Page 48 of Wicked Ties
Astrid began to back away. “What are they doing here?”
I pressed my hands to my pockets, feeling the bottles housing their daughters’ souls. “They’re looking for the bottles.”
Debris flew across the field toward us. Tilly grabbed my arm and shoved me away. “RUN!”
We all took off running in the opposite direction of the area where those two are about to collide. Pieces of wood shot across the field like arrows. We ducked and dodged, running for our lives. Lightening streaked the dark sky, and the wind sounded like a freight train hurtling through the garden. A pillar of darkness fell in front of me, and I couldn’t stop running. “Shit.”
I put my shoulder down and ran harder. Blackness consumed me, and I saw nothing. It was like standing in a sightless, soundless room. There was no beginning and no end. I pumped my arms and ran harder, flying out the other end. Tilly was right behind me, keeping pace with my speed. When I looked to my right and left, I saw the others also running through jutting pillars of dark and shadows. A stone bird bath rolled across the garden and Liesin cursed.
“What the hell?”
They collided together and the earth quaked under my feet. I lost my balance and stumbled forward, barely catching myself. Tilly jumped in the air, holding the book with one hand and righting me with the other.
“Keep going!”
There was no plan, there was no fighting back. These were two titans doing battle over the bottles in my pocket. All I could do now was hold onto my ass and keep going in hopes of surviving. A tree trunk tumbled over the ground toward us, bouncing every few feet. As it got closer, I didn’t know if I had to duck or jump. The sound of splitting wood filled the air and I grabbed Tilly and tucked her into my side, covering her head and shoving her down. Branches of that tumbling tree scratched the top of my head and ripped through the back of my shirt, scratching my back.
The darkness crept in closer to us, and I got back to my feet and began running again. Up ahead, vines rose from the ground making a topiary in the shape of a woman. The leaves wound together and changed color, going from leafy green to deep rich tan. Long flowing dark hair fell from the top of her head all the way down to her waist. She wore long leather pants and a leather vest.
“Persephone move!” Liesin waved her away just as she appeared.
She tipped her head back, looking over our shoulders. Her deep amber eyes widened, and I glanced over my shoulder, only to see the entire field being uprooted by a wave that blacked out the sky. It was darkness and wind filled with dirt and debris.
It began to curl over us, ready to drag us all under.
Persephone threw her arms up, screaming, “Everyone down!”
CHAPTER 21
TILLY
I grabbed onto Maze and curled my body into his at the same time he threw his arms around me and pulled me close to his chest. I expected the wave of darkness and destruction to decent upon us like death. I expected to lose myself and everyone else. Yet, sweet music filled my ears and golden wheat tickled my skin through the holes in my pants. Flowers sprung up all around and us and threaded through the fields of gold.
“Where are we?”
Persephone cleared her throat. “Elysian fields.”
“I’m sorry about your garden.” Liesin was just as disheveled as the rest of us with his hair sticking out in weird knots everywhere and dirt covering his face. “She brought them there.”
“Is there ever like a point in your life when you aren’t a tattletale to your parents?” Nova pulled her gloves tighter up her arms then shoved her hair out of her face.
“Least he wasn’t diddling with a maid,” Grayson muttered under his breath.
Nova shot him a look but said nothing while Liesin continued to glare at her. “Diddling the maid?”
“Shut up.”
Persephone shook her head as shivers ran over her body. “Those two have had marital problems forever. Wasn’t it daylight? They just erupt darkness everywhere they go.”
Everyone around me nodded. “Yup.”
Liesin glanced to his mother. “Shouldn’t we call someone?”
“Like a giant?” Soto chuckled. “Giants might be able to kill them. But I’m not sure. It’d be fun to watch.”
Persephone groaned and opened her phone. She hit the numbers quickly and put it on speaker. It rang once and there was a deep male voice on the other end of the line. “Helloooooo, flower lady.”
She cleared her throat, “Hi Mika, it’s me, Persephone. Listen, Erebus and Nyx are at it. You have to do something before it erupts further.”
