Tonight, they celebrated her granddaughter’s sixteenth birthday. An adult by the standards of the ancients. Now, the river spirit demanded its sacrifice for the deal that Marie had made.
“Annalise?” Marie’s voice cracked with emotion. “Can you fetch some water?”
“Of course.”
Marie watched her leave before calling to her granddaughter. “Let’s go inside.”
Neither of them needed to hear the screams. Her granddaughter may be an adult, but Marie would watch over her and her daughters after her. She’d protect them all until they came of age and their mother had to be sacrificed so Marie could live on.
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