30. Chapter 29

Screams of men and women and beasts. Silence.

Ava"s face as life drains from her body. Silence.

My own screams as I tried to free myself from the body that was moving all on its own. Silence.

I wanted this, or at least I thought I did. The woman told me I would get what I wanted, and I wanted revenge. It was all I could think about.

Those who hurt me. Betrayed me. Starting with Father and ending with all humans, all men. All those who looked at me and saw nothing but someone to take from, to use.

I am not a killer, but when I saw Cora fall to the ground. When I felt her gift seep into my veins, it felt all too good. I was a willing subject. The woman knew that, knew that this day of destruction would come, that I had it in me all along. I had given her permission to take my body and turn it into a weapon. The one that she had promised me when she first spoke my name.

It was too late. No matter how much I protested, no matter how hard I fought. When Ava appeared before me in my distorted view of the world from the back of my own mind. I had not wanted her to die. Too late.

I closed my eyes, but I could still feel it, her magic, as it became my own. Something beautiful that she had shown me many times was now mine. By the time I opened my eyes again, there she was, lifeless and unmoving. I hardly had time to process her death, I wanted to cry, to scream, but nothing came out.

The rest was fueled by my rage for my only friend and the revenge that burned in my heart. It was not only mine. I know that now because I am alone. There is no longer someone occupying the same space as my subconscious. The revenge I felt on the field was ten times that of my own because it did not belong to just me.

Metal crashing on metal. Silence.

Men"s last breaths as they coughed up blood. Silence.

The scarred arms of an angel carrying me away. Silence.

White curtains, and a white room. Even the door is painted over. I sit up in a panic before pain rings through my head. This has me falling back down on white sheets. It smells of spring, and when I look over. White flowers.

My chest hurts in more ways than one. The flowers are a reminder of death. The other reason is that I feel as if I have been run over. My body is sore in ways that I never thought possible. I sit there staring at the ceiling, unable to think of anything other than death. My own, for starters. I am obviously somewhere past Stone. Maybe all the lives I took are also here somewhere.

I close my eyes, accepting of the fact that I am no longer living. I wait and wait until I hear voices in the distance. They are full of anger. I can"t make out what they are saying, so I carefully peel the blanket from my body and step onto white tile. Ignoring the pain in my arms and the dried blood that runs through the ends of my hair, I make my way slowly to the door and press my ear against it.

"It was easy." A familiar woman"s voice says on the other side. "After all, her Mother asked the seers the same question as I." she pauses for a moment, and I hear the other person sigh. "You thought you could just lock me up here? After what we built together?" The words make no sense to me.

"What I built, Hecate. Alone. Me." His voice is deep and unforgiving. "If you think I"ll let you keep this up, you"re wrong."

"Whatever, dear, we will work out the details later." I can almost hear the smile she is sure to be wearing. "For now, we have bigger problems. Problems that you created this time; might I add." She takes a breath. They are closer to the door now. All I would have to do is open it to reveal them. "She was weak. I made her strong. And she"s going to need it. You"re welcome." She sings. They are sure to be speaking of me. I do not feel strong. I do not feel anything but guilt.

"I will return her. Is that what you want to hear?" he tells her. Return me? No, no, I can"t go back. Where would I go? They would lock me up. After what I"ve done, they will- then the door opens, and a woman stands before me. She looks at me up and down. Hecate, he had called her. Slender with wide eyes that narrow at their ends. Her hair is up, aside from two strands that fall on the sides of her perfectly high cheekbones. Her dress is blue like the sky, tied around her body of silk skin.

Behind her stands the angel with raven"s wings. Augustine.

"Persephone."