Page 171 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

How will she move on with her life after everything has come to light?

“You’ll tell me where the book is?” Avira asks.

My mouth stays shut and she chuckles.

“That’s what I thought. You aren’t willing to do anything after all,” she says. “Lucky for you I still remember a couple of the spells, and one just happens to be a spell I need to make you suffer.”

Remember a couple of the spells? Does she not have them memorized? That wouldn’t make sense. She is older than Kieran is, she has to have everything memorized.

“First you are going to lose your leg and then it’s going to spread throughout your whole body. But it won’t be quick.” Avira laughs. “Oh, how I’m going to have so much fun watching you slowly die. And when other people realize what is happening to you, they won’t be able to do anything.”

Before I can ask her questions, searing, blinding pain erupts on my thigh.

Shooting out of bed, I scream as my thigh is on fire. Mother bursts into the room, searching with her gaze before landing on my frame.

“What’s wrong?” Mother asks. “Tell me what’s wrong!”

I grip my thigh as tears and another wave of pain crashes through me.

Sweets! What’s wrong? Kieran’s voice cuts through all of the pain and rings through my head. Where are you? Talk to me, Sweets.

“My thigh,” I cry out.

Mother pulls up my dress and gasps. “Oh my.”

I bring myself to look down and see a bloody mess all over my thigh and dripping onto my bed. Black dots form in my vision as I continue to stare at it.

So much blood.

Everywhere.

Why is there so much blood?

Mother runs out of my room for several minutes before coming back in with needles, thread, cloths, and bandages in her hands.

“Bite down on this.” She hands me a cloth. “Bite down on it and lie back down. Don’t look while I sew your thigh up. Everything is going to be okay.”

Adeline, what’s going on? Why are you in so much pain? Kieran asks again.

Blood. Everywhere. Thigh, I manage to get out.

Tears roll down my face as I lie back down on the bed, biting the cloth so hard I’m afraid I’m going to break a tooth.

“Everything is going to be okay,” Mother repeats. “I’m going to get started.”

Adeline, what are you talking about? What happened to your thigh? His voice gets louder in my head. Tell me what’s going on. Is there anything I can do to help you?

Avira did it, I manage to get out before Mother slowly starts sewing up my thigh, sending blinding pain throughout my body.

Screaming, I bite into the cloth even harder, my hands gripping my bedsheet as I will myself not to beg her to stop.

“You’re doing alright.” Mother’s voice shakes. “We’re almost done.”

Lie.

She just started, and with how big the cut is, there is no way she’s almost done. Black dots scatter across my vision as she continues to work on my thigh.

“We’re almost done,” she says again. “Everything is going to be okay.”