Page 99 of Torn Ivy
“Indeed. This clusterfuck.”
“Protect you how?” I ask, pursing my lips, trying not to focus on Death saying ‘clusterfuck’.
“Are you truly ready to embrace your destiny, Ivy Hammond?”
“Are you truly ready to stop talking in riddles and give it to me straight?”
“I am. The time has come. And gone. And come back around again. You know, that is going to come back and bite you on your arse, right?”
“The time rewind? Figured. But less of that and more of the more immediate problem.”
He pauses and looks a little pained, as if speaking the truth hurts him.
“Time’s ticking,” I say, tapping my wrist even though I’m not wearing a watch and never have.
He places his hands together, palms facing each other as if in prayer. “You need to accept that this power is inside you. Aside from the chaos, aside from the shifter nature, the witch part of you that comes from me is something you have to embrace.”
“Okay. That should be easy enough,” I say, thinking I got off lightly here, but I should know better. My life just isn’t that simple anymore. Maybe once. Not today.
“It is imperative for you to take on the role that I need from you.”
“Which is?”
“You need to become me.”
It’s a show stopping moment, but only because I wasn’t expecting it right at this moment. It had been a theory we discussed right at the beginning and dismissed. “You are retiring?”
He smiles and shakes his head. “No such thing. You will take my power, absorb the force of Death, combine your essence with mine and those who came before me and become Death.”
“Become you,” I say slowly. “Become Death.”
He nods. “The Syndicate has been a front for many years now collecting souls. An army. You will need it to fight Life.”
“An army of souls?” I don’t like the sound of this, one bit.
“The worst offenders this world has ever had to offer. I have sourced them, and you, Poison, amongst others, have killed them and collected them. Building up this army needed to preserve the natural order.”
“An army of souls?” I repeat, my mind reeling at the implications. “You want me to become Death and command an army of the worst souls in history?”
Death nods solemnly. “It is the only way to stop Life from altering the course of nature. She is the first. She is more powerful. It is easier to take a life than to create it. I am one of many forces of Death since the dawn of time. She is a constant.”
I shake my head, overwhelmed. “How am I supposed to become Death? What happens to me? To Ivy? To who I am now?”
“You will still be you. But you will also be more. Your essence, your memories, your loves, will remain. But you will gain my power, my knowledge, my purpose.”
“And what about my guys? My life here?” I ask, my voice cracking slightly.
Death is silent for a long moment. “That part is up to you. You can attempt to carry on your life here at Thornfield. I cannot say how that will go.”
“What did you do?” I ask, my voice small and afraid. My mouth has gone dry, and my hands are shaking slightly. “Did you carry on?”
Death hesitates before answering. “I tried, for a time. But the power, the responsibility, changes you. Makes it difficult to maintain normal relationships and a normal life.”
I feel a chill run through me at his words. “So, I’d have to give them up? Give up everything?”
“Not necessarily,” Death says. “But your priorities would shift. Your focus would need to be on maintaining the balance, on guiding souls and commanding the army against Life’s forces. Personal attachments become complicated, especially if one of them reaches the end of the line.”
The end of the line. Death.Yes, they are all supernatural creatures with some sort of immortality.Ifthey live safe and secure lives. But that is no guarantee. Not when I foresee Life gunning for me every chance she’ll get. This isn’t a one-and-done. It will be a constant thing.
