Page 95 of Taking Jenny
I swallowed hard and nodded.
Her hands flew to her mouth in shock. “You’re ahumanconduit?”
“Maybe,” I said warily. “I don’t know.”
“Moons above!” She clasped her hands together in excitement. I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. “You’re my avatar this year, aren’t you?”
“Youravatar?” Shock rippled through me. “You’re…Illiamor?”
She nodded. “Yes, I am.”
Goosebumps spread down my arms. “You’re a legend.”
She rolled her eyes. “And they honor my legend by forcing another woman to go through what I went through. It’s despicable. Tell me you did not volunteer to—”
I shook my head. “Definitely didn’t.”
“I watch them every year. All the avatars.” She frowned, compassion in her eyes. “I worry about their sanity.”
Staring at Illiamor’s ghost, I was so confused. “Why are you here and not on Halla so you can be reborn?”
Sadness flickered across her face. “Because my body never left Orhon.”
My hand went to my heart as realization struck. “All the avatars…they’re trapped here on Orhon, aren’t they?”
She gave a slow, tragic nod. “Never to go to Halla. Never to be reborn. Trapped here for eternity.”
I took a breath for all the women who could not. “Okay. One tragedy at a time. Do you have any tips or—?”
“Come with me.”
Illiamor did not have to worry about bushes or logs in her path. She could flow right through them so following her was complicated. But she led me to a clearing that had a jug of water and a platter of four different foods on it that I didn’t recognize.
“Eat your fill,” she told me. “I will keep watch.”
I eyed the items skeptically. “You’re sure it’s safe?”
“I watched the man and woman in uniforms put this together for you. They did not add anything. I believe it is as safe as it can be.”
I did the lip test Discord had shown me, and after a minute, there was no tingling or burning. No reaction at all. I couldn’t hold back any longer and tried a bite. Whatever it was, I loved it. I ate half the platter and drank most of the water. I was tempted to dump the rest of the poison water and fill my bag with fresh but didn’t want to worry that I hadn’t rinsed the poison out enough. I could not believe my luck in finding Illiamor. Sure, she couldn’t fight, but at least she could be a lookout.
When I had finished, I found her again. “Thank you for this.”
Illiamor gave a slow, graceful nod. “My pleasure. Ahead on the trail, the path diverges left and right. If you go left, you’ll find a river where you can wash off all that blood, so you don’t attract the drecks. I will keep watch for you while you do.”
“What can I do for you?” I asked, wanting to repay her kindness.
“Win.” A smile touched her lips. “And perhaps a visit now and then.”
My throat grew tight. “If I win, you’re definitely getting visits.”
We took the left fork and sure enough, the river was there. After washing my hands, and what I could from my clothes, of Pleon’s blood in the cool water, I needed more. I felt gross, and since I had a lookout, I stripped down, tucking my clothes and other items beneath a log, and went into the water. It was almosttoo cold, but at the moment, that was exactly what I needed to feel clean again. Like a chilly baptism to wash my dirt and grime away.
Under the water, small fish swam by with the current. The river walls were smoothed rock. I popped back up for a breath, then back down into a world of quiet and calm, where I wished I could stay. When I went up for another breath, a hand pushed me down.
I beat at it, scratched at it, tried to pull away from the hand, but it kept a grip on my hair and I could not get out of the water. My heart raced and my lungs burned.Not like this.I dug my thumbs into the wrist as hard as I could. But then another body came into the water with me. The hand on my head released and I surfaced, gasping…and came face-to-face with Mal.
His hand clamped over my mouth before I could say a word.
