Page 95 of Seized to Sacrifice
‘Have you found anything?’
Rye looked up at him, his gaze slightly unfocused.
‘Nothing yet,’ he said, taking another long gulp.
Nyx put down his goblet hard. ‘We don't have time for this,’ he said.
Rye ignored him and took another drink.
‘It’s been so long,’ he muttered, ‘but seeing them yesterday brought much of it back. I killed as many as I could, but it still wasn’t anywhere near enough. They stole my magick for years, tortured me in every way you can imagine.’
Nyx walked forward and put a hand on Rye’s shoulder. ‘The Horde took from all of us,’ he said quietly. ‘I'm sorry that time hasn’t dulled our pain.’
‘What was done will never be gone.’
‘No,’ Nyx agreed. ‘Never gone, but we need for Elle to survive.’ He let out a small laugh. ‘If we all stay alive as well, it could be a new start for us. A future with Elle, and the babe.’
Rye nodded. ‘Aye,’ he said, putting down his cup. ‘For Elle and the babe.’
Nyx sat down with him. ‘I'll join you. We could both use the company.’
Rye nodded. ‘How do you think Thorne will fare? He has his own fight with the Horde, and he hasn't been in Kitore since the Beast reigned over him.’
Nyx sighed. ‘With the Beast so close to the surface, we can only hope that his madness doesn't return.’
‘How long do you think we have before the Horde is at the gates?’
‘Not long.’
There was a shudder as a mild earthquake took the city.
‘The real question is will it be the quakes or the Horde that get us first?’ Rye muttered.
Nyx went to the window and looked over Kitore. He could see a few clouds of dust billowing up into the air, showing him the small amounts of damage that had just been done. He frowned. How long would the wards protect the city from complete destruction?
‘How fares Elle?’ Rye asked.
‘She seemed well enough. She's on the mezzanine with the other Fourths for the moment; the ones who brought us here. Perhaps they'll be able to help her in some way. I understand one is a powerful witch and the other is half fae with strong magick if that portal was anything to go by.’
Rye perked up the mention of a fae. ‘Bastian told me to speak to the fae. They have stories much older than even the most ancient tomes housed in the Library. They may well know more about Elle than we do.’
‘I had the same thoughts, Brother,’ Nyx said. ‘The rest of the fae unit will be here this afternoon. We’ll see them then.’
‘Good. If only I remembered some of the old songs myself but …’ He rubbed his face and let out a noise of anger. ‘How is it that I can recall practically every fucking moment I was prisoner of the Horde, but I can’t remember even one of the stories my family sang when I was child?’
‘Enough,’ he growled to himself. ‘Enough.’
Nyx looked at him grimly. Rye was struggling and he wasn't doing much better. He wondered how Thorne was faring. He only hoped the Beast wouldn’t start killing citizens of the city in the streets. His Brother’s other half had no love for the people who’d made him fight for them over all those years. If given the chance, the Beast might well let the madness take him again just to see how many he could kill before they stopped him.
* * *
Thorne
He heldthe torch closer and could just make out where the foundations of the Great Library had been built on the old arena of Kitore.
The city was so different now, still large and sprawling behind its warded walls. He’d walked through the streets earlier, seen where he’d killed so many. He remembered all of it now, all the things the Breast had kept from him.
He looked around the dark space grimly, now with columns and archways sectioning off what had been a vast battlefield. How many times had he fought here as the Beast of Kitore, battling Dark Realm creatures they'd brought for him to fight amongst their screams and roars of approval when he tore their limbs from their bodies or played with them for the humans’ enjoyments?
