Chapter Sixteen

JESSE

I didn't hate many people, preferring to save that emotion for the most deserving, but Gwynnara was one of them. The feeling was mutual.

Gwynnara flashed a cruel smile as she told me I was late for my execution. Sleeping with her had been a youthful indiscretion. You can't always foresee the consequences of your actions. If we hadn't banned technology on Yordbrook, I would use a time machine (if they existed) to go back and warn myself to stay away from the crazy. I had no idea she would become Controller and eventually threaten my wife and me.

At the time, I was a teenager, and she seemed like an innocent farm girl. She seduced me with a bottle of morelia in her hand. For about a year, we slept together whenever we could.

When I didn't propose marriage, she asked me herself. I turned her down. I didn't know who I wanted to marry back then, but I knew it wasn't Gwynnara. I had discovered something underneath the innocent persona she displayed to the world. An aspect of her personality was desperate, cruel, and ruthless.

I supposed those qualities had helped her become Controller. When I turned her down, she had raved and screamed, but it didn't stop me from leaving her. A few months later, she became ill and was bedridden. I didn't see her for nearly a year.

When she re-emerged, she wouldn't even look me in the eye when our paths crossed. I didn't understand what had changed in our relationship. Once she became Controller, it seemed as though she always had her eye on me. Her men always harassed me when no one was looking. I think she knew I was a part of the Underground, but she couldn't prove it.

"Take the girl," she said.

"She can't walk. You've beaten her within an inch of her life."

"Oh?" Gwynnara's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Really?"

She snapped her fingers towards some of her guards. They came forward carrying a stretcher.

"We certainly can't have the prisoner unconscious at her execution."

"Let Porter go with her, at least," I begged. I knew she wouldn't set me free.

"Where is Porter?" She looked around. He was gone.

"Search the woods for him," she ordered our escort. "He can't have gone far."

In fact, he had to be quite close to us. The only way for him to vanish like that was if he dropped down and rolled under the spaceship. The cloaking device would shield him as long as no one discovered the vessel.

Our guards split up. Two left the clearing to search for Porter. Two carried the stretcher and loaded Annalee onto it. The rest came for me. I stepped forward and held my hands in the air. I didn't want anyone coming closer to the ship.

"Let's get on with it, then. It's a good day to die," I said, trying to mask my fear.

Gwynnara rolled her eyes and motioned for the men with the stretcher to go ahead. She let them advance just far enough so I wouldn't be able to see or hear Annalee.

"Jesse will come with me," she told her men. "One of you walk behind us. Shoot him if he tries anything. It can be somewhere painful, but don't kill him. We need to show him off during the execution."

The last thing I wanted right now was a heart-to-heart conversation with Gwynnara. As the men moved off, I couldn't keep up the veneer of cheerfulness any longer, and I felt my frustration show on my face.

All my efforts to save the farm and planning with the Underground had been for nothing. The Underground was in ruins with the leadership captured, safe houses destroyed, and people scattered. I would never have a life with Annalee because we were both going to die.

"Fuck," I whispered, feeling a black ball of rage start forming in my gut.

Gwynnara looked at me thoughtfully. It felt like she was staring into my soul.

"Yes, you always did like to," she said.

I couldn't stop myself. "And you didn't?" I said, bitterness against her coming out of my mouth. "Are you honestly going to tell me you didn't enjoy it?"

"Maybe I did," she admitted. "But none of that matters now."

"Because you're going to kill me."

"You broke the law, and the penalty is death. I have nothing to do with it," she said coldly. She averted her gaze but not before I saw a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes.

Was there a chance? "You have power, Gwynnara. You could spare us."

"Spare you?" she gasped, turning to look at me in disbelief. "Why would I do that? I've been waiting for this moment since you left me."

The uncertainty in her eyes was gone. In its place was hatred.

I had chosen the wrong words. I didn't know she wanted me to die.

"Gwynnara, what did I ever do to you? We had a good time together. You know a marriage between us would have ended in disappointment. Why do you hate me?"

She started walking even faster, making me work hard to keep up with her. She certainly kept herself in good shape. I wondered if she was going to answer when she suddenly spoke and broke the silence.

"Do you remember when I was sick for a long time?"

"Yes," I said patiently.

"Do you remember how long it was?"

"About a half a year or so."

"It was exactly six months," she said. She stopped and looked at me. Fire shot out of her eyes. "As soon as I started to show, my family locked me up."

I froze. "What do you mean?"

"You got me pregnant, Jesse. You weren't around any longer. I was left to deal with the consequences of our actions by myself."

"Wait a minute," I said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why would I? Do you think you would have helped me? You had already declined my proposal. I wasn't going to have anyone marry me out of pity, not even you," she sneered.

"Gwynnara." I sighed

"Don't even start," she said, holding up her hand. She resumed walking, and I scrambled to catch up with her.

"What happened to the child?" I asked under my breath.

"Do you remember my younger brother?"

"He wasn't your brother, was he?"

"No, he wasn't. He grew up knowing me only as a sibling. But when he was nine, something happened." She fell silent and pressed her lips together.

"I remember," I said. "He died of the fever."

She nodded quietly, turning her head so I couldn't see her face.

