The Coalition Episodes 1-4 by Aria J. Wolfe Read Free Book Online Page B

There was only one thing worth breaking into the Chapel for: the Book.
    That had to be it. If Sileas had broken the big Law it was punishable by Death.
    One of the Watchers must have reported Sileas for her infraction. Which meant the Leader must have sent Samael to do his dirty work.
    Rage flared. If he ever found out who had reported Sileas he'd do to them what Samael had done to her. Never had he seen something so heinous.  There had been many people attempt to touch the Book, but not one of them had been given a punishment greater than isolation or lashings.
    That meant one thing: Sileas must have stolen the Book. Another thought made his blood run cold. If someone had seen Sileas in the Chapel with the Book, they probably also witnessed her receiving his letter: the letter meant for Shai. If anyone discovered he had written that letter requesting a private meeting with Shai, he’d be exiled as a rebellious Watcher. And his plan to get Shai out of Lael would be ruined.
    How had Zev fouled up his first assignment? While Zev was giving the message to Ellersly about taking the children, he should've delivered Shai’s letter himself in spite of the risks. Of course Zev gave it to Sileas by mistake, he didn't know one girl from the other.
    Damn!
    He spat on the ground then slid off the rock. He crawled on his hands and knees to the edge of the hole then peered down into Sileas's white face. Her tangled hair looked like little black bird nests arranged around her face. She must have given a good fight.
    He searched her pockets for the letter Zev had given her but he came up empty-handed. Maybe she'd dropped it somewhere during the attack.
    The thing that bothered him the most was the look that had been permanently frozen on her face. Horror. The last face she would have seen would've been Death's.
    Her wooden tear-drop pendant lay nestled in the hollow of her neck; its chain still intact. Aliah wiped his face on his sleeve then pulled sharply on the chain, breaking it. He pocketed the pendant before pushing a waterfall of loose stones and mud into the hole. The first lump of earth hit the body with a dull thud.
    "Good night, little bird." He continued to shove dirt, mud, and river stones into the hole. He worked until sweat streamed into his eyes and the trench was mounded into a small hill. Cramps assaulted his arms and legs as he sat back on his heels, shoulders slumped.
    He took Sileas's pendant from his pocket and with a flick of his thumb he popped the top off then spilled its contents into the palm of his other hand. Only the remainder of a few pale yellow grains of a sand-like substance fell into his cupped hand. Someone had already emptied it. Maybe she'd even done it herself in an effort to die faster.
    He blew on the grains, watching as the wind whisked them away: the essence of who she was. He pushed the cap back on and shoved the pendant deep into his pocket again.
    The snapping of a branch behind him made him jump. Adrenaline surged through him. He leaped to his feet, fists curled at his sides. Waiting.
    I got the message you sent me: twenty-one missing children. Clever. The one you just buried is a message from me . The words echoed inside his head in a sharp, clear voice as though it had been audible.
    Pain sliced through his skull. He dropped to his knees, rammed his hands against his ears. "I didn't send the message to you! It was meant for the Leader of Lael! I have no fight with you!" His own words rushed out in screams and burned his throat.
    I am the only Leader of Lael. And by taking those children you've upset the balance in Lael that I've created. You've broken the Law of Life. You have twenty days left to restore it. He could feel the smile in the voice. Deliver Shai to me in Gershom, not to Elchai, before twenty days is up.
    Aliah squeezed his eyes shut. Muscle spasms seized his jaw and a dribble of blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth. He ran his tongue over the wound his teeth had made in his