Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“Stay here.”
I cut my eyes to Cerberus. “You too, Cerberus. Stay here. Don’t follow me.” Cerberus whimpers, trying to give me puppy eyes, but it won’t work. Not this time. I have to walk up that cliff alone. I know Decius is up there, and judging by the fresh trail of blood on the ground, he’s weak, and right now is my time to end him. No distractions.
There’s a possibility this could be a trap, but I have several Trench bullets remaining as well as the machete. And as far as I’m aware, Hassha’s protection still lingers inside me, otherwise he’d have gotten into my head by now.
“Stay,” I whisper again to Cerberus before turning away. I move ahead, taking the steep rocks upward that lead deeper to an opaque fog. The thick moisture clings to my lashes and skin, and I rub the tip of my nose before raising my gun. Something crackles to my right, and I swing my gaze to find the source of the noise. Rocks crumble from the edge of the dark cliff, drifting to sea. Gravel crunches ahead, and I grip the gun tighter.
“But if I’m a raven, what does that make you?” a voice asks. It’s a soft voice, young. A boy. I frown as it whispers by.
“I’d like to think I’m a swan. But not just any swan. A black swan. Still beautiful. Still graceful. But she stands out, and she doesn’t care because she knows her power.” A woman’s voice, warm and familiar. Mum.
“No.” I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut. That’s Decius. He’s in my head again. Hassha’s protection must be wearing off now.
“But aren’t ravens bad?” the boy asks again.
“I don’t think they are,” Mum says. “I believe everything the universe offers has beauty to it. Ravens only seem bad because they’re carnivores. But if you look at them, really look at them, you’ll see they’re smart as whips, and they’re not afraid of danger. I believe that’s why people think they’re bad. Because they’re smart and they know how to survive. That’s you, my raven-haired boy. You know how to survive. You’ll always know how.”
“Just not right now,” a louder, deeper voice bellows in my head. I open my eyes again, walking deeper into the fog. I need to find Decius before Hassha’s protection has fully worn off.
The cliff has leveled out and is much flatter beneath my boots. To my left and right are black, jagged rocks protruding from the ocean. The water laps at the rocks, waves splashing over them, a futile attempt to drown them.
“I love you, Caspian,” Mum whispers. But it’s not her voice. It can’t be. She’s not here.
A silhouette appears at the end of the cliff as the fog drifts. I aim my gun at it, moving toward it slowly, just until I can make out what or who it is.
The silhouette stands at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the dark ocean. They wear an ivory dress, a bleak contrast to the black cliffs and rolling gray sky. Her dark hair is braided into one braid that swims down to the center of her back, loose tendrils flying with the damp breeze.
I freeze where I stand, looking at the familiar woman who has her back to me. She turns a fraction, and when I see her face, I stumble backwards, my heart hammering in my chest.
My mother turns to face me, looking like she never left this world. Her green eyes sparkle despite there being no sun, and her smile causes gleeful wrinkles to sink into the brown skin around her mouth and eyes.
“My raven boy,” she coos, and I lower my gun, staring at her in disbelief.
“Caz!” someone screams behind me.
I look over my shoulder, and Willow is stumbling up the cliff, her brown eyes wide with terror. “Caz! Stop!”
“Willow?” As she appears, so does another person. This person is familiar, her white hair catching in the fog. “Korah?”
“Don’t step any closer to her, Caspian,” Korah warns, her hands lit in purple flames.
I swallow hard when my clan appears behind them. Their guns are raised, lasers coming off them, ready to shoot.
My family. They’re awake now? I thought they wouldn’t be until I killed Decius. I stare at them with glistening eyes—that is, until I hear that familiar voice again.
“Caspian,” she calls. I turn my head, and my mother now stands next to me.
“You’ve grown so much,” she whispers, grabbing my hand. I lower my gaze to our hands, how they merge as two different tones. I always liked that her skin was different than mine. I was always in awe that I’d been conceived by her—that someone with such beauty and grace created me. Her hands are much smaller than mine now. “Come with me,” she says, her voice a melody to my ears. I’ve missed it so much. I want to cling to the sound of it, allow the notes of her voice to wrap around me and squeeze tight. “We can finally be together. We can get away from this awful place and all it has done to you.”