Page 40 of Wild Ivy
“Yes, exactly,” Bram agrees. “Think about it. Morrigan’s power has always been different. Untamed. Because it comes from that intersection.”
I’m not really following, but I nod anyway to make it look like I am. I shoot a quick glance at Tate, and he seems to get it, butthen he always had more brains than the rest of us. “And Life trapped Ivy in the void because...”
“Because she thinks that’s where Death’s power is strongest,” Bram’s eyes meet mine, urgent with understanding. “So when she returns, Life can take it from her. She thinks Ivy can absorb it while she’s there and return with god-like powers. Add to that Morrigan’s already god powers and… BOOM!” He makes an explosive gesture with his hands.
“But she’s wrong,” Blackthorn pipes up excitedly. “The void isn’t just Death’s domain. It’s the threshold. The crossing point. Whereeverythingbegins and ends.”
“So, you mean it’s Life’s domain as well?” I ask, getting more lost by the second.
“Yes. And she just gave Ivy direct access to it. She’s not just trapped in death’s domain...”
“She’s at the source of all Celtic god power,” Blackthorn finishes, his eyes gleaming.
“Celtic god power?” I ask, now not caring if I sound as thick as two short planks. “There are different sources of power dependent on culture?”
“Yes, obviously,” he says, giving me a look that tells me exactly what he thinks of my dumbarse question.
“Life has no idea what she’s done. She thinks she’s containing Death, but she’s actually given her access to something far more fundamental,” Bram adds, ignoring the sidebar.
“The power to become both,” Tate murmurs. “Life doesn’t understand. She can’t be saved because she’s forgotten what balance means. But Ivy...”
I actually think I get it now and test those waters. “Ivy has lived both sides. She understands the cycle in a way Life never could.”
“Not just lived both sides,” Blackthorn says, pulling an ancient text from his shelf. “She died for it. Was reborn in it.That kind of sacrifice leaves an imprint on the soul that can’t be erased. May I inquire how she died?” he asks, glaring at me.
“Died? She didn’t die. He did.” I point to Tate.
“She must have. To become Death, one has to die…” Blackthorn trails off, eyes narrowed.
“When she was torn apart,” I croak. “She must’ve died.” I glare at Tate. “It’s why you died. Or maybe you died and took her with you. Your fated bond…”
“Yeah,” Tate murmurs. “I think she died and took me with her. It makes more sense.”
“Fuck,” I breathe out and earn myself a sharp glare from Blackthorn.
“Well, now she’s in the one place where that imprint matters most,” Bram adds, his magick sparking around him. “Where the boundaries between life and death are thinnest.”
“But what does that mean for Ivy?” I ask, because that’s all I really care about. “How does this help us get her back?”
Blackthorn’s expression grows serious. “We don’t.”
“The hell we don’t,” I growl, taking a step forward, but Vex’s hand on my arm stops me, and he shakes his head.
“No, he’s right,” Bram says softly. “We can’t get her back because she has to choose to come back. And when she does?—”
“She won’t be the same,” Tate finishes. “Will she?”
“No,” Blackthorn confirms. “The void is changing her, just as it’s meant to. Life thought she was imprisoning Death, but she was actually initiating a transformation that’s been waiting to happen since the moment Ivy first died and came back.”
“You’re saying this was always going to happen? That everything was fate? It was all leading to this?”
A shimmer appears in the corner of the room, and I stare at it, wondering what it is.
“You may proceed,” Blackthorn says in a voice that smacks of authority.
Morrigan appears in the room, and Bram rises and spins, backing away from her. “No! It doesn’t want you.”
“I’m not here for that. You all seem to forget my full title.”
