Page 138 of Soul of a Witch

The tentacle struck her with an audible crunch of breaking bones. She flew back, hurtling through the air until she struck the wall and tumbled limply to the ground. The enchanted blade flew from her hand, spinning end over end until it struck the rocky ground and slid to the edge of the pool — then fell into the black water.

“Everly!” I flew to her side, dragging her out of the way before another tentacle could crush her completely.

Her skin was…cold.

“Everly!”

Her head lolled in my arms. Her blue eyes were dull, glassy as they stared at nothing.

The God’s laughter was like claws ripping through my ears.

“Her soul has fled, hellion!” It cackled. “Her body will be repurposed for My own ends. Can you smell it? Can youfeelit?” The God leaned down, Its gaping jaws spewing hot laughter in my face. “Can you feel your spawn dying inside her?”

“You’re a liar!” My chest felt like it was caving in. This couldn’t be.

No.

No, no, fucking no!

The God’s massive tentacle descended, and I had to move too quickly to carry Everly with me. I flew into the air, an agonized scream tearing out of me as my fangs elongated, my veins running black as my body was consumed with shadow.

It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t.

She couldn’t be…

The cry that roared out of me shook the cavern walls. It stripped my throat raw. I couldn’t bear the pain — I wanted to tear my own heart from my chest to make it stop. All sense left me; my desire for self-preservation fled.

All that remained was fury. Agony. Hatred deeper than the cosmos.

I perched on a massive column of stone, facing the God as I conjured a blade in my hand, twice as long as I was tall. It felt as if I was splitting apart, my mind and body in disarray. All I could see was Everly’s eyes, the light gone from them, blood staining her lips.

The God was shrieking with laughter as the walls of the cave dissolved. Nameless colors swirled around us, sparking with long streaks of lightning. In the chaos, silhouettes of impossible architecture flashed — nameless shapes, imperceivable expanses.

Survival did not matter. My life was already gone.

Death was calling, and my time had come to answer.

But I would not go alone.

50

Everly

It all happened so fast. One moment, I was standing, catching my breath after teleporting, my legs tensing to sprint again, and then —

Pain, splintering through me like nails in my flesh.

Then darkness.

Nothingness.

I didn’t feel afraid; I felt nothing at all. I could have stayed like that forever. Cold. Content. Unfeeling.

Slowly, a feeling of urgency grew inside me. Uncomfortable, clawing in my chest, blaring in my head like an alarm.

Get up, get up, get up.

I remembered who I was.

---