Page 108 of A Kiss From Death
I’m left with so many questions, and just as I scramble to ask what the heck that all means, the Jezzle dice disappear completely. I’m left staring at the now-empty table in complete shock and confusion.
Force the world to listen? I have nothing to say to the world. All I want to do is solve the riddle and get on with my revenge so I can live out the rest of my life in peace. I come tothe conclusion someone must have fed the magical dice false secrets, because no way he meant to say I am the answer to…to what?
What the hell am I the answer to?
I feel a soft weight on my shoulder, and I drag my eyes up to be entrapped between two pools of night and day. He gives me a concerned look that I shrug away, forcing a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
“Did you get the answer you were seeking?” he says gently.
“Yes and no,” I huff, annoyed but still grateful I have a good plan in place to solve the riddle. I think it’s time for a date with the rest of the journals, starting immediately.
We say goodbye to the group of friends Hade is oddly very comfortable around, and I make a mental note to get to know the others better if I get the chance to meet them again. Hade finished off his second ale before planting a kiss on Harry’s wrinkled cheek when returning his mug to the counter, the thoughtful gentleman he is.
Harry waves goodbye as Hade grabs my hand. She looks down at our joined hands and shoots me a wink, like she’s in on some secret I have no clue about.
Shuffling through the still-packed crowd, we sneak out the door behind a large, rowdy group calling it a night. I find it funny that not a single one rubs a hand over the rock, but I chalk it up to them being too drunk to remember. Hade, of course, mindlessly glides his hand over the smooth surface, and I follow suit, looking for all the extra luck I can get, soaking in the warm comfort that dances over my skin at the contact.
Now it’s time to find the winning answer that balances my destiny between life and death.
Age 15
Tomorrow is my sixteenth birthday. Mama and Papa are hosting a coming of age ball in my honor today that will last all the way until the clock strikes midnight, marking me one year older. All I can think about is how I get to see my eternal today and celebrate with him by my side. That was my one wish. He told me down the bond that he would travel to hell and back to see me. I still can’t fathom why people fear him when he’s sweeter to me than the candy I’m currently chewingon.
As excited as I am for today, an uneasy nervousness has been prickling the back of my neck after the talk Mama had with me this morning. I had to take a trip to the crystal Papa and I made from our combined magic to calm myself. An indestructible constant for you to seek, Papa had told me when creating it together. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve sought out its solace over the years, loving the familiar hum of our magic.
I’ve been trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling all day and focus on all the fun to come, but the way she spoke to my soul today still has me wavering. She kept telling me how much she loved me and to always remember that, as if she was going somewhere. I asked her if everything was okay, and she assured me everything is as it should be. I wasn’t sure if she was referring to my celebration or something much bigger.
She told me she left a secret birthday present under the floorboards of the library, and that I will know when the time comes for me to retrieve it, that it will open my eyes to the world and help forge me into the woman I am destined to be. I asked her how I would know when to retrieve it, and she tapped my heart with soft fingers and said once again how much she loved me, how, deep in my soul, I will know when the right time comes. I’m not sure why I would everneeda birthday present, but it must be important.
It’s silly to say, but it felt like she put the world on my shoulders with that one conversation. I’m not sure I’m ready to bear the weight of it just yet. For now, I will focus on celebrating another year older, surrounded by the people I love most.
Celebrations are meant to be exciting, right? What could gowrong?
Ijolt awake when a heavy weight collides with my body, nearly knocking the wind from my lungs.
What the heck?
It’s pitch dark—so dark, I can’t see a damn thing, meaning it still has to be the middle of the night.
Disoriented and half asleep, I feel around, realizing I can’t even see my hand in front of my face. That is…odd. Someone grabs said invisible hand, which I’m now convinced is cast in some invisible magic, and throws me off my bed to the floor.
Rude!
“Did your mother teach you no manners?” I shout through gritted teeth. “This is no way to wake a lady. Haven’t you heard of beauty sleep, and what did you do with my hands?” Looking around more, I realize everything must be cast in the same invisible magic, because where in all the lands did everythinggo?
“This is rather boring for me.” I pout, still half out of it and clearly delirious. “Can you just give me my hands back and let me go back to sleep?” Realizing I probably need to offer something in return, I add, “I’ll refrain from putting my fist through your teeth if you do so,” I say in a sickly sweet voice, even though that’s the last feeling I’m having right now.
No one messes with my beauty sleep and lives to talk about it. Rule number one in the Nyxi Code of Conduct handbook.
Instead of a verbal response, I’m answered with the back of their knuckles against my cheek.
“Shit… I…” He trails off, seeming shocked by his outburst.
“Ouch!Could you at leastun-invisibleeverything so I have a fighting chance against your bony ass hands? There’s literally no padding on those things. You have to be at least seventy.”
I’m greeted with a swift, “Shut up,woman!Do you ever stop talking?”
Now, I’m fully heated—no one talks to me like that and gets away with it. “Now I know your mother didn’t teach youthat. You can make it up to me by helping scratch this itch on my ankle, seeing as I still can’t find my invisible hands.”
