Page 67 of Soul of Thorns
Rev
Slowly, my mind clearsfrom the haze set over it. I can’t see anything more than before—pitch black. I taste bitter smoke in every pained breath.
The poison stings inside my veins, tingling uncomfortably, but the burn has settled into a dull ache. Every muscle weighs a hundred pounds, but my mind is clearing, heart picking up speed as I remember what’s happened.
Caelynn didn’t make it through the fire wall. She’s gone.
My heart cracks all over again. It’s what she wanted. To die here. But I wanted to prove her wrong so badly. I wanted to give something, anything, back to her.
She’d lost so much.
I failed.
Then, I was taken by the manticore, so I’ve failed myself too.
I push against my heavy restraints but find they have not changed. Wood curls against my chest and arms, gripping them like strong arms, sharp branches digging in like fingers.
I blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the darkness, but I can’t make out anything.
Is the manticore nearby? I don’t hear him now. I only feel the dark presence of something... ancient. Powerful.
I shiver. The Night Terror is here.
“He wakes.” The branches holding me tremble along with the deep voice.
I cough. “What do you want?”
Something shifts before me. A being massive but smooth. Power sizzles through the darkness. The Night Terror doesn’t respond.
Why hold me like this? “Don’t you want to kill me and be done with it?”
“Killing you did seem convenient once upon a time, yes. But unfortunately for you, my little pet, I’ve found a better purpose for you.”
A blade presses to my back, carving through my leather clothing and splitting the skin. I groan and squirm to no avail. The blade halts at a shallow cut.
A shape moves through the darkness, and my breath shudders. Whatisshe?
“Pain is enjoyable. But it is not all I desire from your extended life. Would you like to see what I see, my pet?”
I curl my lip.
“Your mate has made it through the swamp.”
Caelynn is alive?My heart bursts with hope only to crash back down. I am here, and it’s only a matter of time before they get their hands on her too. She told me herself the moment she learned they had me, she’d come running.
