Page 112 of Beasts of Briar
All those years I thought my brothers had protected me from the curse. They had, in a way. They’d told me to run while they stood in front of me. But of course Khalasa could’ve just found me.
“You ran away after the curse failed on you, and I was going to find you. But he came.”
Kairoth.
“He took me by surprise, and he imprisoned me. But now I’m free, and I will never be trapped again. Not by anyone.” She gave me a sad smile. “We could’ve been great, you and I. But I can see you’re too far gone. You won’t join my side. So I’ll have to destroy you along with the rest of them. We’ll start over again. A new world where we won’t make the same mistakes we did in the past.”
“You can’t,” I said. “You don’t have all the weapons to free the gods.”
She gave me a curious look as my father continued to shake behind us, now curled up in a ball and muttering to himself. “Is that what you think?”
She wiggled her fingers, and with that, she disappeared while her cruel laugh continued to echo in my father’s mind.
Chapter Sixty-Three
BELLAMY
Ipaced back and forth on the terrace as Leoni and Driscoll stared at me. I’d told them everything that happened in the dream, and they were out of ideas. They’d read my father’s journal entries at least five or six times since I’d handed them over. That had been our only idea. Other than that, there was nothing anywhere about how to strip away the gods’ powers. That had been our only lead, and it had ended abruptly.
“If there is a way to rid the gods of their immortality, Khalasa is the only one who knows, and she’ll never tell,”I signed.“We’re doomed unless we figure something out.”
“Wait.” Leoni chewed on her thumbnail. “That’s it. Khalasa is the only one who knows. So you go into her mind.”
I stilled, staring at Leoni.
“Are you insane?” Driscoll whirled on her. “Khalasa is a goddess.”
I gestured to Driscoll and nodded.
“So are you.” Leoni rolled her eyes. “You are Khalasa’s daughter. If anyone can do this, it’s you. You’re the only one who can do this.”
Driscoll scratched his head. “Well, damn. That was actually a compelling argument.”
I started to shake my head when a voice rang out.
“She’s right.” I turned, my father standing in the doorway of the terrace. Moonlight shone down, haloing him in its milky glow. “You’ve got to find out, Bell. I can’t remember. But she knows, and that’s the key.”
“Father.”I rushed to him.“What are you doing out of bed?”
Wesley and Jerome flew after him. “We tried to stop him,” Jerome said. “He’s very determined. Like father, like daughter.”
I pushed my father back inside, but he resisted, straightening. “I’m okay right now.” He put his hands on my shoulders. “I feel better than I have in a long, long time.” He touched his head.
“It’s working,” Leoni said. She and Driscoll stared at me with awe. “Whatever you’re doing in your father’s mind. It’s working.”
“She has a point.” Driscoll shrugged. “You’re undoing what an actual spirit did.” He cleared his throat. “Or goddess. So weird saying that.”
Leoni stepped forward. “Face it. This is what has to happen.”
The thought of entering Khalasa’s mind and trying to fight against her to get information—it felt impossible. Like a weight sitting on my shoulders, holding me down. I was powerful, yes. But powerful enough to go against Khalasa?“I can’t do this alone.”
Leoni and Driscoll looked at each other.
“You’re not alone,” Driscoll said. “Haven’t you figured that out yet? You’re kind of stuck with us.”
“He’s right.” Leoni laughed and gave a shrug. “We started this journey and we’re going to see it to the end.”
A hand slipped through mine, and I looked over at my father. He nodded, his eyes dimming, some of that lucidity fading as he scrunched his brows.
