Page 105 of Devour
“I don’t know what you?—”
His movement is so fast I only have time to gasp before my bag is out of my hand. I twist and stumble against the wall with his body towering over me. “Do you think the priestess won’t know? Your mind will tell them everything they want to know if you let it.”
I want to run and scream and hide and cry for all the fear and pain I’ve suffered. Yet, somehow, I am still standing. I close my eyes and hold back the sobs welling in my chest. Is that it, then?Am I doomed? It’s only a matter of time before I’m punished for my crime of hoping for more than captivity.
While I have breath, I have hope.
No, I will not believe there is no chance.“How do I hide it?” I grit out.
I don’t know what to make of my Dread, but so far, he has proven to be willing to protect me. I know that will change the moment my rebellion puts him at risk, but he is also the only soul I could possibly ask for help.
Perhaps asking him is as desperate as entering the poisonous sands of the Morteres. And here I am, asking him.
Begging.
“Please,” I whimper. “Tell me how to make it through this ritual without being found out.”
“Tell me what the roll is for,” he demands.
“The girl in the dungeon,” I rush the words, as quiet as a mouse.
He curses and spins away from me. “You are more foolish than I expected.”
“Will they know?”
He runs his hand over his hood. “Maybe.”
Why do you care?I want to ask. But I don’t. I don’t want to know the answer. Maybe the answer is he’s already in too deep. If they find me out, they’ll discover that he helped me. Maybe that choice doomed him too.
Why did he help me, then?
Again, I don’t want to know. I breathe deeply and let it out slowly.
He rummages through my bag with violence that steals my breath. Then he holds up the roll in front of my face. “I am going to take this to the girl. You are never going to set foot there again. Do you understand?”
“You’re—”
“Yes. I will deliver your gift. But it will be the last one. If you even consider the idea of going back, if it crosses your mind tonight, they will know. After tonight, you will not have another reading for a month. Your mind can wander then. Until then, you mustknowyou will have no opportunities to escape or aid criminals. Do you understand.”
I nod quickly, but I don’t fully understand.
He’s telling me to convince my own mind of this truth to get past the seers’ knowledge. Does that mean they can read my mind? How much do I need to control?
He grabs my upper arm and yanks me down the hall with him. His heavy steps now tell me he is pissed. Will this carry over to his treatment of me later?
Will he cast me off the moment the reading is finished?
Despite my uncertainty, I decide my only real course of action is to confront the most pressing enemy now. I have to make it through the reading tonight, then I’ll deal with the Dread.
He stops before we enter the final hall. Rhythmic stomping is faint. Distant. But soon, we’ll be passing hundreds of warriors. “Are you ready?” he asks.
I take a few deep breaths, measuring my own mind and heart.
“You’re strong, Lina.”
I blink. Something about his voice when he says my name…
“I am scared,” I admit. I am always afraid. Always a little flower wilting before giants.
