Page 2 of Twisted Empire

No reply. Just petrified moaning and quivering.

He turned back to face the members again. “I know you’re all ready,” he said with a chuckle. “Deliciae dolor!”

A roar went up. “Deliciae dolor!” the members shouted in unison.

There were a few cheers before a quiet stillness reigned in the grove once more. The men around me emanated excitement like heat, awaiting the signal with bated breath.

I gnawed at the inside of my cheek. Soon the taste of blood filled my mouth. My breathing turned shallow and rapid, and I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples. The moment I’d been dreading was almost here. There was nothing I could do to halt it.

The drums were still reverberating throughout the grove, steady as a clock and as loud as rolls of thunder. The music seemed to echo into my very soul, and I knew I would remember this evening forever. The sounds, the tension, the manic anticipation filling the air.

I took a long, deep breath. Everything hinged on what happened tonight. Once it was done, it could never be undone.

The drumbeats abruptly ceased. My heart seemed to stop along with them. Then someone hit the gong. The sound was blaring, unceasing, crippling my thoughts as it assaulted my ears.

It was time.

“Go, Tatum!” my father shouted, glee and malice filling his tone. “Run as fast as you can, little girl!”

And so the hunt began.

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