Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) Jonathan Michael (red novels .txt) 📖

She is as she’s always been. It’s a good feeling, but I do wish she would accept the fact I’m her older brother and her only remaining family. I let it be.

“You’re tongue! What has he done to you?”

“It wasn’t him. I’m fine.”

“How have you escaped? Where are you going? Does the Taoiseach know you’ve fled?” I pummel her with questions.

“Stone, stop!” she interrupts. “I didn’t escape. I have free range of the city. I’m not his captive. Not really.”

I don’t know what to say.

“I’m not his prisoner. I’m more like…” She pauses. “I’m more like…” She hesitates. “…a protégé.”

“Tigershit! No, you’re not! What? No. Protégé to who? Not the man who murdered…” I pause, hesitant to finish the sentence in Jay’s presence. She knows, of course, but I have never been able to directly tell her our parents are dead. At this point, I’m not even positive it was him who murdered them.

“Not to Harris, no. Well…kind of.”

“You call him by his given name now, I see. He’s no longer the Taoiseach, Sir, His Divineness? He’s Harris now?” My voice pitches higher than I intend. I don’t want to raise my voice at her, and I don’t want to draw attention amongst this crowd. To either of us.

“Yes,” she spits back. “I do know him as Harris, and I intend to call him by his true name right before I pierce his heart. Is that okay with you? Am I aloud to do that, father? Why don’t you go back to your life of leisure with your pretty blonde, and I’ll go back to my life in the shadows.”

I falter backward, caught off guard. “Life of leisure? Jay? Don’t do this. Please. I’m concerned, Jay. That’s all.”

“I know.” She subdues her spitfire.

I move in to embrace her again. She flinches, but it doesn’t deter me from grabbing and holding tight. “Jay, I understand,” I whisper in her ear. “I can’t protect you anymore. I haven’t been protecting you since you were taken, and yet, here you are.” I pull back and look her in the eyes. There’s a newfound darkness to her I can’t explain. “You’re capable of protecting yourself. I can see that.”

“I am,” she states firmly.

“But…”

“What?” She rolls her eyes.

“Jay, are you sure? Think back four seasons ago, on that roof top. You went into shock and claim you don’t remember much. Please, dig deep before you make this choice. Did you witness anything that might…” I pause and swallow. “…that might prove the Taoiseach’s innocence?” It sounds ridiculous to put those words in a sentence together, so I quickly add, “I know, I know. It’s insane. And whether he did it or not, he’s still using us as his pawns, but… But I want to make sure you understand the choice you’re making.” The Taoiseach claims it wasn’t him. I don’t know what to believe anymore. Jay could have some answers buried deep somewhere.

“I remember it all, Stone,” she quietly proclaims with her face down, buried in her hood. “I was sitting at the edge of the hall, overlooking the foyer below. There were dark figures storming the house. They weren’t normal. They were…something different. Not knowing where else to go, I climbed to the roof to get away. That’s when you and Elder found me. You grabbed me and leaped. Elder…” she pauses. A line forms between her eyes as they look up to greet me.

“You remember everything. I’m sorry for that,” I reply. “Why did you never say anything? I could’ve helped you get over it.” Is it even possible to get over your parents’ deaths?

“Helped how? How is talking going to help anything?” she calls out my lame attempt to console her.

“Harris may not be the man you’re after.” I look around to make sure nobody is listening in on our conversation. Most are intoxicated or cheering wildly and those closer continue to give Jay a wide berth. We’re safe.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s the one who kicked the stool, Stone,” she mutters. “He’s responsible. My choice is made.”

My skin crawls. It doesn’t feel right. “So…” I bring my voice to a whisper and lean in. “Is that your intention? You’re an assassin now?” I demean her even though I had similar thoughts.

“It’s a mere intention. I have no plan. I just know I need to get closer.”

“We can flee, Jay. You don’t have to do this. We can get out of here. What’s stopping us?”

“Where’s Goose?” she digresses. I pause long enough for her to delight me with one of her impatient outbursts. “You don’t know?”

“Please, Jay, lower your voice.” I place my hand on her shoulder. She jerks instinctively and grabs my wrist, but then her tensions calm. “I…I don’t know exactly. We split ways back at Greenport. We didn’t agree, as usual. He was headed to Greybark, Jay. I’m not sure if he made it or not. He…well…he’s with you in this. He didn’t like the idea of a retrieve-and-leave rescue. He opted for a long-term solution. He’s searching for the Taoiseach’s weakness. A way to end this.”

“Harris is just a man,” she states. “He’s only a man,” she repeats, almost as though she’s trying to convince herself of the matter.

“Is he?”

She looks me in the eye. The amber of her eyes is vibrant in the twilight. “Stone, I must go. I don’t have much time to get to my assignation. I can’t keep him waiting.”

“You’ve changed. Not your spunk. You’ve still got that, but something else. What’s happened?”

“I…” Whatever she wants to say, she can’t.

“Has he done anything to harm you?”

“No. He hasn’t.”

“What does that mean? Jay?”

She remains silent with her head down, staring at her feet. I wrap my arms around her and firmly squeeze. This feels like