Pursuing Madness by Stacey Rourke

Author:Stacey Rourke [Rourke, Stacey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Published: 2020-03-04T16:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Alice and Sterling granted Persephone her space to fume. Wherever she was headed through the twisted caverns of the Underworld, the goddess seemed to think muttering a stream of expletives under her breath would somehow get her there faster.

“She remembers you can blink us out of here, right?” Alice kept a wary eye on the River Styx that ran alongside their path, not trusting the wailing souls within for an instant.

Sterling rose on tiptoe mid-stride to keep watch over Persephone as she cut between two enormous stalagmites. “She needs a minute. Considering we’re spirits no one else can see, we can grant her that.”

“I see.” Casting a sideways glance his way, Alice chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Since we have a minute, we could discuss when you’re planning to tell her royal crankiness that you have feelings for her.”

Sterling’s head snapped from Alice to Persephone and back again. “Who? What? No! Not ever!” With each syllable he uttered his voice dialed up another panicked decibel.

Tucking her chin to her chest, Alice peered up at him from under her brow. “Really? You’re going to pretend I’m wrong?”

“Insanely wrong! And I know a thing or two about insanity!”

Clasping her hands behind her back, Alice cringed as a stone fell into the water and a swarm of vicious souls attacked it. “Even as you say that, you must realize you’re different with her. No offense intended, but when you woke me you were a mess. You couldn’t focus. Your ramblings were disjointed chaos. Simply put, you were quite mad.”

“All the best people are.” Sterling’s shoulders rose and fell in agreement.

“That’s my point exactly. Look at what you did back there.” Alice jabbed her thumb in the direction they had come from. “You saw Persephone hurting, and your thoughts cleared enough to truly be a help to her. Whether you believe it or not, she centers you. I think your flitting mind wants to focus and be where she is.”

“Maybe it’s you.” While the look on his face furthered his point, his squawky tone was far from convincing. “This all started because I couldn’t find you. Perhaps it’s your presence that fits my shattered pieces together again.”

“Really? That’s what you’re going with? Did you not see yourself back there?” Puffing her chest, Alice held her arms out from her sides in a defensive pose and launched into a horrible impression of Sterling. “Rise to your feet like the goddess you are.”

Pulling up short, Sterling raised a finger between them. “First of all, that sounded nothing like me. My cadence is far more nasal. Secondly, it wouldn’t matter if I was over the moon in love with her. It changes nothing if I think every step of our journey thus far has revealed a bit more of her true, noble self. Nor does it change anything that I would be willing to face the wrath of Hades myself if I thought for a moment it would allow her to see how amazing she is.

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