Page 137 of Saints & Sinners

Brandon swore under his breath. “It’s Norah.”

I whipped around and saw him looking down at Norah, her face pale as she stared at the ceiling with empty eyes.

Oh god...

Where was everyone else? Were the other younger Ascendants safe? Was Joe—

My heart dropped as my gaze locked on Nadael among the deceased.

She was at the center of the hall, her hand still gripping a staff, its light flickering weakly as though refusing to fade entirely.

I shook my head. “No...” The words slipped from my lips, but they were barely a whisper.

I stumbled forward, my legs trembling as I knelt beside her. Her usually stern face was soft now, her features peaceful in a way that made the reality of her like this even harder to grasp.

Marnie clutched Brandon’s arm for support while Silas knelt beside bodies, his usual sarcasm replaced by a grimace as he inspected the wounds and searched for the one person he hoped wouldn’t be here among the deceased.

Hunter came beside me, his knuckles turning white as they clenched at his side. “Looks like it was demons,” he said, and my blood turned to ash. “The barriers were weakening for a long time. They must have got in that way.”

I couldn’t even muster a response. This... this all happened while we were inside the glade. The whole academy was attacked, and we weren’t even here.

“Joe,” my voice cracked. “I need to find Joe.” I got up on unsteady legs, but Hunter caught me upright. “I need to—”

Hunter’s grip on my arm tightened, and I looked up at him, expecting the same determination I always saw in his eyes.Instead, I saw something dark and conflicting, like he was fighting some invisible battle I couldn’t see.

“Grace—” he started, but the words seemed to fail him.

“What?” I snapped, frustration and worry clawing its way through my chest. “What is it?”

He went to answer, but the words that came weren’t from him.

“You don’t need to go looking for him, Grace. He already took the pleasure upon himself to evacuate as many Ascendants out of here.”

I turned as Eden stepped into view. Her usual air of poise and smile were intact, but there was something different this time. It was colder, more ruthless.

Her gaze swept over us, looking almost amused. “Sorry, I missed the finale of the competition. Who won?”

My stomach twisted. “What—”

She chuckled, but it no longer sounded like the soft tone I was accustomed to. “Right, my bad. You must all be so confused right now! Let me just set it all straight for you.” She stepped closer, her heels clicking against the bloodied ground. “This attack, the demons breaching the walls, the deaths? It wasmyplan.’

This couldn’t be happening right now. “You... did this?”

Eden tilted her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her red-painted lips. “Well, not entirely. Let’s just say I gave the demons the opportunity they needed.”

“Why?” Brandon asked, glaring at her.

Eden’s eyes flicked to him, her smile faltering. “Why? Because the Celestials are hypocrites. They preach virtue and justice, but all they do is destroy anything that doesn’t fit their perfect little narrative.” She jerked her head up, raising her voice. “But Joe knows that better than anyone, don’t you, Joe?”

I frowned as Joe suddenly walked into the hall; his face grim as blood coated his shirt.

Despite it all, I was relieved to see him.

“Eden,” he said, his tone filled with an exhaustion I’d never heard from him before. “What have you done?”

Eden’s smile vanished, replaced by a sneer as she spun to face him. “What haveIdone? No, Joe. What didyoudo? You abandoned everything we believed in. You left me, leftus, all to side with them!”

My mind was racing in all directions. All my thoughts weren’t processing, and I could only keep wondering,why, why, why?

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