Page 40 of Desecrated Reign

“Come on, keep moving. We’re almost there.” I push past the girls, ignoring the burning in the back of my legs.

Beibhinn brings her gaze towards Saoirse. “I should have joined you and Liam on those runs through the mountains. Look at you,”—she swings her arms towards Saoirse—“you’re barely breaking a sweat.”

“Cardio, baby.” Saoirse shoots her a wink, and just like that, all the tension between them fades away.

“Hey, Devereux doesn’t get all the credit. I give her plenty of cardio.”

As she’s passing me, Beibhinn slaps me on the back. “I’m sure you do, King. I’m sure you do.”

Laughing at my unimpressed face, Saoirse raises her hands and holds them a good nine and a half inches apart. “A huge amount of cardio.”

Beibhinn sticks her finger in her open mouth and gags. “TMI, Saor. Nobody wants to know how big their cousin’s dick is.”

Finally, after a few more feet, we reach the top of the mountain, and my eyes scan the large clearing. For the most part, it’s pretty vacant, but right in the centre is a derelict church made of stone. The roof is non-existent, and some of the walls are badly damaged, leaving nothing but a ruined carcass, but above the opening where the door used to be, etched into the aged stone is the syndicate crest—the same one I have tattooed across my ribcage—three crossed swords and the crown that ties them together.

My gaze falls towards Saoirse. “Good job, baby.”

Everyone collapses onto the ground, thrilled to have reached our destination for the night, but then, above the chatter, more voices appear, this time coming from the other side of the clearing, drawing the whole group’s attention.

My eyes swing towards the echoes, and I spot Aodhán—and a few others—walking towards us with a smile edging the corners of his mouth.

When he reaches us, he pulls me into a brotherly hug. “Jesus, man, it’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Pulling back, I finally scan the other initiates he’s with, and my face contorts into a frown. At first, I presume it is only one team, but upon further inspection, I realise it’s half of both teams—Aodhán and Jack from team three and Orion and Kade from team four.

“Where are Hannah, Alex, Sibhe, and Meila?” Saoirse slides in next to me, peering around for the missing teammates.

“After we met along the trail the first night, they decided they didn’t want to stop and kept walking—without a fucking map.”

“There was no talkin’ to them,” Jack adds. “Lord knows where they ended up, but without these,”—he holds up both maps—“they’re not gettin’ far.”

“Can I see those?” Saoirse points towards the maps with one hand as she pulls the other two from her back pocket.

With a raised brow, Jack passes her the maps. Then lowering herself onto her hunkers, she spreads the pages out as everyone gathers around to see what she’s doing.

“Here.” She points to the red dot right bang in the middle of the four maps. Gathering the pages, she rushes towards the church, eyes scanning every stone. “Help me look.” Her eyes fall to the remaining eleven initiates.

“What are we looking for?” Shannon follows Saoirse’s lead, eyes roaming over the exterior of the derelict building.

“Anything that might be a code or a clue.”

Everyone dives in, searching every corner, stone, and cranny. Finally, about half an hour later, Aodhán shouts, “I think I found something.”

Within seconds, everyone gathers around Aodhán while Saoirse drops to her knees and trails her fingers over the lettering carved into one of the stones.

Strength, respect, loyalty, and the crown that binds them together.

“This stone is loose,” she says, teasing it free from the wall to reveal a folded envelope with the official Syndicate crest stamped into the front.

Turning it over, she peels the wax seal open and eases out two pieces of cream paper—the first a letter and the second a piece of a map.

Then, pushing herself to her feet, she waits until everyone gathers around before reading what it says.

Congratulations, Initiates.

You are one step closer to your final destination. Please use the enclosed map to complete your journey.

X marks the spot.

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