Page 109 of In Between Death and the Devil

Fen swallowed. His end of our bond eased open. Fear and hope flowed towards me.

“Are any of your previous lovers still in the In Between?” I asked.

“Only two in addition to Talia, both Judges.” He cleared his throat. “The rest all moved on to the After before you arrived.”

Thank the Guardian for small mercies. “I’d like their names, so I’m not surprised if we cross paths.”

“Eris and James.”

I nodded. I recognized the names, but I had no idea what they looked like. I’d ask Daphne next time I saw her who they were. I looked around the garden, the beautiful space so at odds with the tone of our conversation. “Why did you bring me here?”

“My predecessor created this for Death, a place for them to share. I wanted to share it with you in case I never got another chance to.” His cheeks colored.

“Thank you. I love it.” Part of me wanted to touch him, but I wasn’t ready for that.

“It’s also on the way to the Pool of Memory.”

I raised one eyebrow. “You could have just told me that.”

“I wanted to be honest.” He shrugged.

I pressed my lips together, not ready to reward him with a smile. “Smooth.”

His small chuckle thawed something in my chest.

“Lead on.” I waved him in front of me and followed him further into the garden.

A few minutes later, the quiet roar of a waterfall was audible, and not long after that the garden ended at the edge of a cliff. The walls of the cave lay about a hundred feet across a yawning chasm. About halfway down lay the mouth of the waterfall which tumbled into a pool at the bottom.

“There it is,” Fen said. “The Pool of Memory.”

I bit my lip and stepped back from the edge, trying not to think about how far down the bottom was. “How do we get down there?” My eyes scanned the cliff’s edge looking for the start of a path, but I couldn’t find one.

“We shadow-step.” He held out his hand.

* * *

We stepped out onto a rocky beach on the shore of the Pool. It was bigger than it had looked from the top of the cliff, about the size of the throne room on the bridge. The waterfall wasn’t wide, but it tumbled from a height that made it crash into the pool with enough force to fill it with small churning waves.

The air around us was still, despite the roaring falls, like a breath held in anticipation. The place felt ancient, as if it held all the memories of all the lives everyone had ever lived.

“That looks cold,” Fen said, eyeing the Pool with distrust.

I bit the inside of my cheek, remembering what I’d seen in the mural, how the man had come out shivering and pale, like he’d seen a ghost. Getting in the water was not something I wanted to do, but I also wanted to complete the first trial and face whatever was waiting for me in there. So I didn’t say anything, just reached for the hem of my dress.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Removing my clothes so I have something dry when I get out.”

“They won’t stay dry if you put them back on.” His eyes followed my every movement as I pulled my dress over my head.

“Maybe, but there’s nothing worse than wet clothes. Besides, I’d rather not have them weighing me down.” I bent to unlace my boots.

“Do you not know how to swim?” Fen asked.

“I do.” I had learned as a small child, before I started seeing visions. “But it’s been a long time.”

He started to pace while I removed my boots and socks.