Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Bannik reaches for me again. This time, he’s holding me back. He shakes his head.
“The thing is…” Sariel smiles sadly at us and starts to slowly walk toward Apophis. “You always need a prize to keep, am I right? Darkness can’t survive alone. Isn’t that how fear works? It must have a companion.” He grins. “I live to serve my brothers.” He nods to Bannik. “All of them.” His eyes fall to me. I’m blind in my left eye, but my right sees him just fine. Even if I no longer have the same power, I see his.
He rolls his wrists. “Technically, I’m a fallen star. Take me, let them go, and I’ll leave you what you’ve wanted for an eternity.”
“What’s that?” she shouts.
He reaches his hand out and touches her face. “Dear child… the only thing you can never have.”
A red tear slides down her cheek. “I have everything!”
Sariel flicks his wrist, and I’m suddenly getting thrust backward with Bannik. “Child, you want what everyone wants.”
“And what’s that?” she repeats.
“Hope.” He nods slowly. “And just one small flicker…” He snaps his fingers. “…of light.”
Her eyes go from black to white as she watches the flame on his fingertips, and suddenly Bannik and I are tumbling backward until we hit the mud again. The window is just ahead.
“Come!” Ashtaroth yells. “NOW!”
Bannik stumbles backward in what I think is shock.
“NOW!” Ashtaroth yells again. “Seventeen stars have already fallen. This isn’t good. They’ll see, they’ll know. You have to go!”
I have no time to argue; neither does Bannik.
We go from being in a dark prison to being shoved out onto the riverbed again. I choke out mud and darkness and turn on my side.
Bannik is on his hands and knees. He doesn’t move. He stares down at the ground, and after a few minutes of silence, he finally looks up to the stars and lifts his shaky hands.
They tremble as he reaches for the stars.
I assume he’s going to get sent back to the Abyss, but instead, I hear singing. “Return, return, one life is never long enough, king of the abyss. Be reborn, be reborn.” His body trembles harder.
And one by one, nine stars crash to the earth around us, turning into water, crashing against the gates of the Abyss.
I stand on shaky feet.
Bannik does the same.
One star remains close to us.
I have no words.
I have only the air in my lungs.
I inhale.
I exhale.
“The morning star,” Bannik whispers.
It doesn’t crash against us; it doesn’t sacrifice. It simply moves past us and through the gate, and I know… this will not end here.
“The morning star has descended,” Bannik whispers, “to the Abyss.”
“Good thing Sariel is there.”
“They will battle.”
“We will win,” I say. “And sometimes, it’s best to fight evil with evil. Apophis won’t be happy with competition.”
“And Sariel?” he asks. “What of him? What of my brother?”
I look to the sky with my one good eye. “Honestly? I have no idea. But I know he did it for a reason.”
“And what of your fox?”
I shrug. “She has her memories now that I’ve traded my eye, she may love me or hate me. Who really knows?”
“Humans.”
“I’m a god.”
“Not in this realm. You’re worse than a human.” He dusts himself off and stares down at his hands again. They’re dirty, caked with years of muck and filth. He has no clue where to go, or what to do.
I shove him toward the forest. “Let’s go.”
“I’m your prisoner now?”
“Yes.” I roll my eyes. “That’s why I’m helping you. Now, let’s go. You have some people to apologize to.”
I swear he pales even more, though he just keeps walking. Once we are at the edge of the river, I wave my hand and we’re suddenly on the outskirts of the forest.
We walk toward the house.
I hear laughter.
They’re eating still.
Time passes differently, doesn’t it?
He stares at the house.
He wants to walk away. I can feel it.
After all, what good is the fallen?
He shakes his head and turns around just as the sound of wings fills the air. I look up. Cassius descends. His purple wings are razor-sharp and pointed toward Bannik. Cassius hits the ground with a thud and glares first at Bannik and then at me.
I expect war.
Instead, Cassius just sighs. “Don’t eat all the ham; it’s my favorite.”
He walks past us and dusts his jeans off.
Bannik’s eyes widen.
I shrug and start walking past our werewolf guards. “Come on, the food will get cold.”
I know he’ll follow.
I open the door. I take off my shoes and inhale the smell of food, roasted meat, and side dishes and the sweetness of baked goods.
It’s at least one minute before Bannik’s footsteps follow.
I keep walking.
He keeps following.
And then we’re in the dining room. Everyone is gathered around the table with various desserts and wine. A well-picked-over platter of ham rests in the center of the table next to some leftover dinner rolls, obviously all that remains of dinner.