When that particular clock strikes twelve for me, I’ll be ready.
Dark Judgment and his pet Sun are so blinded by their presumed victory they truly believe they’ll get to Stevie. That they’ll so much as fuckingbreatheon her, let alone bring her to harm or worse—force me to do it.
Hell, if I thought I could get to my feet right now without passing out from blood loss, Judgment would already be a pile of smoldering ash.
But again, I must wait for the right moment. One mistake, and we’ll lose everything.
“In the end, my Sun,” Judgment says now, “every last one of them will atone. Only by seeking absolution for their sins will they come to know peace. But before such peace can be granted, first theymustbe broken.”
Not fucking likely, you twisted fuck…
I force myself to continue playing the wounded warrior, waiting in silence until the echo of their footsteps vanishes into the misty dark beyond.
Certain they’re gone, I finally open my eyes and exhale a pained breath, waiting for my vision to adjust to the near-pitch blackness. Without the light of the Wand, there’s nothing but shapes and shadows as far as I can see. Yet even in darkness, everything spins. A wave of nausea rolls through my gut, and I place both palms on the cold cave floor in a vain attempt to steady myself.
My head and mouth are still bleeding. The coppery taste of it fills my senses. Pinpricks of starlight dance across my vision, reminding me of Stevie. My Star.
Right now, that’s what keeps me going.
After a few more deep breaths, I pull myself up into a sitting position, bare back pressed against the damp rock. My head slumps forward, and my stubbled chin scrapes against the charred flesh over my heart, courtesy of my hosts.
I welcome the pain. The memory of that burn. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just another torture to return in kind.
An eternity passes before the shadows around me stop spinning, and finally—Goddess,finally—my head clears enough to allow a few coherent thoughts.
One, I’m in a cave so dank and dark, the only light comes from a few moonlit cracks overhead. It’s not enough to even orient myself, let alone find my way out of this forsaken prison.
Two, I’m in rough shape. I’ve lost a lot of blood, and every part of my body that can still feel anything throbs.
No wonder they didn’t bind me. Only a fucking miracle could get me out of here now.
“Cass… Can you hear me?”
I startle at the whisper—so close I can feel its ghost on my cheek. But when I reach out, I grasp only cold air.
“Hearing things,” I mutter. “Perfect. This head injury is more serious than I feared.” I reach up to touch the back of my skull, wincing at the sharp pain. My fingers come away sticky, and another wave of dizziness barrels into me. “Fuck.Fuck!”
I’d bash my own head into the wall out of sheer frustration if I wasn’t so certain the act would kill me.
“Cass,” the call comes again, slightly louder than a whisper now. “You need to hear me. Please try.”
That voice…
It’s so faint, yet familiar. I could swear it’s…
“Ani?” My own voice cracks at the effort of speaking.
A warmth I can’t explain spreads across my shoulder, and a scent I recognize as my brother’s—not his cruel doppelgänger, but mytruebrother—drifts past.
“Goddess, Ani. Where the hell are you? I can’t see anything in this hole.”
“Cass? You can hear me? Tell me you can hear me.” The relief in his voice is palpable, and his touch solidifies on my shoulder. Before my eyes, an image of the mage I know and love flickers into view. He’s crouching beside me, a faint golden light humming around him.
“Ani? Goddess, I wasn’t sure I’d ever lay eyes on you again. I thought…” My voice trails off as I struggle to make sense of the image before me. “Why do you look so… thin?”
I reach for him, but my hand goes right through his body, leaving nothing but a warm buzz tingling across my skin.
“Insubstantial,” he says. “That’s the word you’re looking for.” Ani glances down at his chest and presses a hand to his heart. His body wavers like a warped film reel.
