Page 21 of Can you take it?

Silence. I felt every nerve in my body stand at attention as I waited, filled with anticipation and hope.

Nothing. But then…

“Cal? It is you! I knew it—I fucking knew it! Can you hear me?Are you okay?”

I melted at the sound of his voice, though I suppose it was the feeling of his voice more than anything, but it didn’t matter. I could feel him. I could feel his excitement and nervousness and something else really strong as well. Fear? I wasn’t sure.

“Son of a bitch!”

I startled for a second at the angry, rumbling voice before I realized it was Mendax talking through the bond. He could hear him too!

“Ha-ha! Smoke-Show!” Eli laughed and a torrent of emotions flooded me.

“Wait, you can hear him?” I asked Eli.

“Yes,” both men said in unison, which caused Mendax to swear and grumble next to me as he threw himself into the nearest seat like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

“How is this possible?” I thought.

“I have no clue,” Eli answered.

“The fucking Fates,” Mendax grumbled.

“What?” I mentally shouted.

“Ha-ha! Fucker!” Eli gloated. “This is what happens when you are nice and help people.”

“You get to annoy people with your presence even after you die?” Mendax growled.

My laughter fluttered throughout the room, filling all the tiny crevices of my brain. “I can’t believe this is happening!”Suddenly a little bit of sunshine had poured back into my life. “What is it like? Are you all right? Have you found Adrianna yet?”

“Umm, well, Tartarus is awful. Everyone is drugged out or trying to steal something from you. They all are evil heathens only concerned with partying, pleasure, and gambling.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time. I can’t return until I die,”Mendax added, still doubled over on the chair holding his head.

Eli continued, ignoring Mendax. “I’m fine, though I would comfortably say I’ve been better, and um, yes, I’ve met Adrianna, or Anna, as they call her. She’s not a child at all; she’s a full-grown, dangerous, evil, stunning woman. Actually, I will have to chat with you all about it later, especially about the use of this channel for sex and butthole talk, if I don’t die in the next twenty minutes. I will reach out soon if my soul doesn’t evaporate. I’m about to play a game.”

Mendax’s head snapped up. “Of course she’s not a child; you thought she quit aging in Tartarus? Wait, you said a game?”

“What game? She’s not a child? You mean, she’s all grown up?” I asked as I felt the anxiousness flood from Mendax. The thought of Adrianna being in Tartarus as a woman and not a child was more comforting than I could have imagined.

“Yes, the red keys, apparently against your sister. Talk soon— maybe. Hopefully.”

Mendax and I stared at one another in complete bafflement. “What are the red keys? I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe we can both talk to him,” I mumbled out loud after feeling the presence of Eli disappear.

Mendax’s gaze lingered on the floor, sitting motionless for a few seconds, before he rose to stand in front of me. “One of Kaohs’s favorite pastimes—a gruesome and entertaining game where an army of men fights to the death until only one man and his red key remains, taking with him the memento of each kill. I dislike disappointing you, but this is the last time you will remember your friend. Once the loser falls from their stallion to the grounds of the field, their soul evaporates as well as the memories attached to it. You will not remember Eli. He will be a shadow of a thought after he plays in the red keys.” His mouth pulled up in a grin. “I win again, only this time my victory is that he will not plague my wife with feelings or memories of loss or sadness. He will be nothing to us and we can go on as if he never existed.”

“What about my sister? The Fates won’t let her die.” I gripped the edges of the desk, suddenly feeling light-headed and nauseous.

“I’m sorry, my pet. From the sounds of it, neither one of them—” Mendax lurched forward to steady me. “Wait, did he say Anna?” He let out a huff of breath. His icy eyes held shock before eventually looking pleased.

“Yes, why?” I nearly shouted. What was going on?

He looked off into the distance before laughing so hard he had to bend down.

“What is so fucking funny?” I yelled, growing more and more pissed off by the second.

“It can’t be possible, but it makes complete sense. If it’s the same Anna, she’s…”