Page 125 of Ashes and Lilies
“Of course they will,” he said. “The spell’s reach is directlyrelated to the strength of the sacrifice. Why else would Daniel risk everything? Their power and influence will be so strong that I doubt even Miles will remember us.”
“It won’t work.” My voice was barely a whisper.
“What won’t work?” he remarked.
“The spell,” I answered. “They need a virgin. That’s—that’s not me.”
Finn didn’t respond, and I was afraid to look at him. We might have been best friends once, but we never talked about this sort of thing.
Finally, as the silence drew longer, I looked up. Finn had grown still, and the hair on my arms rose at the dark expression on his face.
“What—” I started. Why was he angry?
“Their tracking curse can only target qualified people,” he interrupted me. “Are you telling me that you’re planning to die for no reasonbecause you’ve misinterpreted the meaning of a word?”
Then their curse was wrong. And why did he have to be so insulting?
“It wouldn’t be for no reason,” I informed him. “My surrender would be toward their abject failure and the undeniable ruin of their family line.”
He threw his head back, looking to the ceiling. “Oh my God, now we have no choice but to go with your other stupid plan.”
So he did understand?
Before I could clarify, the door slammed open with a resounding bang. Finn’s expression turned somber, and my stomach lurched as Daniel Cole entered the room.
There was no time to speak before the doorway was shadowed by two other men, who promptly descended upon us and covered our heads with brown bags. And even though I’d promised to bebrave, I screamed as the rope holding me to the chair was removed, and I was tossed over a hard shoulder.
The jostling movements deepened the stabbing ache in my shoulder. The blood rushed to my head as the wind was knocked from me. My screaming thoughts deafened me as one step led into another.
24
It didn’t seemlike long before I was tossed not-so-gently onto a hard, flat surface. I’d landed on my elbow, and I curled inward, crying out, as the movement caused my shoulder to spasm. Hands pulled at me, grasping at my arms as the bag was removed from my head, briefly catching on the hairpin.
As my vision cleared, shadows began to take shape. Candles scattered throughout the sterile-looking space lit the room. Finn was grumbling something to my left, and he spat at the witch who’d manhandled him to his knees.
I scanned the rest of the room. I was on a knotted, wooden table. To my right was a slab countertop, and across the room, near the head of the table, was an open-faced fireplace. A large iron cauldron hung above the fire. It was bubbling over with a red boiling liquid, and my skin crawled.
I had no time to guess what the contents might be before four men in tan robes, carrying belts, moved beside me.
“What...” I began, and Finn made a sound of alarm, but they were quick. Before I could even sit up, my legs were strappeddown to the table. A cold sweat broke out of my forehead at the feel of their fingers, and my helplessness grew as they spoke.
Why were they tying me down?
Their faces were shadowed, and I had no idea what they were saying. I craned my neck and looked above the head of the table at Daniel—the only one who hadn’t pulled up his hood.
“We—” I began, swallowing my panic as I touched my bound wrists to my chin. “We had a deal! I wasn’t going to fight.” How could he be so untrustworthy?
Although, to be fair, he was a cannibal, so his word probably didn’t count for much.
“It’s insurance,” Daniel responded before pulling his hood over his head. His words were muffled, and my stomach sank.
Finn said something as another belt was wrapped around my shoulders, and I was further tied to the table, but I couldn’t make it out.
I’d been resolved, but now I couldn’t pretend anymore. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to get hurt. I was a giant baby, and this was a scenario out of my worst nightmare. And now, without being able to read their lips, I couldn’t communicate.
I… I couldn’t even move.
“No!” I was able to force the word through my numb lips as a line of sweat dripped from my brow. My body refused to respond to my commands, but I had to try.
