Sign of the Devil's Footprint [THE DEVILS CULT BOOK 1]

Chapter Twenty

They were close to the God's Territory border. Where once stars shone brightly in the sky was now covered by dark clouds. Melora took a deep breath as her heart plummeted. The dark clouds weren't clouds. The smell of heavy smoke filled her nostrils. She looked up at Grym and noticed his body tensing.

"Look," Grym motioned in front of them. Melora turned her head back and saw orange moving in the distance. Grym clicked his tongue, causing the horse to move faster.

Melora's body was tight, her muscles clenched together as they came up to a gruesome scene. She covered her nose with her shirt, hoping to block out the smell of burning flesh. Spikes covered the side of the road leading up to the village with people on them. Melora felt as if whoever did this was playing a cruel joke as he lined each person along the side of the road. Flames still danced over the bodies, providing an eerie light.

"Fucking hell," Grym cursed as they moved further into the village.

Not wanting to wait until he stopped, Melora jumped off the horse. She ran into the village, praying to whichever god would listen that someone was still alive. She clenched her teeth as she looked around the town, running from house to house, business to business, trying to find someone alive. Her heart fell again, and tears threatened to drop from her eyes when she saw no one. She made her way back to Grym, feeling defeated.

Melora hoped they could warn anyone in the Gods Territory not to travel outside their borders, but she was wrong. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the work of the Devil's Footprint. She had thought that they would never set foot across this border. They hadn't before.

Grym ran his hand through her hair before pulling her to him. "I didn't find anyone." His voice was tired. They were both over this cult and their murders.

Melora covered her mouth and nose, trying to alleviate the stench of burnt flesh. She couldn't help but feel defeated as she looked around her. The way flames still licked across the ground, houses, and even the bodies that still lay on the ground, the cult was just here a couple of hours ago. Melora was the best at her job back in the Eclipse Sanctum. She hated the fact that she wasn't able to stop the cult from murdering anyone else.

"We need to keep moving," Grym stated as he began to drag her back over to his horse. "We've got to stop this fucking cult," he growled.

Melione continued to look around her as she let Grym put her back on the horse. "You don't say," she answered dryly.

Grym huffed as he got onto the horse behind her. "Melione," he sighed. "Don't start." He clicked the reins, having the horse move quicker than before.

Melione leaned back against Grym's chest. Grym rode over the border and into the Burning Providence. Melione thought the Burning Providence would instantly change scenery when they crossed the border, but she was wrong. The view around them was still green and full of life. Nothing like the stories had taught her.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck raised. Something was wrong; she could feel it. She leaned forward slightly, looking around them. Melione didn't see anything out of sorts but knew someone was watching them. "Grym," she warned silently.

Grym clicked the reins again. "I know," he whispered. "I feel it, too."

A sharp pain shot through her neck. Her eyesight blurred as her head felt weak. She could hear Grym speaking behind her but couldn't understand what he was saying. He sounded far away from her. Melione fell off the horse and hit the ground hard. Her eyes felt heavy, and all she wanted to do was succumb to the darkness trying to surround her, but she still tried hard to stay awake.

The last thing that she saw before blacking out was a long black robe stalking toward her and a deep voice laughing. "You got so close."