51. Zeno
ZENO
There’s a gun in front of them.
And it’s pointed at Eudoxia.
The safety makes a resounding click when Kleitos turns it off, and then the world comes to a halt.
Everything goes slow, slow, slow until the bullet is fired and Zeno screams, “No!”
He whips around to stand in front of Eudoxia—better him shot than her—but instead of searing pain in his back, a sharp graze opens on his shoulder.
Zeno’s eyes move in quick succession: first to Eudoxia—always Eudoxia—frozen in the follow-through of a throw, wide-eyed and unharmed. Then to the bullet, lodged in the maze’s wall, barely a dent. Then to his spear, which was in his hand a second ago, sticking out of Kleitos’ arm.
“Plato and his prophecies, Eudoxia.”
She ignores him, lightly bumping his torn-open shoulder as she approaches Kleitos.
“Do you think this was a good idea now? Seeking me out, threatening me?” she asks, menacing without being loud.
“We had a deal,” he groans.
Eudoxia snarls. “You had blackmail, there’s a difference.”
Zeno takes up post right behind her, picking up the gun on his way. “Kleitos, you’re bested. Time to go.”
Kleitos scowls, then cringes in pain at the spear still embedded in his arm.
“You think you’ve won but you haven’t,” he gasps, smirking despite it all. “I saw her leave—your little brat.”
Eudoxia backs into Zeno’s chest. “What?”
“Lazarus had been gone from our room for too long, so this morning I went to investigate and there you were. With the girl. Telling her just where to go.”
“What are you saying?” she grits out.
“It’s an insurance policy.”
“How’s that?”
“I told Councilwoman Apollonia.” He coughs, and Zeno’s heart stops. “I said she should expect one of you dumbasses to come after the kid. And if I didn’t win the Trial, I told her to go fetch the girl herself.”
Zeno opens his mouth, but Eudoxia speaks first. “You think the Councilwoman is going to listen to you?” she asks, calm despite the fire in her eyes. “You think she’s not going to send someone after my sister right now, damn the Trials?”
“She said—”
“I don’t care what she said!” Eudoxia yells, the dam of her ‘silent’ anger finally broken. Her hands twitch like she’s going to do something awful with them. “You screwed me over, you arrogant asshole. You put a ten-year-old girl in danger. And, what, you’re proud of yourself?”
“I needed leverage, and now I have it.”
Eudoxia laughs, a terrible sound. “You have nothing. Apollonia won’t wait for you. And now I need to get to my sister and you’re in the way.”
Her voice is vicious enough to echo through the maze. Kleitos’ smug facade turns fearful. He pushes up to run away, but Eudoxia slams her high-top on his chest.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she croons, murderous in a way that makes Zeno flinch.
It’s bad that he finds this really attractive, right? Because it’s also scaring the Forms out of him.
But Eudoxia wouldn’t kill Kleitos.
Kleitos tries to scramble backwards but Eudoxia’s shoe holds him firmly in place. She tears the spear out of his arm, and his scream is guttural.
“Please,” Kleitos begs. “Please. I’ll go, okay? I won’t say anything more. I’ll help you save her.”
“Then go. Now,” Zeno barks, but Eudoxia isn’t finished.
“I never want you to forget who is in control between you and me. I don’t think this—” she points to the hole in his arm “—is a permanent enough reminder.”
Zeno’s eyes widen in surprise. “Eudoxia—” he starts, interrupted by wailing.
Her hand is wrapped around the spear and she’s yanking it back and forth, through layers of sinew and muscle.
Blood spills across the dirt and onto their shoes, clothes, and skin.
She’s cleaving Kleitos’ arm, he realizes, paralyzed in disbelief.
She ignores the whimpering and pleading and crying, twisting the spearhead further and further.
“Please, please, Eudoxos. Stop. I’ll do anything. Please!”
It takes minutes for the arm to be removed fully. Minutes in which Zeno is frozen. He doesn’t know how to feel. Proud. Horrified. Vindicated.
Kleitos deserves to be punished, but this? It’s awful.
And somehow watching Eudoxia do it is more awful than doing it himself would be.
Not because he’s afraid of her, but because he’s afraid for her.
This violence, cold as it is, will take a toll even though she might not think so now.
But she wants vengeance and she deserves to get it, so he stands back.
Then the blood starts coming out of Kleitos’ armless shoulder in pulses, and he goes slack, and Zeno can’t justify it anymore.
“Eudoxia,” he begins. “You’ll kill him if you keep going like this.”
Eudoxia looks up at him, then back down with disgust. “And?”
“You don’t want that. You don’t want to kill someone.” He says it resolutely even though he’s not so sure anymore.
“He put her in danger, Zeno. There’s no telling where she is now.”
“But you’re better than him. So let him go.”
Eudoxia lets out an explosive, angry breath, takes her foot off of Kleitos’ chest, and pulls the spear back.
“Leave before I change my mind,” she growls, and Kleitos climbs up the wall with his good arm until he’s standing. He doesn’t look back as he staggers away, fast as he can.
Zeno turns back to Eudoxia once he’s gone. Even covered in blood that she spilled, he finds himself no less in love with her. She could kill, steal, maim, and nothing would change for him.
Maybe that’s not healthy, but he really, truly doesn’t care.
“I know that was wrong,” Eudoxia admits, blank and tired.
“It was.”
“I don’t regret it.”
“You shouldn’t.”
Eudoxia looks up at him in surprise. “You’re not afraid of me now? I just cut his arm off. Like a monster.”
Zeno shakes his head and holds her chin. “You did what you had to. And I was here to stop you from doing anything more.”
“I wish he was dead.”
“He’ll get what he deserves. The Forms will make sure of it.”
They stare at each other for a moment, then Eudoxia, after a brief glance to check that the camera is still obscured by the mirror, gets on her tiptoes to kiss him.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Always,” he responds.
She pulls away and retrieves the laser pointer from her pocket. “We have to go after Arete. Damn the plan.”
Zeno doesn’t hesitate. “Of course.”