Dance of Ashes and Smoke (Age of Monsters Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

Dark ones of stabbing the sorceress over and over, laughing as she bled out, painted with the same red as my parents. I wanted her dead. I needed her dead.
    I wouldn’t stop until she was dead.
    And it needed to be before she ferreted out any of the Uprising members.
    Because if someone got killed because of it, I’d never forgive myself.

 

     
    M arie canceled the next morning’s Uprising meeting, unwilling to chance us being seen together. We avoided each other, not wanting to give any evidence of anything other than our tedious lives. Liv and I went to our performance as usual, my wounds wrapped with a scarlet ribbon the same color as my dress.
    On our walk home through the fresh, snow-covered streets, we stopped at the coffee shop to warm up with the rare treat of real coffee. Avoiding the eyes of the monsters there filling up on their strange love of caffeine, we grabbed a spot on a love seat in the corner, keeping our backs to the wall.
    We couldn’t talk about anything real here—any stray word would kill us, but it was still nice to sit in the warm coziness of the corner and pretend for a moment we were two nineteen-year-old girls there for a break between classes.
    “I think I need to practice that song more. I messed up a couple times tonight.”
    I took a sip of coffee, starting as it burned off a few taste buds. “I didn’t notice anything.”
    Liv preened. “I covered well of course, but it wasn’t Julliard quality.”
    Her reminder sent us into a depressed silence. Julliard accepted us both, surprising because we came from the same town, and they accept so few across the country.
    Our lives were supposed to be filled with music, culture, and exploring our favorite city. Then it had been snatched away just before our fingers reached it.
    Sometimes, the reminder made it hard to breathe.
    “I was actually thinking about a new song I’d like to add to our lineup.” I slipped my phone from the pocket of my jacket, scrolling through until I found the song and handed it to her.
    She stuck the earbuds in and clicked play, her eyes closing as she listened to my new favorite song by Skylar Grey. Was the talented musician dead? Or had her wealth kept her safe, hidden in a bunker?
    Music pumped from the buds and I pictured the choreography of the dance I wanted for the song. I already knew each step, each movement, each sweep of my arm.
    And it was a beautiful dance, even performed for monsters.
    Liv yanked out the buds and handed my phone back, eyes shining. “That’s beautiful and I definitely think I can play that. I’ll get with the drummer and we’ll work it out. Do you have a dance for it?”
    I bounced in my seat. “I do. My best one yet, I think.”
    She smiled. “Good. I’m bored of doing the same routines.”
    I took another hesitant sip of my coffee, finally able to drink it without injury. “Me too.”
    We were quiet for a few minutes as we searched for a safe topic of conversation. Unfortunately, she found one I wasn’t too interested in.
    “Have you seen that guy since the other night?”
    Not wanting to say his name here, I played it coy. “You mean the one who fancies himself some kind of doctor?”
    She giggled. “Yep.”
    “No. And I have no wish to.”
    She giggled even harder. “That’s too bad because, well, he just walked in.”
    I spun around to the side, eyes wide, and she was right. There he stood, in line for coffee. Or probably some sort of herbal tea.
    I straightened, keeping my eyes averted and hissed at her. “Stop staring. The last thing we need is for him to come over here.” I also meant he could let something reckless slip. He hadn’t seemed too bright while he’d stood there holding a weapon and not using it in the park. I was nowhere near ready to forgive that.
    Though I admitted, the work he’d done on my hands almost made up for it.
    Before I could stop her, Olivia waved him over and he sauntered over with a familiar swagger and smirk. I groaned under