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Except there was a very good chance that these stories ht be real

That I -raped every day for the next few decades

That Iup and bled dry slowly over time

That I ht be cut to bits and eaten piece by piece while I was still alive

No one knew

The not knoas the worst part

I had no idea what to mentally prepare myself for

I suddenly wished I had been a better student, that I had sat quietly and letht have beco woI could have been one of the Transcendent Ones, meant to be one of the leaders of the coven

I could have avoided this all together if I had been a better daughter, a better student, a better member of our community

It was too late to change now, though

As I heard the wo a chant I had seen in our fa I had pored over at the table when I was younger—so curious about darker things, convinced there was no way they could ever happen to

I knew this was it

It was the end

I had so naively thought I had so much life left to live, so much more to experience

Now, it was all being taken from me

The chanting grew louder as the ently wake me

As if sleep was ever possible for the Sacrifice

As I lay there, I suddenly rehty years past, who had learned of her situation, and had convinced one of the guards to sneak her a handful of the belladonna hidden in the Poison Garden, allowing her to end her life before she had to be Sacrificed

She'd saved herself

And da

And to be fair, Avia had done wrong

Just as I had done

Over and over

Year after year

If I took the coward's route and took my life, ould take my place?

Maeve, whose biggest ht moon circle?