Page 115 of Rite of Unity

“People are already dead.”He touched his tablet, bringing up a live feed from inside the building.I squinted in the haze, trying to make sense of what I saw.The fire was already contained in parts of the building; charred bits of furniture and bubbled, blistered walls were all that was visible through the gray smoke.

The camera turned a corner, and my stomach lurched.Several bodies, blackened beyond recognition, were piled atop one another against a door.As though they hadn’t died immediately.

I looked up in time to see two men clearing the fire, flame-retardant blankets wrapped around them.They dragged a man with them, laying him down outside before turning to go back in.

I fell to my knees beside him, searching his ravaged face.His chest rose and fell slowly, a rasping gurgle slipping from his bloody lips.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

A man in brown sank beside me, leaning over the body.His elbow knocked me aside as he pressed his head down, and I sat back, running a hand through my hair.

I was of no help to anyone here.

***

The smell of burned flesh and images of all those people hadn’t left me by the time I took my seat at the table.

Felix tapped his tablet, and images exploded onto the wall, bringing me back to the present: aerial footage of the explosion at the Middle Bureau long after the fire had been suffocated.

Calden’s words surfaced without warning.

“It must chafe that you can’t watch them at home any day other than Monday.”

That rule didn’t apply to Father’s generals.We were gathered in Covenant Security Headquarters, fully transformed after the night of the ball, watching on a Saturday.Men like my father and Felix were exempt from such rules.

“Twenty-three bodies in total,” Felix said, flipping through images that were somehow worse than they had been in the moment.“We know the rebels allowed themselves to be detained.”He brought up footage of what was left of the room where the bomb had detonated.“Guards carried him in without even bothering to check for weapons.”

He slammed a hand down on the table.“Sloppy work that led to countless unnecessary deaths.”

To my right, Dathan Cannon, his third in command, cleared his throat.

“We will increase our presence outside the wall,” Felix went on, ignoring him.“We will not cower from the rebels.”

His clipped tone was matter-of-fact.He scanned the faces gathered around the long table, lingering on the empty seat beside me.

“Third detonation this month.They’re growing more bold.”

A man at the far end knocked his knuckles against metal.“What are we doing about rooting them out?”

“Faceless bastards are like rats.Scurrying through the streets.How do you catch a rat?”Another voice, somewhere to my left.

Silence.

Felix straightened.His gaze slid to Dathan.“I’m handling it.We have another issue that requires our attention.We’ve delayed a purge long enough.”His gaze shot to me.“I know we wanted to wait for your Rite to conclude, Elias.”

He touched his tablet again, and video footage of a mass of writhing bodies gathered outside the outer wall flickered into focus.

“But the situation is growing more serious.”

Gideon Charles pushed his chair back, standing.It was the first time I’d seen him since my Rite began.He had been expected weeks ago.Where was Calden, and why was his father finally here?

“We’ll withhold footage until after the final trial.It can be overshadowed by the wedding.”

“Very good,” Felix said.

“We have other items to discuss.”Dathan stared at each of us in turn, refusing to let Felix shut him down twice.“The amended covenant regarding dissolution after five years—”

“Commander,” Felix cut him off.