“It’s important to remember what we’ve been called to as the children of our Father God and his Son, Jesus Christ. The price we pay in turning away from the world and embracing holiness pales in comparison to the glorious inheritance that awaits us all. We must remember that we are all still vulnerable to punishment for any disobedience. It is crucial that with this act, we kill our doubt, return to the faith that protects us, and never waver again.”

Then, in a softer voice, “Bring him forward.”

My heart was racing. Him. Eli. Surely someone would stand up and stop this madness. Was everyone present? Were the children there?

“Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness for sins,” Rose cried. “Today we silence the heresy masquerading as the light that this boy has brought among us. Today we ensure our inheritance as the remnant of God’s holy church.”

Panic seized me. I grabbed the bars at the window and almost cried out, but I realized that no amount of begging on my part would dissuade them. Crying out would only worsen my own situation.

Emotion surged up my raw throat and burned in my chest. “Oh God, please, someone stop this!” I whispered.

Rose’s voice came again, softer but biting. “You have been shown to be an agent of the devil.” She was talking to Eli. I held my breath. “Do you deny this?”

A beat. Then his young voice came. “I always knew you would kill me. But a light will rise that will chase away all shadows.” He paused. “And really, there is no death anyway. It’s just a passing.”

“So says the Fury,” Rose bit off.

“Stop!” a tiny voice cried. Stephen! “Please stop.”

“You can’t do this, Mother,” a second voice said. Evelyn.

And then as if they’d broken the dam, more soft voices filled the air. Emboldened by Stephen and Evelyn, the children of Haven Valley were calling out for mercy.

A loud crack stopped them all. A gunshot. Followed by the sound of a body collapsing on the ground.

Silence.

They had killed Eli.

I turned from the window, numb. Collapsed on the bench, dumbstruck. Rose had just executed my brother.

The children started crying softly, but it was all too late. Eli had come and Eli was dead. I couldn’t think straight.

“Let the pain we are feeling be a reminder of the consequences of heresy,” Rose said. “Burn this body and bring Grace to the sanctuary in three hours.”

I slipped to the floor, laid my forehead on the packed dirt, and sobbed into the earth. Eli was dead, and with him, all the light he’d shown me. They would come for me next.

Nothing remained now.

A GENTLE NUDGE WOKE ME. MY CHEEK WAS PRESSED against the ground, my body shivering from the cold.

“I tried to warn you,” Bobbie said.