Chapter 2 #2
“No one will ever know if we don’t do this sacrifice,” I say, choosing my words with care. “Just send the altar along to the next town. That’s all you have to do. Or… or… burn the damn thing!”
Lord Rutherford glances around the square with a frustrated sigh, his eyes falling on the nearest girl on the stage. Without warning, he pulls out a dagger and presses it to her throat. The girl gasps in fear. He doesn’t even flinch as he smiles.
“What’s her name?” he demands.
The girl trembles, then whispers, “Alette Mercer.”
Instantly, his dagger slides back into his sheath, leaving behind a trail of blood, which brings a wave of guilt rushing over me.
The lord writes my name down on a scrap of paper and places it in a bowl along with several other scraps of paper, holding it high for everyone to see.
“Now. That’s everyone. We can get started. ”
He mixes the bowl above his head, pulls out a scrap and smiles down at it, then looks up, his gaze locking with mine.
My heart sinks. Whether or not it says my name, he’s going to say my name.
“Alette Mercer,” he says, with so much satisfaction it practically drips off of him.
I close my eyes, trying to hold onto some shred of control.
This can’t be happening. None of this feels real.
The fae, the sacrifice, the altar… My stomach churns as the reality of what’s happening sinks in.
I can’t be given to the fae. More memories flash through my mind of blood, of loss, of suffering.
I’d vowed to never put myself in a position for the fae to hurt me again, and I would stick to that vow.
Lord Rutherford’s voice cuts through the air again. “Alette, come here....”
I can’t do this. I can’t let them take me.
Eyeing the exits, I see all have guards with swords withdrawn. If I try to ride out of here, Goose will most definitely be hurt. The idea makes a pit form in my stomach. Goose is my best friend. I can’t allow her to be hurt for me.
“Take care of Goose for me,” I whisper to Marta.
She nods and takes her reins. If I make it out of this, I’ll come back for her. If I don’t, Marta will cherish her. She’ll be safe either way.
I take a deep breath, all my muscles tense.
“Run!” I shout to the girls, and then I take off running as fast as I possibly can.
I leap onto a cart loaded with boxes and jump onto a roof, while people gasp behind me.
I race along the top of the roof and drop down into a pile of straw, then keep going through the streets.
I hear the guards shouting behind me, and then there’s the sound of running feet. My boots pound against the cobblestone, my heart hammering. I dart down an alley, climb over a stack of crates, and scramble up a wall. I don’t stop. I won’t stop. If I do, I’m dead.
Keep running. Don’t look back.
I bolt down another alley, then race down a road, before darting between two buildings. The woods are close, close enough that I can practically feel the soft earth beneath my feet. My breath burns in my chest, but I push myself to go faster. To survive.
Surviving is one thing I’m good at.
I’m almost out of the town when I turn a corner and collide with something hard. Glancing up in horror, I see the angry face of one of the guards. My muscles contract as I try to switch directions, away from him, but I don’t have time. A fist slams into my face, and everything goes black.
When I come to, I have no idea how much time has passed.
I’m dazed, my cheek throbbing with pain.
I try to move, but realize that I can’t.
My hands are bound tight, and I’m lying in the back of a cart.
I hear voices, two guards nearby, and the weight of the world crashes down on me.
I’ve been caught. I’m going to be sacrificed to the fae.
Struggling as hard as I can against the rope that binds my hands and ankles, I thrash wildly, but it does no good. The rope doesn’t give. I only manage to tire myself out more.
“Stop fighting,” one of the guards says, his voice low as he glances at me. “It’s over.”
I close my eyes, unable to hold back the tears. I wanted to run. I wanted to escape. But I failed.
As I wait to be taken, Marta appears, with Goose beside her. “Be strong,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. "When your father died, no one in town thought you’d make it especially when those… those grandparents of yours showed up. But you proved them wrong. Prove them wrong again.”
Goose leans down and rubs his head against me, and more tears spring from my eyes. “Just… just take care of her. Okay?”
“She’ll have a wonderful life,” Marta tells me gently, but she doesn’t say where she expects it’ll be, whether with me or her, which tells me everything I need to know. She hopes I’ll survive, but doesn’t think I will.
Then she walks away, and I go back to fighting the rope. The urge to disappear into my mind is there. I feel the urge to make all of this fade away, but I fight the feeling.
My dad would want me to survive.
They might think I’m caught, that my life is forfeit, but they have no idea who I am. I’m not the smartest, not the prettiest nor the most charismatic, but I survive. That’s what I do. And I’m going to survive this too.