Chapter 4
“Death is not the only end.
Ascend from ruin and rejoice in being made anew.
One must both choose and be chosen.
For hidden in flesh and accessed through spirit,
a pure soul may find its light at last.”
- The Old Book
Iawoke from my dreamless sleep to panicked screams seeping in from outside. The sound reverberated through my body. I shot upright, air bursting from my lungs, leaving me gasping. Turning my attention to the bedchamber window, I noticed flickering lights below.
The distant roar of chaos sent ice down my spine. I knew that sound. I had lived that sound before. A memory surfaced unbidden—screams, fire, bodies dragged into the night. I was right back where I had been ten years ago.
The Culling had begun.
“Kaven!” I shook him fiercely. “Kaven!”
He jolted awake and looked at me in a confused daze, which quickly turned into a fear-twisted rage. We heard pounding on a door a level below and the sound of a latch breaking. Our heads immediately spun in opposite directions.
Jumping out of bed, I threw on an overcoat and rushed out of the room.
Out in the hall, Alona’s door hung ajar. When I opened it further, I found the inside of the room cold and empty. Kaven’s voice barely registered in my mind as he yelled after me to wait for him. I ran instead.
With my mind racing, I sprinted across the landing.
My hand latched onto the banister, slick with a cold sweat, as I slid down.
I half-leapt, half-fell down the stairs, the slap of my bare feet echoing on each step.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairwell, I searched for Alona in the main rooms, but I couldn’t find her.
A hand gripped my wrist hard from behind, and I whipped around to meet the eyes of Grandmother Alma. They were full of tears.
Her words splintered as she spoke, “Don’t let them steal my grandchild.”
My gut clenched.
“I won’t. I promise.”
I was resolute in my word.
Kaven soon appeared, panting and looking disheveled, with the top laces of his tunic undone. I hurried out the door. He could catch up.
The outside world was pitch black. The only light came from frantic torches roaming the village like specks in the distance.
I heard the shrieking screams of women and children echoing alongside the guttural yells of men.
Families were dragged from their homes and separated.
Those who fought back were beaten bloody.
The Veiled Ones had come once again in the night, looking the same as they did ten years ago. They were shrouded in black, a plague come to claim us once more. My fists clenched as Veiled Ones—or Veilers—swarmed the town like flies.
I stood in the center of the cobblestone street and watched the scene unfold in disbelief. I begged my body to move, but it refused. My feet stayed rooted in place as my mind raced, each thought fighting for dominance.
A firm hand seized my shoulders with bruising force, and then my side was jerked into an unfamiliar chest—a Veiler. He smiled, his crooked teeth sharp and protruding. The smell of his breath made me gag.
“Caught you,” he snickered.
Instinctively, I slammed my elbow back into his face. He let go of my shoulders to cover his bloody lips and curse me. His words dripped with menace.
“I’m going to gut you!”
He spat blood from his mouth onto the Ground and unsheathed a knife from his side.
I stared at the blade and froze. I wasn’t a skilled fighter, and fights had one outcome when only one person was armed.
A second before he reached me, the Veiler suddenly fell forward with a grunt.
I met Kaven’s determined eyes as he stood in the Veiler’s place, frying pan in hand.
“We need to find Alona,” I choked, swallowing back the bile threatening to rise. Kaven only nodded. His steely demeanor almost fooled me, but his trembling hands betrayed just how terrified he was. We both were.
I thought of Willam, what had happened to our family, and that was all it took for my bitterness and hatred of Veilers to consume me. The adrenaline resurfaced, fiercer and more profound.
I plucked the knife from the motionless Veiler’s hand. Staring at his still body, I hoped he stayed down. Veilers were stronger and more ruthless than the average mercenary. The fewer we had to face, the better. I signaled for Kaven to go one direction, and I went the other.
I darted, scouring every dark corner and listening to every heart-wrenching cry.
As the minutes went by, I grew more and more desperate.
When I finally spotted her, my feet stumbled.
Alona was fighting against a Veiler’s hold as he lugged her down the road.
She kicked and screamed, but it was to no avail.
I used every bit of stealth learned from my years of hunting to follow and remain undetected. I watched with quiet pride as Alona bit the Veiler’s arm—hard. He grunted and wrestled to regain control of her.
It was exactly the distraction I needed. I crept up behind the Veiler, focusing on silencing my heavy breathing—and I struck.
I placed the tip of the knife against his neck. Hard enough for him to feel the pressure of my threat, but not enough to draw blood. My lungs stuttered and my pulse rioted, but I held the knife firm.
“You’re quiet, aren’t you?” he grumbled.
I was about to command him to let Alona go, but then he moved. With lightning-quick speed, he grabbed the sharp blade with his free hand and pried it away. Blood streamed down his arm, but he didn’t flinch. He endured the pain as if it were nothing.
Even after prying it from his neck, his fingers remained clamped around the blade. I dropped my hold on the knife and staggered back. The Veiler scoffed and let it fall. The clatter of steel hitting cobblestone made me wince.
Slowly, he turned toward me.
“The moment you see blood, you cower. I’m not surprised.”
He sounded almost disappointed.
“I’m not afraid of you.” My words were far too soft to be believable.
“But aren’t you? Aren’t you afraid of the power I currently wield over your friend’s life?” He squeezed Alona’s throat harder, and I saw her eyes widen and her mouth fall open.
“No! Please don’t hurt her! She’s just a child!”
The Veiler loosened the headlock, and I heard Alona wheeze as oxygen made its way back into her lungs. But he didn’t look at her—he kept his gaze locked on me.
“Mavis!” someone bellowed in the distance.
Out of the corner of my eye, I registered the figure sprinting toward us at full speed.
It was Kaven. His presence drew the attention of the Veiler, and I muttered a curse.
I wanted to yell at him in protest, to tell him not to put himself in danger.
But I knew he would never listen. He was far too stubborn.
Willam’s face flared in my mind for a second—and I knew I couldn’t let that happen again. Kaven had already lost too much. I wouldn’t allow him to lose more—not when I could prevent it.
Perhaps I was a reckless fool, but I didn’t care.
“Take me instead!” I shouted.
The Veiler’s eyes flicked from Kaven to mine, and surprise flashed there.
The Veiler loosened his grip just enough, allowing Alona to squirm free.
Once she was out of his arms, I pulled her into mine.
She was frantic and sobbing, and when Kaven arrived moments later, she dashed over to him.
He wordlessly enveloped his sister in an emotional embrace that made my throat burn.
I had kept my promise. Alona was safe, and Kaven would not lose a sibling.
Strong arms surrounded me, but the scent of spearmint never came.
“MAVIS! NO!” Kaven bellowed.
I pushed at the Veiler’s chest, attempting to pivot and break free. But he was too powerful.
There was no escaping this time.