Page 85 of Torn Ivy
I can’t stop the giggle as Bram’s panic reaches amusing levels. “It came out of your mouth?” I choke out through my laughter.
Bram scowls at me, but there’s a hint of relief in his eyes at my laughter. “Yeah, laugh it up. You weren’t the one vomiting snakes.”
The snake continues its journey up Bram’s body, finally coming to rest around his neck. He stands perfectly still, eyes wide with apprehension.
“I think it likes you,” Torin says with a smirk.
“Fuck off,” Bram mutters.
I watch the snake, fascinated. It seems drawn to Bram in a way it wasn’t to the others. “I think... I think it’s trying to tell us something.”
Tate steps closer, studying the serpent. “It came from Ancient Fae magick, right? Maybe it’s connected to Bram somehow.”
The snake hisses. Bram’s eyes widen. “I can feel something. Like it’s trying to communicate.”
“What’s it saying?” I ask, moving closer.
Bram closes his eyes, concentrating. “It’s not words exactly. It’s more like impressions. Images.” His brow furrows. “I see a door. No, not a door. A gateway.”
“A gateway to where?” Torin asks.
“To the other side,” a new voice answers.
We all spin around to see Death standing there, his black robes stark against the snowy landscape.
“Death,” I say, recognising his stupid face now that I see it. It’s like pushing a button. Squeeze Ivy, and instead of squeaking, she remembers shit. This should be fun.
Death inclines his head slightly. “Ivy. This is a bit of a pickle you’re in.”
“You don’t say,” I drawl.
The snake around Bram’s neck hisses, slithering down his body and moving towards Death. To my surprise, Death reaches out a bony hand, allowing the serpent to coil around his arm.
“What is that thing?” Torin asks warily.
“A fragment of Ancient Fae magick,” Death replies. “The parts of you, you gave up.”
“What?” Tate rasps.
Bram stares at the snake, his expression tense. “The snake is representative of the ritual? It holds the things we sacrificed?”
Death is silent for a long moment, his empty gaze sweeping over each of us. Finally, he speaks. “Indeed.”
“So how do we use it to fix this shitshow?” Torin asks, eyeing up the snake with renewed interest.
“You have to undo what you did.”
“How?” I demand.
“That’s for you to figure out. Just do it fast, hmm. There is a whole world of trouble waiting for you, Ivy.”
He vanishes, leaving the snake on the snowy pathway. It slithers off quickly, under a bush.
“No!” I shriek. “We can’t lose it!”
“Need these?” Cathy asks, coming into view with a drawstring bag and some hooks.
“Not again,” Bram groans but snatches one of the hooks out of her hand. “We’re going on a snake hunt.”
