Page 2 of Torn Ivy
Josh’s eyes bore into mine. “It means you’re a wildcard, Ivy. You were meant to be Death, but you rejected the process. That has never happened before.”
“Come again? Rejected the process? How? Why? What does it signify?”
He shrugs. “This is what we don’t know, but we know it makes you special. It’s why The Syndicate ultimately wanted you, why Death has taken a special interest in you, and why we want you on our side.”
Narrowing my eyes as I attempt to process all of that, I turn to Vex. “And you? Where do you fit into all this?”
“I’m what you might call a free agent,” Vex says with a smirk. “I have my own reasons for wanting to see Death’s power diminished. Let’s leave it at that.”
I shake my head, feeling overwhelmed. “This is insane. All of it. Apart from what you have said about me, you’re telling me there’s been this secret resistance right under Death’s nose? How is that even possible?”
“Death isn’t omniscient,” Josh explains. “Powerful, yes, but not all-knowing. We’ve been careful and strategic. Biding our time.”
“And now?” I ask, a pit forming in my stomach. “Why reveal all this to me now?”
Josh and Vex exchange a look that makes me uneasy.
“Because,” Josh says slowly, “we think you might be the key to bringing Death down.”
I snort, unable to help myself. “Me? The key to bringing down Death? That’s fucking absurd.”
“Is it?” Vex asks, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve already shown an ability to resist Death’s power in ways no one else has. You’re unpredictable, uncontrollable.”
“A right pain in the arse, more like,” Josh mutters, and I give him the finger. He grins. “That’s what we need, though. A thorn in his side. A poison he doesn’t have an antidote for.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes so hard they nearly get stuck, and shake my head instead, trying to process all this information. “So what, you want me to join your little rebellion? Fight the big bad Death?”
“It’s not that simple,” Josh says, his expression growing serious. “What we’re proposing is dangerous. If we fail, the consequences would be severe.”
“More severe than being hunted by Death and The Syndicate?” I ask sarcastically.
Vex nods grimly. “Much more. We’re talking about potentially unravelling the very fabric of existence.”
I blink at him. “You’re joking, right?”
“I wish I were,” he says.
I run a hand through my hair, feeling overwhelmed. “You’re asking me to risk everything, to potentially destroy the universe, based on what? The fact that I’m some kind of cosmic glitch?”
Josh steps forward, his eyes intense. “We’re asking you to take a stand against a system that’s been oppressing our kind for millennia. To fight for freedom, not just for yourself, but for all supernatural beings.”
I laugh bitterly. “Oh, is that all? Just topple an ancient cosmic order and liberate the supernatural world. No pressure.”
“Don’t you get it, Ivy? Death is manipulating the system. He is arranging for souls to be delivered before they are ready.”
The blood drains from my face as I freeze. “What?”
“You heard me, and you know what I meant, so don’t play dumb. He has set up The Syndicate to ensure that there is a place for his underhanded techniques to get past the cosmic balance. He is cheating the system, and we aren’t standing for it anymore.”
“Wow,” I mutter. “What the fuck?” What does that make me? Complicit in this cosmic manipulation? By taking out these targets, bad guys or not, have I been completely screwing up the universal order?
“Look,” Vex says, his tone softening slightly, “we know it’s a lot to take in. But you have to understand the opportunity we have here. With your unique resistance to Death’s power, we might actually have a chance.”
I cross my arms, eyeing them both sceptically. “Resistance? He pulled me into a wacky dreamscape earlier and gave me a serious ultimatum. I wouldn’t say that was resistant to his power.”
Josh and Vex exchange another look that makes me want to smack them both.
“What was the ultimatum?” Josh asks carefully.
