Page 92 of Claim the Twilight
“I was sleeping, you see, and you came, and I awoke, so I know it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
She blinks slowly. “Time to make the goddess pay.”
After deliveringa line that gives me hope, the specter retreats into a world of her own, muttering to herself as she floats about my cell as if she owns it. As if I’m not here at all.
“Hey!” I keep my voice low in case there’s someone listening outside the cell. Heck, for all I know, this is some kind of twisted trick cooked up by Loviator to give me hope then snatch it away again. But if this is an act, then it’s an excellent one. “Hey, Echo?”
She stops flitting about and turns to face me. “It can be done, you know?”
“What?”
“The plan.”
“What plan?”
“We had a plan. They had a plan. I was part of the plan and then…I was here.” She rushes toward me, and I throw my arms up on instinct to ward her off. “I won’t hurt you,” she says. “I can’t. I’m an echo, but…I know who you are and what you can do. I listen, and I learn, and I know that you can end this. End it all.”
My pulse races. “Yes. I can. But not from here.”
She nods slowly, sagely, lips pressed together as if we’re sharing a secret, which I guess we are. “I can show you a way out.” Her eyes go wide. “A sliver, a crack.Shedoesn’t know.Shehasn’t seen it. I can take you there.”
My chest burns with hope. “You can get me out of this cell?” She nods, eyes gleaming with intention. “Can you get me out now?”
She shakes her head. “Too many eyes. We need a diversion.”
My heart sinks again. “And how are we going to make one of those?”
She frowns. “That’s for you to figure out when you speak with him. He says he can tell us when to act.”
“Who?”
She glances over my shoulder. “He’s waiting for you. I’ve seen him.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Ezekiel. He’s lonely too.”
“Wait, Ezekiel is here?”
She makes a sound of exasperation. “I found him in the place between waking and dreams. I can take you to him.”
The dreaming? The vista? Of course!
“Do you want to see him?” She stares at me, unblinking. “You should. You can plan. A diversion.”
This isn’t a trick. This is no lie. This echo can help, and there’s finally hope again. “Take me to him.”
Her head whips up. “Later. She’s coming. I have to go.” She reaches out, her hand hovering inches from my cheek. “Be brave.”
She melts away as the stone cracks into the shape of a door, and Loviator enters the room, whip in hand.
I arch a brow. “I thought I wasn’t connected to the power here?”
Her mouth tightens. “Maybe I just want to play.”
My scalp prickles. She’s lying. I do have a connection, maybe not as strong as I need to blow her to the afterlife but enough to worry her. I reach deep into myself, searching for the searing heat that has been my companion forever.
