Page 129 of Circle of Shadows
Tears streamed down Sora’s cheeks, and matching ones matted the fur on Daemon’s face. A violent sob racked Sora’s body. Horror and grief weighed down their gemina bond, as if it had been filled with sand.
“Is it over?” Fairy whispered from where her face was still buried.
“Yes,” Sora choked. “But don’t look. Whatever you do, don’t look.”
For a long moment, everything was eerily quiet.
Then a deep, low rumble began to emanate from the ground, distant at first, as if it came from the center of the earth. It grew louder as it came closer, like thunder surfacing. Suddenly, a giant burst out of the ground. His otherworldly laugh shook the entire Imperial City.
Sora could only stare, jaw open.
Zomuri swooped down and began tossing hearts in a sack, as if they were potatoes.
“How can he do that?” Fairy whispered. She’d abandoned not looking and, like Sora, now couldn’t stop.
“I think he eats them,” Sora said weakly. Like potatoes.
“Emperor Gin Ora,” Zomuri boomed. “You have proven your dedication through the Ceremony of Two Hundred Hearts.”
On the bloodstone tower, Prince Gin fell prostrate on the ground, right in the midst of the corpses. He bowed toZomuri, his body sticky with blood.
The god finished collecting his hearts and licked all twenty of his fingers. “I hereby anoint you Savior of Kichona, Warrior of Glory, Seeker of the Evermore. Go forth and make an empire in my name. And when I am satisfied, I shall grant you and your kingdom the paradise you deserve.”
Everything shook—the ground, the air, Sora’s resolve.
And like all gods, who do not stay among humans for long, Zomuri disappeared.
Prince Gin rose slowly to his feet. He turned to the ryuu and the captured taigas in the stone claws. “Tonight, we celebrate. And tomorrow, we set forth on our quest for the Evermore.”
His soldiers whooped and shouted.
The prince turned to the sky. “I see you up there, Spirit. You and your flying pet may be out of my reach for now, but you’ve seen a glimpse of Kichona’s future. This is the end for you. The next time we cross paths, I’ll see to it that your sister kills you.”
No.Sora leaned over, searching for her sister, and nearly toppled off Daemon. Fairy latched onto her.
“Don’t die on us,” Fairy said. “We need you. Kichona needs you.”
“It’s over,” Sora said. “Hana’s taken Empress Aki. The entire Society has been hypnotized. And the quest for the Evermore has officially begun.”
She slouched. “Kichona is lost. We’re the only ones with our wits about us, because we’re protected by Daemon’s shield.”
“The kingdom’s not lost,” Daemon said. “We didn’tfight this hard just to give up now. But first, we need to get out of here.”
If it weren’t for his decisiveness, Sora wouldn’t have been able to do it.
He soared past the clouds. He flew so high, the sky changed color, darker here where the sun had not yet reached. He turned westward, but kept flying up, up, and up still.
“You’ll fix this,” he said.
Sora shook her head and buried it into his neck. “I can’t.”
Fairy scooted up and hugged her. “Thenwe’llfix this. Together.”
“The League of Rogues.” Broomstick’s hand rested on Sora’s shoulders.
She sat up slowly and remembered her mother’s entreaty—Be more. Do more.
No one said Sora had to do it alone.
