“What?” I snapped, not sure what was happening. My arms and legs moved again—I was completely free from the energy holding me on the scale.
That was the only good news.
The scale started to shake under me, my body rattling along. Trying to get free, I flailed and lurched forward, but the gap that was my exit continued to shrink smaller and smaller until I was surrounded by gold. “Let me out!” I screamed, but there was no reply, and from the tiny gap still available to me, there was no visible sign of the goddess.
I’d definitely failed this part of the test. A scary thought when it was something to do with my future, but I’d have to worry about that later. Right now there were much more pressing concerns. Like the fact I was trapped on the side of a godsdamned scale. Or that I was going to walk this crazy fucking world forever if I didn’t get myself out of here.
My energy swirled, as it had been since I arrived here, stuck, not able to be accessed. That wasn’t going to work for me any longer though, and I reached for it, yanking as hard as I could. Like when I’d gone up against Sonaris, I needed to free myself from any worries or blocks that held my power back.
This was my one and only chance; the last sliver of space between the bars on my cage was almost gone. I sensed that when it disappeared, I would be trapped as she’d predicted.
The world would fall to the gods. Millions would die.
Everyone was relying on me, and even though I wanted to curl up in a tiny pathetic ball and cry, I found some fucking strength, deep inside, and slammed my hands against the bars.
“I’m a god!” I screamed. “You will never contain me.”
The energy swelled. It pulsed and fought its containment.
“You have no control over me.” The guttural words didn’t even sound like me. “You. Do. Not. Control. Me!”
A physical fissuring started inside of me, and Heptashia’s block on my power detonated in a blast of white dust blowing out the side of the golden cage, splintering it like it was nothing more than a dandelion misting into the breeze.
As I rose up into the air, water swirled around me, refilling my strength and sanity. Being without my power was like being without the sun. At first you thought it was okay, not noticing as you grew weaker and depressed. Eventually I would have died, cut off from my energy in that way. I needed it to not just survive but to blossom.
Asher’s presence slammed into my mind and I soaked up his energy, my soul literally screaming as it was reunited with its other half.
Maddison?
His voice sounded like thunder in my head.
Asher,I choked out through our mental link.Asher. Fuck. I missed you so much.
There was nothing but silence, deadly, echoing silence. I knew he was still there, but it was beyond his ability to speak.
Are you okay?I pushed.
Another second of heavy silence.
No. Where are you?
He was barely holding it together. The words were strangled, like they were being forced out, and since this was mental speak, that told me about the state of his mind.
I took a back entrance to the underworld. An entrance, I think, that will bring us to the Hellbringers and give us a chance to take the gods out.
Thunder echoed around me, and when lightning struck the ground, I looked around, wondering if Asher was close by. Josephina had said that there was a chance of opening a path for them … had I managed to do that?
Maddison.
He drew my attention back to him.
I’m coming for you.
The feelings inside of me…
I’d never felt anything with this much intensity. It was almost too much for me to deal with. I lowered myself to the ground, trying to find an equilibrium.
Tell me what happened.
