Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
It was difficult to turn up for my shift in the mine after the morning I’d had, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. I kept Demi close by my side and picked up the slack for her because she didn’t have it in her to work very hard. She was still too much in shock over her sister’s death.
I was in a little bit of shock myself. I’d seen a few dead bodies at this point, but like Vas said, it didn’t get any easier. The demon watcher, the one I despised and whose name I’d since learned was Lorenzo, stopped by, asking where Maya was.
“She overdosed,” Vas told him plainly and the demon spat on the ground with disdain.
“Bloody junkies. This place is riddled with them.” It took everything I had not to punch him out. I’d yet to have an encounter with this guy where I didn’t want to hurt him in some way. Luckily, he didn’t stick around, continuing his surveillance of the workers.
By the time our shift ended Demi was so exhausted that she collapsed into my arms.
“Give her here. I’ll carry her back to her pod to sleep,” Ren said and I gently handed her over to him. She was so thin and frail from a life of poverty that she barely weighed a thing.
“She needs blood,” I said and Ren nodded.
“I’ll feed her.”
He went and I trailed behind Vas and Sven as they joined the queue for food. My stomach gurgled and I realised that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. Discovering Maya this morning had stolen my appetite. I was so weak, in fact, that I stumbled over a bit of loose gravel. Vas, who seemed to have a sixth sense, reached behind to catch me before I fell.
“Whoa there, are you okay? You look faint.”
I swallowed thickly. “Just hungry. I forgot to eat breakfast.”
He sent me a disapproving look. “You can’t forget to eat doing this kind of work. Do you want to keel over like that poor man the other day?” His voice was chiding, but I thought there was a small sliver of concern there, too. His hand found mine and he interlaced our fingers. “Let’s get you fed.”
He held my hand the entire time we waited in the queue. I leaned against him and he offered me some water from his flask that he’d generously been letting me share. I took a long gulp then handed it back to him. It was nice just to have a peaceful moment between us where we weren’t at loggerheads with one another. I made a mental note not to bring up the subject of his rumoured grandfather again.
Dinner was a solemn affair. The three of us ate in silence, not forgetting to bring some food back for Ren and Demi. I felt like I could sleep for a decade. More, even. The hours and days went by like a slow march. I wished more than anything that I could bring Maya back, that I could erase the hollow look in Demi’s eyes.
Vas continued to hold me at night when we slept, but we didn’t speak and I didn’t try to bite him again. I was growing hungrier for blood as the days went by, but I stifled it. I couldn’t allow my brain to become foggy with bloodlust when we had an escape plan to prepare for.
The day of the Star Festival arrived and I noted the thinner presence of demon watchers. Vas had been right about there only being a skeleton crew on hand to supervise the miners. Our plan was to finish our shift and wait until they completed the count, that way we’d have the entire night before they noticed we were gone.
Then, something unprecedented occurred. We were lying in our pod, my body next to Vas’ when shouting broke out down below. We shared a glance then shifted forward to peer out. Dozens of demon watchers were scurrying about in a panic, warning everyone not to leave their sleeping chambers.
“What the hell is going on?” I murmured.
A man in the pod two tiers below ours replied, “Jalio and about twenty others have gone missing. The watchers only noticed when they started doing the count just now.” He sounded giddy at the idea of people escaping and I didn’t blame him.
Vas and I shared a look. It appeared we weren’t the only ones with a plan to escape on the night of the Star Festival. “What should we do?” I whispered.
His blue eyes glowed with determination. “We stick to our plan. Jalio’s escape might work in our favour. The demons will be so distracted searching for them it’ll take longer to notice our absence.”
“Okay, yes, you’re right,” I said, swallowing thickly.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Vas whispered, his eyes moving back and forth between mine.