Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” Naill drew out the word. “It appears all of them either used dinner knives or makeshift blades like glass or sharpened stone.”
That made gruesome sense since no mortal in the capital was allowed weapons. Didn’t mean that many hadn’t snuck in a dagger or sword here and there.
“The amount of effort it would have taken to finish the job…” Perry trailed off, dragging a hand over his face.
Anger churned at the thought. “Are we sure we found them all?”
“Guards have been going from block to block, checking the homes,” Naill advised, his fingers opening and closing on the hilt of his sword. “So far, it appears it is only this block, but we should know for sure soon.”
Eather stirring drew Kieran’s and my gaze to Poppy.
She stood near the girls’ feet. Color had drained from her complexion, leaving her nearly as pale as she was in stasis. She was as still as those on the floor before her, and I picked up absolutely nothing from her as she moved her gaze from the dead plants on the windowsill to the bodies.
Perry’s gaze darted to mine, but I held up a hand, figuring the vadentia was telling her something.
Poppy’s gaze lifted. The blue, green, and brown flecks in her eyes had spread to swirl around the bursts of silver. Perry and Naill stood directly across from us, and they didn’t seem to notice the change in her until the veins beneath her eyes lit up with silver light.
“It may have been their hands,” she said, an undeniable icy heat lacing her words. “But it was not their will. This…is his will. Death’s. Kolis’s.”
CHAPTER 26
POPPY
Casteel carefully laid the sheet back down to cover their faces and then rose. His gaze met mine. The aura of eather behind his pupils was a stunning shade of near white. “Is that the vadentia?”
“I remember. He wanted me to let him in,” I said.
Casteel inhaled sharply, then turned halfway. “Can you all give us a moment?”
Perry nodded and edged around the bodies. “We’ll wait for you outside.”
Delano leaned into me as Malik lingered at the doorway. I reached out through the notam. It’s okay. You don’t need to be in here.
Delano’s blue eyes were full of sorrow as they met mine.
“Please,” I whispered.
He hesitated and then turned, passing Emil where he stood a few feet from Malik. Naill and Perry had already cleared out, but Casteel’s brother waited a moment before turning and disappearing down the hall.
Casteel came forward and clasped my elbow. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”
I didn’t resist as he guided me into the dark hall. Kieran pushed open one of the doors to what appeared to be a bedchamber. The space was dark, but my eyes adjusted quickly enough for me to make out a narrow bed and a dresser.
Casteel’s hand slid up my arm. “What do you remember?”
“It’s something that happened while I was in stasis.” I pushed back a lock of hair. “I was in a cage.”
I felt their anger pierce their shields and was grateful for the darkness of the chamber because I didn’t want to see either of their faces. The air around us charged.
“A cage?” Casteel asked in a too quiet voice.
Kieran edged away from the door and stepped farther into the chamber.
“I don’t know how I got there or why,” I said. “And he wasn’t there at first. There was only mist.” The memory of the ghostly figures dancing in it sent a chill down my spine. “But then he was there, on the other side of the bars, talking to me. Telling me he could take away all the pain.”
Casteel went as still as a statue.
“And I…I didn’t know who I was. Not really. But I remembered all these random moments. The night in Lockswood. The Duke and his lessons.” My stomach churned as I stepped back. Casteel’s arm remained suspended for a moment before lowering. “The night of the Rite and New Haven—” I cut myself off, but the flare of eather in Casteel’s eyes told me he knew I was talking about when I’d learned who and what he was. “He made me remember all the pain.”
“He has the ability to root out someone’s fears and make them relive moments of pain,” Kieran said, his voice thinner than usual. “Attes told us. He said it was meant to punish those sentenced to the Abyss.”
My lip curled. I wasn’t sure how I felt about something like that being used on those who likely deserved to be sentenced to the hell that was the Abyss.
I ran a hand over my cheek, feeling the uneven skin as I paced the small chamber. “He promised that he could make it all stop. He wanted me to let him in.” I glanced at Casteel. He stood motionless, his eyes tracking my movements. “He said he could give me peace if I did.”