Page 115 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

I have to protect them-

"Forest."

Young and cold, her voice is one I don't think I will ever forget.

Rowan Eros.

The young girl from below the compound.

Turning my head, she grips her bleeding forearm. Rich with the presence of her energy, I marvel at the crack she managed to create in the ground below.

"Rowan? What are you doing up here-"

"Let's skip the part where you pretend like you don't know why I am here, Forest. I've been inside your mind. I've seen your plan all along. Our window for accomplishing what needs to be done is running thin. While you have been playing dress up, pretending like having alone time with daddy is saving you and your child, the rest of us have been keeping Xavier and your brother from falling over the deep end. There isn't any more time, Forest-"

Waving my hand, I close her throat before she can continue.

"Do not forget who you are talking to, Rowan Eros," I hiss. "You may talk big, but you are a child, and I can easily snap your little neck before you get a word out."

Gasping, she clutches her throat.

"T-Then w-who will save y-your baby?" she questions.

Cocking my head, I Winnow directly in front of her.

"What the hell do you mean?"

Easing up on her throat, she coughs.

"I'm here to make sure this all ends. If I can get us both to the cabin, Fallan, Valerie and Bekah are waiting there. You want her out? They are all I've got. I can get your child out before you do what needs to be done. You know this tyranny won't end unless Elyon is gone. You want a future for Xavier and your family, right? Then help me make it happen."

"Maybe I can find a way to detain Elyon, keep him under control-"

"I've seen it, Forest," Rowan says coldly. "I've seen what happens if you don't do this."

Shaking my head, I narrow my eyes.

"How could you have seen-"

Surging forward, her hands are on my temples before I can shove her away. Gleaming eyes and red-hot runes coat her body with power.

As if a light has been switched off in my eyes, everything goes dark, throwing me into a state of panic.

Full detached from reality, it feels as if her energy is swarming through me, taking over every single fiber of my being. Trying to reach for the tether to my girl's energy, there is nothing but dead ends.

What is this?

What is-

Hit in the face with a thick cloud of ash, I nearly cough up a lung staggering away from the dense smoke. Hitting my back, something cold and putrid collides with my skin.

Turning around, I bare my teeth at whatever vile sight is ready to torment me. Stumbling backward, I look in horror at the bodies swinging from their necks, put on full display for anyone in this town center to see. Each Marked, their bodies drained, void of the rich blood that once flowed through their veins. Moving along, even laughing at the site, the citizens surrounding me all wear the same clothing.

No Unfortunates.

No Untouchables.

Grabbing a woman's shoulder, I stop her dead in her tracks.

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