Chapters (66)
- PREFACE
- Full Page Image
- ONE
- TWO
- One week ago
- THREE
- Present day
- 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
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
"What would you have done if I didn't agree to help you?" I ask hesitantly.
"I would have razed it to the ground." He shrugs. "So consider this charity work. You are saving lives." He smiles.
"You..." I trail off. For a moment, I'd forgotten this part of him. Perhaps it's because since arriving in Aperion, he's only shown me the gentle, rather playful side of him. But I shouldn't forget that's not who he is.
He's not nice...at least not to most people.
He is the God Killer, and his reputation isn't just false rumors. That is who he is—a killer.
"I will protect you, Luce. Nothing will happen to you. You have my vow."
I bite on the inside of my cheek.
He's never let me down until now, always coming to my rescue. If the past is any indication, then I don't see why the future would not follow the same pattern.
"Fine. I'll trust you."
FIFTY-TWO
The white dress is simple, flowing down to my ankles and hiding the nondescript shoes I'm wearing. When I woke up, I found a big square box by my bed that housed my outfit for the day. Ze left me a small note instructing me how to dress and do my hair, saying it's important to convey a prim and proper look—nothing flashy or ostentatious. Everyone would be wearing the same type of outfit to hide social status. In this test, the only thing that matters is spiritual ability, not a person's rank or family. Ze implied that because the process is so fair, even those rare s’Aperiotes who exhibit spiritual powers can participate in the selection—the only event of its kind that allows them to make something of themselves in spite of their humble beginnings. But there's a strong no-cheating policy, and that includes the zantrax drug. Although he has assured me that no one should be able to detect the pearl, I'm still a little apprehensive. The temple seems to take its rules very seriously, and I can appreciate that they want to give a fair chance to everyone.
After I'm finished dressing, I tie my hair in a tight bun at my nape and pull up the dark hood attached to the dress over my head. Done with the preparation, I take a deep breath, giving myself a quick pep talk before I leave my room.
Ze relayed that a carriage would await me at noon, and it would take me straight to the temple, where the recruitment process would begin.
I exit the house, and a simple gray carriage greets me at the entrance. The door swings open, inviting me inside.
There's a driver and a horse, but he doesn't exchange one word with me as he waits until I'm fully boarded to begin our journey.