Page 140 of The Powers of Nyx

And I wouldn’t let the usurper get his hands on her. Not again.

51

IVY

ATfirst, there was only darkness.

Then, there was pain.

In my head, I screamed. I screamed so much my voice grew hoarse and my ears rang from the sound. But I knew that was only in my head. That really, I made no sound.

The pain didn’t end, though. It radiated through me, worse than anything I’d felt before. No other explosion of power felt like that.

No, it was wrong. Different.

And itburned.

The darkness dissipated, but I didn’t wake up. Instead, I was in the forest again. The forest from my nightmares. It spanned out around me, but the terrifying feeling that usually shuddered through me never came. This time, I didn’t run.

I turned in a slow circle and took in the giant, fleshy beast that stood over me. It was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. Just a manifestation of all my fears.

“You don’t scare me anymore,” I said tiredly, narrowing my eyes as the beast swayed on its feet. “I won’t run.”

“That is good to hear,” a familiar, rasping voice replied. I spun to find the hooded figure standing behind me. The crown was gone, but it still had its head. “But the fight is not over.”

I exhaled slowly. “You’re the Goddess Nyx, aren’t you?”

The dark shroud disappeared to reveal a woman beneath. She resembled the statues and images all over the palace andacademy. She had tanned skin and light grey eyes like the moon. Dark, inky black hair tumbled to her waist, and her red lips formed a serene smile as she ran her eyes over me.

“I’ve always been here,” she said. “Though I had no intentions of scaring you, my child.”

I stiffened, crossing my arms as I took her in. “Why? Why reach me like this?”

“Because it is the only way I know how. I once walked these lands. Once loved them. But now I am but an entity. I have no physical body. I surrendered it when Pandora took her crown.”

A shiver rolled down my spine, and I took a step towards her. “What happened to the magic?”

Her eyes darkened, and her lips twisted into a sneer. “A bastardisation of my power, is what happened.”

I flinched back as the shroud appeared upon her face once more. “The False King seeks my power—ourpower. He wants it for himself and does not care how he gets it.”

“He can’t take it...can he?” I whispered, heart racing.

“He will try,” Nyx warned, “but you will have to be stronger. You must make a choice, Ivy Wilson. This is not just about you. This is about our entire world. Youwere born to rule. Moulded tobecome Queen. You are the only creature in existence strong enough to carry my power. And should you choose survival, choose being Queen, then you must complete your mate circle. It will be your only way.”

Lightning struck; I looked away for only a moment, but it was enough for Nyx and her beast to disappear. I spun in a slow circle, searching the forest for either of them, but I was alone again.

Alone with the pain.

And I screamed.

~

White dots danced in the corner of my vision as the darkness slowly gave way to light.

Warmth cocooned me on all sides. It numbed the pain, but whispers of it remained in the aches of my limbs, and in the burning of my chest. It felt as though there was a hole in my heart, something missing within me, and the chances of finding it in the darkness were slim.

A groan passed my dry lips; my throat burned from the sound, but the warmth wasn’t enough anymore.

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