Vessel of Destruction (Daizlei Academy Book 4) by Kel Carpenter

Author:Kel Carpenter [Carpenter, Kel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-21T06:00:00+00:00

I woke with a start, gasping for breath. My heart hammered in my chest, a sound that was quickly becoming a comfort on its own. Blood rushing roared in my ears and the sounds of the Witch camp winding down for the night followed it.

I blinked once and sat up. Firelight bathed my face. Shadows danced over the two women before me. At least they’d had the decency to put a pillow under my head after what Livina did.

“You put me to sleep.”

“Not quite,” the Crone answered. “I let the Mother’s visions take you, hoping that you will see the truth and make the right decision.”

“Right dec—” I cut myself off and exhaled heavily. “She’s alive.”

Neither the old woman nor the child appeared surprised as they continued to stare into the fire like it held some kind of answers.

“She’s neither dead nor alive,” Milla answered. “She is something other. Something that has never been.”

“And will never be again,” the Crone added. The age lines on her face were stark in the low light. The shadows making her features harsh.

“I watched her die. I felt it. Now she’s back and her heart beats again—maybe there’s a way to save her. Maybe I can—”

“She cannot be saved.”

The Crone’s words stilled me.

“What do you mean she can’t be saved?” I asked, my brows drawing together. “If her heart beats, I can still do something. She can still come back.”

“So long as Cirian’s soul resides within her, she is lost,” the Crone answered. “I am sorry, Selena. Truly, I am. But it’s the only way.” My lips pushed together as heat licked through my veins and the pounding in my head worsened.

“You’ve already said she’s something that’s never been. Maybe she can beat him. Maybe she can—”

“You know what she is,” Milla said. “You have seen what she has become. You have not told them, though”—she pointed in the direction of the tent that Ash, Alexandra, Blair, Tori, Johanna, Amber, and Oliver had been escorted to—“Why?”

I looked away and closed my eyes, inhaling then exhaling slowly. So, she knew.

I wanted to berate myself for that. Of course she knew. She was the Maiden. She could see the future.

“They wouldn’t understand—” I started.

“They wouldn’t let you pretend,” the girl spat with more venom than I expected. My eyes snapped open, and I regarded her. “You’re risking the lives of millions for the life of one that’s already gone. You know what she is. You know her heart is poisoned. It would be a mercy to end her and yet you won’t.”

My lips parted and then my jaw clinked shut.

“It’s not just her you’re asking for, though, is it? You want me. You want Alexandra. And what about my signasti? What about the people that we’ll leave behind?” Anger coursed through me, but I did not let it control me. Instead I funneled it into words. “The best part about this is I can’t tell them. I can’t tell anyone about the curse or the price, but you’re asking me not just to kill myself, but both my sisters—and no one will even know why.

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