Tornado of Nightmares (Book 2)

seven

✩ Landon ✩

NO, THIS IS NOT HAPPENING TO ME AGAIN. I cannot do this again; I can't stand by while someone I— someone I care for is ripped from me. I simply cannot do it again. Watching Kalliope's life leave her eyes, watching as she screamed in pain— I can't. I can't bear it again. Not again, not again, not again. Not after everything.

I can hear Faune's screams through the mirror, wherever that thing took her. It's hurting her, and I can't take it.

I bang and bang my fist against the mirror. Begging it to let me in, to let me help her. I can share the burden her; we can deal with it together if only—

Suddenly her screams stop.

Everything stops.

My heart is furious beat in my chest.

"FAUNE!" I scream, even though I know she can't hear me. My terror is a real, living, breathing, thing inside of me. I can taste it on my tongue.

She's not dead. She can't be. If she was, I'd know, I would know. Wouldn't I? I beg the gods for mercy—to spare her, to spare me, to let us live. Because this is not fair. Whatever bullshit they're pulling up there is not fair. Watching us get trapped in here—not intervening at all, and yet they intervene when Ember is almost dying. They intervened to save her. And yet, when it matters most they aren't here. They're— I don't fucking know where they are. If they did, I'd bang on their doors and demand answers.

Do gods have doors? What, do I need to look up their addresses and then go bang on their door? That seems kind of stupid, the idea of the gods chilling above us in their little townhouses, lounging in their living rooms, sipping tea, entertaining guests. While the rest of us are dying or being thrown into weird-ass mirrors that have grabby hands when it comes to Faune. Dear lords, there really is something wrong with me.

I'm still pounding on the mirror. Still banging and screaming her name. I'm surprised this thing hasn't broken yet; I'm hitting it pretty hard—

The mirror starts to whirlpool in front of me, halting my hand.

Then Faune comes hurtling out and right on top of me. We crash into the ground, her landing on top of me, and my unfortunate ass breaking both of ours falls. Splendid.

My arms wrap around her, I pull both of us up and scan her face. Her eyes are open and responsive. Her honey eyes settle on mine. She looks a little dazed. She's okay, she's okay. Thank the gods. I press my forehead against hers and just breathe. She does the same. I notice that her wings are no longer there but say nothing.

She pulls back away from me and I cup her face. "Faune," I say softly, "are you okay? What happened—"

"My name isn't Faune," she says softly, leaning into my touch. I stare at her confusedly, did she hit her head? "My name is Deminne. I am not supposed to be here."

She gets off of me, I frown at her as she stands. She looks around the room, her eyes locking on every single mirror she can spot. She turns around, back towards the mirror she was just ejected from. She gasps.

I bound to my feet; my mouth hangs open.

The mirror is completely broken. The teenaged girl is gone. The other two are still there on either side. But the one in the middle is most certainly gone.

A crease appears in my forehead. What the hell is going on right now? Faune was just sucked through the mirror and she comes out telling me she isn't Faune? What the hell?

I approach her but force myself to stop. Uncertainty is like a carrot dangling on a rod in front of me. I can feel it and see it, but I don't know how to deal with it. She's really starting to scare me. I don't know what's going on, and I'm really scared she hit her head or something, or that they did something to her in there. And it's gnawing at my stomach.