ire

iliar faces bound to the wooden

hrough the commoners; no one could believe that the right

as I loudly confessed to every vile crime I

rofound sorrow. "Claire, my silly girl... did you reall

n his high throne. A chilling, merciless smile curved

them," he

son, seventy-two heads rolled from the chopping blocks. The

loded in my ears. Seventy-two vibrant lives, my famil

at-a long, desolate, and bloodcurdling howl of absolute despai

brutally in the stomach, sending me tumb

acal laughter. Two streams of blood-tinged tears poured fro

tantly. With a trembling hand, I began to draw an ancient blood oath totem on the stone ground-a ritual so dark and forbidden it was only

with the venom of pure hatred. "I swear upon my soul, upon my blood

less, howling wind swept through the execution groun

of strength in my dying body. "May their lives be plagued by endless suffering! May their deaths

complete, it flared with a bl

ently ripped apart, leaving nothing but an endle

en...

chattering voices. The sweet scent of bl

ed, gasping for air as if I had been drowni

ht poured through large windows, and the air

slender, pale, and flawless. No s

yful teasing. "Claire? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a

, reaching out to cover my hand with hers. "Hey, don't be ne

f my severed fingers shot up my arm. My stomach churned

snatched m

listening to her sickeningly sweet word

tain. The Moon Godde

s re

I was supposed to marry Erich