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No, do not take the lights.
It’s one thing being resigned to facing darkness day by day. It’s quite another to do it when you know there are monsters nearby.
The men take down the bones and slip them into satchels. When they close the flaps, everything except the space around my uncle and me is left in total blindness. I swear I hear a moan of relief from the creature to my left. I wish I could reach up and cover my necklace, now conspicuously bright.
“Praecéro” the Foremost says, and the shadows split to the edges of the clearing and stay there without him holding them back. We stand in a gentler, dusky darkness in which black forms can be made out.
“Kaligorven,” he gestures to either side, “we invite you to walk among us. Make your presence known, and we will honor you.”
A form emerges to my left, and I yank against the man who holds my arm. His grip does not slack. My pulse pounds in my ears; the heaviness of terror binds itself around my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to make the words to the song run through my mind. But it’s like my head is packed with moss.
Sharp cries force me to open them again, but I wish I hadn’t. On both sides of the platform, more beasts have gathered. From behind, very little detail can be seen other than their misty shadow cloaks and twisted horns barbing to the sky. But they are still terrifying.
Uncontrollable shivering overtakes me. I throw a panicked glance behind me, but there are no more monsters there.
Words, if you can call them that, form out of the beasts—but not just from one. All. The sound circles around, a guttural grinding, bouncing off the trees behind me and the walls of the city on the far end of the ceremonial grounds.
You have summoned us, and we have come ... But our patience will not last ... Present to us your offerings or bear our displeasure.
Restrained murmurs sound from the valefolk. I watch my uncle carefully, curious to see if this speech hits him with even a fraction of the force with which it has struck them. It might be my imagination, but I think I see a slight tremor in his hands before he laces them behind his back.
The smallest spark of courage flares in my mind, burning away the cobwebs. He takes several steps across the platform and spins on his heel.
If he is afraid, he conceals it well.
Trepidation tugs on my insides as he shoots a meaningful glance in my direction and waves me forward. I feel the cords around my wrists tighten and jolt briefly. My arms swing free. I rub them, then lurch as the man shoves me forward, snickering under his breath when I stumble.
“Let me first introduce someone to the Vale,” my uncle says as he steps to the side.
The kaligorva closest to me rumbles menacingly.
Myrzeth lets out a contrasting laugh in response. “I promise, you will be well-satisfied with what I’ve brought you.”
Crying out in wordless groans to Elyon for courage, I ascend the platform with shaky steps.
43. Belwyn
BELWYN
THIS IS AN ABSURD MOMENT to feel so light of heart.
Did I really stand up to my father?
A trembling laugh pushes past my lips as I pass my fingers through my hair.Yes, yes, I did.
But the pounding of the drums siphons away the rush of adrenaline. They are the footsteps of doom. Absolutely nothing in me wants to investigate, but I must.
I pass through the still-unfamiliar sector of Utsanek, avoiding mysterious puddles and heaps of rubbish. Small parcels are left on almost every doorstep. I bend to look at one of the piles closer. A country loaf, lanuum cakes, fresh sprouts, and even a cask of some fermented beverage—lavish gifts for such a destitute neighborhood. Other porches are even beautified with dried foliage. Offerings to appease the kaligorven.
Do they walk the streets of the city?I wonder. The image of a horrifying beast bending to sniff a bundle of flowers almost makes me laugh again. Either people have no common sense, or they are so desperate to please the Shrouded, they will try absolutely anything.
The drumming picks up again, this time sending a shiver down my spine and awakening a sense of urgency.
I run through the alleys now, cursing when I lose my sense of direction. The streets in this poorer sector do not all go through, and some of them subtly twist until you are going the exact opposite direction than you intended.
Mercifully, I step out into one of the major thoroughfares and recognize where I am. This passage is lit with sola bones, and if I follow it, it will lead me to the northwest side of the Reckoning Grounds.
My feet pound the cobbled streets like drumbeats.
