Killroy’s “wealthy collector” friends? The Wielders of the Righteous Flame, monsters whose life’s purpose—for generations—has been to steal magic and murder the women who possess it. Monsters my sleazeball ex apparently leads. Fuck, he must’ve known who I was from the start. Hetargetedme, just like they targeted my mother. Pretending to be my boyfriend, putting his filthy mouth on me, biding his time until he could figure out exactly how to best leverage us. Exactly how to sacrifice us.
And I led him straight to Graves Hollow. Straight to my sisters.
This entire night was a setup.
Brendan directs me to the empty chair, and I comply, if only to be closer to my sisters and buy myself ten seconds to think.I’m sorry,I mouth to them.I’ll fix this. Please trust me.
I don’t know if I have the power to make that promise. I don’t even know if they can see me through the swelling around their eyes, the tears. I only know that I mean it. Iwillfigure this out… if it’s the only time in my life I ever get anything right. This one fucking thing.
Therehasto be a way out of here. Blank spell book or not, I’m a Bonnivarde Witch, for fuck’s sake!
“On this momentous occasion,” Brendan drones on—the fucker always did like the spotlight—“we remember our courageous forefathers.”
“May they find eternal rest in the light of the Flame,” goes the whole group.
“May they find eternal rest in the light of the Flame,” goes Brendan.
Like, seriously, did these assholes all sign up for the Start A Cult In Your Basement starter pack? I sure hope they got a few bumper stickers out of the deal.
“Those brave souls set out to purge the unworthy,” he says. “And with their great sacrifice should have come great reward.”
“Preach, brother,” someone calls out.
“Instead, they were deceived. Deceived by the very filth they fought so righteously to purge from this earth.”
“Witches,” someone hisses from the front row, and again, here come the taunts.
Honestly, you’d think after hundreds of years, these dildos could’ve come up with a better script.
“It’s time for us to reclaim what’s rightfully ours,” Brendan says. “But we will not be so easily led into the witches’ snaretonight. Tonight, we are guided and protected by a higher power. One who will not let us falter.”
The lights dim. The crowd parts again. Heads bow in reverence. And down the aisle marches…
Nathan Killroy.
Guess they ran out of those fancy blue robes, though, because my man is stark naked. Bits and bobs a-bobbing.
Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth.
“Nathan Killroy,” says Brendan with renewed gusto, “our esteemed colleague and friend, honors us all, sacrificing himself in service to our noble cause so that a greater power might work through him and see our will be done.”
People reach out to touch him as he passes, swaying and bowing and murmuring platitudes.
Hail, Ozikai, Bringer of Madness! He Who Devours the Light!
I chance a look at my sisters, wearing bruised, saucer-eyed stares, and this time I have no trouble translating the look.
What in the Dungeons and Dragons Cocaine Bender Edition fresh Hell is happening?
Killroy leaps onto the platform, far more gracefully than I would’ve thought possible for a naked man. He turns to face the crowd. His ass crack is my entire worldview.
“Hail, Ozikai,” says Brendon.
The room falls silent.
And before my eyes, Killroy’s flesh parts and falls away like a cheap suit, pooling at his feet to reveal a hairless, bone-white creature with long, sinewy limbs covered in black spiders. Thousands of them, skittering over his skin en masse, feeding from him, nesting in his rotting flesh. He turns toward us. My sisters scream behind their gags, but I’m too horrified to make a sound.
His mouth is little more than a bloodied hole, cracked and oozing at the edges. Beneath the clot of spiders, glowing red eyes blaze.
