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They grab Fin first, hauling him by the ankles and shoulders until they’re out of sight. The lopsided door thumps against its frame, slapping against the side of the house as the howling wind flings it around.
My father turns to look over his shoulder, then kneels down, his voice hardly a whisper. “Don’t worry, son. Look to your gut for answers. It won’t lead you astray.”
Right. Because his gut has so obviously led him in the right direction.
He opens his mouth, as if to say something else, but before he can finish, the men return.
They haul me away and stuff me into a cart next to my brother.
Footsteps fade as they approach the house.
There’s the rumble of my father’s voice, sounding confused that they’ve returned.
Then there’s a scream, and the squirting of blood.
And the sound of something wet and pliable dropping against the floor.
The sound of my father’s heart, still beating as it was wrenched from his body, taps against my ears the entire journey.
CHAPTER 54
ASHA
By the time Blaise’s venom wears off, we’re miles away from Rivre.
From the bloodbath that surely ensued as my friends tried to rescue me.
The wagon bumps across the uneven terrain, and shooting pain darts up my back, but at least Az allows me to sit upright.
I suppose he has more room now that Nox’s body is gone, though Nox’s sister’s body remains with us.
It makes my chest tight, thinking about her. As helpless as I am to suffer Az’s whims, at least I’m awake to know what’s being done to me.
Az watches me from across the dark wagon, though I can’t help but feel he looks distracted, an opaque sheen covering his sage-green eyes like a chrysalis over a moth.
I knew even in my stupor that consuming the mere’s blood had changed him.
There’s a subtle glow to him now, as if moonlight itself inhabits his body, though it’s faded somewhat in the hours we’ve been in transit. I’m not sure if that’s because the effects of the mere blood are working their way through his system, or because we’re traveling further from the Rip.
The Rip.
The Rip where my friends’ bodies have surely joined Gwenyth’s by now.
I try my utmost to slice through the fog that Blaise’s venom wrapped around my mind during the ambush. As if remembering just who it was who tried to save me would allow me to honor them better in their death.
I still can’t place the voice, hard as I try.
Fates, I just hope Amity wasn’t nearby.
Amity.
My hands are still bound, my mouth still gagged, but as I wriggle around, as if to adjust myself, I can feel the bulge of a belt against my belly. Amity’s survival kit.
It’s a good thing Blaise never let Az search my person. Though it’s about the only thing I can thank the traitor for.
Not that I’m convinced Amity’s survival pack will actually help given my situation, but it’s a comfort to me, nonetheless.
“I can’t untie you, but I can at least offer you this,” Az says, misunderstanding the reason for my fidgeting. He leans across the wagon, brushing his fingers through my hair and untying my gag. I wince at his touch. My scalp is still sore from where I was dragged across the ground by my hair by a mere.
