Page 109 of Shadows and Vines

“Give me something other than one-word nonsense.” Her voice low, but impactful. The threat clear for anyone within hearing distance to pick up.

“Balance!” the middle one sang as she swayed a bit in her chair to music no one but her could hear.

These ladies were definitely missing some marbles.

“Yes, balance. Great. Give me more, like a name or what to look for. I doubt they will make the same attempt twice. Do you know where Tristan is?” Persephone growled, her lips making a flat line of anger as her power built up and flowed through the air thick as smoke.

“No light escapes, but light is needed to see.” The one on the far right explained. “Nothing can grow without light.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Persephone put her shaking head into her hand. He wasn’t sure he had blinked since they had shadow jumped from the Underworld.

For such a mundane looking room, the creepy factor was maxed out.

“Do you know where I can find Tristan?” Persephone asked again in exasperation as she dropped her hand. The Moirai simply started the swaying thing again and Devon looked for an exit. If they started chanting, he would have to jump out the window. His nerves were shot, and they just kept upping the ante.

“Trust your instincts!” They all said in chiming tones at once. “Devon will bring balance in your

death! He will balance everything and make it as it should so the war can be won!”

Devon felt his heart stop.

Her death.

His head swung to Persephone as he watched the Moirai disappear into thin air from his peripheral vision. He didn’t care at all about the crazy women, chanting and dancing in chairs like he had walked into fun Friday at the insane asylum.

She would die?

Both Devon and Persephone sat there for a moment longer. He watched her and wondered how she could find herself injured bad enough to die while she stared vacantly where the Moirai once sat.

“Your death?” Devon whispered not moving his gaze from her face. She was so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn’t realized he had been staring a hole through her.

“Obviously not my actual death, I am a Goddess,” she reassured him, but even then, he saw in her face that she was not fully sure of that statement herself.

“Once again, the Moirai have managed to make everything substantially more confusing somehow. Thank you so much for more of nothing!” Her voice rose in anger as she spoke until she was screaming the last of it into the empty space in front of them. He wanted to step forward and wrap her in his arms, but he wasn’t sure that was the right thing to do at that moment.

She took a deep breath and pulled her calm demeanor back over herself before she stood up. Turning to Devon, she straightened her shirt and regarded him with a coolness that sent shivers down his spine. He felt like some missed opportunity had fled right past him, and he would never get that chance with her again.

“We need to work on finding Tristan. He is the one holding the key to all of this.”

He moved to stand up, unsure if to comfort or stand his ground. Everything in his mind was a jumbled mess that just kept returning to the words, ‘her death’ over and over again.

His fists were clenched, and he had to calm himself before he acted out in a fit of anxiety.

“We need to do whatever it takes to get up to muster for what is coming. I am not taking the chance of anything happening to you.” He moved closer to her but stopped before he reached out, unsure if any comforting gestures would be welcomed.

Something was happening inside her and he could tell she was feeling unsteady, her normal cool, calm, and controlled attitude was beginning to shatter before his eyes. He knew how it felt when the world spun out from underneath him, and he knew she needed time to process.

He could give her that.

“I might hang out a bit here, if you are cool with that?” He hoped she would take the only thing he could offer her. Time alone.

“What if…” she started. He watched as she grew even more agitated and hoped he wasn’t misreading the situation and about to make a colossal mistake.

The last thing he needed was for her to start resenting him because she never had a moment alone to process and think.

“Alright, but…” she stopped as she looked at him and saw he was planning to dig his heels in on this one.

Nodding, she released a breath, and some tension left her shoulders. He relaxed at seeing the change in her posture and knew he had made the right move.

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