Page 66 of In Death's Hands
“It means, girl, that we are the sole guardians of the only Fate left in this world. And that Fate is on the brink of death.”
“That isn’t possible,” Nathan says.
Fenrick looks sharply at Death’s assistant. “That is how it is.”
“No. The Fates are tied to this world. They can’t die.”
Thalnus turns to him. “What if this… Betrayer found a way?”
Nathan shakes his head. “You’re not listening. Theycannotdie. Their essence is fuelled by the Order. One doesn’t exist without the other. I’m not saying the world will die if they die. I’m saying they cannot be extinguished.”
We all turn to Fenrick once more. “Are you sure this man wasn’t lying?” I ask.
The brother laughs. “He is the He of the Fates.” I frown, but he carries on before I can ask. “He may not be able to die, but he isn’t alive either. He cannot fully be without the others.”
My heart aches for this man, this… entity I do not know. It’s a soul-deep cry, one that leaves me feeling even more hopeless than I was before. And my head hurts from all the information. “Where are the others?”
He shakes his head. “We do not know. We’ve been looking, but he only managed to tell us he escaped. That he had to leave his sibling behind, to get his sister back. That’s all we know. We’ve been guarding his body for over twenty years now, and nothing has changed.”
I have so many questions rushing around that I struggle to fully grab on to one. An actual Fate was seen; that alone is incredible. But that Fate escaped—escaped what? And he went to look for his sister? So his sibling is still wherever Thetlum was kept? And who was he kept by? This Great Betrayer? How?
My head hurts.
I open my mouth a few times, trying to voice at least one of these questions, and I realise that I’m not the only one reeling at what Fenrick has said.
“Why not come to us?” asks Turan gently from behind me. And she’s right. Why not get the help of beings so powerful they could surely destroy whoever has done these things?
“Because the Great Betrayer is among you,” rasps Fenrick into the deadly silence.
Chaos erupts all around me. The guards that were stoic a second ago cry out and insult the brother still bleeding slowly on the marble tiles. I turn to Turan, about to beg her to heal him, when Nathan’s voice covers all others.
“If you haven’t talked to or heard from the Fates in more than twenty years, why were you trying to kill Liv?”
I gasp. I had somehow forgotten about their pledge to end my life. About the attacks that chipped away at my sanity. I can feel stares like stings on my skin.
“She’s an anomaly.”
“So you’ve said,” hisses Turan. “Elaborate.”
Turning to her, Fenrick does as he’s told without waiting for an incentive this time. “Thetlum told us.”
“What. Did. He. Say.” Nathan doesn’t raise his voice. Doesn’t move. But the undercurrent of violence behind each word is clear and overwhelming.
Fenrick wavers slightly on his knees, his face paler and paler as time stretches on. “He… he said her name.” He jerks his chin to me, a gesture a lot wobblier than he meant it to be, I’m sure. “He said her name, repeated it like a mantra, really. Almost delirious. He said, ‘She’s out there. Out. Should not be. Taken out. Find her. Abomination.’ That’s what he repeated for days on end.”
My blood runs cold. It’s a funny expression. One I’ve never truly understood. But I swear ice is spreading through my veins. Clutching my heart like a vice.
“And what about this Great Betrayer?” asks Thalnus.
“That’s the only other thing he managed to tell us before silence claimed him for good.” He wheezes out a few breaths. “He said that the one who detained him and took his sister was the same one who had attacked the Order. He said, ‘The root of the Origins’ problem is deep in their midst.’ You are not to be trusted, as we don’t know who among you is responsible for this mess.”
“That’s preposterous!” exclaims Turan. But I can’t help noticing that Nathan isn’t saying anything. Both Atys and Thalnus are also quiet, their jaws tight. When the woman at my side turns to them, shock spreads on her lovely features. “Surely you don’t believe him.”
“Of course not, they attacked us,” answers Thalnus, his voice echoing around the room in a way that feels all too calculated. He’s lying. I’m sure of it. But why? Do they know they have a traitor among them? Couldhebe that traitor?
Turan seems reassured, but Fenrick shakes his head. “We were looking for the missing sibling.” His voice goes so low I’m sure only the closest of us catch his next words. “We tried to help, and you decimated us for it.”
I look at Nathan only to find his eyes already on me. His face is unreadable.
