Читати книгу - "Secrets of the Ancient Estate, Kyuriym"

“What are you doing here, Alice?” Sam demanded, his voice steady despite the tension coiling in his gut.

Alice smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it. “I could ask you the same question, but I think we both know the answer.”

Sam took a step toward her, his mind racing. “You’re part of this, aren’t you? The society. You’ve been involved from the beginning.”

Alice’s smile widened, but it was a smile devoid of any humanity. “It was never supposed to get this far. Andrew was meant to be the last. The rituals were supposed to end with him.”

“But something went wrong,” Sam pressed. “Didn’t it?”

Alice’s smile faltered, her eyes flashing with something that resembled anger. “Andrew disappeared before the final ritual could take place. He ran away. Coward.”

“So you killed Mrs. Taylor?” Sam asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Alice’s expression hardened. “She was going to tell you everything. She was weak. The others knew what had to be done to protect the village.”

“The village?” Sam scoffed. “This isn’t about protecting the village. This is about power. Control.”

Alice’s eyes blazed with fury. “You don’t understand. You’re an outsider. You don’t know what it’s like to live in a place like this, where the past controls the present. The society exists to protect the village, to keep the darkness from consuming us all. The Coltons made a deal, and we’ve honored that deal for centuries.”

Sam shook his head, his heart pounding. “And how many more people have to die before it’s enough?”

Alice didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped closer, her voice lowering to a whisper. “It’s never enough, Detective. That’s the truth of it. The blood debt can never be repaid. But we do what we must.”

Before Sam could respond, Alice moved with startling speed, pulling a small knife from her coat and lunging toward him. Sam barely had time to react, stepping back and knocking over a chair in the process. The knife sliced through the air, missing him by inches.

Sam grabbed the chair and swung it at Alice, knocking the knife from her hand and sending her stumbling backward. She crashed into the wall, her eyes wide with shock and fury.

“You’re not going to stop me,” she hissed, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead. “The ritual will happen, with or without Andrew.”

Sam didn’t wait for her to recover. He grabbed her by the arm and forced her to the ground, pinning her beneath him. Alice struggled, but Sam was stronger. He wrestled the knife away from her and tossed it across the room.

“You’re under arrest,” Sam growled, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and snapping them onto her wrists. “For the murder of Mrs. Taylor and for your role in this conspiracy.”

Alice glared up at him, her eyes burning with hatred. “You think arresting me will stop this? You’re too late, Detective. The blood moon is coming, and the society won’t rest until the debt is paid.”

Sam stood, hauling Alice to her feet. He dragged her outside, where the wind howled through the trees, the moon casting a pale glow over the village. As he led her toward the road, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Alice was right—that this was far from over.

But at least now, he had a name. And with Alice in custody, Sam had a chance to stop whatever was coming.

Back at the estate, Sam locked Alice in one of the rooms and called the local constable to come and take her into custody. The wheels of justice were in motion, but Sam knew that this was just the beginning. The society was still out there, watching his every move, waiting for the blood moon to rise.

As Sam sat in his room, staring out at the night sky, he felt the weight of the mystery pressing down on him. He had uncovered the truth behind the Colton family’s curse, but the danger was far from over. The society was still pulling the strings, and Lord Andrew was still missing.

And somewhere in the shadows, the blood moon was rising, bringing with it the promise of more death, more darkness.

Sam knew that the final confrontation was coming. The pieces of the puzzle were in place, but the game wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.

End of Chapter 6.

Chapter 7: Confronting the Shadows

The day of the blood moon arrived shrouded in heavy clouds, as if the world itself was bracing for what was to come. Sam stood at the window of his room in the Colton estate, staring out at the ominous sky. The air felt thick, as though the coming night was pulling something dark and ancient to the surface. The weight of the investigation, of the lives already lost and those still at risk, bore down on him.

Alice’s arrest had rattled the village, but Sam knew the fight wasn’t over. She had admitted her involvement, but there were still others—members of the secret society who had orchestrated the curse, who had manipulated the Colton family for generations. They were still out there, watching and waiting for the blood moon to rise, for the final ritual to take place.