Page 82 of A Lie so Pretty and Poisonous

My eyes opened at the next CRACK. The lashing was just as brutal, and another strip of flesh was ripped off Russtoph. Cora whimpered as he let out another guttural scream. Crack! Crack! Crack! The blood rolled down the marble block in rivulets and into the deep crimson pool below, giving Themis the sacrifice he demanded.

Over and over, the whip hit its mark, Darragh showing no emotion other than seething. He didn’t refuse to take part in this or try to save Russtoph from this agonizingly painful fate. His lack of hesitation made my lip quiver in silent agony. I dropped my head at the realization that the person I thought I knew, thought I could see so deeply, had now dissolved around me in just a mere moment. I had only known him for a short amount of time. I was warned that he was dangerous and could turn into a monster at any moment. I witnessed his ferocity before and ignored it. He turned on me last night, and I refused to see it.

My foolishness made my heart sink. Tears welled in my eyes, slipped past my lashes, and rolled down my cheeks. My feelings for him had been deepening each day, and I hadn’t felt so connected to someone since Micah had come into my life. That had all been ripped out of me in an agonizing instant. I was left hollow. A reminder that my heart could only ever be a sunken chamber and nothing more.

The last crack of the whip echoed off the Temple walls. Russtoph stilled over the marble block. Blood still poured from the deep gashes across his back. Darragh handed the bloody whip back to the acolyte and stalked out the way he came in. He glanced at me and then Gabriel and my conjoined hands as he passed, showing no reaction or emotion to the tears streaming down my cheeks or the quivering youngling next to me. His indifference made my blood run cold.

“Darling, are you well?” Gabriel finally turned to me and wiped away a tear that slowly rolled down my cheek.

I needed to leave this place. The city. The castle. This side of the barrier. I couldn’t wait any longer, and I certainly couldn’t rely on the two seraphs who spouted promises of help. I would be able to figure out what was happening to the humans once I got back to Edenalee. At least I could warn my own king of what was happening. I needed to focus on finding out Psilas’ mead ingredients, and the only way I could get that was by searching Gabriel’s office for that book. I hated that I let myself get distracted and struggled to keep up the façade with Gabriel when he made my skin crawl.

Gabriel looked to Cora and back to me. “I didn’t realize how badly you both would react. I forgot that the first time can be a bit jarring. Today was particularly brutal. The captain put a lot of power behind those lashings.”

Saliva pooled in my mouth, and my stomach lurched. “Gabriel, get us out of here. Please.”

Most of the aristocracy stood to leave, jovially chatting and laughing. I pulled my hand from Gabriel’s and wrapped my arms around Cora, turning her away from Russtoph’s limp, bloodied body being carried away by acolytes. “Cora, it’s over, sweet girl,” I said gently. “We are leaving.”

“Mom, please don’t make me come to this place again,” she whispered in a heartbreaking voice.

“Did you see or hear anything?”

She shook her head. “Sounds were muffled, but I saw the captain with the whip before you covered my eyes, and he scared me.”

I nodded. “I know, sweet girl. I know.”

“Hi, Lady Cora!” Prince Percie stepped up next to her. “Do you want to sit next to me at dinner this evening? I want you to explain to me that game you play in Edenalee with your human friends.”

I guided Cora past the prince to save her the trouble of responding. “Oh, what a lovely offer, Your Highness, but I am afraid Cora is not feeling well. I think we might take dinner in our rooms tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

He looked at Cora and back at me. “Of course. I hope you feel better, my lady.”

Cora softly smiled, but her face was devoid of any feeling.

Our time in Tironaill was proving to be more and more unsafe. If they could whip a man for having a statue of a deity other than Themis, then they would certainly not think twice about punishing me or Cora for something so small as well. I would sneak into Gabriel’s office tonight and look for that book. The longer we stayed, the more at risk we were. I hoped I could find what I was looking for and get us out of the castle without anyone knowing. Our lives depended on it.

The smell of the hearty stew and warm bread wafted around Cora and me. Normally, the food would be a welcome comfort, but neither of us could eat much. Gabriel insisted we take dinner with the royals and some of the nobles in the dining hall. He claimed not showing up would make us look like we couldn’t assimilate to seraph culture and that the king might think that we didn’t believe in the divine absolute of Themis’ word.

I didn’t believe anything about Themis was good, though. Everything these seraphs believed caused harm, both in their community and in human society. The king only seemed to care about his power and not about the seraphs he ruled.

Prince Percie sat next to Cora, animatedly talking to her about something, but Cora sat with her eyes averted and occasionally nodded or forced a smile at the prince’s story. My heart broke for her. She was already having to stifle her own emotions and needs to appease others. I worked hard to ensure she never had to do that, and I failed miserably. Cora had been through so much, and I couldn’t subject her to any more violence. What if what we said or did was deemed worthy of going to the atoner? My insolence with Gabriel could have certainly sent me there already, and that made me wonder how much more nobles got away with than commoners. Noble transgressions were not held to the same accountability as commoners on either side of the barrier.

“Lady Aurora, how did you enjoy your first experience at Temple this afternoon?” A noble, Voralia, I believed, asked me.

Lie.

“It was a pretty Temple. Nothing I have experienced before.” I forced a cheery inflection into my voice and hoped that it came off as genuine.

Voralia tipped her head. “Are there no temples in Edenalee?”

“There are smaller temples for various deities. Most humans privately worship and have home altars,” I stated.

More noble eyes turned to me. Gabriel’s hand covered mine on top of the table. Anya sat across from me and watched intently; her eyes flicked to Gabriel’s hand on top of mine.

Voralia looked at me, head tipped. “You mean, humans worship false gods?”

Careful, Rory.

Before I could respond, Anya chimed in, “Voralia, did you hear the latest gossip about Henrick being seen courting Isla. Apparently, they are trying to hide it so that Isla’s father doesn’t find out, but Nysin saw them in the rose gardens getting a little too cozy.” All the nobles became intently interested in this new scandal and lost interest in me.