Page 62 of Shadow of Death
“Sometimes Varic will listen to me, and the others will as well. Sometimes I can sway them in small but meaningful ways.”
Varic would have to die before anyone’s life here improved, but it wasn’t my place to make her choice. Lord knew I’d made enough blunders of my own.
She didn’t say any more, and I held my tongue. I had too many problems to take on a fight for someone who didn’t want to fight themselves.
We fell into a comfortable silence as we both looked out at the sea.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“We won’t stay long,”Kicks said as we walked toward the great hall for dinner.
Varic had once again made the suggestion we attend dinner. Why? I couldn’t begin to fathom.
Kicks might not be looking as dire as I was, but he was walking slower than normal.
The din of the crowd grew louder as we got closer to the main hall. Eating with these people over and over again was going to do little for my appetite.
I took a deep breath, preparing myself as we approached. We were about to turn the corner when the sudden, familiar feeling of standing beside the abyss gripped me. Charon was near.
I clutched Kicks’ arm harder, as if that would keep me in this world.
He looked at me immediately. “What is it?”
“Kicks, I—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish, as I was suddenly standing in the arena again, the stars above. There were whispers and the feeling of crackling power coming from the darkness that surrounded me.
Charon appeared, his face hidden by the hood of his dark cloak, and everything inside of me tensed. I was about to get tested again.
“You are here for a second test,” he said, his voice heavy.
Stay calm. Don’t show fear.
“How many more times am I going to be tested?” I asked. I was done following anyone blindly. They’d been ready to kill me last time. What did I have to lose?
“Until we feel it’s been enough.”
“We? You mean the ones who won’t even show their faces?” I waved a hand toward the faceless darkness of those so ready to judge but not be seen.
“We reveal ourselves when we choose.”
“And what if I don’t want to be tested again? Then what?” I said, trying to stare into the dark void where his face should’ve been.
“We’ll have to make a decision about your future that might be unfortunate,” he said in that deep rumble of a voice.
Unfortunate?Thatwas what they called killing me? It didn’t scare me if that was the intent. I was more ready to fight now than before. I’d been afraid for so long, of so many different things, that I was growing a callous a mile thick.
“So you’ll kill me if I don’t take your tests, or kill me if I fail?” I said, done keeping the agitation out of my voice. I’d kill all of them if I could, and I didn’t care if they knew it.
“Yes.”
I didn’t respond, waiting to hear what else he had to say, since my input didn’t matter anyway.
“You will be subjected to continuous shocks. They will rise in their intensity until you name someone to replace you in that same position. That person will then be shocked to death. They will not know who chose them, nor will anyone else. They will just die here and remain missing forever to all who knew them.”
This was too easy, my list of enemies too long. It wasn’t an honorable way to kill, but I’d be crazy not to—but that wouldn’t be much of a test, would it? No. These people were too twisted. I already knew how this was going to go.
“But…” I rolled my hand, urging him to get on with it.