“Put. It. Away.”
“Fine,” he huffed.
I was about to take my first step when Marshen grabbed me by the elbow.
“I’ll go first.”
“Fine. After you, Grandpa.” I gestured, handing him the immortal flame.
The water was cool. It would have been perfect were it not for the enormous snake and scattered human bones. My bagabsorbed water as I reached the bottom step. It turned heavy.Great.
Marshen and I moved side by side in the waist-high lake. Every step was careful, our eyes scanning the water around us.
My breath caught at the shadow approaching us, encircling us, the same way that the Phoenix’s flames had circled Sabi and the twins. We kept moving, taking little careful steps. I deemed that my stuttered breathing was completely justified.
Marshen holding the flame with his left hand made me queasy. It was as if he was leaving his dominant one free on purpose. I was eyeing him, teeth clenched, as I watched his hand go to his waist, his palm meeting the dagger’s hilt. That’s when I glimpsed a second shadow approaching him from behind.
“Don’t,” I hissed as the shadow neared, drawing Marshen’s attention. “Please,” I pleaded.
To my surprise, Marshen lifted both hands in surrender, giving me the need to release a shaky breath. But soon I found myself gasping as the gesture of his lifted arms was synchronous with the snake-monster before him. Its body lifted, exposing its massive squamous head. I jerked as another head made its way out of the water before me.
We stood there, watched helplessly, as the two gargantuan heads opened before us. Their mouths were like a twisted flower in bloom. Their insides were made up of folded layers of pinkish-red skin, each equipped with two backwards-facing, sickle-shaped fangs. They let out their forked tongues in unison. The tips flickered as they extended towards our faces. A small whimper left me as the wet bident tips reached both sides of my temples.
CHAPTER 54
Where am I?
And where was I before I came here?
It was bright. So bright that I had to shield my face with the back of my arm. I walked towards the only thing that I could see in the midst of this blank space of white void. No, notsomething,I realised as I moved closer, butsomeone.She was robed and hooded with the finest creamy silk; her body, I could tell, was tall and slender, even from behind.
“Hello?” I called out. To my surprise, my voice didn’t echo.
She turned around, but her oversized cowl didn’t allow me to see her face. Her robe draped over her shoulders, just enough to cover her full breasts, but her belly, I could see, was very much swollen. Her hands went to her throat, exposing it, as she untied the thick knot that was keeping her hood in place. My hand darted towards the centre of my breastbone. My fingers found skin.
“That’s my necklace!” I wanted to snarl at her, but my words stuck to my tongue as she pulled back her hood, revealing herself. Princess Maryam.
“Oh, look who it is…it’s Lady Cordelia Weakheart.”
My jaw tightened. “Give me back my necklace!” I demanded, every word dripping in rage.
She let out a playful laugh, holding her lower belly with both of her hands. “And why would I do that? Why would I ruin a complete set?”
She placed a lock of dangling hair behind her ear. The gesture caused her wide sleeve to fall to her elbow, exposing her hand. A golden band with an emerald gem, the shape of a kite, wrapped her ring finger perfectly. And as she moved her hair out of the way, two identical marks scarred her neck. My stomach boiled, just as my blood did. I wanted to rip them all off her skin.
She laughed again. “I took everything from you—your necklace, your man. Mmm. Oh, and I almost forgot! Cinnamon says hi. Aegir gifted her to me for blessing him with this child.” Her hands went to her belly once more and she let out a loud sigh of pleasure.
“You’re lying! He wouldn’t do that to me.” I tried to bark the words at her but they came out tainted with uncertainty.
“Oh, but he did. Hechose me, didn’t he?”
“He was forced to. Your father made him.”
“Do you really think that a powerful male likemyAegir can be forced into anything? You heard him choose me. Tell me, how long did it take for him to say my name?”
She rested her hands on the apex of her belly, bobbing with laughter. My whole body trembled. I bit the insides of my cheeks so hard, blood coated my tongue, my gums.
“The answer is one second, Lady Weakheart. It took meone secondto take everything from you…and do you know which part I took from you that I treasure the most? It is the memories of your parents.” My heart leapt, tears soon leaving my eyes. “Tell me, do you wish to know if they are memories filled with love and laughter? Or do you wonder if they are filled with hate and terror? I guess you’ll never know for as long as I live.”
