Page 152 of In Between Death and the Devil

My torso started to glow as I felt something sprout from the seed. A tendril of something stretched and curled and then pushed its way up through the center of my chest to my throat. It wasn’t uncomfortable as it continued to climb. A tingling sensation, like hundreds of tiny, fizzing bubbles, tickled me as it rose.

I opened my mouth to let out a stream of light that coalesced into a shining sphere the size of my head in the air in front of me. Gold branches unfurled from the bottom, wrapping around it until they met at the top. Leaves sprouted there, folding around each other until they formed a salamander. Light swirled in the center in a hypnotic eddy of ever-changing colors, until it solidified into something that looked like crystal.

Death’s Orb. Even if it didn’t look like the images I’d seen of it, I knew what it was. Something in me recognized it instinctively.

The tingling sensation dissipated, and the Orb hovered in front of me until I held out both hands. It settled gently in them, warm to the touch. The light at the center pulsed softly, as if in greeting, and the darkness surrounding me faded until I found myself back in the Guardian’s cave.

CHAPTER 40

“Maeve.” Fen’s hands were on me as soon as the cave faded back into view, touching my arms, back, shoulders. “Are you alright?”

I nodded, unable to speak. The Orb sat easily in my hands. It was lighter than I’d expected. It also felt like it was part of me. The light at its center pulsed softly in time with my heartbeat. It made me feel both comforted and vulnerable, as if a vital part of me was now outside of my body.

“You disappeared into a cloud of shadows. I couldn’t get to you or sense if you were okay.” His gaze was frantic and worry permeated our bond.

Tucking the Orb under one arm, I slipped my other around him, burying my face in his chest. The feel of him against me, solid and hard, contrasted with the lightness that filled my chest. When he wrapped his arms around me and breathed into my hair, I let out a small sigh of relief.

This was real. I’d passed the three trials and received the Orb. I had a chance to right the imbalance of the realm.

“You have earned the right to challenge Death for her place.” The Guardian’s voice startled me.

Pulling away, I turned to face them. Fen stood at my back, close enough that my shoulders touched his chest, his hands at my waist, as if he couldn’t bear to be separated from me. I soaked in the contact, not knowing how much more time we had together.

“Go to the Pomegranate Grove,” the Guardian continued. “Use the Orb to summon a new tree to begin the challenge.”

“A tree,” I repeated, making sure I’d heard them right.

“The pomegranate is a symbol of life, fertility, new beginnings and death, through which all things are reborn. It’s why the Orb is shaped as it is. A true Successor of Death will be able to use it as a seed to bring forth a tree. Once you’ve done so, Death will be summoned, and the challenge will begin. It will end when only one of you is left standing.”

It was what I’d expected, a battle that only one of us would survive, but hearing it confirmed made me shiver.

“You will need witnesses from both castles. At least one from each. They will be protected,” they added when I blanched at the idea of fighting around them. I wouldn’t put it past Death to use them as a shield. Or to simply shred them.

“Does Bea count as coming from Death’s castle?” I asked Fen in a low voice.

“Yes,” the Guardian said, answering my question. Before I could ask anything else, they disappeared in a flash of light.

Well, then.

Fen created a bag with his shadows and offered it to me. I placed the Orb in it and looped it over my head and one shoulder. Then he wordlessly offered me his hand. I took it and we shadow-stepped back to the castle.

* * *

We arrived in Titus’s room in the infirmary, Bea in tow after heading back to our dining room first. The worried look on her face had sent us here.

“How is he?” Fen asked.

“He took a turn for the worse not long after you left,” Marcus said. He stood at the foot of the bed, gazing at Titus with anguished eyes. That more than anything else frightened me. Marcus was always so calm.

Daphne sat in her usual place next to the bed, holding Titus’s hand tightly.

His skin looked noticeably paler, and the black patches covered more of his skin. His chest still rose and fell, but his breathing was labored. Every time he exhaled, I found myself holding my breath until his chest expanded again.

“I don’t understand.” I said. “He’s been stable for so long.”

“Do you think it has to do with the bridge breaking?” Bea asked.

I swallowed, guilt eating at me. He wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for me.