Free A Circle of Crows by Brynn Chapman Page B

again—or was it a panic attack?—and sweat broke out over her forehead while her heart began to race wildly. She was thinking of the tea trolley in her room which housed her stash of alcohol...
    "Bella?!” she called as she ran toward her younger sister.
    As she reached the top of the hill, she almost ran over her sisters, who stood huddled together halfway down the embankment.
    Whichever way they turned to look, the entire hillside was full of bird nests, literally thousands of them. Rachael stood holding one in her hand. As Rae approached, she could see Rachael was trembling.
    Inside the nest were broken eggs and ... small children's toys; a jack, a superball, ribbons and ... Rachael held up a small bone, which Rae surmised was the size of a child's finger.

Chapter 18
    Mount Morte'
    The train of covered wagons clambered down the dirt road. The children were packed tight inside them and the queen's guards raced up and down the procession on horseback, just like border collies herding their flock. Fifteen guards, Morgana counted as she poked her head out the back of the wagon.
    Colin road up and back, checking to be sure everything was in order. Christian rode behind the train long enough to get Colin's attention.
    As Christian rode alongside Colin, he whispered, “The men faithful to the rebellion are ready. I held a meeting before we departed. They await your word to begin the uprising."
    "We will have to be patient; only half the men on this expedition are loyal to us. The time must be right to free the children. We must not reach Mount Morte', or I fear all may be lost."
    "You have seen the beast on previous journeys, sir?"
    Colin's lips set in a thin line, pressed so tightly they became white. “Yes, I have. A sight I shall carry to my end. Hyde they call it. I have not witnessed the sacrifices, as I would surely have lost my own soul to attempt to prevent it. One man is insignificant to this cause. We will need as many as we are able to recruit to make the slightest bit of difference."
    "Do fifty children go each time?"
    "No, in the beginning, the beast was satisfied with twenty or so, and that would hold him at bay from scorching the earth and farmlands. But he is getting greedy and lazy and demands more each passing year."
    In his memory, Colin returned to the day of their abduction and the face of his dear mother as she screamed while Hyde laid siege upon their cottage and all those nearby. Colin's brother had been inside, and his mother fought her husband as he restrained her from entering the burning house to save her son. Colin could see his sister, barely five, running out of the door as her skirt caught fire and she began to howl in pain. Colin, the eldest child at fifteen, flew to his sister's aid and rolled with her on the earth to extinguish the flames while his mother's screams echoed in his head.
    "He came through the time doorway then? Like all the outlanders we see?"
    Christian's voice brought him out of his reverie. Hatred, cold and steely rose in his chest.
    "That's what the lore reports. That he burned everything in sight and was undefeatable, with scales as hard as diamonds, then he would fly away when cornered. The queen struck a deal with the beast after she discovered The Dark Book . It is said to have taught her how to communicate with it. And then the sacrifices began ... When I was a lad, my own da died trying to defeat it. He knew we would never be safe till it was slain."
    "We have all heard the stories of your father, sir. He was of stout heart."
    "Christian, there is one more important thing you need to know about the beast. Its eyes. They are yellow, but it can smell a person's soul, who they are, their countenance. Its eyes will change colors, indicating it is about to attack. They will be black if it deems a person unfit to consume; scarlet if it deems the soul pure, and it has been legend that when its eyes turn emerald green, it is gazing upon a soul so pure, it would add many