Chapter 5: Chains and Choices

"Then never mind." I sighed. No matter how much I wanted to see Michael, I wasn’t about to drag someone else down with me.

"But the head elder just gave me a feather token to pick up supplies in Silver Hollow."

Olivia cleared her throat, pretending to be all business, and waved a pale golden feather in front of my nose.

My eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

After we finished the errands, Olivia snuck me over to Silver Hollow, where Michael was stationed.

When we arrived, Michael was in the middle of driving his sword through a great demon’s heart.

Hot blood sprayed across my boots. I stumbled back, dizzy from the metallic tang.

So demon blood is red, too. Who knew?

Olivia grabbed my arm. "Autumn, you okay?"

I shook my head, trying to clear the spinning.

As she died, the great demon didn’t look at the sword in her chest—she just gazed, heartbreakingly, in one direction.

I followed her eyes and spotted a five-year-old boy.

2

He was still wrapped in broken chains, staring blankly at the demon’s body as it crumpled, like he couldn’t process what had happened. Only a dry, cracked whisper left his lips.

"Mom..."

Michael yanked his sword, Grace, from the demon’s chest with zero emotion, then turned it on the boy.

"Don’t hurt him!"

I lunged toward the kid, but a binding spell dropped on me from above, freezing me in place.

"It’s dangerous, stay back." Michael’s voice was cool, his blade already at the boy’s throat.

The binding spell lifted and I crashed to the ground, knees stinging.

But my anger flared, hot and wild.

Just then, a frail woman, clutching her chest, staggered from the red door on the left.

"Those two demons slaughtered all thirty-seven members of my Williams family. Michael, you’ve avenged us. Thank you."

Through the half-open door, I glimpsed blood everywhere—walls, floors, even the ceiling.

My rage fizzled, replaced by a heavy, sick feeling.

Snapping back to reality, Olivia hurried to help me up. "Michael always has his reasons. He wouldn’t do anything without a good cause. Let’s head back, Autumn."

The day after we returned to St. Gabriel’s, Michael showed up, bringing Christine Williams with him.

He took her to the infirmary for treatment, then stopped by my place with a handful of healing elixirs, personally patching up my bruised elbows and knees.