Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Okay, so maybe someone is falling for this.
Someone in the crowd sneezes again.
I snap my attention back to the throng. Who was that?
The entourage all sneezes repeatedly and obviously, trying to cover up for one person in particular. But…who? I stare at them all fiercely, trying to figure out which one is the real Anchor. Which one looks like they’re faking?
A young, freckled man turns his head, and as he does, I see a gleam of wetness under his nostril. His nose is running. His eyes look a bit watery, and as I watch, he sniffs.
Aha. He’s not faking.
Unless he’s actually sick. But why would Liar-Kalos make his own men sick? He wouldn’t. As I stare the man down, he sneezes again. The others follow suit, but it’s too late.
I know which one is the Anchor now. A sick joy spreads inside me even as I realize I’m going to have to kill him.
“Are you really going to infect all these people?” my Kalos asks, his voice pitched loud enough to carry over the crowd. “When we’re supposed to be meeting here in peace?”
I feel for my sword handle under my clothes. It’s belted at my waist, but I need room to draw it, and even more room to use it.
“You’re the one refusing to cooperate, aren’t you?” Liar-Kalos growls. “Didn’t we come here in peace?”
“Says the god spreading his plague even now. You think killing my Anchor will get you what you want? I thought Belara wanted to work together?”
“Can’t you tell I do?” the goddess cries, shooting an angry look at Liar-Kalos. “Isn’t it obvious we’re here for discussions? Nothing more?”
Someone sneezes again, followed by another chorus. Ahead of me, a big man sways, as if ill. Someone makes a retching sound. Ugh. I press the back of my hand to my brow, but I can’t tell if I have a fever or not. If the crowd is really being infected with plague, I have to act soon. I glance at the two Kaloses—still staring each other down—and Belara is turning to her people. She makes a subtle gesture with her hand, and my heart clenches in fear.
“That man!” I bellow out as loud as I can and point into the crowd. “He’s got a knife! He’s here to attack Belara! Quick! Someone protect the goddess!”
Screams break out. The crowd surges ahead and I see the goddess being swarmed by her attendants, rushing to protect her. I pull my sword free and move towards Kalos’s retinue. His Anchor, the one I’ve identified, hovers at the back of the retinue group, likely to throw me off from assuming he’s the real one. There’s a woman surrounded in the center of the similarly garbed attendants, but I keep my eye on Runny-Nose. He’s hanging back as the others move closer to Liar-Kalos. People jostle and push in the plaza, and someone starts screaming. It’s madness.
It’s perfect.
I move closer. Before I can think about what I’m about to do, I plunge my blade into the man’s back.
I…really expected there to be more resistance.
It’s like sinking a blade into a spongy roast. The man stiffens, making an audible gasp as blood floods down his clothing. I shove harder, pushing deep, and there’s a wet sound and feel to it that’s going to haunt my dreams.
He turns his head and stares at me, his upper lip wet with snot.
What have I done?
I can’t move. I’m frozen. I stare into the eyes of the person I’ve just murdered, my hands falling from the blade.
What if I’ve chosen wrong? What if this guy just has a runny nose? For a long, horrified moment, I think I’ve made a mistake. “Oh god, I’m so sorry.”
A rough hand grabs my arm. I stare up at Liar-Kalos as he gazes down at me, his fingers like pincers. There’s an unholy light in his eyes as they flick over me, and he laughs.
It’s the most jarring laugh I’ve ever heard. Again, it sounds like my Kalos, but off, strange. Unsettling.
The man I’ve stabbed falls to the ground and as the crowd rushes around us, Liar-Kalos looms in, his face inches from mine. His eyes are feral with unholy light. “He doesn’t love you, you know.”
I flinch, trying to jerk my arm out of his grip.
Liar-Kalos grins obscenely, flashing his teeth at me.
I’m trapped. Something went wrong—
As I twist in his grip, he fades out before my eyes, like a polaroid in reverse. I’m left alone in the plaza, shaking and trembling as panicked people rush around me.
My Kalos sweeps to my side, throwing his tattered cloak protectively over my shoulders. “Come, Elsie. You’re safe now.”
“I don’t feel safe,” I say, teeth chattering. I feel hollowed out inside. Destroyed. Tainted. I just murdered someone. “Wh-what about Belara? Won’t she attack?”
He strokes my hair back from my face. “She’s not my enemy. My enemy was him and now he’s gone.” A ghost of a smile crosses his face. “We’ve won.”