Chapter 2
Rylee
“You need . . . up!” The Goddess Evaluna’s voice rings in my ears so sharply, I snap my eyes open.
The obsidian floor beneath me is brutally cold. I suck in lungfuls of air, scanning the area for Kal or Axl or Pierce or Jax.
They’re not here.
No one is.
I take in the stillness, the way the space seems in between reality and dream.
Damn it.
“You know, I don’t mean any offense,” I say as I slowly rise to my feet. My head swims from the motion, but I manage to stand. “But don’t you think having me die again is sort of . . . repetitive?”
There’s no angry retort. Evaluna’s temple is eerily quiet, a soft darkness hovering like a permanent shadow along her statue.
There isn’t a sign of Evaluna or the other goddesses.
There isn’t a sign of my mates.
Fear slithers into my veins like an oily sludge. Is this some sort of torturous purgatory? A punishment for wasting the gift of a second chance at life? The memory of stepping in front of Jax’s blades to save my sister races through my mind.
I walk toward the staircase that leads out of the temple, prepared to walk all the way to Jax’s home in Obsidian City.
I try and fail to access Kal’s power—flight would be really useful right now—but there’s nothing there.
My insides feel disconnected, like my mind is floating on the Saphire Sea but my body is still in the Ashlands.
The first few steps down are a struggle, my muscles trembling, but I push through. I keep seeing their faces—Kal and Pierce, Axl and Jax—behind my eyes like a beacon calling me home.
If I can get to them, everything will be all right.
After a few more grueling steps down the stairs, I freeze.
It can’t be.
I take another step, then another, my heart pounding as I speed up, racing down the stairs. Each stair I take is replaced with a new one. A perpetually growing descent with no end.
No, no, no.
I have to get back to them. They need me. Need their powers back. They need—
“You . . . to . . . wake—!” Evaluna’s voice cracks through my mind, her words coming in short, interrupted bursts that are difficult to fully understand.
“I don’t know what you mean!” I fire into the ether, knowing it’s a fool who speaks to a goddess without tempering her frustrated tantrum. “I am awake. I’m trying to go home—”
“No need to yell,” Evaluna cuts me off, materializing before me so quickly, I skid to a halt.
I immediately bow, the action almost involuntary.
“Rise,” she says.
“Did I die again?” I ask, blinking against her harsh beauty—the flowing blue-black of her hair, the iridescent skin that looks like moonlight itself. “I thought immortality would, you know, prevent that.”
“Your immortality saves you from death by illness or old age or other natural causes. Your healing is now accelerated, but a harmful enough physical blow could end your life.” She shrugs. “But no, you’re not dead. Yet.”
“That’s encouraging.” I do my best to keep the sass out of my tone, but I’m not as effective as I’d like.
“Once you return to the real world, your transition into immortality will be complete.”
I blow out a breath.
I’m about to ask her how exactly I get out of here when she says, “War is coming.” Her voice is as smooth as the slight breeze that blows through her hair.
I glance around where we stand on the staircase, like a battle might break out right here.
It doesn’t.
There’s nothing here but the night sky glittering with stars, the endless stairs, and the hint of the Obsidian City far, far away.
My mates are out there somewhere, powerless. My heart clenches in my chest.
“You need to be ready for it,” she continues.
I draw my focus back to her. “Me?”
She nods.
I shake my head. “I’m no hero. I’m just an Ashlander. The Legends need me. They need their powers back so they can—”
“They willingly gave them to you, did they not?” she asks, eyes blazing.
I dip my head in submission. “Yes.”
“Then it is you who needs to be ready.” Her eyes trail up the staircase and behind us, toward her temple. Something so human lingers in her gaze—sadness, regret, and a hefty dose of anger. “I hate that we can’t assist you more,” she adds.
Yeah, me too. The goddesses evidently can’t tell me shit. As much as that pisses me off, I keep it to myself and don’t interrupt as she continues.
“We should be allowed to tell you everything.” She huffs, eyes falling on me. “It’s ridiculous, but even we are bound by rules.”
“Whose rules?”
Her voice remains level, but her fingers ball into fists.
“The Fates, devious celestials who happen to outrank myself and the other goddesses, created them. They’re always meddling but never allow anyone else to.
I assure you, if I could spell it out without jeopardizing the world my son inhabits, I would. ”
“Thank you?” It sounds more like a question, but I don’t really know what to say.
“War is coming,” she says again. “You will be vital to its resolution. I hope you don’t disappoint us.”
“That’s the last thing I want to do.” I motion toward the never-ending stairs. “Can you help me get home?”
Evaluna shakes her head. “Only you can get yourself out of this place and thereby secure your immortality.” She delivers a pointed, narrow-eyed look before she blinks out of sight.
What does that mean? I tip my head back, eyes closed as I search for patience. I’m so damn tired. The Athanry, the battle after, my sister’s betrayal, the whole dying thing . . . I need a nap.
I want Jax’s arms around me.
I want Kal’s assurance whispering in my ear.
I want Axl’s playful smile and positive attitude.
I want Pierce in my mind, soothing the panic spiral winding tighter with every breath.
I consider giving in and crying, but I don’t really have time to crumble. If I’m the only one who can get myself away from this temple, I need to keep moving.
I take another step down, then another, and another.
I climb down endless stairs until my lungs burn and sweat pops from my brow. My body trembles from exertion and the cold breeze chilling my flushed skin. I lose all sense of time, sliding deeper into a hopeless drift I don’t know how to shake.