Serena.
I hear Zadyn’s voice in my head as if he spoke my name directly into my ear. I twist around, my heart leaping out of my chest. But I’m alone.
Did I just imagine that?
My stomach tightens as I scan the unnaturally quiet expanse. I force myself to keep walking, my senses now on high alert. After a few steps, I hear it again, louder this time.
Serena.
I turn once again.
Nothing. Nothing but unending silence.
“Zadyn?” I call cautiously.
I’m here!
I spin in a circle. “I don’t see you. Are you wearing a glamour?”
I’m here. Follow my voice.
I try to do that.
Keep going, I’m right here.
I apprehensively drift closer to the source, the pounding of my own heart ringing in my ears.
“Zadyn, can you just come out? This is freaking me out.”
Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything hurt you. Just a little further.
The sun is setting. There’s no denying it now. It’s all but disappeared, the faint wash of a water-colored sky quickly fading to black. Worry settles into my chest.
“I’m not afraid, I’m annoyed. We don’t have time for games.” My voice is edged with panic.
But I do.
I freeze, feeling an ice-cold breath on the back of my neck.It sends a chilled shiver down my spine. I whirl around, only to be faced with the horror-inducing realization I already suspected in my bones.
“You’re not Zadyn,” I choke.
Towering above me is a dark, shadowy figure in tattered robes that float on an invisible wind. Its large hood swallows its face, revealing nothing but a black abyss. It’s at least double Zadyn’s height. Black feathered wings extend from its back, arching high overhead. An angel of death. It reeks of rotting flesh.
The Mara.
It lifts a long, bony finger. Black nails, three inches long and sharpened to dagger-like points, reach toward me.
I don’t hesitate before plunging the dagger into its chest.
11
I’m not sure why I thought stabbing it would really work.
Instead of feeling flesh give way beneath the sleek blade, I strike something hard, like stone. But when I try to pull the dagger free, it refuses, lodged between…a ribcage?
I don’t wait to find out.
Abandoning the dagger, I break into a sprint.
