Page 115 of The Silent
Kyra could hear Prija.At first thekareshta’svoice was a low murmur. But as the violence erupted around them, Prija’s voice became clearer and clearer. It was a hissing, angry tone that pressed at Kyra’s temples, but instead of running away, Kyra ran toward the pain, clutching Leo’s hand the whole time. As long as she maintained contact, she could sort through the voices. The heavy, violent hum of the Fallen. The panicked souls of theGrigori.
AndPrija.
“She’s this way,” Kyra said. “They moved her farther away from thetemple.”
A whooshing sound came overhead, like the beat of a giant bird’swings.
“What is that?”Leosaid.
The dark music grew stronger. Fell back. Pulsed and beat like…wings.
“Arindamcanfly.”
“Angels don’t actually have wings!” Leo said. “That’s humanmythology.”
“This one does.” Kyra ran toward the trees. “Don’t let himseeus.”
Leo was looking up instead of lookingforward.
“Leo!”
“Cover.” He snapped his attention back to her. “Got it. Whereisshe?”
“Thisway.”
Keeping to the edge of the forest, they ran past skirmishes of one against six or seven. Some of the young men were fighting, but not very well. Kyra’s heart broke to see their fresh round faces snuffed out over and over again. They were hardly more than babies. Her anger fueled her, and she keptrunning.
Prija felt her coming. Thekareshtabegan to jab at Kyra’s mind, sending sharp, painful spikes into it the closertheygot.
We came for you,Prija.
Nothing but angry scratching athermind.
Your brothers came for you. I came for you. Leo cameforyou.
More anger. This time it pierced her temple and Kyra nearly doubled overinpain.
“Damn her!” Leo shouted, still watching the sky. “Doesn’tsheknow—”
“She doesn’t know anything at this point,” Kyra said. “Nothing makes sense. Everything isdarkness.”
She stood up, swallowed the bile in the back of her throat, and kept running toward Prija. There was a building at the edge of the forest, the farthest building from the temple. Two guards stood in front of it, both carrying guns, both bent over, clutching their temples in pain. Without slowing her run, Kyra drew out her knives and spread her arms, jabbing both Grigori in the back of the neck as sheranpast.
Thank you,sister.
Kyra’s burst of violence fed something in Prija, and the mental jabssoftened.
Leo tried kicking in the door, but not even his massive strength couldmoveit.
“It opens out,” he said. “We need to findanotherway.”
“Keys?” Kyra bent down and felt through the dissolving bodies of the Grigori she’d stabbed, trying not to gag on the dust and gore. “I can’tfindany—”
“Window!” Leo wrapped an arm with the shirt of one of the dead Grigori and punched through a window. It was security glass and took several punches before it began toshatter.
He broke through the window just as Kyra smelled the first hint of smoke. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a dark form sweeping over the compound, fire dropping on the dry bushes andtrees.
“Kyra!” Leo was in the building, waving ather. “Come.”
