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I do and pull Evangeline into h Priest enters the rooreen robes
"I must prepare her for So’Kamor," he says
I don’t want to leave her here alone with all these strangers, except I realize now they’re not strangers She had a whole life here She knew these people
We all go outside Sigur runs a tired hand over his brow He looks utterly shattered Evangeline catches otten worse since you visited last weekend," she says
"So I’ve seen," I reply
"That’s not the worst of it," she says
"What do you mean?" I ask
Sigur wearily indicates for us to follow hieline took me to the first time I came here The stench hits me first Decay Death Wrath
"The virus has eline says as we enter the ward "Three of the Darklings in here were perfectly healthy last week, and now they’re in the last stages of the disease Somehow the symptoms have been accelerated, and we don’t kno"
She indicates the three Darklings that are lying in theout, "Kill e Their eyes are yellowed, their skin beginning to rot The first Darkling is a reen color Beside hiirls with nubby stus should be Their once-flohite hair is now lank, creating bald patches on their heads I recognize all three victims; they were at Mr Tubs’s the first tiin to shake as the truth crashes over me in waves
"I knohat’s in the Golden Haze," I say, ur
"It’s Wrath"
31
NATALIE
I LOOK AT THE SICK DARKLINGS on the gurney,
"Bastet veno
Everyone stares atin the hospital beds
"What are you talking about?" Ash says
"I think the Golden Haze is poisoned with Bastet venoeline says "Bastet venos It kills us instantly We wouldn’t live long enough to contract the Wrath virus from it"
"We would if the veno Like Haze or blood," Ash says darkly
"It explains why Wraths suffer fro what I read about Bastets at thebacteria, Vibrio necrosis, which causes tissue death
A horrible thought occurs to s to contract the Wrath virus were the ones sent to the concentration ca the effects of Bastet venos even back then? Is that how they discovered the venom caused the Wrath virus in the first place?
Ash turns toon his face "How did you know the Golden Haze was poisoned with Bastet venom?"
I bite my lip
"Tell me!" he demands
"Ash, please" My voice quivers
"The Euessed we tested the Synth-O-Blood for poisons, so she had to find another way to infect us with the Wrath So they created Golden Haze and supplied it to the drug dens--"
"The hus who fed off theeline finishes "Except the Golden Haze has been killing the hu to blame their deaths on us"
Ash lets out a pained sound, like a wounded animal
"Ash, I’m so sorry," I say
"Why didn’t you tell me?" he says
"I tried to tell you earlier today, then Sebastian turned up and--"
"You should’ve tried harder!" he snaps
Sigur snarls at me "They deliberately poisoned us They killed Annora"
I barely have ti the air out of my windpipe
"I should throw you to the Wraths," he says
"No, please!" I gasp, clawing at his hands
"Let her go!" Ash deur! She’s just a child," Minister Fisher pleads
"Her mother killed our children! What is it you say? An eye for an eye?" Sigur says to his in the ward howl in unison, a bloodthirsty sound
"If you kill her, I’ll never forgive you My mom would never let you do this, you know it," Ash says
This seeur He drops me, and I fall hard Minister Fisher pulls me into his arms
"You need to leave," Ash says to ive es his s o back"
"Don’t be stupid, child They’ll kill you," he says
He looks so ht now I hadn’t noticed before because his face was obscured by a disheveled beard They have the saht nose It’s hard not to listen to him when he reminds me so much of Ash
We take the boat back to the shantytown by the entrance to the Boundary Wall The guards escort us to the gates, holding on to my arms with more force than necessary The news has already started to spread through the co to each other I don’t understand what they’re saying, but their fury is loud and clear They spit atopen, and I’e Minister Fisher stays inside
I stare at the gates, praying that Ash will run out after me Please don’t let this be over Please, please, please
But the gates stay closed