Chapter 388: Kill For The Lies
"People needed hope," Carter replied smoothly. "And I gave it to them."
"You pissed on them and told them it was raining," Tank drawled from near the door. "And now you’re doing the same thing here."
Carter shifted on the mat. "The gods—"
"Are dead," whispered Dante, the smile on his face promising pain. "We killed them. Ripped their hearts out and the jungle ate what was left."
He stared at me, swallowing hard. "Impossible. They gave me visions. They told me—"
"No," Dante cut in, his voice like a blade even as he barked out a laugh. "You are so pathetic that you actually started to believe your own lies. You’re not a prophet. You’re a leech. You stole the memories and ideas from something you didn’t understand, and now you’re clinging to whatever scraps are left, hoping these people won’t notice you’re a fraud."
Carter licked his lips. "I kept them alive. Without those sacrifices, how would they have enough food for the rest to live? Supplies are running out, it’s a fact. Those who died did it to make sure that their loved ones continued to live on."
"You enslaved dem with fear ’n fed dem to the little beasties outside," Désiré whispered, each word slicing through the incense like a scalpel. "We know what you are. You can fool humans. But you can’t fool us. ’N guess what? Dem beasties now ’ave a taste of human flesh..."
Silence fell in the room, thick and pressing.
Then I stepped forward, gently reaching out to touch one of the bone totems dangling from the ceiling. It turned to dust under my fingers.
"You knew I was coming," I said lightly, spinning on my heel to face him. "You saw it, didn’t you? In your visions? I mean, that is what you said." I blinked my eyes innocently as I wiped my fingers on Rhys’ shirt.