Page 25 of Torn Ivy
“You saw what happened out there,” I argue. “When we worked together, supported her instead of trying to contain her power, it responded to us, through her.”
“Yeah, this time,” Bram mutters. “But what about next time? What if we’re not there to help?”
The thought sends a chill down my spine. As much as I hate to admit it, he has a point. “Then we make sure we are there. All of us.”
“And Death?” Torin asks. “What happens when he finds out just how powerful she’s become? You think he’s going to let someone with that kind of power just walk around freely?”
“He already knows,” a voice says from the doorway. We turn to see Cathy standing there, her expression grim. “Why do you think he’s so desperate to either control her or take her soul? This power is beyond anything even he could’ve expected.”
“What do you mean?” I demand.
Cathy sighs, moving further into the kitchen. “We have learned from the texts Bram gave Josh that Death was once like Ivy. He rejected the power, but instead of making him safe from it, it chose him. The same is said for Ivy. Now, I believe that Death didn’t get this far. He failed before he could. Ivyis remarkable. She is something truly unique. She’s not just channelling chaos - she’s becoming chaos incarnate.”
“So you’re saying that Ivy has been chosen to become Death?” I venture.
“Yes.”
“And that she is chaos? Chaotic Death on the loose?”
“Potentially.”
The implications of that statement hang heavy in the air. I think about how natural it felt when our magick combined, how right it seemed. “Is that why our power helps stabilise hers? Because we’re her anchors somehow?”
“Possibly,” Cathy nods. “Your connection to her seems to help her focus on the chaos rather than being consumed by it.”
“So what do we do?” Bram asks.
“We can never leave her alone,” I mutter.
“But what if we aren’t enough?” Torin’s voice is quiet but intense. “What if she loses control again, and we can’t help her?”
I meet his gaze steadily. “Then we deal with that if it happens. But I won’t give up on her. I can’t.”
The fated mark on my chest flares hot in agreement. My connection to Ivy goes beyond logic or reason - it’s soul-deep, unshakeable.
“None of us will,” Bram says after a moment. “This is a lot, but it makes no difference to how we feel about her.”
Torin nods slowly. “Fine. But we need a better plan than just hoping for the best. We need to understand this power better.”
“Vex reckons he can help with that,” I grudgingly admit. “If he finds anything useful at MistHallow, then all good.”
“Speaking of Vex,” Bram states, eyes narrowed. “What is your beef with him?”
“He’s a dick,” I snap.
“Yeah, I’m not buying that. There’s more to this than you’re saying.”
Gritting my teeth, I glare at him, pushing aside the hatred I have for that man. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Yeah, sure,” he mutters and sighs, irritated by my evasiveness.
“Never mind that,” Torin snaps. “What about Ivy becoming Death. What the hell does that mean? She has to go around collecting souls? Does she lose her life as she knows it? What about us?”
Cathy shrugs. “All of this is unchartered territory. We don’t know anything apart from what was in Bram’s family’s books and what we knew from our own limited research.”
“Talking about me?” Ivy asks, coming into the kitchen, making me realise we’ve left her alone for too long.
“Just getting up to speed,” I say with a smile.
