across her nose to her chin. A brilliant white light gleamed from within. Nathaniel’s bow hit the ground with a thud. The left side of Sura’s face broke away from the rest, toppling with painful slowness past her torso. A second crack appeared, running down her chest from shoulder to hip and glowing even brighter than the first.

“God No,” he said aloud.

A final crack raced down the carving’s legs towards the ground. A jarring blow struck Nathaniel’s mind like a strike across the head. He fell to his knees, the floor of the sanctuary and the sea of elders disappearing from view beneath the line of the parapet. He felt his hands clenching over his stomach as he looked up through blurred eyes. The left side of Sura’s face fell out of view, and behind it fell a fine r...

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