Page 35 (1/2)
“You can tell when they need to feed because parts of their body will start to decompose Their hand will turn black Half of their face will look desiccated When their food storages run low…they invade our lands”
“Fuck…”
One hand rested on his chest, while the other supported his head “They could annihilate us, but they don’t, because they need to keep us alive—until they need to feed again”
Numb That was the best way to describe how I felt “Can they be killed?”
“Yes When they’re weak”
“So, when they’re hungry”
“Yes When they’re strong…it’s much more difficult”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Forever Long before my time”
“If you’d told me this in the castle, I wouldn’t have believed you Not when it’s not in the books in the library Not when my father never mentioned it Not when there’s never been any evidence to support such a barbaric existence at the bottom of the cliffs…”
He stared at the ceiling
“Why doesn’t everyone take the tunnel to the top of the cliffs? I don’t kno many people there are, but I’m sure there’s room for everyone”
He slowly turned his head back to me, his eyes open but lifeless “And what happens e aren’t there to feed on?”
My heart sank
“They will make it to the top of the cliff—and eat you instead”
His words were an attack oninto panic mode
“Your king has us right where he wants us We’re the barrier that stops the your lands We’re the food source that keeps theo no further We sacrifice our lives and afterlives so you don’t have to”
All I could do was breathe—in and out
He studiedevery reaction on my face
My natural instinct was to fight, to fight against anything I disagreed with, but the words remained tucked in my mouth My entire life, I’d been told that no one had ever been to the bottom of the cliffs, that no one knew if it was land or sea But in reality…it was an offering of souls Sacrilege “If we combine our forces, perhaps we could defeat them—”
“Never going to happen At least not voluntarily”
Breathe In and out In and out “Does…my father know this?”
He turned back to the ceiling
That was my answer “Ryker?”
Silence
“I can’t believe he never told me…”
“Your father has hiood”