Page 2 of Touch of Death
Without a moment’s hesitation, I swing myself up onto Knax’s back as I take a firm grip of his mane. Settling into position, I press the heels of my boots into his sides, and together, we set off across the valley.
As we draw closer to the far horizon, I lean forward, urging Knax to move faster. Immediately, I feel the shift of his muscles beneath me as his canter turns into a gallop, the thrum of his hooves quickening beneath us.
A wall of mist suddenly rises up before us, and I brace myself against Knax as his body tenses beneath me before soaring into the air as we force our way into the mists of Chaos.
Everything goes dark for a moment, and then we burst out of the mists and onto a barren wasteland. Smiling to myself, I turn Knax in a circle, searching the horizon yet again for our next point of entry.
“Over there,” I shout, nudging the stallion forward as, once again, we set off, my cloak billowing out behind me as we race toward the Underworld.
Toward Hazel.
2
Hazel
Igasp, only to find there's no air to breathe. My chest tightens as my lungs remain empty, burning to be filled again.
Panic sets in as I try to open my eyes but find myself unable to do so. I can't see, can't breathe, as I'm swallowed whole by nothing and everything at once.
Darkness clings to me, wrapping its cold fingers around me only to tear me asunder before forcing the pieces of what's left of me back together, over and over again.
Pain and love, joy and heartache, hope and desperation, every emotion I've ever known, courses through my body in exhilarating intensity, only to be ripped mercilessly from it the next moment.
Until nothing but a void is left in their wake, and I find myself drifting quietly along an endless current.
My thoughts fade, and I no longer struggle to breathe as I let the darkness take over.
No longer struggle to remember ...
There is nothing left for me to hold onto as the icy current pulls me down, down, down into its darkest depths and away from all that I once knew.
All that I once loved.
Coughing, my eyes fly open as I roll over onto my side, one long, rasping breath trying to fill my lungs with the air I so desperately need. I choke, the air thick with the stench of decay, making it hard to fully catch my breath.
Slowly, I manage to sit up, clutching at my still-heaving chest as I turn to take in the strange twilight of the world around me.
I do not know this place.
A chill races down my spine at the thought, and I wrap my arms around myself as I blink in confusion.
Am I still alive?
I shake my head at the thought. No, that’s impossible. I may not remember much, but I do knowthat.
This place isn’t meant for the living.
I frown as I try to wrap my mind around the fact that I know I'm dead, yet, I stillfeelso alive. That I'm not just some lost spirit wandering aimlessly through time and space.
At least, I don't think I am.
Looking up, I find nothing but sky above me, thoughskymay not be the right word for what I see.
Strange colors swirl amidst an expanse of darkness that tries to choke them out, churning like an endless sea as they try to reach for me ... only to be swallowed up by the misty void before they can.
Watching it makes me feel ill, and I soon find myself forced to tear my eyes away.
Dropping my gaze, I look down over the edge of the cliffside I'm lying next to instead. Instantly, my stomach and mind settle, despite the great height of the mountain that I've somehow found myself precariously perched upon.
