Harley Merlin 6: Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2019-02-22T18:30:00+00:00

Twenty-Four

Finch

The trials had changed since I was last here. I had no idea what we were heading into. But, judging by what we’d already gone through, it wasn’t going to be a slice of pie. Potential death, imminent death, and more death were pretty much the options.

Dawn streaked across the interdimensional bubble, bolts of pink and red shooting through wisps of cloud, turning the purplish haze to a clear blue. Aside from the occasional storm, this place could be mistaken for paradise. Katherine had chosen well. And so had my great-grandfather, all those years ago. Drake Shipton had more islands to his name than the East India Trading Company used to have. All the places that the National Council had no clue about. I’d have liked to have met the guy, just to test the mettle of his gigantic balls.

As soon as we headed down the main walkway, I realized where we were going—the same disc of black glass where I’d put Shinsuke on his ass. The Red Robes were already sitting in wait. Bunch of sheep. I noticed a few hungover faces in the crowd and smirked. Not that much had changed since I left this place. The cult worked hard and played hard. And while some got their kicks turning humans into mutants, others were a bit more traditional. Booze and music and long nights.

My guts almost erupted from my throat when I noticed the figure sitting in one of the stone thrones. In the gloomy half-dawn, I’d almost missed her.

Ah, Mother… there you are.

I’d been wondering when we might meet again. She didn’t like to fraternize too much with the underlings, but she showed up every now and again to light a fire under everyone’s backside.

I glanced at Harley. She was staring dead ahead, her eyes narrowing. Easy, tiger. Don’t give the game away. I rested a hand on her forearm to remind her we had to keep it cool. She gave a subtle nod and dropped her gaze. This wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for either of us. It’d take every ounce of strength we had, combined, not to try anything stupid.

“This is the third trial,” Naima said, prompting us to halt in the center of the black disc. “No fighting, no taming, merely an interview with our divine leader. If she takes kindly to one or both of you, then you will live, and you will take your place among us. If she does not, then you will die by Death by a Thousand Cuts.”

There it is, the death clause.

“Relax,” I whispered to Harley. She was shaking now. Most likely with rage rather than fear, but it could’ve been a mix of both.

“Easy for you to say.” She kept her gaze down.

This was going to be an awkward conversation. And that was putting it mildly. I’d have taken a golem and another round with Shinsuke over this, any day of the week. Why had Katherine picked this as the third trial? She was a blood and gore kind of woman, and this had none of the above.

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