Alamort | Troy Otto

1.17

[1.17]

Thena hissed numerous times.

Ava's soft hands pressed into her face, cleaning the blood that smudged all over her skin. The sun shone in her face, making her close her eyes and hiss once again, not from pain, but from the uncomfortable feeling that washed upon her. She felt a wet cloth being pressed on her cheek and she hissed again.

"It's deeper than I thought," whispered Ava with an apologetic look. Thena nodded slowly, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. She closed her eyes again and waited for Ava to finish patching her up. The moment she opened her eyes, she gave the woman a small smile just as Jake walked towards them. He motioned to Thena, and Ava nodded before she left.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Jake coughed a few times. "He's gonna be exiled," he said, his gaze falling to his feet. The woman felt a small pang of guilt, something that she didn't feel many times.

"He wants you to accompany him."

The woman froze. Her fingers, that were once scraping off her own blood from her palms, stopped moving, and her eyes turned out of focus. It took a few moments for her to register his words. "Why?" she choked out.

Jake shrugged, even though he knew the answer to the question. Troy said she would protect him. While Jake was sceptical of it, Troy was sure she wouldn't try anything that would get him killed. He didn't know why he trusted his brother on this, but it was his last wish, and he couldn't just deny it.

"Let's go," he said.

With a sigh, she got up from her seat and followed him. Just like the night before, a crowd gathered, this time around a car. Thena walked away from the older Otto and stepped next to Madison.

"Provisions, to ensure this isn't a death sentence," stated Walker, a bag in his hands, the two brothers following close behind, "One knife. One gun. One bullet."

One of Walker's men opened the back of the truck and motioned to Troy, whose hands were tied. He got in the truck before the youngest Otto, while Troy turned to look at Taqa. "What am I gonna do with one bullet?"

"We chose exile over execution. If you find the latter less onerous..."

Taqa didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he meant. Crazy Dog pushed Troy in the back of the truck, making him fall down, and Thena sighed. She spared a glance back at Madison and shook her head before walking to the car. As she passed Qaletaqa, she took the bag he extended her forcefully from his grip, her stare falling on the man that dragged Troy in the truck, the man that tried to shoot her. Getting in the car, she shut the door and gripped the wheel.

With one swift movement, her eyes out of focus and her body tense, she turned on the engine and pressed the gas pedal.

~