Page 112 of Summer of Sacrifice

Winnie slammed a white-hot hand against Seleste’s stomach, making her double over. The healing magic flowed through her swiftly, just enough to rejuvenate her. “Go!” Winnie shouted, and Seleste took off at a sprint again.

Something was wrong.

Arielle dropped down from her tree. “It was Chresedia! Emile, he ran after her. She—she had blood, I could sense it.”

Seleste didn’t need to hear any more. There was only one reason that woman would come with blood without attempting to take the kingdom by force.

Seleste took off at a run again, Laurent catching up. “What is it?” he huffed as they ran the way Arielle pointed, around the castle toward the cliffside.

“A body. She needs a new body before the eclipse.”

“Fucking Hades,” Laurent cursed.

Just before they reached the cliffs, Laurent pulled Seleste to a stop. “What’s the plan here?”

“Oh, my gods…”

Laurent’s head whipped around to make sense of Seleste’s realisation. “No, no, no.” He looked every which way as if that could help. “What is he thinking?”

Emile had discarded his white and gold robes and was slinking through the trees toward Chresedia. Seleste started to dart forward, but Laurent pulled her back just as Emile broke from the treeline. His presence distracted Chresedia, and she whirled around, the wind off the sea whipping at her hair.

“Godsdammit,” Laurent spewed as they watched Emile walk slowly forward toward the young woman caught in Chresedia’s web of magic. Anne.

“Cloak! Now!” Laurent commanded as he rose, slinking forward until she could no longer see him.

Cloaking herself with her magic, Seleste tip-toed through the brush, her heart lodged in her throat. What were they going to do? If she could be silent, maybe she could sneak in front of Anne while she was invisible, and wait for an opportunity to grab her.

“What do you want, von Fuchs?” Chresedia spat, pulling Anne’s hair tighter until she winced and cried out.

“Give me the girl,” he demanded.

Chresedia only tipped her head back and cackled. “My, my have you changed. It’s too bad. You could have ruled Seagovia in my stead once I left here on the eclipse. You could have had everything. Instead, you helped them thwart me. Helped them keep me from having a throne in this realm. You and that deplorable queen of yours.”

“Just give me the girl, Chresedia.” Emile scooted forward almost imperceptibly as Anne whimpered. “The eclipse is in less than a fortnight. You don’t need another body. Once you leave here, you can have any body you want.”

Seleste dared a few steps forward, trying to catch sight of Laurent—a glimmer in his cloaking magic, anything.

There. Just behind Chresedia, a rock moved. Then another. He was sneaking up behind her.

Chresedia grinned, her teeth rotted, and inhaled deeply with her nose at Anne’s neck. “But I want this one.”

A stone clattered against rock somewhere off to Laurent’s right, and Chresedia’s attention flew in that direction. Emile shot forward, his magic searing into Chresedia’s hands, causing her to let go just long enough for him to pull Anne from her grasp.

Chresedia screeched like a banshee, her hands going up and magic shooting out of them.

Everyone moved at once.

Laurent slammed into Chresedia from behind, knocking her to the stones.

Emile shoved Anne behind him.

Seleste dove for Anne.

A scream of rage split the cliffside. Seleste fell, unable to reach Anne, and Laurent stumbled through nothing in the space where Chresedia had been. She was gone and the cliff was trembling, slipping.

“Run!” Laurent shouted, sliding through the rocks to haul Seleste up. “Get to the trees!”

Emile grabbed for Anne, the cliff cracking further. His magic threw her into the air, as Laurent’s shot forward and wrapped around her waist, hauling her to the safety of the treeline.

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