Page 159 of Bound By Fury

“On this night so many years ago, under a sky of falling stars, when the strength of God’s power was near limitless, we prepared to take what was rightfully ours.

“But when my ancestors arrived, they realized they’d been tricked.”

He turns and stares into my face. “It seems that Miss Lucille had a change of heart, though she had been promised a place among our ranks. A divine union with the benefit of power no witch had ever held. But this was only if she remained loyal to us. Instead, she bit the hand that fed her. She tipped the witches off. Gave them a chance to destroy their records and light their covenstead ablaze.” He shakes his head.

I glance at Malachi, but he mostly looks bored. Like he’s heard this all before. Too many times to count. Though it’s strange because Alastair’s version of what happened that night doesn’t quite align with what Nora wrote in her journal.

“At first we thought that perhaps someone else had beat us to the punch. Maybe some racist vigilante group had turned their violence against a colored school. We thought that the witches’ chanting spell was an effort to put out the fire, not stoke the flames.”

He tilts his head back, eyes closing as he continues. “It was tragic, but fret not, we could still see our plan through. We needed the magic, not for ourselves, but for the Almighty.” He glances at me, and I peel my lips back from my teeth where they clench around the bind so hard, I taste the metallic tang of blood.

“Because it is our duty to rid the world of the abomination of unrighteous power.”

I want to scream.

“But these—these witches—” He practically spits the word, his cool demeanor finally beginning to slip. “They killed themselves right in front of our eyes. They framed my ancestors for a lynching they did not commit. And when the last witch’s heart stopped, a beam of light shot into the sky.”

The shadows move as one, stretching the shape of his body until he’s reaching toward the ceiling in time with his words.

“When their bodies were cut from the trees, their magic was gone. Distraught, my ancestors pulled a witch who had been watching from the woods and marked her right there, in front of everyone—only, the bind wouldn’t take. Frustrated, he slit her throat, but her blood did not bear the fruit of her magic.”

But it did spill, I think. And the river feasted.

It’s a story I’ve already heard and seen for myself, but my stomach turns listening to him recount the hunters’ version.

“We aren’t bad men,” he says, eyes pleading. “You must understand that.”

I swallow, the cool metal at my throat digging into my skin, a hollow, creeping dullness spreading from it in painful slashes.

My magic is still gone. Dormant. Waiting.

“You know,” Alastair says, gesturing to Malachi, “When Kai disobeyed me tonight and met you in the clearing, I thought that surely he was just overexcited to finally put His plan into motion, but now I know that his hunter instincts were simply too strong.

“I’m sorry that he tried to kill you, but that is simply his base nature. It is not what we’re here to do today. Cooperate with us, and no harm will come to you tonight.”

I whip my head to catch Malachi’s eyes, but he still refuses to look at me.

A tear swims down my face.

“I’ll admit, I was jealous. It has been a decade since I’ve been able to enjoy the chase. For years I have followed in my father’s footsteps, tracked down the descendants of the Beaumont Clark School. Together we have whittled the bloodlines near to the bone. I have, over time, narrowed down the possibilities and exposed the truth of the so-called prophecy.”

Their names come to me like a curse. Adiola, Sandra… Fiona. How many more are there?

This man is a lunatic.

“Though we can’t ignore the fact that what you did was extremely reckless, Kai. Certainly not the behavior of someone who claims to want a higher ranking.”

“Sir,” someone calls from the shadow of the doorway.

“What?” Alastair snaps.

“We need you! There’s an issue down in the west hall!”

“What issue?” he barks.

“It’s a code gray!”

“Shit,” Alastair mutters, running toward the door. “Kai, do not leave her! Don’t speak to her, and don’t let her try to persuade you with her little games.”