Page 53 of The Royal Flame
Finn rolls his eyes at me. “Dude, this isn’t like you, so chill. You’re just high.”
He’s probably right…
I think…
I open and close my eyes, and spots dot my vision. My stomach lurches and vomit burns in my throat.
Shit, he’s right.
Finn lowers his arm and faces the group. “Look, he can’t be your sacrifice and I think you all know that. If my brother disappears, it’ll draw too much attention.
When Eli had said sacrifice, the first thought that had crossed my mind was that they were going to kill me. But that seemed way too ludicrous. But now, it’s starting to seem as if that’s exactly what they’re planning on doing to me.
When no one speaks, Finn crosses his arms. “You know I’m right about this. The society wants to remain a secret and taking out a Royal will put us in the spotlight. It’s why the sacrifice has always been an outsider.”
Silence skips by.
If I weren’t so out of it, I’d probably be panicking about why my brother was aware the society was doing sacrifices.
“He’s right,” Zay finally says, drawing his hood up. “Sorry Eli, but we’re not going to ruin the society over your vendetta with River.”
“Plus, he’s a member,” a guy named Greg adds with a nervous edge to his voice. “This never should’ve gotten this far to begin with. I think it might be time for us to discuss voting in a new leader.”
A few members agree then a discussion begins, but too many people are speaking at the same time and it’s making my brain spin.
While everyone is distracted, Finn inches closer to me. “Let’s get out of here.” He urges me toward one of the doorways.
My feet scuff against the floor with each lethargic step, but I keep moving, more than ready to get the hell out of here. Right before we duck out, I flick a glance over my shoulder and find Eli glaring at me.
I have a feeling this isn’t the last time he’ll try to ruin me.
Finn and I remain quiet as we ascend a spiral stairway that leads upward to a hidden door tucked behind a shelf in the far corner of the library. When we step out, we continue the silence until we’re in our dorm room.
The instant the door clicks shut, I ask, “What the fuck just happened?”
Finn slumps against the door. “The society had been mumbling about some sort of traditional sacrifice. Up until about an hour ago, I thought it was like a metaphorical reference or that they were sacrificing someone by kicking them out.” He yanks his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think they were actually going to hurt someone. But then I overheard a few of the members talking about how every decade, the society takes some and sends them away to an island where they leave them to rot. Again, I thought it was some dumb rumor, because how in the hell could that be a real thing. But then I heard them say Eli was targeting you for the sacrifice because of what happened with Maddy, and that’s when I realize they weren’t messing around. So, I went to warn you, but didn’t find you in time.”
I press the heel of my hand to my throbbing head. “How in the hell are they getting away with sending members to an island? Do they die? Do they eventually pick them up? Seriously, what the fuck is going on?”
“I don’t know. Eli is in charge. Or well, he was. It looked like he might be overthrown.” He smiles, but it’s forced.
I don’t even attempt to reciprocate it. “This is so fucked up. And my head hurts like hell.” A shaky exhale fumbles from my lips as I lower my hand to my side. “We need to look into this more. We can’t just let the society take someone else.” I check the time on my watch.Shit. I have like five minutes to get ready. “But right now, I need to get ready to go with Maddy.”
His brows knit as he pushes away from the door. “You’re going somewhere? Right now?”
I nod, turning around slowly to avoid falling over. “I have to. She’s going to meet up with the woman she thought was her mother to see if she knows anything about Ellie’s disappearance. And like hell I’m going to let her deal with that on her own.”
He follows me as I make my way to my room. “You can’t drive in the condition you’re in.”
“Yeah, good point. I’ll have to call a driver.” I start rummaging through my clothes.
“You really have to go?” he checks. “Because you look like shit.”
“Yes, it’s not an option.” I select a black shirt.
He leans against the doorjamb with his arms folded. “At least tell Maddy about what happened. I know you hate worrying her, but she’ll keep an eye on.” I open my mouth to protest, but he talks over. “You can’t protect her if you’re out of it and she’s not aware of it. Think about it, if something bad happens, you won’t be on full alert, but she won’t know that.”
He's right.
