Page 198 of Blood of the Stars

“I don’t want to do either.”

“You promised.” Her grip tightened on his wrist, and he looked away.

“I know. I did. I will.” He clenched his teeth, not sure how to say that it was all a last resort he didn’t expect to have to do. He didn’t see how he could ever cut off her hand, let alone kill her. It was too much to ask.

Miklous’ screams drowned out any more explanation Gaeren might have given.

“You’re crazy.” Miklous’ body shook even as he stumbled back to the floor. “She always said you were.”

The hall filled with the shuffling of feet and whimpers only slightly held at bay. Then the shuffling shifted to a collective sniffing, and the whimpers turned to howls.

“Felk,” Sylmar called without looking back. “Did you explain the purple bands to our friends?”

“Yes,” the winex said from the back of the hall. “They’ve all agreed.”

“Good.” Sylmar pointed his staff at the stairway. “Felk can take the winex out to join the soldiers. It’s time to resume our search.”

Daisy bit her lip, standing on tiptoe to get one last glimpse of Felk, but he pushed forward until he could give her a hug.

“Thank you,” he said. “Stay safe.”

She choked out a laugh. “Sending your people into battle doesn’t feel like a fair trade for picking a couple of locks.”

“We would have come anyway,” Felk said. “This is our fight as much as yours. Maybe an alliance like this can break through the next cycle.”

Daisy’s smile wavered. They all knew how unlikely that was.

“We’ll remember your faithfulness even if you don’t,” Gaeren said, surprising himself as much as them. “I can’t imagine that won’t count for something with the new moon. Maybe you’ll have the patience to let me give you a memory or two. That’s all it would take.”

Felk nodded in his direction, but Jasperus and Holm were already leading the way up the stairs, stepping over the broken bodies of the soldiers. The others all followed, Gaeren and Kendalyhn taking their place in the center of the line with Daisy close behind.

As Gaeren reached the top of the stairs, Sylmar’s voice rang out from below as he addressed the winex. “You see our purple bands? This man doesn’t have one. He was one of your captors, and he’s now the first of your victims.”

The frenzied snarls of starved winex joined with Miklous’ screams in echoing off the walls.

CHAPTER 79

Aeliana couldn’t stop shaking as they made their way through the guards’ room. She’d known she wasn’t prepared to face Mayvus, but she’d thought she was prepared for battle. Watching the others take down soldier after soldier wore on her and made her question if she could kill when the need arose. And then to have Sylmar mutilate and discard Miklous…

As they spread through the guards’ room, checking the closets and washroom for any lingering men, she positioned herself near Sylmar. “You didn’t have to do that,” she murmured.

“I did.” Sylmar shifted, planting his staff between them and forcing her to stop and look up at him. “Now we know that if cutting out your mother’s brand won’t work, we can cut off her hand.”

She shivered even though she’d suggested the same thing to Gaeren. “That’s not what I meant. You didn’t have to feed him to the winex.”

He grunted. “They would have fed on him anyway. This way they’re more likely to follow the rule about the purple armbands.”

Aeliana’s stomach churned as she recalled the sound of teeth on flesh and the fade of whimpers.

“It makes me wonder what other lines you’re willing to cross.” She moved to sidestep him and join the others, who checked the adjoining soldiers’ dormitory.

His eyes burned with fury, and he grabbed her arm. “I told you I’m doing what I think is best for you and for Vendaras. I warned you that you won’t always like it.”

She shook his hand off. “How long did you serve Mayvus? How much of her ways are still ingrained in your methods? Did you partake in blood magic too?”

His beard shifted as his jaw clenched, and he swallowed hard and looked away. “You may not have known my history, but that doesn’t mean I’ve kept it secret. When this is over, you’ll get your answers. The important thing is that now we’re both working to stop her.”

“Fine.” She forced the word out before joining the others now at the door to the main hall.

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