Page 206 of Tears for a Broken Sky
Thorne’s hand locked around my arm like iron.
Don’t. Not yet.
The word wasn’t spoken—but I felt it. In the grip. In the flicker of power between us. A warning. A plea.
Blood from the woman above dripped steadily down onto the slab, filling its carved grooves and spirals with sickening precision. It followed the path like it had been made for this. At the base, it pooled into a silver bowl—filling it like wine.
Beyond the circle of monks, I saw the cages.
Shadowed figures—men, women, children—pressed to the bars. Hollow-eyed. Silent. Resigned. Like they’d seen this before. Too many times.
One of the monks stepped forward, dipped his fingers in the bowl, and smeared the blood over his face, turning the blue of his sigil a sickly crimson. Another followed. Then another. Preparing.
My stomach twisted. I bent over and vomited hard onto the stone floor. Acid scorched my throat.
Behind me, Thorne’s hand moved. Just once. He rubbed my back—subtle. Quiet. Human.
“Please, Thorne,” I whispered. “If you’re in there—if any of you is left—please. Help me. Help Maddie. I can’t… I can’t do this—”
Vael stood at the altar now, brandishing a long, slender blade.
His zealots moved toward me.
Rough hands yanked me away. They tore at my clothes—ripping, dragging, indifferent to the way I shook. They pulled a thin ceremonial robe over my naked, shivering body. The fabric clung like shame.
I didn’t fight.
On the ground, Maddie whimpered. I caught the twitch of her fingers. She was still fighting.
Vael smiled at me, serene. “It’s time, Elira.”
“Time for what?” I spat, twisting against the monks’ grip.
He raised the blade.
“For our wedding night.”
**
Leo
We crashed through the first floor, splinters flying—desperate, furious, out of time. Outside, Bomber struck the tower again—another explosion of light and sound. The stone beneath us groaned, a low, ancient cry that echoed through the bones of the keep.
Cracks were spreading across the walls. Deep ones. Our window was closing—fast.
Then the enemy hit us.
A wave of Crown troops surged in, swords and daggers flashing with reckless fury. Snarls filled the air as a few wolves dropped into their shifted forms—thick muscle, snapping teeth cutting through the smoke.
One of them locked eyes with me—dark, feral, hungry.
And just like that, I felt the lion rise.
I shifted instantly, tackling the beast as it lunged for me. My claws ripped through flesh, pulling out chunks with each swipe.
Lacey, Caelen and Rigg fought at my side—Rigg opening sinkholes with a swipe of his hand, swallowing soldiers whole. Caelen’s blade flashed in the haze, cutting down anything that moved. Lia, Phoenix, and Toma pushed ahead, searching for the entrance to the dungeons.
“Keep them back—we’ll find the door!” Phoenix shouted.
