Page 105 of Trial of Thorns
ARUSH OF MAGIC WASHESover me in an instant, and I no longer remember where or who I am. There is a surprising peace, a fluttering of hope and love.
The pressure, the weight, the burden—it’s gone. Why was I so burdened before this moment? I cannot remember. I cannot even fathom. But I do know that this feels good.
Death is freedom,a whisper floats through my mind, and I blink rapidly. This whisper is heavy, so much heavier than the sprites.
No,another whisper floats by.Therightdeath, is freedom.
Follow the right death, Caelynn.
I pinch my eyebrows trying to piece it together.
What does that mean? The magic shimmers over me, swirling over my skin, filling every pore. Seeping into my very soul.
And then, in a moment, the magic recedes, and I fall to my knees as the pressure, the guilt, the pain, the rage—all of it—slams back onto me. I gasp, gripping the dirt tightly.
“Are you okay?” Rev says only feet behind me, but not daring to approach—he’d have to pass through the magic first.
“Yes,” I say, but the word is a struggle to pass through my lips. I’m okay—sort of. The gate was not the hard part—it’s facing reality after such relief. I pull in long shaky breaths and fight the urge to cry.
Facing death is the easy part.
Facing life—that’s the struggle.
Rev
Everything in my bodyscreams for me to rush to Caelynn as she falls to the ground. I barely stop myself from crossing the threshold of dangerous magic in front of me.
What the hell? Why are my emotions so all over the place with her? Like every instinct is telling me...
I shake my head.
This is about me. I have to pass this magic and face the harsh reality it’s sure to bear onto me. Before I can over think it, I step into the glimmer of magic floating in the open space between the onyx stone arch, and my world falls away in an instant.
Black power rushes over me, strong as a hurricane, menacing and powerful. It pushes and pulls my body in several ways at once. I scream as my head is pulled to the west. My heart is pulled south and my body to the east. Agony pierces every thought as I’m pulled apart piece by piece in a gale of fear and magic.
If only I had known, a desperate whisper begins.
