Page 31 of The Daughters of Nyx

ME:I’ll wait for your report.

I hesitated, wanting to say more. But I dropped the phone to my chest and scrubbed at my eyes. I didn’t know how, but

my feelings for Ivy were growing—and I knew deep down that could end badly for both of us.

11

IVY

“DARKNESS comes for you, my child.”

The sickly scent of death spread out around me, the aroma cloying and potent as I tried to cover my nose. But my arms were locked at my sides, and I was unable to move as the warped figure appeared, wearing its crown of violet quartz and bone.

“It will come from those you least expect.” Its voice was like air and yet as sharp as lightning. It sparked a pain in my skull that unlocked my limbs and sent me to the ground.

“You will have to fight. And you will have to win,” it continued. “Or death will find you and all those you love.”

A crack of thunder echoed through the darkness, and I spiralled from the vision of the figure into another scene. One of blood.

A sea of crimson spread out around me, the stench of copper now overpowering the stench of death. Creatures of shadow clawed at me as dismembered body parts slid across the red lake to form a beast that made my stomach roll. Flesh and bone melded into a single being that roared and stumbled from the blood towards me.

I didn’t think—I ran.

Each step was agony, like walking on glass, and with each step, the shadow creatures grew more insistent, tearing at my clothes and exposed skin. The creatures screamed at me, “Fight!”, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn and face the horrendous beast chasing me.

Its steps thundered as it gave chase. I peered over my shoulder once to catch a glimpse of the horrifying beast, but it was gone.

I stumbled to a stop, my breath shuddering from my lips. Where the hell had it gone? I hadn’t felt it stop—it was so big and heavy, I would have felt it. But as I turned in a slow circle, it didn’t reappear.

Instead, the shadow creatures started chittering, whispering, “You failed! You failed!” like a song.

A shiver raced down my spine as screams filled the air. My name called by the people I loved. Thea, Kerry, my little sisters, Rowan, and Adrian. They called for me, but all I could do was cover my ears as the beast roared again.

Death had found me. I had failed.

I woke, a scream lodged in my throat, the remnants of the dream fading into a dull fog in the back of my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut as I attempted to get my breathing back under control—the last thing I needed was to trigger a full-blown panic attack—but each breath scraped my throat as I sucked in cold, autumn air.

Before I could do anything, the alarm on my phone blared and I quickly shut it off. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I wiped stray tears from my cheeks.Release the fear, I thought, and attempted to do so with one last centring breath.

A soft knock at the door forced me to look up. Thea appeared, her eyes bleary as she slipped inside, a yawn passing her lips as she joined me in bed.

“You were sobbing in your sleep,” she said, pressing her head into my pillows. “I was going to wake you up, but then the alarm went off.”

I nodded and pulled the heavy duvet over my body, the warmth and weight comforting. “Yeah, it was…bad.”

Thea made a sound in the back of her throat as her hand found mine, and I had to fight the sudden urge to cry as she drew closer and her familiar presence brought me comfort.

“Was it like the others?” she asked softly, eyes closed.

I swallowed back the tears and closed my eyes once more. “Yeah, sort of. It was more…I don’t know, clear than others?”

Thea squeezed my hand. “What do you mean?”

Sucking in a shaky breath, I recounted the dream. The terrible warning from the warped figure, the shadow creatures and their rude remarks, the river of blood and beast of flesh that rose from its depths and killed the people I loved because I wouldn’t fight it.

The entire time, Thea remained quiet, her hand tight on mine. This wasn’t the first time she’d listened to one of these recounts.

After several moments of silence, Thea sighed. “Yeah, that was definitely different to the last ones.”

---