Page 185 of Terror at the Gates

“I thought you said we were meeting in the sanctuary.” I jerked in his grasp.

“Change of plans,” said Uriah. His hold on me tightened as he pulled me through another door into a stairwell that twisted into the dark abyss of the baptistery.

“You know, lying is a sin,” I said as we made our descent.

“Do not speak to me of sin,” said Uriah. “Your existenceis a stain upon our world.”

I drew in a breath between my teeth. “Ouch,” I said dryly.

The enforcer shoved me into the wall, the railing biting into my back. I was okay with it because it gave me time to slip my hands from the bindings.

“It is because of your arrogance that we suffer,” he hissed.

“That’s a lot to put on one person,” I said.

I wondered if Lisk’s men got a different sort of sermon, maybe one centered around me as the source of all their problems.

Uriah shoved his gun beneath my chin. “If I didn’t know you were dying tonight, I’d kill you myself.”

“You think that scares me?” I asked. “My mother’s threatened to take me out for years.”

“Too bad she didn’t,” he said.

“It really is,” I said.

I’d freed my hands and slipped my dagger from its sheath. I’d only ever stabbed one thing in my life, and that was a glowing blob. I was surprised by how similar this felt, how easily the blade sank into Uriah’s stomach. I reached for his gun, jerking it free from his hand as I stabbed him two more times. He didn’t fight, but I think that was because he was too stunned.

He gave a wheezing groan as he stumbled back, tumbling down the steps.

I stood in the muted light, breathing hard and unable to move for a few terrifying seconds as I waited for the sound of approaching enforcers, but there was nothing, only the same stark silence as before.

I headed downstairs. Uriah lay face up, one arm trapped beneath his body. I wiped my blade and hand on his clothesbefore sheathing it, then rose to my feet with Uriah’s weapon.

I crept down the remaining steps, taking a deep breath before I pushed open the door.

The baptistery was a large room with a round pool at the center, though I thought it looked more like a raised fountain.

I was surprised to find there were no enforcers, only Lisk, who waited on the top step of the pool. By this point, I gathered he was expecting me, so there was no element of surprise, no surge of emotion.

In fact, I felt nothing from him at all, which I found strange, given that desire could take many forms, and I knew this man desired to see me dead.

He looked angrier than the last time I saw him. The lines between his eyes and mouth were deeper. Despite this, I think he tried to smile.

“Didn’t I tell you there would be consequences for not returning to your family?” he said. His voice resonated differently in this room, echoing all around.

I cringed, grinding my teeth.

“Is that a confession to my father’s murder?” I said.

He tilted his head to the side and the light gleamed off his glasses. It made him look menacing but also amused.

“You say murder. I say sacrifice,” he said.

“Is that what you called it when you raped me?” I asked, voice trembling with anger. “A sacrifice?”

I suspected he had rationalized his actions over the years, convincing himself I was at fault.

Lisk’s mouth tensed, then his lip rose into a snarl.