Free Elected (The Elected Series Book 1) by Rori Shay Page B

moment, I’m not sure who he means. And then I realize who the “him” is.
    “Who might be done with him?” I ask. I’d completely forgotten about Griffin.
    “The guards. They took him to the prisoner’s building to question him. Should be finished now, if you want to go over.”
    Suddenly, I realize it’s exactly what I want to do. The thought of Griffin being pressured by the guards into saying who knows what scares me more than all the flying long arrows did this afternoon.
    Tomlin continues, “They think he might have seen something and that’s why he was so quick to your side. Certainly was faster than anyone else.”
    Now I definitely want to find out what he saw or said.
    I grab a posse of four guards and march out directly for the prisoner’s quarters. When I arrive at the gray front doors, I see Griffin’s already being led out of the lobby. They’re letting him go. For some reason this settles me. I should be hoping they’ll keep him longer so I can sit in on the questioning, but I’m happy they’re freeing him. I don’t know why, but I don’t like the thought of Griffin in this building at all. It gives me the chills.
    “Griffin!” I say as our two parties meet on the front steps.
    He bows his head politely at me. “Come to thank me?”
    “Ha!” I’m smiling broadly, relieved he’s okay. “Can I have a minute in private with him?” I ask the guards.
    One of the men answers me. “Sure thing, Sir. We were just sending him home.”
    Griffin and I walk out together, and my guards stand a discreet distance away from us.
    When everyone else is out of earshot I ask, “So what’d you tell them... about... you know?” I look down toward my chest.
    Griffin laughs out loud. “Seriously? I just saved your life, and you’re still worried I’m going to tell them you secretly wear skirts and play house?”
    “Shhh!” I glance left and right.
    Griffin’s looking up at the sky. It’s dark now, and a million small stars flicker overhead.
    “You know, I heard back in the day, people couldn’t even see the stars because of something called light pollution.”
    I look up to see what he’s staring at. It really is gorgeous. “We take it for granted now, don’t we?” We stand still for a few moments, long enough for me to register how close Griffin’s arm is to mine. We’re not touching, but he stands so near my heart skips faster. And I can’t help remembering what he mouthed to me at the top of my stairs. He thinks I’m beautiful. Me? Was he trying to play me? Could he have really meant the romantic undertones? It’s so impossible, I wonder if I just read his lips wrong. I’m even contemplating what word he might have actually been saying that could have looked like the word beautiful, when his next sentence breaks me out of the trance.
    “If we manufactured light now, we wouldn’t ever use it to block out the stars.”
    In that second I realize he’s waxing poetic about using technology. He sees my sharp eyes, starts walking again, and interjects, “Not that I’m saying we should have electricity now or anything.” Griffin clears his throat and looks away.
    He’s a little too quick with the response, and it reminds me why I’m here. Not to look at stars but to find out what he knows.
    “You don’t usually sit that close to the stage at the town halls.”
    Griffin looks down at me again but doesn’t say anything.
    I continue. “Why today?”
    “Can’t I want to be involved in politics? Listen closely to the Elected’s speech?”
    “Sure, but you’ve never been interested enough to sit in the front row before.”
    Griffin sighs. “Can’t you just let well enough alone? You weren’t hurt.”
    “Yes, but how’d you get there so fast? Were you in on it and wanted a chance to rip my head off yourself instead of letting an arrow take me out?”
    He looks at me hard and, after a moment, sighs. “Well, that’s a very nice outlook, isn’t it?”
    I shake my head.