Station, стр. 87

But not you, Hadder. I'll repeatit; you had your chance, and you tossed it back in my face. You'realready dead." The Krown took his eyes from Hadder, began to paceon the white sand before the Samsara and the wet girl strapped toits trunk. "My dear Setters, you are all very fortunate. You'refortunate for the fact that I am a magnanimous king and that Idon't hate you. I hate these walls. I hate these rules. And I hatethe world that chewed us up and spat us out into this sunlessprison. Now, on the eve of our escape and the Great Return, I amfeeling especially generous."

The Krown paused his pacing. The torchlightflickered off his metal spikes, creating a halo around his bulboushead. "Any Setter who comes to our encampment north of the Samsarabefore the close of Solay tomorrow will be welcomed with open armsand given opportunities to prove their worth in the coming GreatWar. We will walk over Station's ruined walls hand in hand, crossthat damnable desert arm in arm, and wreak havoc on the Before aswe stand shoulder to shoulder!"

The Risers in attendance let out a great howl ofsupport for their leader, moved by his confident words. The Krownwaited for their cheers to subside before continuing. "Aninevitability is something certain to happen. Since the beginning,the Keys have known that Station was an ephemeral thing, a citythat would appear then vanish in a blink of time's eye. They haveknown, and they have kept this from you. They knew the Fall was onthe horizon, and yet they continued on as if nothing was amiss,lording over the other residents. Albany Rott has used all of us.We are but an experiment, pawns in a contest between the gods.Well, I tired of being a pawn, so I made myself a king. And now Iwelcome you all to huddle in the warmth of my leadership andprotection."

"And the girl? What's Lilly Sistine doing there?"The unfamiliar voice cut in from the back of the groupedresidents.

The Krown's evil smirk made a triumphant return."Just as my charity knows no bounds, neither does my savagery forthose who oppose or fail me. Those of you who stand against me inthe Great War can expect the worst kind of death. We promise not tobe quick, Setters. Let this image stay with you as you make yourfinal decisions."

At those last words, several Risers holding torchesmoved towards the Samsara. Lilly Sistine began to hyperventilate aspanic set in, her words coming out in short bursts. "I'm. So.Sorry. Marlin. Forgive me. Please. Forgive me."

As the torches touched the glistening black bark,fire sprinted across the flammable liquid that covered both treeand woman, filling the courtyard with a demon glow that reflectedthe devilish scene playing out in its center. Lilly screamed as theflames licked her face and engulfed her beautiful hair, which nowdanced high above her head on heated updrafts. Her perfectly tannedskin browned then blackened before peeling away to reveal raw fleshand bone beneath the fires. Lilly shook her head in vain to put outthe ravenous blaze as her eyeballs exploded under the extreme heat.In seconds, her small form could barely be made out through thehues of red and yellow and blue; only her screams marked that sheexisted within the inferno.

The whole of the Samsara was now aflame, grantingthe great tree one last burst of color, a shitty reward for allthat it had given Station's residents over uncounted time. Hadderlooked over those who had followed him this Haela and found amixture of fear, disgust, and sadness in their flickering faces. Itappeared that The Krown's appalling show was having its desiredeffect. Could Glen have been correct? Could Hadder have made agrievous error?

Silence abounded as the flames raged and then beganto subside, the Samsara's black bark refusing to accept the fireafter the combustible solution began to burn off. As the pyre beganto die down, the hands that were holding Hadder back slipped away,and what was left of Lilly Sistine came into focus, now just acharred mound, looking like a natural knot that had forever been onthe side of the magical black tree. For some strange reason, thisimage eased the pain in Hadder's heart.

The Krown stepped forward again, having retreatedfrom the heat of the Samsara's fires. "Know that this act broughtme no pleasure." His laughing green eyes showed him to be a liar inaddition to his title of killer. "But I made dear Lilly Sistine apromise. Kill Marlin Hadder and join me in storming the Before.Fail me and get burned alive. As you can all plainly see, MarlinHadder stands before me right now, quite alive. Setters! I am aking of my word. Take this last chance and join me. We will surfthe waves of conquest together. Stand against me and being burnedalive will be the kindest death I have to offer." The Krown lookedagain at Hadder. "And Marlin Hadder, don't forget my promise toyou. You will kiss my crown, dead man."

No longer restrained, Hadder reached behind hisback, fingering an object tucked into the back of his belt. "I'mnot a king. Sadly, I'm just a man who's tired of people like you.But I, too, am a man of my word." In a flash, Hadder gripped theknife he had hidden away by the blade and flung it overhand in thedirection of The Krown. The weapon sped past the giant Riser,missing his shoulder by inches, and buried itself to the hilt inthe leather-masked forehead of the Riser woman. She stood dumblyfor a moment, even reaching up questioningly to touch the foreignobject protruding from her head, before falling straight back likea tipped over sculpture.

The Krown's face twisted in surprise and anger as helooked from the fallen woman to Hadder, who went on. "I promisedthat Riser that if I didn't like what I saw here, I would put aknife between her eyes. I didn't like what I saw. She now has aknife between her eyes."

The Krown's anger dissipated as quickly as it hadarrived. His deep laughter filled the void left by the fire'sextinguishment. "Well, look at us, Marlin Hadder. Don't we make anearnest pair? Enjoy that kill.