gripping her. Something sharp dug into the skin of her stomach. She looked down and saw dark clawed hands gripping her waist. Her heart hammered in her ears, blocking out all other sounds.
“Let me go!” Brenna’s words sailed away in the wind.
An almost metallic screech that might have been laughter assaulted her ears. The grip around her waist tightened, squeezing her insides. He tore through the air, squeezing her so hard she could barely breathe.
Ronan scraped at the dirt searching for bones. His fingers happened upon something hard. He unearthed the bone and added it to the small pile he and Kiba had amassed so far. He heard Brenna scream. “Hold on, Brenna, hold on.” He picked up one of the longer bones and snapped it. That should slow you down, you old bastard.
He kept searching, hoping like hell he could find them all.
Prime’s grip loosened for an instant. He seemed to cry out in pain. Brenna took her opportunity and slithered out of his grip. She fell through the air, landed painfully against the trunk of a tree, but managed to grab hold of enough branches to make her fall painful rather than fatal. She thumped against the muddy ground with a wet slap. Head thumping, body aching, she cradled her head and groaned.
It wasn’t long before Prime appeared before her, hovering. She watched with sick fascination as he changed before her eyes into a hideous version of his original form as the judge. Pallid grey skin stretched over sharp bony features. Dark sockets stared at her, occupied only by a glossy black ball like a peeled rotten egg. Thin black lips sneered. “I told you to leave.” His voice ignited the same sensation in Brenna as somebody scraping their fork against a dinner plate.
“I’m not scared of you,” she lied. Her eyes flicked down to her abdomen where blood bloomed on her clothing.
“You think you’re clever. You’re not. In truth, I’ve come across few clever women in my time.”
“Rowena Ravenwood? Would you consider her clever?”
The judge bridled at the mention of her name. He leaned in close to her, leaking rancid breath. “In fact, I owe all of this to her. If she didn’t summon me to the stake, I wouldn’t have this power. Do you still think her so clever?”
Brenna met his gaze. “I relish every second of torture you suffered at her hand. You should burn for all eternity.”
He bared blackened teeth. “You know nothing about suffering, yet.”
“Neither do you. Not compared to the suffering my ancestors endured.”
“You stupid witch… You think I got off easy?” He leaned in closer. The sound of women crying and screaming surrounded him like a hideous theme song. Was it her imagination? “Since you think I got off so easily, you won’t mind telling me what you think after this.”
He placed his cold, clammy hands on her face and forced her to look to the side. A copse of trees fell flat. A wooden post jutted up out of the ground. Crisp straw and twigs materialized around the stake. The rain falling heavily from the sky avoided the stake as though it was covered by an invisible umbrella.
Prime opened his black gown revealing nothing but darkness. The sorrowful crying grew louder. “After you burn, your soul will join their chorus.”
Brenna gulped, unable to find a suitable reply.
The judge grabbed hold of Brenna’s shoulders, digging his nails into her flesh, and before she could blink, she found herself with her back jammed against the post. Blood oozed from the puncture wounds in her stomach and slithered up her chest. Her blood wound around her body and the post like thin ropes, fusing her against the stake. The sight of her own blood fighting against her brought bile into her mouth, burning the back of her throat.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be joining your ancestors soon. Your mother has been waiting for you.”
A light switched off in Brenna’s head. Like a porch light you leave on until a loved one gets home. Brenna had kept a candle burning for her parents, hoping they were stranded somewhere on a remote island, eating coconuts and having adventures. She knew it naïve, but that hope had kept her going for a long time. Grief rushed over her. Grief she should have dealt with a long time ago.
“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” Prime smiled, cracking the scaly skin around his lips. He held out his hand as if waving hello. Brenna squirmed as fire erupted from the