Page 5 of Darkness Colliding
Chapter Three
The Elder Witch
Violence
We follow them. To say I’m starting to second-guess my decisions in life is an incredible understatement. With plenty of space between us and them, we follow the Demon dwellers toward what they call the Core.
Exhaustion clings to my body with every step I take, but, for the most part, I pretend I’m fine. Link and Nollix whisper together as they walk ahead of me, putting themselves between the Demons and me while Cameron keeps pace at my side. I feel him watching me from the corner of his eyes. His skin’s more sun-kissed now than it was on the surface. A pretty bronze color highlights his features, making his amber eyes shine brighter.
“What will you do when you find her?” The back of his knuckles brush against mine and my fingers flex as if they might take his hand in mine.
I don’t of course. I keep the normal space between us, letting it feel like more distance than it really is. I feel that distance press in on me, and I have to breathe out the tension lingering in my chest.
“I don’t know.” My attention remains on the horizon. It’s the truth, really. My sister isn’t the terrible ruler that my father was. She never tormented my existence. She’s just … a stupid little girl who doesn’t understand a thing about what she’s about to do to her Kingdom.
She wants to be praised. She wants to be a powerful ruler. She wants to leave a mark on the world after she’s gone. She has no idea what kind of mark she’ll leave if she resurrects the darkest souls of the Underworld.
The phrase ‘hell on earth’ circles my mind on repeat.
“Why did you follow me?” The question seems to vomit up from the heavy guilt within my stomach.
I hate that I dragged all of them into this, but most of all, I hate that I dragged Cameron down with me. He’s … alive. He has a life. Trekking through the Underworld shouldn’t be a part of his day.
He’s young. Handsome. Sweet. He has his whole life ahead of him, and, all because of a stupid book, he ruined his whole life.
I ruined his life.
“I’m tied to you. What did you expect?” He doesn’t meet my eyes as he says it.
The magic that links his soul to mine pulls slightly in my chest. It feels weaker now. Not as demanding as it once was.
“I don’t know. I expected some protesting, I guess. I’m sure one of the Reveries could have reversed the bindings somehow. You could have demanded we try at least.” Once again, the back of his hand skims against mine.
“I don’t really mind. I’m just as responsible for this as anyone. It’s my book that screwed all of this up.”
One of the dwellers looks back at us, and Nollix and Link stop talking long enough to meet the man’s gaze. The Demon passes the Warlock a look before straightening once more.
“What about your family. Won’t they be looking for you?” I met Cameron months ago. Too much time has passed. If we do make it out of all of this alive, his family will hate me. I’m sure of it.
… Not that I care.
“My grandmother died three months ago. It’s what triggered the raid. It’s what drew attention to the book of Severed Souls.” He keeps his attention on anything but me while he speaks. “She wanted to be buried with the book.”
Obviously, she wasn’t. I don’t mention that small remark.
“She almost was. I laid it across her chest at her funeral. It was all of her knowledge. Everything she’d ever created was in that book. She should have been buried with it.” When a heavy breath leaves his lips and he starts to shake his head, my fingers drift out, slowly tangling through his. He pauses, his attention coming to a halt on our hands held together in the space between us. “I couldn’t leave it with her though. People from all over came to pay their respects to The Elder Witch, Ebony Mary Crows. As she was lowered into the ground, there was so much heavy attention on that fucking book, I knew someone would destroy her grave—her peace—just to get the thing.”
“So you stole it?”
“Fuck yeah, I stole it.”
And then my father took it from him…
This is what fate feels like, huh?
It feels like shit.
“Weren’t you afraid it’d put your family in danger?”
