Marked For Death: A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel Becca Blake (fiction novels to read .txt) 📖

he was wrong about that,” I said. “Is there a cure?”

“Not that I know of.”

“I’ll be fine.” Ayla offered me a smile that was as weak as her wavering voice. “You have more important things to worry about right now.”

“I need to speak with you privately,” Maki said.

I followed him across the warehouse and stopped when we were out of earshot. “What is it?”

“The emerald needs a sacrifice, and that girl might die anyway,” Maki whispered. “Her death could be useful.”

In an instant, my sword was against his neck. “Not. An. Option.”

He raised his hands in defeat. “Fine. Have it your way. But if you want this to work, there will need to be a sacrifice. I’ve studied this emerald more than anyone. I know how it works.”

“If anyone deserves to be sacrificed, it’s you.” I twisted my wrist just enough for him to feel my blade move.

“That could work, I suppose,” Maki said. “If you kill me, I imagine the power I took will return to the emerald. Though, if you do that, how can I tell you what you want to know about your parents?”

That was enough to shut me up. I’d been so focused on bringing down the demon lord that I’d somehow forgotten what led me to Maki in the first place. I couldn’t kill him until I learned the truth.

I lowered my sword and returned it to its sheath.

Maybe we had to work together for now, but once I got what I needed from him, I would make sure he was dead.

“Okay, let’s say we find someone,” I said, thinking aloud. “How do I know you won’t use that sacrifice to give yourself more power?”

“In the years since I left the Arbiters, exposing the Council and freeing us from the demon lords are the only things I’ve been able to think about. Maybe I haven’t always gone about it in the most honorable ways, but there is nothing I want more. I don’t want power for myself. I want power to destroy them.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” I said. “Whatever the reason, you want power. Why should we believe you won’t take it for yourself instead of channeling it back into the emerald?”

“If this power can be used to stop Raxael, I don’t care whether I have it or this amulet does. It’s all the same to me.” He shrugged. “But either way, I’m not convinced this will work out how you hope it will.”

“Ed seemed pretty confident it would work.”

“Dr. Moran has never used the emerald himself. He’s never experienced its power.”

“The power that came from killing dozens of innocent people? If we accept that, we’re no better than the Council,” I said.

“Let me do what needs to be done to finish this,” he pleaded. “No matter what you do tonight, those people are dead. Nothing will bring them back. One more death, and we can make sure their lives meant something. That they made a difference.”

“Their lives did mean something. And then, you killed them.” I shoved the amulet into my jacket pocket. “I won’t accept that power from you.”

“Then, that leaves us with only two options,” he said. “We can run… or we can die.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Run or die.

“I need to get some air,” I muttered as I got to my feet.

What if Maki was right, and the emerald was useless without a sacrifice? Without it, we would have no chance against Raxael, and everything we’d done so far would be a waste. But if we killed someone just so we could use it, we’d be no better than Maki, or the Arbiters.

If we tried to use it, and it failed, we would all die.

How could I ask the others to take that risk?

Our only other option was to run and try to find another way. We’d be Oathbreakers, living on the run just like Maki had been. But at least we’d be alive.

The room blurred around me as I hurried outside, leaving Maki and the others behind me. I breathed in the cool afternoon breeze. The fresh air was a relief after being stuck in the musty warehouse.

It was a few minutes before I noticed Orion sitting on the ground near the door, looking up at me with concern etched in the lines of his forehead.

“Is everything alright in there?” he asked.

I slid down the dirty wall and sat next to him. “Nothing is alright anymore.”

“True,” he said, letting a cynical chuckle escape with the word. “I didn’t have a chance to say it earlier, but I’m sorry about what happened with Jacob back there.”

I resisted the urge to brush off Jacob’s betrayal as no big deal. Orion knew me well enough to see right through that. Besides, after all the talk about life and death and human sacrifices, it was a welcome distraction.

“I should have known not to trust him.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Orion pulled me in close. “It’s not your fault.”

“I just didn’t believe he’d choose Marcus over doing the right thing. I mean, he hates the guy,” I said.

“Well, that seat on the Council probably went a long way.”

“I don’t think he even wanted to be on the Council,” I said. “That was what his dad wanted for him.”

“Maybe. But when you grow up with a parent like that, it can be hard to fight those expectations of who you’re supposed to be. He was under a lot of pressure.”

“Are you defending him?”

“I’m just saying that I get it. Hell, when I was his age, I’m sure I would’ve done the same thing if I thought it would earn me a word of praise.”

“I don’t believe that,” I said.

“My dad always wanted me to take a Council seat. When he saw me fail, again and again… Well, he made sure I knew how he felt about me.” Orion let out a heavy sigh. “Not even becoming a commander was good enough for him. And even after he died, I kept trying for that Council position,