Book One: The Girl (The Sanctum) Read Online Free

cowards they were, under a Sanctum Shield of the Gods. The bubble, impenetrable by Magicals, invisible to humans, protected the killers from surprise attack as they carried out their mission. It also prevented Dev from telepathically getting a clear picture of the horror taking place right under her nose.
    Her younger brother lay dead on the floor, sprawled in an awkward position, appearing to have fought valiantly but was no match for the three trained assassins and their many weapons. Arky, her best friend and constant companion, was close by and slowly dying, having been stabbed repeatedly in the chest and throat by what appeared to be poisonous Raven blades, knives used by The Sanctum to burn Magicals from the inside out. She glanced at her mother but could bear no more than that; the woman who had loved Dev endlessly and with tremendous affection lay decapitated, just steps from her brother.
    Had her mother witnessed her brother’s murder or vice versa? Is that why she screamed out with such agony and pain? Tears welled in Dev’s eyes, but she fought them back, refusing to allow those Sanctum monsters to break her.
    And then she caught sight of her father, still alive and standing before the three killers, a proud and determined look on his face. One member of the death squad was yelling something at her father; from the veins popping out of his neck, Dev could ascertain the boy was livid, but being unable to hear a word through the shield, she could not determine why. Then without warning, the boy whipped out his flamethrower and enveloped her father in fireflame, forever extinguishing the very essence of his being.
    "NO!" Dev roared in anguish as the remnants of her father crumbled to the floor. She charged the shield without a thought, some part of her knowing such effort was pointless and yet, not caring. The room became a blur as she raised her sword to the shield, her hand throbbing with Daya’s energy. She swung the sword with a force unknown, fueled by pain and rage and a burning desire to kill. As Daya made contact, a searing pain shot up Dev's arm and through to her very soul but she cared less because as her soul lay aflame so, too, did the Shield of the Gods.
    Burned to the very ground.
    Nothing separated Dev from the three killers. Nothing prevented her from exacting her revenge.
    The Sanctum warriors turned in Dev’s direction with looks of pure shock on their faces. Never had the shield been pierced, much less destroyed. Dev experienced her own moment of shock as she studied each of their faces, realizing they were little more than boys her own age. In another time and place, the four of them might have been friends. But right here and now, they were mortal enemies. Without wasting another second, Dev crossed the room in a flash and sunk her short blade into one boy while her sword pierced the chest of another. She pulled both blades up at once, killing the boys instantly. Not giving them another thought, she turned to face the only living member of the deadly trio. The boy responsible for the death of her father and most likely the one in charge of carrying out the orders to kill her family. The leader. As he turned towards Dev, his face appearing horrified at the death of his companions and then full of hatred for her, their killer, she recognized him right away: Max Breslin, future leader of The Sanctum. Someone her parents taught her to avoid at all costs. The last thing Dev intended to do was heed their warning.
    "Max Breslin, I should have known,” Dev sneered with disgust, “these unjustified and depraved acts have the marks of The Sanctum all over them."
    Without taking her eyes off the boy, Dev replaced her short blade at her hip and raising Daya with both hands, she charged, fully intending to end Max's short life with her first blow. But she was no longer fighting with the element of surprise on her side and Max braced for her attack, parrying her initial blows while getting in a few of his