Noah's POV
The television screen is the only light in the room.
Martin Leif Whittaker stands tall behind the podium on the makeshift stage outside the Big House, his traditional mourning robes rippling slightly in the wind.
Never before have I heard his voice sound so steady, so clear. Certain.
"I was told to tell you to comply. I have. I was told to reassure you. I have. But I—Martin Leif Whittaker of Lykandor—will not comply."
My throat closes.
He goes on, every syllable a match dropped in a dry forest.
"This is my stand. When the Shepherds come, they will come for me alone. That is the price of refusal. And I accept it."
This doesn't make any sense. Why is he saying this? Why is he tacking this to the end of the announcement knowing fully well what the DPA mandated?
The last two lines of the policy echo like a funeral bell in my skull.
13. Public or seditious refusal will be considered treason.
14. Treason will be punished accordingly.
Martin's going to die.
