The air outside was cold. It was that early morning chill that gets right into your skin and makes you shiver. We walked toward the center of the square, and I could see the crowd already waiting. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands. They were quiet, which was almost worse than the shouting. It felt like everyone was holding their breath.
Alaric stopped at the edge of the open space. He turned to me and grabbed my arms. His hands were warm, but his face was like a mask.
"You don't have to do this," he whispered one last time. "We can leave. We can just go."
"We talked about this, Alaric," I said. I tried to keep my voice from shaking. "I have to."
Silas leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine. "Just remember what Jax told you. Don't try to be stronger than her. You a
