Page 86 of Hallowed Games

My quickening heartbeat seemed to throb in my skull. As I stalked farther across the courtyard, the landscape changed. The air no longer smelled as fragrant now. Here, the plants were jagged and dark—hawthorn trees with prickled branches, blackthorn that reached to my waist.

Pater, ready yourself for fate’s final call. I’ll deliver you to eternal silence.

As the temple came into view, cold sweat dampened my skin. A few narrow windows let out warm light onto the tangled, overgrown gardens. On a moonless night, I could hardly see a thing here. Which was good, because it meant the Luminari wouldn’t see me, either.

My breath came quickly and sharply as battle fury hummed through my body.

Somehow, I felt as if the earth withered around me with every footfall. As I moved closer to the temple, I caught sight of two Luminari guarding the door. Crouching behind a blackthorn, I stared at them. Two narrow windows flanked the temple door, and the warm light highlighted their shoulders, the sides of their heads. I couldn’t quite see their throats, but I had a good sense of where their necks were, and where I might hit the vital blood vessels that ran down either side of their throats. I cocked my head. A vampire would know this part of the throat well—there, on the sides, were the arteries that carried life-giving blood from the heart to the head. A pulse beneath the skin. Sever that, and a person would die.

I reached into the pocket of my cloak and pulled out the two daggers, one in each hand. My heart beat like a war drum against my ribs. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on my aim. I’d done this so many times with the Baron, practicing for hours at a time until blisters had formed on my fingers where I’d gripped the daggers. When I’d failed, he’d slapped me hard with the back of his hand, drawing blood from my lips.

I held my breath, then threw the first one. Just as one soldier started to slump down, I threw the second dagger. The soft thud meant I’d hit my mark.

Reaching for my sword, I raced toward the door. I didn’t know if I’d hit them in the right place until I was standing over them. Then my chest unclenched as I took in their slumped, lifeless forms sliding down the wood of the door. Dark blood spilled out from their throats onto the stones. I let out a long, slow breath.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled the bodies out of the way.

In the shadows outside the temple door, I peered through a narrow window. It was no great surprise to see Sion in the temple, sword slung around his waist. He leaned against a pillar, relaxed, arms folded.

Light wavered over the stones as the torchbearers held their flames aloft. Shadows crawled across the stone floor, over my heart.

The stroke of death nears…

Behind Sion, the Pater held out his hands, his lips moving in prayer. Did he always spend all night in this temple?

Of course Sion was here, protecting his master. My blood went cold as my gaze flicked to him again. The Pater knew all about Leo now. How much I cared for him…Sion must have seen him that day in Briarvale. He must have hunted him down. And of course, a vampire would see everything. Hear everything. The crowd screaming about the boy…he’d stored it all up to use later on.

Ice ran through my veins. Maelor wouldn’t have told him…

Would he?

Through the window, I watched as Sion’s jaw went tight. His nostrils flared, and his golden gaze flicked toward the window. Judging by how rigid his body went, I could only assume he smelled the blood.

My mouth went dry, and I pulled the stake from the pocket.

My heart was a wild beast.

It wouldn’t be an easy thing, forcing a wooden stake into someone’s chest. The stake was sharp as a blade, but I would need an immense amount of strength and speed behind it. As Sion stalked closer to the door, I gripped the stake in my right hand, cupping the left around its base. I shifted my weight onto my back leg. My blood roared.

When he opened the door, his golden eyes landed on me for just a moment.

I felt time slow down, the night breeze toying with a strand of his long hair.

With all the force I had, I drove the stake upward, under his ribs and right into his heart.

CHAPTER 39

His eyes widened with shock, and a drop of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. “Elowen,” he whispered.

It wasn’t like killing someone with a sword or dagger. This stake had a lot more resistance, and I felt it going in, cutting through his flesh.

His face was so close to mine, his golden eyes blending to black. He smelled of cloves and old leather-bound books—a strangely homey smell that didn’t fit with him at all.

When I pulled my hands from the base of the stake, I realized they’d started to shake wildly. “You knew about Leo, didn’t you?” I whispered.

Shock still shone on his face as slumped back against the temple door. “Learned everything I could about you…” He clutched the stake in his chest, his eyes fathomless pits of shadow. His body went still, and his head fell forward.

Shaking, I breathed in deeply. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to refocus my attention. I envisioned what the Pater’s face would look like as I stole his last breath. With a clear head, I pulled open the temple door.

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