Chapters (42)
- TITLE PAGE
- COPYRIGHT PAGE
- DEDICATION PAGE
- CONTENTS
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The floor shook with another tremor from below, throwing Sil and me both off balance. If Malachi and Henry kept this up, the place was going to collapse. Sil took advantage of the moment to wrap one of the ends of the rope around my wrist, catching it in the noose-like loop and tethering me to the table.
“One down, three to go,” he whispered, and then cackled like he’d made a hilarious joke.
I clawed at the rope around my wrist, but had to give it up as he charged again. I ducked to the side and then used the rope to clothesline him as he spun around, knocking him back onto the table. Then I crouched and flung myself over him, flattening him back onto the table as I straddled him, pinning his skinny shoulders with my knees. All rage and fear, I jerked my hand down and around, drawing the rope tight around his neck. With my free hand, I held his forehead to the table, and with my other, I pulled.
And pulled.
And pulled.
Until spots flashed in my vision. Until they coalesced and became my mother’s eyes, staring at me from beyond, condemning me, loving me, forgiving me, I had no idea.
Fierce animalistic howls from below yanked me out of my trance. I looked down at Sil. His eyes, bright red with burst blood vessels, were half-closed. His face was frozen in an eerie smile. I leaned forward and put my fingers on his sweaty throat. Nothing.
I rolled away from him, untied my wrist, and climbed off the table, wiping my hands on my pants. I’d done it. It had been easier than I’d thought. Now I needed to figure out what the hell was happening below. I checked my phone and read the text that had come first. From Malachi.
Freeing prisoners now will be up soon
But that text had come in several minutes ago, and none of my Guards had come up. With my pulse pounding in my temples, I jogged over to the window and climbed carefully onto the collapsed deck to retrieve Sil’s discarded knife. Even though I’d killed Sil, I still couldn’t shake the bad feeling I’d had when I came in here. With the knife in my hand, I reentered the club and crept across the dance floor, which was unstable and soft beneath my boots, rotten nearly all the way through. As I neared the caved-in area, I heard a sound that made my stomach knot with fear: chanting.
The Mazikin weren’t supposed to be chanting. They were supposed to be running for their lives.