Page 84 of Savage Throne
Would my death be the last story my sisters heard about me?
Would they remember me as the one who protected them until the end, or would they remember the cowardice that chose morality over life?
A cold wind swept down from the mountain, making me shiver.
The trees around us whispered. Each sound was a question, prodding me, accusing me. Their branches creaked like old bones, and a thin mist coiled around the trees, weaving through the branches like a ghostly dance, beautiful and haunting.
Was it so wrong to do anything to survive, to keep breathing so that those I loved could keep breathing too?
But at what cost?
Would I look into the mirror tomorrow and see a stranger staring back at me, eyes hollowed out and empty?
Would I become the villain of my own story, haunted not just by what I’d done, but by how easily I’d done it?
I glanced up at the stars.
They were cold, indifferent lights scattered across the velvet sky. They had watched civilizations rise and fall, wars rage, and peace settle like ash.
What were a few more lives extinguished to them?
What was the heaviness of my guilt against the endless darkness of that sky?
My steps faltered for a moment, the conflict surging through me like wildfire.
To kill, to take life that didn’t belong to me, was to step over a line that could never be uncrossed. But not to kill, to refuse and face Leo’s wrath, would be to surrender everything I’d fought for—my sisters, Lei, the fragile promise of a future.
I hated the answer that came to me then, hated it because it was the truth, ugly and raw.
I would do anything to survive.
I would kill not just for me but for them.
For Jo’s quiet strength.
Chloe’s fierce spirit.
TT’s innocent laughter.
I would shoulder the burden of the monster Leo wanted me to become, if it meant they would be safe.
But could I still claim to be good after tonight?
Would I deserve Lei’s touch, his love, when he saw the blood on my hands, the darkness in my eyes?
Or would I become another shadow in his world, one he tried to keep at bay but ultimately couldn’t resist?
Leo’s sharp voice broke the silence, snapping me back to the present. “We’re almost there.”
When we reached the top, my heart stuttered at the sight before me.
A colossal structure stood there, looming and ominous. It looked like an oversized tent but built with a network of metal reinforcements and weathered tarpaulin. It was definitely big enough to house eighty people.
The deep thrum of voices drifted out from within. It was a low, menacing hum that prickled the hairs on the back of my neck.
I tried to steady my breathing, focusing on the bite of the cold air as it filled my lungs.
Leo’s hand brushed against mine, a gesture that was almost tender if it weren’t for the coldness in his eyes. “Remember, Monique.”
