Page 86 of Godsbane
I’m about to retreat, to call my magic back into my own body when a flash of black catches my attention. The beast on my stomach stirs, time slowing to a crawl. I tunnel into Cal, past the droplets of water, past the swirls of wind, past the flickering flames of fire.
Summoning this amount of power demands every emotion, every ounce of hurt and rage I can recall to pursue the darkness I seek. Water streams from my eyes, my entire body trembling as I latch onto the black core of Cal’s bottomless power.
The sea beast thrashes wildly against my too hot skin. My knees give way first, violently crashing into the ground.
Cal’s eyes are still locked on mine, the cool gray now replaced with white hot flames. His magic—raw immortal magic—is no longer his to wield. Veins protrude in his neck as he fights my hold, his own desperation flooding me. Black spots cloud the corners of my vision as I tighten my command on his body, holding him physically in place as I struggle to remain conscious.
I’ve overcome the first hurdle. I’ve grabbed the power of a god, but being able to hang on is another thing entirely.
Air grows thick in my lungs and I know I have to let go. Stubbornness pushes me to the limits of my power, digging its heels in and forcing me to hold on for a few seconds longer.
Pain cracks my head in two, time running out. My body collapses as lightning flashes across the sky and oblivion claims me.
CHAPTER 31
The glow of the midday sun is blinding. Salty air floods my lungs as my eyes adjust to my surroundings. I’m soaking wet, my green cotton dress clinging to my strange body. There’s an unmistakable pearlescent sheen to my fair skin that glitters in the light as if I’m wrapped in the very essence of magic. My feet sink into sugary white sand as I struggle to stand.
Everything feels wrong, as if space and time no longer exist in this sliver of eternity. The seaside paradise of my childhood surrounds me, restored to the wondrous glory that colored it before Death’s arrival.
“Arcasia!”
My stomach drops at the sound of her voice. The unmistakable timbre that fell silent nearly two decades ago. The voice that haunts my dreams and colors my memories. The rough-stitched wound of her absence rips open, the pain of her death fresh once again.
My hands ball into fists, nails biting into the tender flesh of my palm to stave off the tears as the outline of my mother steps into view. Her pale hair is haloed in a ring of golden sunshine, light pouring from her body as she glides atop the sand. Thegauzy fabric of her emerald gown whips around her legs in the breeze as she approaches the water’s edge.
The waves part easily for her, allowing her to effortlessly walk across the ocean’s bottom. Black flashes in the water as she calls out again for the Goddess of Protection.
I move to scream, to warn her, but the sound dies in my throat. Iridescent scales sparkle in the sun as the head of the sea beast rises from the waves. Familiar silver eyes level their piercing gaze on Selene.
“It’s done,” my mother says. “The boy is safe here, for now. He can’t find him.” Her hands trail absently across her body, stopping to cradle the gentle swell of her belly. “Now it’s time for you to uphold your end of the bargain.”
The beast flicks her mighty tail in anger, causing the waves to roil around her. With a lift of her delicate hand, my mother casts the salty spray into flecks of pure light that pierce the blue horizon—new stars that will be visible in the dark fabric of night.
“I had to,” she says in response. “Even in this form, you can feel what this realm is doing to our power. I gave them a way home … but it only works if you sealourbargain. It has to be the both of them, Arcasia. I will not settle for less.”
A grumble resounds from deep within before the serpent dips her head in submission, her giant tail twisting around my mother until she’s fully in the beast’s grasp. Light pours from their joining, magic rippling across the coast as their deal is sealed.
Pain sears into the skin between my shoulders, electricity sparking through the tattooed scar. Arcasia loosens her hold and soundlessly disappears into the depths of the Eastern Sea.
My mother turns from the water, the small slope of her abdomen glowing in a glimmering, viridian hue.
“Come.”
A single word. A command I silently obey.
Endless white light lies ahead, but still I follow. The sand below my feet quickly gives way to wooden floors and plush rugs, the landscape around us transforming from palm trees to bookcases. The rich scent of leather tomes, salt air, and mahogany fills the air of the idyllic cottage library.
Selene stops, her golden irises glinting in the ethereal glow surrounding her immortal body as she turns to face me.
“It’s time for you to finish what we could not. You have everything you need now. Use it wisely.”
She tucks a strand of wet hair behind my ear, tenderly trailing her fingers across my cheekbone and the constellation of freckles that dust it.
My consciousness hangs somewhere in the space between the past, the present, and the future. Magic permeates the air, sweeping across her iridescent form. I open my mouth but my tongue can’t form the syllables of her strange language, a language I understand but can’t speak.
“You are approaching a fork in your fate. Each of the two paths were laid out before you were born, and both were paved by the wills of different gods. Which path you take is up to you, but you must hurry.”
Selene’s glowing form fractures, the image of her dispersing as she begins to fade into a ball of holy light.
