Page 22 of The Other Side

“Interesting.” My mouth moved, but it was Cypress’ voice that left my lips and danced around my ears. Without my command, my body flipped as she moved within me, speaking from my mouth. “You thought by performing more tricks, the great god Ozias would simply return to your shop?” My arms cracked in unnatural ways, her eerie laughter pouring from my mouth as hellfire splashed along my body.

“I–I—” My own voice quivered as her claws dug into my skull.

“You what?” she hissed against the bone. “You thought it would be that simple? That easy to lure a god?” Another one of her cackles burped from my mouth. “Humans may be dumb, butyou! You are smarter than that!” Her tongue traced my teeth as my head ached from her presence.

“I-I don’t know what else to do,” I whispered, prisoner to her touch. I was in absolute agony.

“You must think bigger, Iris-Marie. Ozias is no fool, but he will have no choice but to return if you do something unspeakable, something no human could possibly do without a god’s power.” I could feel her flames flickering inside me like maggots wriggling beneath my flesh, reminding me she was always there. Her body squirmed around my bones, my back arching as my head snapped backwards, feeling my bones move in unnatural and impossible ways. I felt everything, all at once. The pain was enough to kill me, but I refused to surrender to it.

Something dug into my skull as I gasped at her claw, scraping the font of my face and digging into my soul, exposing it for her to taste.

“Mmmm.” I could hear her enjoyment. Her tongue dipped into it, tasting the darkness before her teeth began to rip apart tiny pieces of my life and eat it. Hearing her moans of satisfaction had a sick effect. For a brief moment, I actually liked her ingesting me.

Cypress took another bite, reminding me of how helpless I was as her teeth clamped into my soul once more. I could feel the tears falling down my face, but all I could was endure her torture and pray it would end soon.

“Your soul is marvelous. Much like my dreams, your taste will haunt me, my pet. And with every bite of your existence, I savor your desire. You consume my dreams, just as I apparently do yours. We are tortured by the other, doomed to burn in this hellfire together.”

No, I don’t want to burn with you.Another tear rolled down my cheek.

As if hearing my thought, Cypress slithered behind my ribs, the bones cracking as she flipped my head once more, gripping it on her grasp. I could feel her breath upon my face as she spoke elegantly into my ear, sending a shiver down my broken body.

“Your words mean nothing. You say you do not wish to burn with me, but your soul tells another story, Iris-Marie. A story I much rather prefer.” She licked my ear. “I will release you from this torment, but this is your final chance, witch. Lure Ozias back to you and finish the task I left for you. Kill him. But if you fail me—” Her nails dug deep into my flesh as her fire burned me. Her claws scrapped my bones, tearing slowly from my head to my toes in the most excruciating and unbearable pain imaginable. I tried to scream, but she had my voice prisoner, preventing me from doing so. “I will make death seem like heaven as I torture you for the rest of eternity. Your soul will forever dangle in the Abyss, drowning in its never-ending darkness as your eyes remain by my side to watch your body suffer and your soul burn!” She stopped as my heart nearly gave out from the torment. “Do not fail me, Iris-Marie.”

As my name dripped from her tongue, her hold on me vanished, and all feeling and control over my body suddenlysnapped back to me all at once. I shot my eyes open and screamed, my voice returned.

“Iris!” Tuft cried out my name as he rushed to me, my body now on the floor of my shop, as though I never left. My hands quickly tucked into my chest as I shook uncontrollably, the feeling of her slithering beneath my flesh and bones, her fire seeping through my veins, the shredding of my soul—all her torture still branded into my nerves. “Iris, what happened? Are you alright?” He reached for me, but I flinched, balling in on myself. “Iris,” he breathed, helplessly watching as I suffered. “What has she done to you?” I cried to myself, cradled in the fetal position as Tuft sat beside me, his head lowered in defeat. He quietly and patiently listened to my painful sobs, knowing I had endured something horrific.

“Forgive me. I should have known better than to assume things would be so easily solved. That this would be enough…that would be too easy. It should have been me she dragged into the darkness, not you.” He bent his knees and rested his head across them, pulling them close to his chest with his arms. “It should have been me,” he whispered once more.

Tuft and I sat there, two tortured souls suffering in silence until the day melted away and darkness blanketed the sky. Even with Cypress gone, I could feel a tiny bit of her spark slithering inside me, a part I feared would haunt me as long as she existed. And that presence, no matter how small, scared the hell out of me.

Chapter

Nine

CYPRESS

My hand brushed the fiery glimpse away, ashamed by the amount of pain I had inflicted on my dear bayou witch. I had become the very thing she feared, unable to break free from it as I tortured her in ways unimaginable. And as much as I hated it…it was a necessary evil. Despite her words being true, I had to show her that tiny, excruciating portion of the unfortunate fate before her if she failed, even if it was a fate neither of us wanted for her. I knew, even though it was just a taste, the impact of my nightmarish temper would leave a scar, one so deep, time might not even heal it. And despite my impatient desire to watch Ozias fall, I would grant my witch a small reprise…for now. Not many humans could endure such a thing and live to remember. It was impressive. She has such a spark—such a drive to live and fight. I didn’t know if it was her magic or just that entertaining stubbornness of hers, but Iris-Marie was something to behold, and I had no intention of letting her go, even if she did happen to deliver me everything I wanted. No, I felt myself wanting her. And after tasting the delicious sample of her dark soul, I knew that, deep down, she wanted me too. That alone was something I could not ignore, no matter how much I knew I needed to.

I stepped to the edge of the balcony, looking out into the vast Abyss as I listened to the souls softly crying. There was no hiss from Bastien, no scoffs or sulks from Tuft, no sparks from Iris-Marie. It was just me and the dead Underworld. I was alone, and for the first time in over a century, I felt the heavy impact of that emptiness as it weighed on me.

“Even though my little brother sentenced me here for eternity, you would think he would at least allow me the presence of those who sided with me!” I shouted into the cave as it rumbled. “But no, I am forever doomed to suffer this punishment alone. While all the other celestials were welcomed back into the heavens, they left me behind.” My body bent over the edge, my hair falling to my side as I sighed. “Why must I be the villain for doing what I was born to do?”

My fire began to fade from its usual blue to a burgundy-red, reflecting my saddened thoughts. The color reminded me of Iris-Marie’s magic, souring my mood further.

“Such a pretty color,” I whispered to myself, flicking the flames from my ashen skin. The vivid flames dripped onto the edge of the balcony, forming her silhouette as I watched it dance before me. The small human-like figure lightened my mood. My flames returned to their normal color as I added a second silhouette, representing myself. I watched as the two women danced together in perfect harmony, embracing one another as they moved. And for just a moment—however brief—I was lost in the thought of her.

“If you succeed, I promise to reward you in the most generous ways, to never let you suffer again.” The two silhouettes burned bright, shimmering as they spun and danced along the balcony, filling an old, ancient void within my chest.

“Iris-Marie, conjuror of souls, witch of the bayou, and goddess of the humans.” My lips curled at the sound of her name and titles. “Yes, that has a nice ring to it. Goddess ofthe humans.” The burgundy silhouette danced into my opened palm, and I raised it to my face to watch it closely. Iris-Marie performed for me, the fire of her figure reflecting in my cloudy blue irises. “If you succeed, I shall give you this.”

Chapter

Ten

TUFT

“Iris?” I gently knocked on her bedroom door, hoping for a response. But like before, there was none. A heavy sigh fell from my mouth as my head hung low. “I’m here if you need me.”

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