AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Possibly.” Wet strands of his hair clung to the sides of his face and neck as he smiled at me.
We sat silently for a little while, lulled by the tinkling sound of the churning water. It was so peaceful here. I imagined the Vale was like this.
My stomach hollowed. “Can I…can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
I nibbled on my lower lip, struggling to ask what I wanted to know. It was not something I had allowed myself to wonder about.
“Liessa?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a reedy breath and searched for courage until I found it. “What…what will happen when I die?”
Ash’s chest rose sharply. “Sera—”
“I just want to know. Like will I be judged at the Pillars, or will my soul need the extra-special Primal of Death judgment?” I lightened my tone, even as my chest felt tighter. “Better yet, will I have to wait in line?”
He didn’t answer.
I opened my eyes to the wisps of steam whirling above the water. “I know this isn’t the greatest topic of conversation.”
“It isn’t even something you should be thinking about.”
“I try not to, but it’s hard.” My fingers curled slightly. “Especially now. I just want to know what to expect.” I sat up, facing him. “And I don’t want to hear that I don’t have to expect it.”
Ash opened his mouth.
“We both know that’s not true,” I said before he could deny it. “And knowing just a little bit will…I don’t know. Maybe it will help me.”
A glow of eather appeared behind his pupils. “Will it help? Truly?”
I…I wasn’t sure. “Perhaps knowing will make things worse. Maybe it won’t. But it can’t be worse than this.”
He turned his head, and a line of sunlight glanced off his cheekbone. “I don’t know.”
“Ash.”
“I’m serious, Sera. I cannot answer whether you will pass through the Pillars or if you’ll need to be judged in person to determine your fate.”
I started to frown. “But—”
“I know what I said before, but I cannot see what that journey will be. Just as I couldn’t see Lathan’s journey,” he shared, the glow pulsing behind his pupils. “It was hidden from me. As is yours.”
“Why?”
“The moment I considered Lathan a friend, my role in his eternal journey ended. It’s why—”
“The Primal of Death was not allowed to form bonds with another,” I murmured.
A streak of eather lashed out from behind his pupils. “Kolis told you that?”
I nodded. “If a…a bond is formed with another, the Fates balance it out by preventing the Primal of Death from knowing the journey of a soul or taking part in it.”
“Yes.”
“The Fates…” Thinking of Holland, I shook my head. “They’re bastards, aren’t they?”
His chuckle was low. “I have thought that many times.”
