A Shade of Kiev 3(7)

Chapter 7: Mona





All the residents of the island gathered that night on the beach. We stood around a heap of wood. Rhys had insisted on building the pyre himself.

Julisse and Arielle had scanned the island in search of Celice one last time at the plea of Efren, just to check that Celice definitely wasn’t here and this wasn’t all just a strange lie by Tiarni. Of course, they’d returned unsuccessful.

Now Rhys prepared the wood, his face white. He walked over to Tiarni, who lay semi-conscious on the ground a few feet away. Now, he wanted her to be fully conscious again.

Rhys had already pried away her fingernails and toenails one by one with a blunt knife. Then he’d torn away her hair with his bare fists, until her scalp was a patchy, bloody mess. We had all watched, as was our custom whenever a traitor was found among us. Even Efren had been forced to stand by. I looked at the scattered nails and hair on the sand a few meters away.

Now, Rhys stripped Tiarni naked and threw her clothes on the pyre.

“No!” she shrieked, coming to consciousness again and clutching Rhys’ shirt. “Please don’t do this. Rhys, I love you! I love you! I’ve always loved you—”

“Silence!”

Rhys struck her with his fist so hard I was sure he’d broken her jaw.

He tied her against the post erected in the center of the wood, fixing her there with magic bonds that no amount of struggling could break free from.

I looked at Efren. He had averted his eyes to the ground, tears spilling down his cheeks.

A spark emanated from Rhys’ palm and a fierce bonfire erupted. We all took a step back from the sudden heat.

Tiarni’s bloodcurdling screams filled the night air.

Rhys resumed his place next to me, his jaw clenched, his hollow black eyes flickering against the flames.

I felt like I was about to throw up. My stomach had twisted itself into knots so tight I could barely breathe.

I should be the one burning in that fire right now. And yet I decided to save my life at the cost of an innocent’s.

How could I have done this?

What is happening to me?

I held my hands against my ears as the flames licked Tiarni’s skin and melted her through to the bone.

I choked on the smoke as it stung my eyes. The smell of burnt flesh pervaded the area—a stench that even the sea breeze was having trouble dissipating.

Julisse and Arielle stood on the other side of Rhys, sobbing in each other’s arms. Isolde, their aunt, who stood still further along, had an expression almost as controlled as Rhys.

Rhys’ face was still ashen, his eyes still fixed on the fire.

Sensing my gaze on him, he muttered, “And this is what we do to traitors.”

I shivered.

I feared that Rhys’ darkness had penetrated my being too much already. Without me even realizing it.

As I looked back at the flames that had now devoured the young redhead, one thought circled in my mind:

I need to get away from this life.





Chapter 8: Kiev





I had never cared for the redhead, but I wouldn’t have wished such a fate upon her.

The crowd finally dispersed as the bonfire began to dim. Rhys turned to Efren before leaving and pointed to the heap of his sister’s nails and hair on the sand. “Burn those too,” he said.

Efren glared after Rhys as he walked away. It looked like it was all he could do to stop himself from attacking Rhys.

I had looked over at Mona from across the bonfire several times throughout the burning. Her expression had been hard to read. I still couldn’t shake the surprise over what she had done. Even I wouldn’t have been so quick to condemn Tiarni to such a fate.

I waited for the hushed crowds to leave, and I avoided joining my siblings even though they beckoned me over. I told them that I would stay outside a while longer.

That left just Efren and I. He bent down over the remains of his sister.

“Novalic,” he rasped.

He stood up, a bunch of curly red hair clutched in his pale hand.

“You spent much time with my sister during her last days.” He squinted at me through the thick grey smoke. “You know that she didn’t do this.”

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to respond.

“Was she not sharing your bed the nights these humans and Celice disappeared?”

“Evidently not,” I said coldly.

The accusatory tone of his voice put me on edge.

Brushing away sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve, he staggered a few steps toward me.

“This was all so unlike her,” he said softly. “Yes, she loved Rhys, but she never would have done something so foolish. She valued her life more than this.” He held up the clump of hair. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

I took a step away from him and started walking toward the woods.