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I ripped out my sword and cut it in half.
Boom!
Heat and light exploded in my face. I flew across the temple and crashed into the wall, cracking the fresco and raining lime plaster on me when I hit the floor.
I pushed up on shaky limbs. Everything hurt. My vision spun, swirling the space on its head, when a voice rang out.
“Hello?” Pandora picked herself up from where she fell. The scepter lay forgotten at her feet. “What’s going on? Where am I?” She shrank, her borrowed eyes wide. “Who am I? Oh my gods, who am I? Who am I!”
“Please,” I croaked, stretching out my trembling hand. “Give her back. Give Daciana back.”
“Who are you!” she shrieked. “What is this horrible place?”
“P-please...” I tried to move and fell flat on my face. “She’s my... best friend. Give her back.”
“Stay away from me! I don’t know you.” Pandora scrambled to her feet. “I don’t know any of you. Leave me alone.”
With that, she vanished—disappearing far from my reach.
I tried to pick myself up and fell again. Hands caught me before I hit the floor.
“It’s okay, baby.” Mom’s warm, smiling face filled my vision. The opposite of the worry on Alex’s, Ionna’s, and my friends’ faces. “Everything is all right. I’ve got you now.”
Darkness carried me away.
“I’m here.”
Final Chapter
Iwoke up in the infirmary—alone.
Pushing up on my elbows, I looked around for my mom, Alex, Nitsa—anyone. Did my seeing them at the end really happen, or did I dream it?
The door creaked open, lifting my head. Hondros entered the room.
“Hello, Young Aella. I see you’re awake.”
I nodded. “My mom. My friends. Where are they?”
“I’m afraid your questions will have to wait until you’ve answered mine,” he said. “You understand you have to be debriefed about what happened down in the chamber. Do you feel well enough to do so now?”
“I... uh...” My head was filled with cotton fluff. “Sure, yeah.”
“Tell me...” He leaned over me, pressing me back onto the pillow. “Has our true and glorious goddess risen?”
My eyes blew wide. “You? You’re one of them?”
He lashed out, grabbing my throat. “Answer me! Has she risen? Has the new dawn arrived?”
“Let go of me,” I wheezed, fighting back with weak limbs. “H-help. Help me!”
Flames rose up, engulfing his body.
“Ahhh! Ahhhhh!”
I froze in bug-eyed horror as Hondros flung himself away, screaming the most inhuman, soul-punching screams.
An impossible, boiling pit of lava opened up under his shoes, and he sank. Not quickly. Not painlessly. Hondros was ever so slowly consumed by the fire—his screams ending long before it claimed him.
