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"We&039;re here to save you," I told Kristoff, the strange cal despite the terrible vision of him covered in his own blood

"I knew you would coures spoke He pushed back his hood It was, as I suspected, Frederic "I knew you would not be able to refuse the light Seize them"

The two hooded people headed for us, but Alec whipped out a gun "Touch her, and you die," he warned theht," I started to say, but when I reached out to stop hi hi several feet until he sers of stone

"Holy Jehoshaphat," I cried, and would have run to hiled, knocking the hood off the person, revealing the rather square face of a blond woh, and quickly twisted one ofher other hand to press down on my throat in a manner that could easily disrupt airflow

The other person, a man, reached Alec

"If you hurt hi a futile effort to get free

"There is no sense in struggling, Zorya Pia Greta is a ian military" Frederic strolled over to where Alec lay prone He poked hiasped in horror The side of Alec&039;s face and neck was a bloody pulp, as if the flesh had been od - did I do that?"

"It is the cleansing power of the light," Frederic answered, sauntering over to where I was held by Greta

"Should I bring hi from Alec to Frederic

"Not yet We will attend to this one first, then deal with him My dear, you do us proud" Frederic stopped in front ofme a benevolent smile "Only un to wield the light We are pleased"

I blinked back tears as I dragged aze from where Alec lay in a bloody heap to the ht after all? Was I going to be nothing but a tool to destroy innocent people?

I closed my eyes for a moment, too sickened by what I had done to be able to face anyone, but I knew I couldn&039;t hide from the truth "Let justice roll down like waters"

Frederic raised his eyebrows "How very apt, although I believe ill let it flow as light" He stepped back, indicating Kristoff "And here is your first opportunity to see that justice done We will begin the cleansing cerehtly His face was in shadow, but his eyes gloith an intensity that burned The accusation in the the worst ofhis friend

I looked fro in front ofto the very depths of my soul that I would rather die than allow myself be used to harm anyone "I won&039;t cleanse anyone Kristoff doesn&039;t deserve that, nor does Alec"

Kristoff looked stunned for a couple of seconds

"You really should have more faith in me," I told hi

"Doesn&039;t deserve it?" For a moment, the mild, pleasant expression on Frederic&039;s face cracked, and rage unlike anything I&039;d ever seen showed through I would have taken a step back, but Greta held me immobile

Frederic leaned his face into mine and hissed, "He killed one of your own people He killed one of your brothers in the light, apparently before your very eyes How can you say he doesn&039;t deserve justice for that?"

"He killed in self-defense, and in defense of me," I answered "I am sorry that one of your people died, but perhaps he shouldn&039;t have been so quick to try to kill us"

"Do you bla you for one sy at Kristoff

"I blas, but most of all for intolerance I won&039;t do it," I repeated, shaking my head "I will not kill for you"

Frederic held out his hand "Mikael?"

The other un

Frederic pointed it directly at ood," I said with a brave little laugh that I didn&039;t feel in the least "What are you going to do, shoot your own Zorya? I&039; that"

"There are, as a matter of fact," Frederic said, a sour look on his face "There is nothing that says we cannot hurt you, however So long as we don&039;t actually kill you, ould not be in violation of the laws that govern us"

"What&039;s a little torture between friends, eh?" I said with forced lightness "Well, try this on for size - there is nothing you can do that will change my mind I would rather die than harm anyone else"

He must have seen the truth in my eyes, must have heard the absolute conviction in ure who eun

"Difficulties?" the figure asked, the hoodchi inI was momentarily startled - the voice that spoke was definitely feot a whole lot louder

"We are honored by your presence Light bless you"

"And you, brother" The woman stood next to one of the spikes of stone that marked where a wall had once stood "I see the ritual is completed"

"It is But the Zorya is reluctant to assuentle chastisement

Gentle, my ass If anyone here was a ive us any trouble" The woman&039;s hand rose and swept back the hood A ed mine "Not holier-than-thou Pia Not when her friend&039;s life is at stake"

"Denise," I said, both surprised and, at the same time, oddly not surprised to see her "So that you should be head honcho in a group of self-righteous, intolerant wack jobs"

She smiled and moved out from behind the rock a few feet I was about to continue when I saw that she, too, held a gun and it was pointed directly at a wo rin "Guess who I ran into on the way over here"

I stared at her in du sideways at Denise "You were right I should have stayed out of it"

"It&039;s too late for apologies," Denise said, yanking Magda in front of her "I should have gotten rid of you two thorns in , looked froht I did She&039;s a roup"

He rounded on Denise "You have been in Dalkafjordhur and you did not alert us?"

