Chapter 33
Rory
Cedric’s laughter echoes in my skull as they drag us into the night. The moonlight casts a cold spotlight on two crosses, side by side, surrounded by a ring of fire. A crowd gathers—called from their homes to watch blood spill under moonlight.
Some of them smile. A few even laugh.
I grit my teeth. Pathetic assholes.
“Pathetic assholes,” I mutter, just loud enough for Ryven to hear.
He just stares blankly ahead as we are shoved toward our death. This is it. Tonight, I’m leaving this godforsaken district—for good.
Not the way I wanted. But any exit’s a valid one.
The flames are low, crackling quietly as they move us into the circle—into waiting arms. One of the members lifts me and carries me over to the cross they plan to stick me on. Ryven lashes out at the men hauling him forward. I hear a grunt—then a scream—as he connects.
Then, there is silence again. Ryven’s body hangs from the other men’s arms as they drag his unconscious body over to where his cross lies. The hit got him, knocking him out cold to keep him from fighting.
I stay still. Let them think I’ve given up. No fight left.
But they don’t know me.
I’m not done. Not by a long shot.
Deep down, I don’t want to die.
If I die here, they win.
The cult goes on. The blood keeps flowing. The system survives.
Not if I have a say in it.
Time stretches as they bind our wrists to the beams.
My fingers tingle, and my shoulders scream, but I keep still.
The crowd's soft murmurs begin to echo throughout the field. The cult members don’t speak. Don’t blink. Instead, they move like they’ve done this before. Too many times, and soon, we’re upright and on display for everyone to see.
As they hang Ryven’s body, he comes to and jolts awake. His gasp is so audible many of the crowd members look his way. His eyes are wide and frantic as he assesses our situation.
“Hey,” I whisper.
He slowly turns his head in my direction, and his face seems calmer.
“It’s going to be okay, Ryven,” I whisper. “No matter what happens next.”
But it isn’t soft enough, and one of the nearby members hears me and looks up. Then he swings the baton he is holding at my ribcage, and a shooting pain jolts through my body.
“Shut the fuck up!” he yells as he begins to walk away. I bite down the scream, blinking through the pain. Let him think he silenced me.
Ryven thrashes in his restraints, fury boiling from his throat. “Touch her again and I’ll gut you! I swear to—” He chokes on rage as I clench my fists tighter.
“Enough!” Cedric’s voice slices through the chaos. The crowd turns like puppets on strings.
I scan the crowd, looking for any familiar faces, And then—two faces in the crowd.
Milly. Jennifer.
Half-shadowed, but watching. Jennifer meets my gaze and nods with a flat smile.
She wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t a plan. She wouldn’t come to watch me die.
I have to believe the rebellion is in the trees, ready to attack. However, I can’t rely on that. If I want to survive, then I need to figure a way out of this on my own.
Ryven tugs at his binds over and over again to make them looser, but I don’t bother with the ropes. Not yet. I’ll need every ounce of strength for when it matters.
Cedric steps into the circle, arms wide, playing prophet and executioner. “Thank you for joining us this evening!”
The crowd all hums the same mumble.
“Tonight we have a special event for everyone. Tonight we’re all going to learn love does not overturn loyalty. Tonight, we claim vengeance for every brother and sister we’ve lost!”
The crowd roars like he’s feeding them fire. They lean forward ready for what’s to come.
Those they lost… “And what about the ones you’ve murdered?” I shout. “What about the mothers, the kids, the ones you deemed unworthy?”
The words crack the night wide open.
The vein in his neck pump as he tries to hold back his anger. “Their deaths were worthy sacrifices!” Cedric shouts. “They died for the cause!”
The crowd roars again—like they’re worshipping a God carved from blood and fire.
I can’t stomach it. “You act like a god,” I snap. “But you bleed like the rest of us.”
Something sails through the air. I jerk my head away just in time.
“Shut your whore mouth!” the man who threw the object yells.
I spit at him, and he moves out of the way.
“As I was saying,” Cedric growls, barely holding back a sneer.
“These two will serve as an example. A lesson for anyone foolish enough to believe love is stronger than loyalty.” He points at us.
“They conspired against us. Against our brothers and sisters. And now, they burn—for all to see. For the Gods to judge.”
The crowd gasps, but is it shock… or excitement? Hard to tell with these vultures.
Cult members begin to drift closer, moving behind the crosses, behind us where they disappear, moving out of sight. I can’t track them, can’t see what they’re doing. The sound of liquid sloshing behind me comes through the crowd chanting. That terrifies me more than Cedric’s rant ever could.
I look at Ryven, staring at the wood line directly ahead. He hasn’t said a single word about what’s going on or what Cedric says. It’s like he’s given up or like he’s waiting for something.
“Hey.” My voice is barely above a breath, but it reaches him. I can’t help the ache in my chest at the thought that this might be the last time I speak to him. That this time is the end.
He turns his gaze toward mine and gives me a small smile. “Just remember, Ro,” he murmurs. “No matter what happens next... I’ve always loved you.”
The words wrap around my chest and squeeze tight.
His words should bring me peace, but all they do is bring on more anxiety. What’s going to happen to us next? He’s planning something.
And I’m afraid it’ll get him killed or worse… start something we can’t stop.