Page 101 of The Shadow Sanctum

“You know, it’s fitting that I hate your girl when you’re a prick to mine.”

“Liberty is a pain in the ass, and you know it.”

“Luna is a mass murderer.”

“Liberty is…” I try to think of something to finish the thought, but he’s got me. It’s hard to top that.

I wonder what kind of jokes he’d make if he knew how many times she assaulted me.

I shake my head and let a crooked smile creep onto my lips. “Okay, you win.”

“I know.” Angel’s grin lingers even as his eyes stay sharply on the stage.

I glance at him, and something winds behind my sternum. Maybe it’s the horn still echoing in my skull. Maybe it’s the crowd pressing too close. Or maybe it’s just knowing we won’t get many more moments like this.

“I love you too,” I say, plain as anything.

His head tips just enough for me to catch the flicker of emotion, so deep you know there are mountains of pain behind it. He clears his throat and lets his lips settle into a smirk. “I know.”

Before I can say anything else, movement ripples through the crowd. The bodies part, and a hush sweeps like a cold wind.

Aurelius mounts the platform with Raven at his side. I look toward the direction they came to find Luna trailing far behind.

Aurelius looks… good. Too good. His stride is steady, his color is back, his face is painted with a smug calm.

I wish I could say I’m surprised to see him healthy, but… No.

Turning my head, I watch Luna until she disappears into the crowd.

The square falls utterly silent. The dread in the air somehow intensifies, and I feel the shift like static crawling down my arms. Whatever’s about to happen, it won’t end with relief.

Aurelius spreads his hands like the false prophet he is.

“Brothers. Sisters. Children of the Shadow Sanctum.” His voice carries clear as a bell, full of practiced gravity. “Thank you for hearing me today. I wish it were under better circumstances.”

Murmurs ripple through the crowd. Again, I search for Luna, but I’ve lost her.

“Some of you have felt sickness in your homes. Some have lost faith. You’ve whispered questions, doubted my leadership. I hear you.” He presses a hand to his chest with mock sincerity. “And I grieve with you.”

I bet you fucking do.

“But grief is not without cause.” His voice sharpens. “The wells have been tested, and I’m afraid my daughter Raven has found the source of illness to come from nefarious intentions. Intentions meant to weaken your faith and undermine my leadership.”

“Father!” a girl screams as she sprints toward the stage. Her voice is strangled with worry or grief or both, which twists the stomach of a hundred people all at once.

People step back to make room for Echo, one of Luna’s sisters, to run to the stage. She doesn’t climb it, instead she grinds to a halt and points the way she came. In the direction of the Hearth.

“It’s Annabelle,” she cries out loud enough for all to hear. “She’s dead.”

A collective gasp erupts. Hands fly to chests, people turn to meet the horror-stricken faces of their loved ones. Beside me, Angel stiffens. We’re thinking the same thing.

Please don’t let her be a child.

“This was found in her soup.” Echo holds something out that a Keeper brings to Aurelius. I squint to see, but I don’t know what it is until he holds it up like a smoking gun.

It’s a … capsule. A pill capsule.

“What is that?" Angel asks me, voice secretively hushed despite everyone else asking the same question.