Page 161 of Heir of Illusion

“We have to move now.” Thorne pushes himself onto a crouch. “Focus on driving the Forsaken away from the house. We need to create an opening for Ivy and me to get through.”

Everyone prepares themselves, checking their weapons and getting into position. I crouch next to Thorne, and his bare hand reaches for mine, entwining our fingers for a few fleeting moments.

“Be careful,” he whispers, his crystalline eyes reflecting the flames.

I nod, but the gesture is too stiff to appear natural. “You too.”

Please, I beg the Fates.Let my friends survive.

As usual, my prayers drift into the ether without any response. Still, I hope they hear me.

His hand slips from mine as the fire extinguishes. Within seconds, the battle has swallowed us whole, cutting off my view of the others. Forsaken come at me from all sides as I dodge their attacks. Lunging forward, I deliver a death blow to a young man. His hateful eyes blaze right until the moment their light fades. A helpless rage pulses through me as I let his lifeless body fall to the ground.

The sword, I tell myself.Once we have the sword, we can end this.

The dead pile at my feet. There’s nothing merciful about the way I slice through the Forsaken, taking their lives with each swipe of my blades. Hands reach for me from all directions, their numbers endless. I push down every ounce of humanity as I become an instrument of death. Cocking my arm back, I send one blade flying toward a Forsaken, my empty hand immediately unsheathing another.

Footsteps crunch behind me, and I spin, striking out only to halt an inch from my target as I catch sight of a familiar face. A memory pushes through the murderous haze of my mind as I take in his features. Themendaxappears far more haggard than the last time I saw him, standing outside his shop in Midgarden. His shaggy brown hair is matted with blood, his eyes teeming with hatred as he stares down at me.

Unfortunately, my moment of hesitation costs me. His hands shoot out, grabbing the sides of my head and squeezing it tightly as his magic pours into me. The sounds of the battle fade as reality slips away, and I lose my mind to his illusion.

When I open my eyes,I find myself lying on a picnic blanket in the field near Pomeroy manor. The afternoon sun beats down on me, warming my skin with its comforting rays.

“Ivy!” a feminine voice calls. “You’re here!”

I sit up to find Clara, my former governess, running through the grass as her sage-green dress billows around her. Bellamy follows close behind, snagging her hand in his own as he intertwines their fingers.

“We’ve been waiting for ages,” he says, a wide smile stretching across his face.

Confusion wrinkles my forehead as I watch them approach. “Waiting for what?”

Clara tilts her head, a patient smile on her lips. “For you, silly.”

The sound of shouting echoes from somewhere in the distance, but I find no signs of distress as I scan the field around us. I open my mouth to ask what we’re doing here, but another voice pulls my attention.

“There’s my girl!”

I tense as Lord Pomeroy approaches, appearing out of nowhere as he pulls me into a tight embrace. His hand cups the back of my head, running over my hair as if I’m precious to him.

“We’ve missed you, daughter,” he whispers in my ear before releasing me.

My eyes flare as I pull back. “What’s going on?”

Everything about this scene is perfect, but the too tight feeling creeping over my skin tells me something is very, very wrong. I’m not supposed to be here.

“What do you mean?” Bel asks, concern leaching into his tone. “Are you alright, Ivy?”

“Do you want to lie down?” Clara wraps an arm around my shoulder, her familiar scent clouding my mind and pulling me back into the haze. “I could tell you a bedtime story. You always loved those.”

I open my mouth to say yes, when a voice shouts again, this time closer.

“Iverson!”

I turn around, searching for whoever is calling my name. “Did you hear that?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” my father says. “Come sit down and have some of the berries.”

“I picked them fresh from the garden this morning,” Bel says as he pops the blue fruit into his mouth. “I wanted today to be special for you.”

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