The Inner Circle: Holy Spirit by Cael McIntosh Read Free Book Online

made her way along the hallway to
wish her daughter goodnight. It slithered along the ceiling,
insidious and brimming with malice. It fused with Jil-e-an’s soul
and crushed it.
    Hazel eyes burst open only to be
blinded by tears and light. The bright sun shone through a canopy
alive with birds singing and flittering about their day. The
clearing was filled with the eerie chirping of crickets and the
hushed voices of Ilgrin and El-i-miir across its length. The
knowing departed Seteal, leaving her more greatly burdened than
she’d been before.
    Grass crunched beneath her feet as she
ran across the field. The wind whipped at her face. She couldn’t
hear. She couldn’t think. Blood rushed in her ears. Seteal opened
her mouth and screamed, red-faced and consumed by rage. She slammed
bodily into Ilgrin, only to bounce off gasping as if she’d hit a
solid wall. She screamed again and beat her fists against his
chest.
    ‘ I hate you.’ She
collapsed at his feet, sobbing bitterly. ‘I hate you all. I hate
you!’
    ‘ What’ve I done now?’
Ilgrin backed up, looking from Seteal to El-i-miir in wide-eyed
astonishment.
    ‘ You killed her, you
bastard!’ Seteal cried. ‘You killed my mother!’
    ‘ I did no such
thing,’ Ilgrin said defensively.
    ‘ What the torrid is
the matter with you?’ El-i-miir snatched at Seteal’s arm, only to
be battered away as she climbed to her feet.
    ‘ You killed her.’
Seteal pointed at the silt as she slowly backed away. ‘I will never
forgive you. Never! You are evil and selfish. I hope Far-a-mael
wipes out every last one of you.’
    ‘ I don’t know what
you’re talking about!’ Ilgrin shouted, having lost all
patience.
    ‘ Let me refresh your
memory.’ Seteal gritted her teeth. ‘It was a stormy night. Your
mother was killed.’
    ‘ Who told you . . .
?’ The silt trailed off, his eyes filling with
understanding.
    ‘ There was a whisp.’
Seteal pursed her lips bitterly. ‘I hope you enjoyed having your
mother--’ Her throat closed, making her sound like a hysterical
child. ‘--because I never knew mine.’
    ‘ I’m so sorry.’
Ilgrin’s face fell as Seteal began to march away, before turning
back to face him again.
    ‘ I believed you.’ She
thrust out her arms, astonished by her own stupidity. ‘I actually
believed you were different. Well, haven’t you made a fool out of
me?’ The silt began to reply, but Seteal ignored him and continued
on her way.
    ‘ They was kissing.’
Seeol’s toes bit into Seteal’s arm as he landed with a flick of his
tail. ‘They can’t do that.’
    ‘ Oh, go away.’ Seteal
shook her arm until the owl fell into the leaf litter. ‘What do you
care?’
    ‘ I found her first,’
Seeol replied as he hopped along beside Seteal. ‘Outside the cabin
in the woods. I found her. She is mostly mine.’
    ‘ You’re speaking
nonsense,’ Seteal grumbled as she changed course abruptly, pacing
with her mind elsewhere. ‘How can she possibly be yours? You’re
just a silly little bird.’
    Choosing to engage no further in
conversation, Seeol disappeared into the treetops. Seteal was
relieved. She needed time alone with her thoughts if she was to
find any way of reconciling whether or not she could continue along
with the silt. In the end, she decided she would, mostly because
she had nowhere else to go, but also because she felt like this
Gez-reil fellow might know something about Far-a-mael--a weakness,
perhaps.
    That night, the campfire was a solemn
place. No one spoke. Not even Seeol--ordinarily rather
chatty--seemed willing to break the silence. It began to rain and
then pour in torrents. The group was forced to keep moving through
the dark. Three hours later, the situation had not been alleviated.
The rain continued to fall and Seteal noticed it rising steadily
until eventually she found herself striding through ankle-deep
water.
    Seeol clung to the front of Seteal’s
dress, his feathers having become waterlogged and his