Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
He smirks. “Really? What powers would this be?”
Can I show him? I ask of Micah.
Show him.
I hold out my hand and allow flames to spark in my palm.
If he’s shocked, he shows no reaction. I close my palm and extinguish the fire. Micah steps to my side. “As you can see, we need to ensure the demon cannot take what is hers.”
“There is more to this, though, isn’t there?” Lucius speculates. “What aren’t you telling me? And what do I get for helping you?”
“Your life,” I say, unable to hold back. “He’s an Archdemon.”
He pales slightly, and his gaze rockets back to Micah. “Is this true?”
“I’m afraid so. I shoved a sword through his gut, and he didn’t even bleed. He pulled it out and laughed.”
He steps closer, arms crossed in front of him, arrogance sliding away. “The Diviner can’t kill him.”
“But she can help protect Ember until we can.”
His attention shifts to me, and he studies me with the intensity of a cat about to pounce on his prey but finally says, “Go see her.” His gaze shifts back to Micah. “What is between us is irrelevant when it comes to the threat of an Archdemon. I’ll stand with you if it becomes necessary.”
Lucius inclines his chin at me and disappears.
Zeke steps to the side of one trunk, making it clear he’ll be waiting on us here, and I wonder if there is a threat I don’t understand, but I don’t ask. Micah has already captured my hand again, guiding me past the invisible gateway, and I focus on what is before us. The woods here are heavy, and the foliage a rich, thick green. A small, blue bird flutters in front of us, glittery magic sparking around its wings. The bird zooms forward, leading our way. “Have you ever been here?” I ask softly, feeling as if I must whisper, and I don’t know why.
“Yes,” Micah confirms. “That’s how I know she will want something from me.”
I don’t ask for details. It’s too late for that to matter.
We approach a weeping willow, its limbs weighted down with the flourishing of greenery, and the bird disappears beneath its shelter. We follow, dipping low to avoid hitting our heads, but once we’re inside the shelter of the tree, we’re able to stand tall in what feels like a cozy cave. An old woman with white hair sits in a chair of wicker with a high back, her eyes glowing purple, her skin shriveled, her dress gray, almost colorless. She looks at me for an unnervingly long stretch, and then her gaze shifts to Micah.
“You know what she is?”
“I know,” Micah confirms.
Her attention shifts back to me, a curiosity in the depths of that purple stare, and I wonder if there are more like her and if this is the shade of all Diviners’ eyes or just hers. “What is inside you, the evil of the serpent, will destroy you and us. What will you do if I bind it for you?”
“I’ll go to the Judgement Tree. I’ll let it free me. And when it does, I will not fail you.”
She considers me for eternal moments and then curls her fingers at me, the bones deformed with age, and I wonder how old she must be to experience such malformity. “Come to me,” she commands, and somehow, I know she wants me on my knees in front of her, and I willingly comply.
Once I’m before her, she reaches out to me, her hand steady, and she presses it to my head. I sit there like that with her for what feels like eternity all over again until finally, she pulls back. “You drink the water, but go to the tree with speed. The river cannot hold the serpent back long.” She eyes Micah. “You owe me.”
“What do you want?” he asks, as if her words are a condition to me drinking the water.
“For her to choose the light. I think you know you will be the decider, as I am the Diviner. Now go. Time is wasting.”
The bird flutters at his head, and I scramble to my feet. Micah catches my hand, and I quickly bow my head to the Diviner. “Thank you.”
I don’t give her time to reply, and I cut my gaze, fearful for some reason of what I might see there. Micah must be as well, as he hastily pulls me forward. A short walk through the woods, and we reach the clear-running river that otherwise looks like any other river, but when I kneel and scoop the water into my hands and drink, the demon screams inside me. It claws at me, and I gasp with a sharp ache in my belly.
Micah pulls me close, my back to his chest, and holds me as I quake for what feels like forever, but it must only be a minute or two. And then, it’s over. Just over. I can feel Sara shift inside me and settle down, as if she’s relaxing, as if she can relax for the first time in a very long time.