Page 157 of Immortal Sun

And now it’s going to end exactly the same way.

Maybe that’s how destiny works. We wonder why we go through things or why we suffer and think if I just do these things, it’s going to end, only to find out that you never really had a choice. Just like me.

My only choice is acceptance.

I can’t decide if it’s a beautiful gift or a terrible, unending curse.

Cyrus never looked back even though I stood tall and strong. I waited until he was out of sight before I collapsed to my knees on the dirt floor, my tears mixed with the dirt on my hands from catching my own fall.

Please turn back, please turn back,I begged in my soul, because maybe he could do something, maybe he could fix it. Isn’t he powerful enough?

My internal scream wasn’t even heard by him, but it was heard by the stupid cow.

And Rat.

Suddenly the cat in her panther form was at my side. I buried my face in her thick fur, only to have Rat appear and crawl up my leg, offering his nut. The cow stood at the entrance and watched, and then a snake appeared, which normally would freak me out, but at this point it just seemed…normal.

The housekeeper, stopped by with food.

The groundskeeper who I’ve only seen once dropped by as well, bringing water.

And one by one, the sacrifice…was given sacrifices.

I don’t know why it makes me cry more to see people of this house, of this world bring me something of comfort, but it does.

“She was special,” Kratos says as he leaves a loaf of bread. “Your mother, she’s the only human in existence who served the immortals until her end, did you know that?”

I frown. “Is that allowed?”

He shrugs. “Every set of twins she had were powerful, just like you. Don’t let them tell you any different.”

I take the bread and continue to sit on the ground. “I’m no more special than the thousands of names before me.” I suddenly wonder about the brothers and sisters or half brothers and sisters I’ve never met. How many times did my mom subject herself to this? And how many times did she wonder if it would be her turn?

“That’s the funny thing.” He wrings his hands in front of him and peers over his shoulder, then looks at the sea. “About what your mom named you.”

“What’s funny about it?”

I know he’s trying to comfort me, but he finally turns fully around and gives me a small smile. “Your name. It’sCleopatra.”

“So?”

“Sometimes we have to die…in order to survive, to live. Your mom, as the last sacrifice. She named youGlory.” He leaves me with those cryptic words while the dumb cow just stands by the entrance. Rat is sitting with me against Bast.

Rat offers up his nut again and for whatever reason, even though I have all the food in front of me, his gift feels like the most precious.

I take it and nod to him. “You want me to eat it?”

He nods excitedly.

I laugh. “You know, for being grumpy, you’re actually quite sweet.”

I swear the animal rolls his eyes then just scampers off. Cow slowly follows.

“Life is hard, Bast,” I whisper against her fur. “I know you know that after what you went through. I don’t know how you survived it.”

She turns her head and nudges my own hands toward me, including the nut, then goes back to sleep like she’s bored, like I’m not dying. Even though she doesn’t respond I pop the nut in my mouth and start chew.

An hour later Dag makes his way toward the front of the cave with Tyrell, Kratos, Enki, and Inti.

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