Page 93 of This Violent Light
The seasons, I decide. They dress by season, and if that doesn’t show exactly how much of a cult these freaks are, I don’t know what would.
Few of them look at us, and I get the feeling they’ve been instructed to keep their distance. I look away from the town, studying the river and then the forest. I don’t know which direction leads back to the Night Realm. It was too dark last night, and my fear was too great to pay attention.
All those years of Dateline for nothing.
The men walk for the river, and I fall into step between them. We’re going to avoid the town altogether, it seems. I take another glance at the trees. Whether they lead toward the Night Realm or not, they seem like a safer bet. There are many places to hide in a forest, and I’m not a great swimmer.
A large bird flies overhead, momentarily blocking out the sun. I look up. The bird is gone, but I realize my guards have looked up too. They pause, turning toward the woman guard.
“Was that—” the short man asks.
“Let’s move faster,” the woman says from behind me. “We don’t want to keep the council waiting.”
Perhaps it wasnota bird at all.
A spark of hope pulses up my spine. The vampires might not be able to help me now, but that doesn’t meannoonecan. I scan the skies again, searching but there is only clear blue and wispy clouds.
The woman presses between my shoulders, urging me along. It’s the only confirmation I need: I am not alone out here.
By the time we reach the base of the hill, we’re jogging. I’m already covered in sweat and my limbs are shaking. I haven’t eaten in over a day, and my body is running on fumes. If we keep this pace, I’m going to pass out long before we reach our destination.
I gasp for breath as we move, keeping my eyes on the river and the forest and the sky. Constantly waiting for a moment, even a split-second of opportunity. Before I find my chance, the ritual comes into view. A raised platform stands in the center of a barren patch of dirt. The wooden structure is weathered and water-damaged, and it’s clearly older than I am. I wonder if this is where they kill all their prisoners, if Cora ever feared this stage as I am now.
My mouth turns sour with the taste of my own bile. I fall to my knees and puke across the grass. The men yank me back to my feet, and the woman shoves my shoulders again.
“Keep moving,” she demands.
But she doesn’t understand. I can see it. The lifted stage, the dozens of witches standing before it. The same macabre artifacts Cora had during our attempt to break the curse. And there, in the center of it all, is a large rectangle of glass.
It’s deep and wide. Too large to be considered a bowl or even a container. It’s a freaking kiddie pool of glass.
For my blood.
Every last drop.
“Don’t make me,” I say, falling limp in their grip. They easily hold me between them, straining my shoulders at the joints. I’m crying so hard I can barely speak. “Please, don’t!”
“If you comply, we will make it quick,” the woman says. She pauses the men, whipping to come in front of me. “Look at me, Grace Pruce. If you comply, it will be over before you realize it’s happening. We’ll make it painless. If you don’t?—”
It’s the perfect opening, and I force myself to take a deep breath.
“Did you make my father’s death painless?” I ask. My voice shakes, but I glare at her with every ounce of hatred I’ve built over the last few months.
They made my mother look crazy.
They stole my father from me.
He tried to protect me.
When he could have exposed my existence to save himself, he died silently, so they could never find me.
“Yes,” the woman replies. She speaks the word with more conviction and self-righteousness than should be possible. So arrogant, so superior as she looks down at me.
“You didn’t though,” I say. I blink, letting tears roll down my cheeks. “Death is never painless. My mother felt the pain of losing him for the rest of her life. I’ve felt it too. And even once I’m gone, my brother will feel it still. Except worse, because now he’s lost his fatherandhis sister to you monsters.”
The woman stills. I’m only looking at her, my expression carefully twisted. Still, I feel the guards’ shock. All three of my captors have stopped moving.
I play the part I’ve mastered for years. The dumb blonde. The ditzy girl who’s oblivious to the world around her.
