Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
By the time I’ve eaten my third muffin, Priestess Alithia appears, and it’s clear she’s just rolled out of bed. Her veil is askew, she’s wearing no jewelry, and her face is lined with sleep. Her eyes are worried and she pants as she enters our room, making it clear that she ran here. “My Lord Kalos—”
Kalos raises a hand to silence her. “I’ve been very understanding but my patience is at an end.”
She continues. “Priestess Minverna collapsed—”
Kalos snaps his fingers.
I sneeze violently once more.
Alithia’s words turn into a raspy croak, and she clutches her throat.
“I told you that my patience is gone,” Kalos continues, voice cold. “Unless you want your tonsils to explode from infection in the next moment, you’ll be silent.”
She swallows hard, rubbing her throat, and looks at the two of us with fresh terror.
“You’ll tell us who is making you hold us here,” he explains. “You’ll tell us everything you know. And then we’re going to walk out of here, unharmed. No one is going to even think about hurting my Anchor. Right now, your little priestess has the most virulent case of plague I can possibly give her, and she’s going to spread it to all of you within the next day unless you give me what I want. I’m not afraid to kill all of you. As Belara’s creatures, it will bring me great joy to destroy you. Now, sit and talk.”
He points at the chair next to the table.
Alithia sits, blinking wide eyes.
I sneeze and blow my nose again. Sweat is forming on my brow and I’m dizzy. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a fever at this point, simply from Kalos abusing his powers. Am I going to point this out right now? Absolutely fucking not. I drink a cup of water and keep my damn mouth shut.
The priestess attempts to speak, but it comes out as a croak. She looks up at Kalos, and he moves to her side. She flinches back as he touches her throat, her expression wary. She’s no longer all smiles and apologies. She sees him for the dangerous god he truly is now. Wetting her lips, she clears her throat. “Thank you, great god.” There’s a hint of a rasp, but her voice has returned. “Please accept our humblest apologies—”
He holds up a hand again. “Save it. Tell me who told you to hold us here.”
Her face pales and she pauses for a long moment before clasping her hands in her lap. “My Lady Belara is working with your other Aspect, my Lord Kalos. The two aspects are traveling together. They will arrive in the morning.”
I suck in a breath. I’d dismissed the idea of Belara and Kalos working together because they’re supposed to hate each other. I thought I was being jealous. Turns out, not so much.
Kalos grunts. “Which Aspect is Belara?”
“L-lies, my lord. Please be merciful—”
Another violent round of sneezes hits me, so hard I practically double over. I straighten, only for Kalos to grab my hand. “We are walking out of here,” he announces. “If you try to stop us, I will give everyone in this wretched town the most gruesome, excruciating death possible. No one will be spared. Under no circumstances do you harm my Anchor. Do you understand?”
“Aye, my lord,” Alithia whispers.
The god pulls me after him and I sneeze the entire way. My eyes continue to stream, but I can see people stepping aside to make way for us. Hand in hand, we hurry out of the temple and into the city. I feel wildly conspicuous, like the eyes of hundreds of people are watching us, and I wait. And wait. Wait for someone to attack, wait for someone to hit me, or knock me to the ground. I flinch with every loud noise, and the walk through a town has never felt so fucking long or slow.
I only feel like I can breathe when we step over the stone bridge that crosses the river and head toward Thornhill, which represents safety. It’s pitch black out, with nothing but open land around us for miles.
“I’m surprised they let that happen,” I finally say, sniffing. My nose is clogged and my eyes are scratchy, head throbbing as if I’ve had a sudden onset of the flu. But I’m a bit relieved because every step away from the city makes us safer. “I kept waiting for someone to try and stop us.”
“They’re cowards,” Kalos says. “No one wants to risk their neck. Once you threaten an entire settlement, people listen.” He glances over at me, his expression one of concern. “I know you don’t feel well—that’s on me—but we can’t stop. We need to find someplace to hide.”
“To…hide?” I echo, thoughts foggy.
“They’ll come after us when they deem it safe, to try and catch us by surprise. Once we get to those trees up ahead, we’ll head into the brush and hunker down somewhere for the day while we figure things out.”