Chapter 80
CHAPTER EIGHTY
PHOENIX
I swiftly climb out of the tree. My head spins, and my stomach churns all the way down. Only when my feet hit the solid ground does the nausea go away.
Adrenaline floods my bloodstream, and my muscles tremble lightly. But my mind is sharp as a blade.
I can’t believe this moment has come.
I can’t believe we’re here.
I make my feet move forward despite my leg muscles feeling fatigued from all the crouching in the damn tree for so many hours. Daegel is waiting for me in the clearing, I know that. He’s not going to seek me out in the forest where no eyes can witness our fight.
When I reach the edge of the forest, I pause. I have a clear view of the clearing where Daegel stands tall over the dead bodies of the fallen Ezkai. He looks unbothered, with his shoulders laid back and both blades lowered to his thighs.
It’s just me and him now.
The two last Ezkai left standing.
Younglings are so much wiser, so much more alive. Not yet burdened with experience, Lorca purrs.
I frown. I thought you would appreciate seasoned souls much more. They have more to offer.
The only thing they have to offer is souls beaten down by life, they say. Youth is praised for its beauty, its innocence. It’s a waste. The trickster chuckles. It should be praised because it’s a savage hunger. For the pureness of its untamed ambition. Raw, untamed desires.
I lift my chin and press my lips into a tight line. So, how is this going to go?
It depends on you, Phoenix Wildarrow.
I win, you claim his soul? I lose, you claim mine?
The trickster god takes their time to answer me.
Yesss, if you so happen to lose…you’ll be mine instead, they finally say. A chill goes down my back.
One last chuckle and they are gone.
I square my shoulders. One final steadying breath and I leave the comforting safety of the forest behind me. I enter the clearing to meet my fate.