God of Malice

Content Warning: This section features discussions of sexual violence and harassment, rape, ableism, mental illness, death by suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm, animal cruelty and death, substance use, addiction, graphic violence, sexual content, cursing, illness and death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

After her call with Astrid, Glyndon sneaks down to the kitchen for a cup of tea, where she finds Reina doing the same. Gathering her courage, Glyndon asks Reina about an incident that Killian and Gareth mentioned, when seven-year-old Killian brought his parents a skinned rat. Killian thinks his mother has been afraid of him since; however, Reina says she could never fear her son, though she’s afraid of what he can do. Glyndon feels hopeful for Killian when Reina says she’ll talk to him about this. After Reina leaves, Glyndon receives a text with a video attachment from an unknown number. The video is of Devlin’s initiation into the Heathens, and in it a man in a red mask she knows must be Killian asks Devlin (who has struggled with suicidal ideation), “How about you drop dead?” (378). Killian appears behind Glyndon and doesn’t give a clear response when she asks him if he was the one in the mask.