Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) by Jonathan Michael (best ebook for manga txt) 📕

the gown she dons and there is a vine strung about her neck. The once beautiful, now haunting figure wisps toward me in silence. I clench down on the frayed linens covering my legs and pull them to my chest.

“You’re not real!” My voice cracks. “Mother? What are you doing?”

“What have you done to me?” she retorts.

My body tightens as the woman advances and places a hand upon my leg. It feels like ice. I’m unable to move, yet I don’t want to.

“You’re dreaming, Jaymes. Jaymes. Wake up.” Stone utters with his cold hand placed upon my thigh.

I open my eyes to find him leaning over me. Without thinking, I slap him on the cheek. “Ugh. What are you doing?” I wail.

Stone retreats with a startle but quickly produces a genuine smile. He shakes his head and ruffles my already unkempt hair. For four seasons I have tolerated his kid sister approach toward me. My lips flatten at the thought.

The robins are serenading us with their regular tune as I roll over in my bed of dried grasses. A sound once blissful to my ears, now merely a wakeup call for which I have no control over the time or volume.

“Are you ever going to fix those shutters?”

The boys ignore my jab, and each loads a bow and quiver over his shoulder and snags his rod and tackle—because they often have lame hunts. They wave farewell to me.

“Wait!” I yell before the door shuts behind them. I throw myself out of bed and stamp my feet on the ground, consequently knocking the haversack full of fruitlets to the ground that I failed to store the day prior. Several scatter and fall through the cracks that plague the floor of our crude yurt.

“What is it? What happened?” Stone rushes back into the yurt with Goose right behind him—but not with the same urgency as Stone.

“Don’t you know what today is?” Stone shows genuine concern, but I see a curse about to slip off Goose’s tongue. I wish he were within swinging distance. “It’s the Summer Solstice!” I exclaim.

“Jay…” Stone narrows his gaze.

“Such urgency. For that?” Goose adds while throwing his hands in the air.

“C’mon, Jay,” Stone continues. “You know it’s never going to be like it used to.”

“Yes it will. It’s the Summer Solstice. Let’s go into town today and experience some of the festivities. They’ll likely have a silver screen showing. Are you not excited?”

“Are you serious?” Goose mocks me.

I scowl at him and look to Stone for a more favorable response.

The silver screen is a tradition I look forward to every season. A specific legend is highlighted during each season’s festivities, my favorite being The Blacksmith, The Warrior, and The Sister, which involves three siblings, all great and wonderful from their mother’s perspective, but the sister feels belittled beneath her brothers’ great achievements. In the end, she overcomes all her obstacles, including her brothers, and becomes the heroine. There’s supposed to be some underlying metaphor about growth and summer, but all I know is the young girl was invincible. The past three festivals passed us by due to our circumstances, but I thought maybe this season, just maybe, we would be able to venture into Greenport and enjoy the silver screen. And maybe some of the pastries too.

“Of course I am. Why not?” I cross my arms and ball my fists. “Four seasons have passed, and we’ve seen no signs of the Taoiseach. Nobody is hunting us! Plus, everyone will be celebrating. They won’t be looking for some long-forgotten fugitive children. And everyone knows we didn’t do it. And look!” I point to his feet. “We can get you shoes! Maybe some for me too if we can panhandle enough. Your leftovers are wearing thin. And the callouses…” I raise my foot to my face and pick at it. “C’mon, let’s go into town. Please? I promise we won’t regret it. It’ll be fun.”

“Jay…” Stone pauses and looks at the souls of his feet.

He moves in closer, draping an arm over me. I know a sympathetic no is to follow.

“…you know we can’t. As soon as we let our guard down, that is when they will find us. It’s too dangerous. It’s to protect you.”

“This forest is more dangerous than the Taoiseach!” I tense and pull away. “You’re only two seasons older than me, Stone. You don’t have to continue acting like my father. I want my brother back. The immature brother of seventeen seasons, the adventurous brother, the fun brother, the experimental brother, the brother you use to be before mother and father were killed.”

“We don’t know that for sure.” He breaks eye contact and stares at the floor.

We both know they’re dead, but Stone won’t admit it to me or himself. I press the matter harder. “Yes, we do. They’re dead, Stone. Just like Elder. We’re not all going to end up like them, you know.”

“Dammit, Jay!” He shouts at me.

I falter and step backward. It’s not often I fear Stone, but his tight jaw and harsh squint are signs of genuine loathing. I don’t know if It’s directed at me or if it’s a self-loathing, but I know I’ve gone too far.

Knowing we’ve landed at a redundant argument, I change the topic. No need to press it further. I’d prefer to make the best of my Summer Solstice. “Fine. If we’re not going into town, then I’m coming with you on your hunt.”

“No way!” Goose silences me with a nasty glare. “You’re a dainty girl. What if we manifest the kill of our lives, a Creature of the Night? What will you do then? You said it yourself, this forest is too dangerous.”

I rush him, but he corrals me and holds me tight. My skin flushes. Knowing my actions are childish and won’t prove my