Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
My father looks at the twins. “Assist Janak and protect my charge with your lives.”
They nod, looking nervous as hell.
Done with this conversation, I turn away from them and begin to stalk in the direction of the forest.
“Son,” Father calls as he jogs to catch up with me. “Let me take the lead.”
I nod, and when he picks up his pace, I run beside my father and head into the dense forest.
“I’m on my way, Alchera. Just hold on for a few more hours.”
There’s only silence, and a fist of fear grips my heart.
As long as my heart still beats, I know she’s alive. It’s all that matters.
Alchera
I’m unsure how long I’ve been out, but I wake up on the floor with every part of my body engulfed in agonizing pain. I can’t even bring myself to move a muscle.
“I thought you were never going to wake up. Welcome back.” Just hearing Adeth’s voice has me wishing I’d never opened my eyes. “Come, you must eat and drink something before you faint again.”
A bowl with something mushy is shoved near my face. Ares also sets down half a glass of water in front of me.
I’m holding onto the faint hope of being saved, and it’s the only reason I force my body up. Leaning heavily against the wall, it hurts like hell when I reach for the glass. I drink every drop before I take a couple of bites of the tasteless porridge.
“I have decided that I believe you,” Adeth states.
Oh wow. Aren’t I the lucky one.
“You’ll remain here until your visions of the chosen ones begin, which should be very soon. Then you’ll tell me what I need to know, and we can put all this nasty business behind us.”
I stare at Adeth, and it’s actually bloodcurdling how insane she is.
If the visions start, I’ll just have to hide them from her. Raighne will eventually come for me, and he’ll kill her. I’ll just keep telling myself that, and hopefully, I’ll start believing it soon.
Without another word, they disappear, and my head rolls to the side.
Every passing hour feels like the worst day of my life. I think my wounds are infected, and I have a raging headache.
I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.
I’m sure most of my ribs are broken, and my left arm has been wrecked from trying to protect myself. My back is flayed raw, and I smell like death.
Desperation passed a while ago, and I feel numb inside. I prefer it this way. It’s easier to cope with all the shit that’s happening to me.
I stare at the dirty floor I’m sitting on when my vision blurs once again, and I’m thrown into a different time and space.
Birds are chirping all around me. Beautiful cages line the sides of a passage, filled with colorful birds of every shape and size.
I can hear a man talking in another language. The weird thing is I understand what he’s saying.
I try to focus on everything around me. The man is talking to someone about where he’s going to put each of the birds and how to make the cages even better for them.
As I walk closer, I realize he’s actually talking to the birds. I see where he’s busy changing their water at the end of the passageway.
The birds flutter around as I pass them, and it amazes me that they can sense me.
The man glances in my direction, and I stop for a moment.
When it’s clear he doesn’t see me, I walk closer until I’m right next to him. He has light brown hair with dark brown eyes, and he’s a head taller than me.
There’s so much love surrounding him while he talks to his birds, I want so badly to be a part of it.
His words and quiet actions make me wish that I could bottle some of that love for myself.
Turning his head, he looks straight into my eyes. I know he can’t see me, though I have a feeling he can sense me.
“Jason,” I whisper.
His name comes easily to me as I stare at my first chosen one.
I return to my private hell with lingering feelings of Jason’s love.
Shit. That was a vision.
I pry my eyes open as panic flares in my chest, and not even seconds later, Ares appears in the middle of the shack.
No!
My body automatically convulses at the sight of him. I quickly duck my head, scared he might see something regarding the vision in my eyes.
Don’t think about anything. Clear your mind.
When I’m not able to stop thinking, I picture random words, places, and people.
Waterfalls. Horses. LA. Molly. Fleur. Canada. Robert.
My mind latches onto Robert, and I replay the night when he attacked me in my mind in case Ares is able to hear my thoughts.
I’d rather sacrifice Robert than one of my chosen ones.