Body by Mary Duke

Author:Mary Duke [Duke, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-18T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Illiah

I sat with my feet dangling over the side of the well, as I studied my reflection.

The longer I sat staring, the less I recognized the face staring back at me. Everything I thought I knew about my mother, everything I thought I knew about my father, was a lie. Everything they told me, everything they taught me, I couldn’t trust.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sno asked, walking up behind me.

I turned and looked past her to Zavery. “Yeah, keep him from destroying this place. I need there to be something to come back to.”

Sno smiled. “I can make you no promises, though I’ll try my best.”

“Good enough,” I replied, as I leaned over and grabbed the other side of the well with my right hand.

“You don’t have to do this,” Evander said joining Sno.

“Yeah,” I said sarcastically. “Then what?” I asked, dangling maybe an inch from the water.

“I don’t know,” Evander replied honestly.

“Well then, I’m going to stick with what we do know. I’m going to see the High Council and they’ll have no choice but to give me immortality, a way to find my father, and to get into the depths of the Dark Mountain, so I can free the one and only person who can put all of this to an end.”

Evander chuckled. “Well, if you have it all figured out, then I wish you the best of luck. We will be here for you when you return.”

“Great,” I replied as I let go of the sides and plunged into the icy water.

‘This is going to work. This has to work.’ I kept telling myself. ‘I’m the only one who can get into the mountain and release Thanatos. Without me, the fight will be brought to them.’

However, no matter how many times I repeated those words in my head and how calm I thought I was, when my lungs began to burn, panic set in.Just open your mouth, this is part of it. You have to be willing to die for what you seek… You have to prove to them that you’re willing to do whatever it takes. I reminded myself as I slowly let the last bit of air from my lungs escape and bubble up against the sides of my face.

“Illiah,” a woman’s voice echoed in the distance.

“You waited too long,” a man replied to her.

“She’s not dead, you fool, just weak,” the woman snapped back, her voice now seeming familiar.

Though I couldn’t open my eyes yet, I replied, my voice no louder than a whisper, “You’ve always doubted me, Nyx. Haven’t you?”

“Doubted, no,” Nyx laughed. “Despised is a better fit.”Maybe this won’t be as easy as I thought, I said to myself after I coughed up the remaining water from my lungs. At least now I understand why.

“So,” Nyx said walking back to her throne at the head of the high court. “What deceptive story has your father concocted this time to bring power to a powerless family?”

“Believe it or

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