“I was hungry,” I said with a practiced shrug, feigning innocence.
Suspicion flickered across his face, and I knew he didn’t believe me. His gaze slid towards the small brass bell on the counter, meant for summoning the guards.
“I’ll send food to your chambers, Princess,” he began, turning away from me to grab the bell. “The guards will help?—”
His words cut off in a wet gurgle.
Crimson sprayed across the counter and painted my hand with sudden warmth.
My fingers slipped from the knife’s handle, a knife I didn’t remember grabbing, as his body hit the floor with a dull, final thud, the sack of flour spilling open next to him. The darkness inside me stirred, a quiet, eager pulse, as if savouring the kill.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to the dead man, kneeling nextto him as his blood began to pool on the ground. “It’s just trying to protect me. It couldn’t let you call the guards.”
My fingers slid across his eyelids, closing them for the final time. “It was you or me,” I explained to his unhearing ears, trying to justify my guilt. But it wasn’tmewho picked up that knife. No one should find the body until morning because of the ritual, and by then, I’d be dead or free. It wasn’t the first time the darkness had taken over and someone had gotten hurt. Between bloodlettings, it was growing stronger, and I feared I would lose myself to it.Perhaps sacrificing myself in the name of the Gods would be a mercy.
Three
Ascension
Iopened the door and stepped into the night, leaving the metallic scent of blood behind.
Snow lashed against my face like needles of cold biting into my skin. It had been so long since I had felt fresh air that despite its harshness, I welcomed it.
Stonebriar Castle loomed behind me, silent and watching. Or perhaps that feeling was the weight of the life I had just taken. Either way, I was glad to run away from it.
My teeth chatted as the damp snow soaked into my slippers with every hurried step, the salty smell of brine creeping closer with every inhale.
I stuck close to the walls of the courtyard, moving fast and keeping low. It seemed most of the guards were at the Ascension, but I didn’t want to take any chances. After making it this far, there was no chance in the Seven Hells I was going back now.
The wrought-iron gates of the courtyard squeaked against the night, making me cringe at their noise. I veered into the woods, seeking the cover of the trees. The main path would be quicker, but it wound through the villageoutskirts, and I couldn’t risk wandering eyes. Not yet. I tore through the canopy of dead trees, stumbling over splintered branches with my palms outstretched to feel the way. The dark was so complete, I could scarcely make out the shape of my own fingers, and the trees punished me with every blind step.
The sound of drumbeats growing closer were the only thing that proved I was running in the right direction.
I glimpsed the ritual fire flickering between the trees, and I picked up my pace. Each rapid inhale of cold air burned my lungs as my feet pushed through the fresh snow.
I paused at the edge of the clearing, staying out of sight while I braced my hand against the rough bark of a tree, taking deep steady breaths to calm my racing heart. I was not used to running. There wasn’t room to do that on a pedestal of broken expectations.
People twirled and stumbled around the fire in a frenzy to the uneven pounding of drums while flames danced against the starless night. I watched them for a moment, mesmerised by their freedom, and a pang of envy shot through my stomach while my breathing steadied.
You will never be happy.The voice floated to me on the breeze.Maybe it was right. But perhaps the afterlife would be kinder.
My father stood at the foot of his dais closer to the tree line, speaking to viscount Barden with Aldric at his side. The sacred fire sat between them and the cliff face.
I set my shoulders and stepped into the clearing, heading for the opposite side of the fire, closer to the dead sea, and further away from the men who would drag me back to my gilded cage. My fists clenched against the folds of my cloak, trying to clean my hands of the servant’s bloodwhile I weaved between people. Hopefully they were all too drunk to notice.
The scent of smoke and wine lingered in the air, mixing with the sharp tanginess of sea salt and primal beating of the drums. That, combined with the anticipation of the sacrifices felt intoxicating enough.
I kept my eyes trained on the ground, trying to ignore the rise and fall of drunken laughter, the clink of goblets and the gazes that felt too close. I welcomed the warmth of the bonfire latching onto my skin through the oppressive cold, bodies dancing around me to the wild beat of the music. I longed to join in. But my fear of being discovered kept my body from moving to the heady rhythm. I pushed through the crowd of commoners and nobles towards the cliff’s edge, where the music faded and the air grew heavy. No one danced there. No one laughed. Fear twisted some faces. Others were frighteningly still, as if they had already died. Some were praying to Gods who didn’t listen.Sacrifices.I stared at the churned snow beneath my slippers and took my place among them.
“Sacrifices!” A loud voice boomed from one of my father’s guards clad in grey winter armour. “Line up against the cliff!” Cheers from the crowd broke out from around me, spiced liquor spilling onto the snow as they raised their glasses and stomped their feet.
I swallowed my fear, joining the line of people that had begun to form against the edge of the cliff. There were at least two hundred of us. Dark, angry waves smashed against the sheer jagged rockface, each one a violent promise of a brutal death. I hadn’t realised how high we truly were until now. From here, we would be able to see the other Sacrifices make their leap into the waiting mouth of the sea.
The sea’s roar, tangled with the crowd’s feveredmurmuring, grated against my uneasy nerves. The person in front of me moved, and I shuffled forward, keeping my eyes trained on the angry waves. My foot slipped, the ground vanishing beneath me in an instant.
A jolt of terror shot through my chest.
My arms flailed for a moment before I crashed onto my back. The wind whooshed out of my lungs and my hood fell from my head. I sat quickly and tore the hood back over my hair, tucking my braid firmly back in place. The frozen slush seeped through my cloak and the thin material of my slip, dragging a violent shiver from my body.Gods, did someone see me?