"Gwynnara, I'm sorry. I wish you would have told me. Then you wouldn't have had to go through everything alone. I might have known my son."

She drew in a deep breath. "It doesn't matter now. I have a plan to get even for all the pain. You ruined my life, and now you're going to pay."

We had reached the courtyard. Annalee was already there, standing on her feet. There was a crowd speaking quietly and waiting for the execution. They were all dressed in their best. I wondered why they would dress up for an execution.

I remembered the new queen's coronation was happening later today. They were quite efficient for the masses, giving them two entertainments for the price of one.

It was a chilling thought.

ANNALEE

I stood up and got off the stretcher. There were a lot of people around me. Everyone wanted to witness my death, I supposed.

When Jesse came up beside me, I wondered what he had said to the Controller. She stormed past us looking angrier than she was before. The Bureau had increased security around us. There were four guards armed with swords within reach. Further back were some men wielding crossbows. We weren't going to run away to freedom.

"Annalee," Jesse murmured under his breath. I shifted my eyes to him without turning my head. "I don't have anything left in my bag of tricks."

I gave a slight nod.

"I wanted you to know something." He trailed off when someone started to beat a drum off to our left. "I care about you, and I wish we had more time together."

I wasn't sure what to say. My eyes started to tear up against my will. Suddenly, my mouth started moving. "I care about you too, Jesse. In fact..." I took a deep breath. "I think I love you. And even though I may die today, the last few weeks I have felt truly alive.

It seemed like everything around me went quiet. Jesse reached out and took my hand. No one said anything or shot us, so I guess they didn't care about what we did anymore. I knew there was no way out.

As the beating of the drum intensified, I felt a sword poke me in my side.

"It's time, my love," Jesse said, looking over at me. I got lost in his beautiful blue eyes one last time, then forced myself to turn my head away and start walking again.

JESSE

Annalee's confession of her feelings for me was a bright spot, but I wouldn't have long to enjoy it. My hands started to shake as we walked toward two blocks of wood. The blocks of wood were for us to rest our heads on while the executioners swung their weapons.

They wore black hoods and held sharp axes. The blades could sever a head from its body in one blow if the man were skillful enough. I hoped these men were well-trained. I had no desire to wallow in pain while they swung their weapons two or three times.

The constant drumbeat made an already tense situation worse for me. The atmosphere was already morbid; I didn't need my final moments accompanied by a death march. We walked as slowly as possible, staying side-by-side. My throat tightened as I imagined that we might have faced many challenges at each other's side if given the opportunity.

I thought the blocks of wood would be disgusting and bloodstained, but as we got closer, I saw they were spotless. It looked like they had refreshed the wood for each of us. I wondered if it was a courtesy extended to everyone or only high profile prisoners.

The guards maneuvered us until we were kneeling and facing the crowd of people. Gwynnara began to speak.

"We are gathered here together today to expunge from our planet those who might destroy it. We protect our people from corrupt elements who selfishly desire to bring down Armageddon upon us once again. Today is a reminder that we are here to keep our children and our children's children safe."

She certainly had a knack for words.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Annalee snorted slightly and looked like she was fighting back a smile. If we were going to die, we might as well have a good attitude about it, I supposed. The knowledge of our powerlessness was surprisingly freeing.

"Technology destroyed our civilization once. We won't let it happen again."

A voice rang out through the courtyard. It was louder and stronger than Gwynnara's. It came from the person next to me. "Technology didn't destroy your civilization," Annalee said. "People did."

It was like something had sucked the sound away from us. People didn't talk and didn't move. We all knew the truth, but none was brave enough to say it. Annalee was calm and confident. She had nothing to lose.

"What does an off-worlder like you know about our planet?" Gwynnara said. She was furious that Ann was stealing the spotlight.

"I don't know everything about your people or Yordbrook," she said. "But I do know one thing. A tool is a tool, whether it's made from steel..."

She nodded her head at the axe beside her.

"...or circuitry. Why don't you make it illegal to own a knife or crossbow? If a person wants to hurt someone else, they could use one of those tools as easily as an advanced weapon."

The crowd murmured its assent.

"Enough of this nonsense," Gwynnara shouted, sensing she was losing control of the situation.

But Annalee wasn't done yet, and the executioners made no move to stop her.

"You think you're high and mighty. Everyone else in the galaxy is wrong. But you're trying to forget your history. Your ancestors thought it would be a good idea to press a button and end millions of lives in seconds." She paused. "That's what you're all afraid of, isn't it? You don't want to repeat the sins of the past."

"I said that's enough," Gwynnara repeated.

"Hiding from technology won't save you from yourselves," she said, looking around at the crowd that was staring at her in consternation. "You can destroy yourselves again with primitive weapons as well as with bombs. You're different people than your forefathers. The question you should be asking yourselves is, 'Have I learned anything from their mistakes?'"

She looked around and tried to make eye contact with anyone in the crowd that was brave enough to look her in the eyes.

"Your beliefs will save you. Nothing else."

Gwynnara moved to take matters into her own hands. She stepped forward and pushed our heads down onto the blocks.

"On my mark," she said. The executioners nodded.

"Say goodbye, Jesse," Gwynnara muttered under her breath.

"Now," she whispered.

The executioners lifted their axes overhead. I closed my eyes.