Ki could never remember being particularly fond of large groups of people. Though she had no trouble being friendly, there was something about groups that made her stomach flip. While she was a Vault Guard, there were never any large groups to worry about. It had always just been her, Na, Ti, the Master, and the occasional intruder. In that aspect, being a Guard had been peaceful and almost perfect.

  She knew, in the back of her mind, that this was a lame excuse. There was nothing perfect or peaceful about being a Guard. The wound in her side and the gash in Na’s shoulder had been proof of that, as had all the panic it had caused her. Just thinking back on it made her head ache.

  She pushed her shoulders back, standing up straighter.

  Upon stepping out Flint’s front door, she emerged into the gravel-paved streets of the town. Passersby cast her curious glances, some even looked sympathetic. They murmured amongst themselves as she made her way down the street towards the town square she had seen from her window. The whispers and looks followed her all the way down, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “Ki!” Flint called from behind, his boots scraping against the gravel as he ran to catch up to her. He grasped her arms firmly and faced her with a stern look in his steely eyes. His brow furrowed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  She yanked her arms free. “We can’t do this with just the two of us. I was thinking I could pitch the idea to everyone else and--”

  “You can’t,” he hissed, shaking his head. “You can’t! The Vault is a taboo legend to these people. The mention of it will only turn them away, and I don't know what they would do if you mentioned you were a you know what.”

  She studied his face. “I don’t understand, you had no problems talking about it.”

  “With you. I don’t mind talking about it with you.”

  Ki blinked, surprise fluttering in her chest. “What’s special about me? Why did you bother?”

  Flint groaned, his gaze sliding to a group that had stopped to stare. He dragged his hand across his face as he muttered to himself. “I told you that already. I found you alive in a place where we only ever uncover corpses. I knew something was off from the start. But the rest of these people? I have no way to promise you that they’ll even listen to what you’re saying. Most of them would rather not think about the Vault. After all, it has only ever taken things away from them.”

  Ki frowned. She couldn’t recall a single person who hadn’t lost something to the Vault. Everyone who came in contact with it met with ruin, sadness, or death. She couldn’t blame the people of the village of Flint’s accusation was true, but she also couldn’t stand to leave Na there alone. The bare minimum wouldn’t work against Ti. They had to overwhelm her by bringing in more than she could handle. Ki needed the people of the village to agree to help her.

  They would never agree if she never asked, and she couldn’t let that risk go.

  She steeled herself before meeting his eyes again. “Is there someplace I can go where everyone would be able to hear me? Like a… town square, or something.”

  His shoulders drooped. “I can’t dissuade you?”

  “No, you can’t.”

  At that, he chuckled halfheartedly. “I guess… that’s a Vault Guard for you, huh?”

  Before she could argue, he took hold of her wrist and tugged her down the streets. The rows of houses faded out into an open square, exactly like she had pictured when she thought of a place to go where everyone would hear her. Her flats clacked against the cobblestone, though Flint’s steps were nearly silent. He weaved his way through the people already milling around in the square, pulling her through the crowds behind him. They emerged on the other side, where a message board stood alone, with a few scrawled notes posted onto it. Most were reports of people gone missing or bodies found in the Forest of the Dead. Ki shuddered when she recognized one or two of the faces on the board. She quickly looked away.

  “We do have a town square, or something. In fact, it’s just like that.” Flint released her with a sly grin, the cold look in his eyes replaced by an amused glint. Although, beneath it, she thought she still detected a sign of regret.

  Despite disagreeing with her, he had brought her this far.

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  When they had noticed her and Flint weaving their way towards the front, the gazes of the crowd had followed them. People had turned from their conversation to watch, hushed as they waited. Children returned to their parents’ sides, teenagers forgot their gossip, adults looked up from their work.

  All of them, focusing on Ki.

  Ki swallowed thickly, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. “Right.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t know it would be this easy to get your attention.”

  Perhaps it was because she and Flint hadn’t been the most subtle before. Anxiety knotted in the pit of her stomach. Briefly, she wondered if any of these people had seen him carrying her, bleeding and unconscious that day. She wondered if he had told any of them where she came from, or if they knew already.

  She cast a sideways glance at Flint, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore. 

  Drawing in a deep breath, she turned back to the curious and wide-eyed people before her.

  “My name is Ki,” she started, “I escaped here from the Vault. I was separated from my friend and forced to leave him behind. I hope it’s not too much for me to assume that you can all understand how much this hurts me. After all, you… have all lost someone to the Vault, haven't you? Friends, lovers, children, family.”

  Beside her, Flint stiffened. 

  “I have a plan,” Ki went on, brushing her braided hair over her shoulder. A weight still pressed down on her, perhaps from their stares zeroed in on her. “To rescue my friend and fight back against the Vault Guards.”

  A murmur spread through the crown like wildfire. Ki winced at the words she could pick out from those that turned and left.

  Selfish, stupid, immature, rushed.

  Some part of her knew they were right, but she hated taking the bare minimum.

  What she needed was something more if she was to have success.

  But how could she ever have more with the Vault lurking over her?

  “You’ve never done any public speaking, have you?” Flint jabbed her arm. “Seriously, Ki, you’re not cut out for this. No wonder you were a Ki and not a Ti.”

  The statement sparked something in her memory. It was faint, but it was wrong. For a brief moment, the scene before her flickered, glitching like a display on a screen. Eyes wide, she turned to Flint. “What was that?”

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he pressed his index finger against her jaw, turning her head to face forward again. With a huff, she allowed her gaze to follow the motion as well, looking out at the now-empty square before her.

  A handful of people remained in the square, exchanging curious looks with each other. Ki counted thirteen of them. The number was smaller than she had originally wished for, but it was enough to make hope blossom in her chest again.

  “You’re a terrible speaker,” Flint went on, “but mention the Vault and you’ll always grab someone’s interest.”

  Ki whirled around to face him, astonished. “But you said--”

  “I said most of them.” He nodded towards the group. “So then, why don’t you tell these brave volunteers your plan?”