Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
How can he be so confident?
I put one foot in front of the other and follow him until we stop at the door.
I hate that door.
I hate everything that it holds.
I hate what it represents.
When I look at that door, all I can think about is Patrick.
I miss him every single day.
I wipe a stray tear away and nod to it. Max pushes the door open, but I stop him from entering. His back goes a little straighter when he peers inside, and then he tenses. I step up to see what he is looking at, spotting Grim with his eyes on Max. It’s then I notice he is restrained to the floor with chains holding him immobile.
“Grim!” I gasp, trying to push past Max, but he stops me.
“Don’t. It’s what Viper wants,” Max says.
"But—”
“Maybe I can go in,” Max interrupts as he scans the room.
“It traps powers,” I tell him, then whisper, “Even mine.” He nods, and I can tell he’s trying to think of something. Anything. Then he turns his attention back to Grim.
“If I threw you this knife, could you use it?” Max asks him.
Grim glances at his hands and then nods. “If you got it close enough to my hand,” Grim replies. Max pulls out a smaller knife, bends down, and, in one swift motion, slides it straight into Grim’s hand.
“King Maxilliam.”
We both turn to the sound of that voice.
Standing behind us is Alan, the seer who helped me with my power when we opened the portal.
“Alan?” Max says, clearly confused.
He isn’t wearing his normal clothes, instead he is dressed as a king. He steps forward and, before we know what he’s doing, he kicks Max into the room. I’m so shocked by what is happening that I don’t try to stop him when he reaches for me. My head goes dizzy at the contact, and I can’t stand straight. I wobble, and Alan pushes me to the ground. Then he pulls my hands behind my back and ties them tightly. My head is hurting, and I don’t understand what is happening.
“I thought this would be harder.” Alan tsks and looks into the room. I turn my head on the floor, and when I do, I see that Grim and Max are both free. Alan places his hand on the side of the door, and when Max charges toward it, he hits an invisible barrier. I see it waver when he collides.
“Alan, think about what you are doing.”
“I did, sir. I am serving the rightful king.”
“And who is that?”
“My son, of course.” I can hear the smile in his voice as other footsteps come our way. I’m lifted from the floor, and when I look up, Viper approaches, wearing a green cape and a broad smile on his lips.
“I guess it wasn’t a bad thing, after all, sending you to that place. You did bring my father back. And for that, I won’t kill your sister. The wolf, on the other hand…” He taps his jaw. “… I’m still undecided.” I glance through the door at Grim and Max, who are both staring at me. “I didn’t plan to capture him, but I won’t lie and say I’ve never wondered what it was like to be Death.” Viper turns to face him. “Tell me. If I killed her right now, how would you collect her soul? Would it just float away and never be seen again?” Viper asks.
He turns back to me when his taunt gets no reply. “Everyone that saves you is here, child. Now it’s time we go and talk.” Two guards grab onto my arms, dragging me away, and I hear Max call out my name. I can’t move my hands and feet. They won’t cooperate, and I don’t know why.
We reach a large sitting area, and as my eyes take in the room, I see a cage set up in the middle. And behind that is another cage. In the first one is John, who seems to be knocked out, but in the second one is my sister and her baby.
“Talia,” Tatiana says in surprise. “You shouldn’t have come.” She shakes her head and holds her baby even tighter. “You shouldn’t have come,” she reiterates, her hands trembling against her newborn.
“I had to,” I whisper. My eyes locked on hers, she is looking at me with confusion as she holds her baby in her hands tightly.
“Yes, yes, of course, you had to. That’s what you girls are known for,” Viper says with an eye roll as I’m jerked to a stop and forced to the floor.
“Thanks to my father, I was able to come up with a potion to subdue your powers,” Viper tells me with a smile. “Probably not best to let strangers help you with your powers, Talia.”
“Thanks, I’ll take that into consideration in the future,” I snap.