Craig had to admit it took courage to be only three feet tall and stand up to him as if it would change anything. Or perhaps the kid knew it was pointless but still had enough pride in him to do it, anyway.

Pride was worthless. Craig had given it up ages ago to survive in their cursed world.

“Kid,” Craig said, “your brother’s going to Telos Mountain, like his parents agreed, to get sacrificed just like hundreds of people have before him.”

Because the Gods had destroyed the world and abandoned them, leaving humanity to deal with the decaying environment themselves. Sacrificing the weaklings to the planet was the only thing reversing the damage so far, and smarter people had tried hundreds of other things.

“We need him!” the boy cried.

And hell. There were tears in his eyes. If he had not seen it so many times already, he might have felt something other than boredom.

Craig sighed. He looked at the men he had left on their horses a few feet away, and he jerked his head toward the boys. The men nodded, and they climbed off their horses. They, who were not much bigger or taller than Craig but enough to be frightening to a child, approached the boys.

The healthier, older boy gathered his sickly brother in his arms, but the men were there before he could run with him. Strong men pulled them away from each other, and both wept as they struggled. Craig and the men left with the offered sacrifice.