Brilliance (Circle of the Stars #4) - Sadie Jacks Page 0,15

with their hair long down the middle in a very intricate braid. They dropped their captives at my feet.

“Who are you?” I asked. My voice was hoarse as if I’d been sucking on fiery cotton for hours.

They shook their heads, their red robes and hoods shaking.

Jeremiah leaned down. “Answer the goddess.” He grabbed each one by a shoulder, flexed his fingers into their flesh.

One howled in pain while the other whimpered like a wounded animal.

My brow furrowed. “Remove their hoods.”

The two men with Jeremiah stepped forward, pulled the hoods from their heads.

“Ainsley. What a perfectly unpleasant surprise,” I said. “What are you doing here? Why are you murdering these people?”

Ainsley looked up at me. A deep, abiding hatred glowed in her muddy brown eyes. Her sunken and sallow cheeks spoke of starvation or malnutrition.

I looked at my grandmother, raised a brow. She’d said she’d done something to the woman who had kidnapped me. I hadn’t really expected this.

Grams nodded, a tight smile on her face.

I turned back to Ainsley. “Looking a bit peaked there, bitch.” I crossed my arms. “I’ll ask you one last time, why are you murdering these people?”

She spat at me.

Tove jumped forward, punched her in the face. “Never disrespect her again.”

I heard a bone crack as another ear piercing wail shot from her. “Jonathan.” She reached out to the other person beside her. “Jonathan, stop her.”

The man scooted back as if she were a leper. “You stupid bitch. Didn’t you just hear him call her Goddess?” He lifted his hands. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Please don’t hurt me.”

“Then answer my question, Jonathan. Why are you here? Why are you killing these people?”

He looked up at me, his eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “They said we had to spill their blood. We had to spill it so we could raise him.” He rose up on his knees. Edged towards the wailing, whining woman.

With one swift move, he grabbed her by the hair, wrenched her head back and slit her throat. “Veram.”

Like watching something in slow motion, her body slid to the side. It landed on the blackened ground with a soft thump and almost inaudible sigh. Blank eyes stared sightlessly at our group. As the blood began to pool under her, the world under our feet bucked and rippled.

Shit sticks.

Chapter 9 – Thane

Jeremiah grabbed Jonathan, took the knife from him. “You’re coming with us.” He waved his hands in the air, making the hole reappear. “We’ll see you back at your penthouse. We need to get him out of here before he calls anything else. Be safe.” He stepped through the portal, five or six of his men with him. The rest stayed behind and joined us.

“What do we do?” Stretch asked.

I shook my head as another wave rushed under our feet. I braced myself, my legs wide, my knees soft. I held Stretch against me, gave her something to hold onto as the world fell apart around us.

The children’s shrieks of fear and panic battered at my ears. The sounds of war would follow me into my darkest nightmares. I had a better appreciation for Tag’s horrors and this had only been one day. A couple of hours, at most. How he survived a total of four years of this was beyond my comprehension.

Stretch pulled from my arms. She ran to the kids. “Is there no one left?” she asked.

They looked up at her, fear and distrust on their faces. They huddled in groups, hugged each other.

One little boy came up to her. He couldn’t have been more than ten. He snarled up into her face. “You’re the reason they came here. You broke the magic that held the Valley safe.” Two tears tracked down his cheeks. “My mother and father said you’re the real monster.” He pulled his foot back and let it loose.

She took the blow with a wince. “Your mother and father were monsters in their own right. How many times did your father sneak away to my cabin? How many times did your mother spit at me and call me names?” She got down into his face. “Pray you find a better path, Zimmer. The path of hatred and fear will eat you alive.”

She stepped away, looked at the rest of the kids. “We can get you out. Or you can stay here with Merlin. Your choice. But if you choose to follow us, you do as I say. As these brave men and women say.”

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