Chapter 49 Ascending
Ascending
Ikicked and clawed until my lungs burned.
But it was no use.
The water wouldn’t let us go.
With each flutter of my feet, I dragged a limp Alaric in my arms and prayed to the gods who abandoned me. Perhaps, there was one who would take pity on my soul and answer my plea to save the man I loved.
Yet, it felt like no matter how hard I tried, I was no closer to breaking the surface.
It was almost as if the water was sucking us deeper down into despair instead of up toward salvation.
Maybe it was my lack of oxygen or because my vision was quickly blurring, but I swore when I glanced down I saw phantom hands wrapped around my ankles, tugging me further into the inky depths.
I fought whatever was trying to drown me as I kept kicking, but, when a particularly sharp pain sparked up my calf, I looked down to whatever forces were trying to destroy me.
And that’s when I saw it.
A spark of gold, shining a few feet below where we were floating at a standstill.
We were closer to the bottom of the river than I thought .
. . could the phantom hands be trying to gather my attention, not for nefarious reasons, but because they wanted me to see what laid in the shadows of Adalina’s river?
An intense tug shot through my chest, directing me toward the sunken object.
There had to be a reason I was being pulled in the opposite direction of safety, so I followed the sensation connecting me to this item, dragging Alaric with me all the way down into the darkness.
My vision was nearly black by the time I reached the bottom of the river, but I felt a force of power pulsing from the object that lay slightly covered by a layer of black sand.
I brushed off the debris, a wave of confusion crashing over me at what I saw—a dagger made of pure gold with its hilt fashioned after a serpent with emerald jeweled eyes.
Could this be the answer to slaying a god?
As I wrapped my hand around the hilt, a kernel of hope seeped into my chest.
It felt as if the gods were finally answering my prayers when my fingers clenched around the surprisingly warm metal.
With the taste of cherries lingering on my lips, I glanced at the man who made me feel love for the first time in my entire miserable existence.
Even in death, he was devastatingly beautiful.
My vision completely darkened . . .
If I was truly about to meet the Land of the Wicked, I wouldn’t change anything about my last moments, besides being able to see his enchanting eyes one more time.
A beautiful woman with white hair streaming past her slender hips smiled at me with a brightness that rivaled the desert sun.
She seemed so familiar, almost like I knew her in a past life.
Her eyes stunned me, glowing like molten gold, but there was a quiet sadness held within the pits of them.
I had the feeling this woman used to glow brighter, for her skin had a faint golden sheen to it, like it was struggling to not completely wink out of existence.
“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I was happy to see you again.” She stroked my face with delicate fingers, almost like she would shatter me if she touched me too intensely.
My head was resting in the golden woman’s lap, and I couldn’t remember how I got here.
“Do I know you?” My words felt sluggish, like I mouthed them underwater.
Her smile faltered. “You did, once upon a time, before a dark force separated us. My final act before we were torn from one another was one of protection, to keep you safe from the same darkness that claimed me.”
I glanced around, noting shimmering pieces of golden flakes floating around us. Besides that, I couldn’t see much else beyond the blackness and the golden woman before me.
“Protect me? How?” I turned back to her, my brows knitting with confusion.
Her hand dropped from my cheek and to the side of my neck as she softly touched where my birthmark was.
“This was my last act of rebellion. My final act of my unwavering love. Please forgive me, for I had to alter your memories to make the enchantment hold. It was the only way to disguise you, to hide you from Lilith.”
“Enchantment?” I mimicked, not feeling connected to my body the more we spoke.
I searched the woman’s blazing eyes for more answers, and I watched as a molten golden tear spilt down her cheek.
My vision blurred, and I felt the Land of the Wicked summoning me.
After decades of terror and destruction, I felt ready to answer its call.
As my eyes shut for the last time, the most beautiful vision welcomed me.
Emerald eyes crinkled with happiness in another life, one where I got to tell Alaric I loved him—all of him, even the dark bits.
“Please, save him,” I whispered with my eyes closed, readying myself to leave behind one wicked life, only to enter another eternal one.
The woman softly stroked my hair and whispered back through the darkness. “Isa, only you can save him, my beautiful golden daughter.”