"Be quiet! You forget to whom you speak!" Denise snapped

Frederic took a step toward her, gesturing with the gun, clearly baffled "But you are the Zenith You should have notified us that you were co had we known you were here - "

"It would have changed nothing," she snarled "I do not have to explain my plans to you You are here to see that they are carried out, nothing more Do you understand, brother!"

The e to randizedchewed out in front of others

"As the Zenith co his head in a jerky concession of sublimpse of his face - he was furious

No could I use that to get us out of this horrible situation?

"Just so you understand the situation, Pia - if you do not, in the next thirty seconds, begin the ritual of cleansing on this repulsive speci off parts of your friend Perhaps after witnessing her torment you&039;ll rethink your foolish stand If you still refuse after we&039;ve hacked her to pieces, I&039;ll kill you"

"You can&039;t killdespite da She seeht, a door in e that leftI want"

"Including killing the previous Zorya? It was you, wasn&039;t it? You killed Anniki"

Her expression never changed, but surprise flashed in Frederic&039;s eyes

"You killed our Zorya?" he asked

She norant fool, and impure to boot She deceived us with a façade of piety, and ere all taken in But I sensed so, and it was - she was ready to betray us, betray the entire Brotherhood by helping the Dark Ones Once I found out the truth, I knehat had to be done"

I was silent, reht of truth that had shown in Anniki&039;s face the night we spoke together in the caf¨¦ Her absolute conviction was not an act, as Denise would have

"But to kill her without letting us know first?" Frederic&039;s eyes stood out against the pallor of his skin "We deserved to know"

"Do not even think of telling me how to do my job," Denise snapped at him "It is ainst those ould drag us down Your duty - every member&039;s duty - is to protect the order at all costs"

Frederic&039;s jaw tightened He didn&039;t like what he was hearing, and I didn&039;t blaface "She wasn&039;t like that She believed in what she was doing She was happy and excited about being a Zorya, about doing what she clearly thought was some way to better the world She was not a traitor to your cause, however wrong it is"

"You are just like her," Denise pronounced, sending me a look of pure, venomous hatred "Only you do not hide your taint behind pretended piety But we knohat you are now, and ill take steps to cleanse the darkness out of you as ill your friends"

"Friends into whose ar the stupid bet she&039;d forced me to accept "You knew they were vanized theht of letting them have that little bint Anniki, but it was much easier to just silence her myself especially since it would implicate you in her death"

"You didn&039;t have to kill her - "

"Silence!" Denise raged, jerking Magda forward a few feet "You exist solely at , not worth the tiet rid of her, but I did it so that the order would be stronger"

"You&039;re absolutely insane," I said,with horror at the wonized the , so true "You killed a sweet, innocent wo your precious group"

Her eyes narrowed on me "The Brotherhood is all that ht"

My stoht between a h of this" Denise nodded toward Frederic "Start the ritual I don&039;t have tiestured to the other two un fro up her hood to join Mikael as they stood at the head and feet of Kristoff Their voices started a low, singsong chant that Frederic joined in as soon as he pulled a wicked-looking knife froht of the blade as it glinted in the light I cast "Pia?"

"It&039;s all right Just stay callanced at Kristoff He lay mute, his body stretched taut, as still as if he was already dead His clothing bore long gashes, testimony to the fact that Frederic was not hesitant to use the knife he held so nonchalantly I sed back a knot innausea at the proof of Frederic&039;s savagery,with Kristoff&039;s for a moment that seemed to stretch to an eternity

His eyes were filled with neither a plea nor condemnation He simply watched me with interest, as if I was soh-poweredhtly, and I saw his Adam&039;s apple bob "None," he finally said