. Wolf continued. "Well, let's just say I have a very well educated guess. And if I'm right about who the Raven Ruler is, I can guarantee you that they would slaughter you if Lily fires that gun. In fact they would probably kill you if you even mention what you encouraged her to do, even if you told them that Lily backed down out of disloyalty. And then they would kill every one of your friends that you dragged along with you, the ones that are hiding down the hall."

So he noticed them too. An Assassin indeed.

"So," Wolf said, "What do you all choose? Death and inherently betraying your own cause or life and simply walking away from this little fiasco."

The hall was silent for a long moment before there was shuffling down the hall. The other Ravens were leaving, following the ultimatum Wolf had placed before them and merely fearing the knowledge he held, knowledge about their own leader that they themselves didn't have.

I looked back up at Wolf as he fixed Brandon with a victorious smile. I thought he was trying to connect with Lily, trying to sway her motives, trying to move her. But he wasn't. Perhaps he had accomplished that to some extent, but that wasn't his goal. He knew who Lily was, what the darkest parts of his friend was, and he embraced it. He leaned into it. He used it to his advantage. He found a solution that benefits her and him.

Is that where I had gone wrong all these years, every time I faced a betrayal? Had I been so focused on hoping they would be the person I wanted them to be, trying to make sure they fit that image I had of them, that I had forgotten that even their darkest parts were so very human? That their demons are the ones that could be reasoned with, could be molded to do my bidding?

The hall was silent again for a moment before Brandon started to back away. "Fine. I'll let you go and I won't say a word about what happened here. But," he turned to Lily, "I will make sure the rest of the Ravens know where your loyalties really lie, one way or another."

Lily turned to look at him, her hand shaking no longer as it held the gun firm. She watched him for a long moment as he continued to slowly back away. Finally, she spoke.

"Then you're a threat. You're a threat to me and my father. And you're too spiteful and reckless to be a part of the Ravens."

Brandon's eyes widened as he realized his misstep. His hand reached for the weapon at his side as he shouted, "Wait!"

Lily whirled the gun around and fired. Brandon dropped to the floor, a bullet lodged point blank in his forehead.

I didn't attempt to attack Lily even though her attention was diverted. I stood still, staying within Wolf's grasp. Lily turned around again, pointing her gun once more at Wolf, but it was clear she wasn't going to shoot. Instead she merely swallowed and backed away, the tears drying on her cheeks. Everyone was still as her footsteps faded away, disappearing into the dark tunnel.

Wolf was the first to move, letting go of me and stepping to the side. I was suddenly aware of the warmth he had provided earlier and the coldness that was left in his wake. Before I could react, he merely bent down and handed me my fallen dagger. I took it and he turned, resuming our trek down the hall without a word. I followed, Nydia and Cree tailing us in equal silence.

I looked at Wolf once more. I had known people like him, had seen people who always won, who could bend the world to their will as they wished, and I had always shivered in their presence. I never understood them, and even if I did, I was always against them. I was the one they stomped all over without batting an eye. I was on the losing end.

But I didn't shiver as I looked at Wolf now. Instead, I held my head up. And I smiled.