Extraits

Emmy Dying was easier than I expected, but being brought back to life? That was hard. Death had come in a flash of pain, blinding in its intensity. It completely overwhelmed me, and then it was over ... Until it wasn’t. I felt Willa calling me back. Her voice was pleading with me but I was safe and comfortable in death and I didn’t want to return to all that pain. In typical Willa fashion, she didn’t give me a choice. She dragged me back through the darkness, healing me along the way. I could feel my body mending, becoming stronger as power tingled through me. There was chaos around me, sounds battering against my ears and heat blasting across my cheeks. Soon, the unidentifiable sounds were merging into voices and I was slipping back into unconsciousness—although it was a living unconsciousness this time. I drifted in this state for some time as everything settled into a buzzing darkness, and while I probably could have woken myself up and opened my eyes, a part of me wasn't ready. I liked to live my life in an orderly fashion. I liked knowing exactly what to expect from every single sun-cycle—except for Willa, of course … she was the only disruption I accepted. There was nothing orderly about dying, and being dragged back from death was even more chaotic. I wasn’t sure what I would see when I opened my eyes, or even where I would be. I half expected to have been dropped in some in-between state—a world reserved for dwellers who haven’t had the pleasure of dying completely. Eventually, I couldn't hide any longer. My lashes fluttered, light seeping in through the edges. Pain no longer touched any part of me, and by the time my eyes were fully open, I could feel strength coursing through me. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed I had been laying on, I glanced around the room in confusion. Everything was white. I groaned, my head falling into my hands as crystal-clear memories suddenly rushed back to me. As I pondered the impossibility of what had happened, the door opened and someone walked into the room. Or … something walked into the room. “You are awake, Sacred One.” It was Donald’s voice. I let my head fall back into my hands but then paused, her greeting finally penetrating my reeling mind. I glanced around the room. Willa wasn't with me, so who was Donald calling a ‘Sacred One?’ And where the hell was my sister? I knew she was the one who had saved me, but she wasn’t there anymore. I was completely alone, apart from Donald. “Where is the Sacred One?” I finally asked. Donald pointed at me. I moved out of the way of her finger. Her finger moved with me. I groaned again. “You definitely malfunctioned, didn’t you? Where’s Willa?” “Sacred Willa the Great and Only is sleeping,” Donald answered. If it were possible for a person to sit on a bed and blink sarcastically at a Topian server, that was what I was doing. “Where is the Great and Only sleeping?” I asked dryly. “In her new bedroom,” Donald answered helpfully. “Can you take me there?” I asked. Donald shook her head. “I cannot, Sacred One.” “Why not?” I pushed to my feet, suddenly filled with exasperation. My emotions felt a little more erratic than usual. “Sacred Willa is being guarded and is not allowed visitors,” Donald informed me, sounding downright cheerful. “Who is guarding her?” I asked, glancing down at myself. I had only just noticed that I was wearing deep green robes, the colour almost inching toward blue. It wasn’t a colour I even recognised; it seemed to morph from blue to green as I moved my arm, shifting the robe around. Weird. “Sacred Coen the Mighty and Painful, Sacred Rome the Great and Strong, Sacred Aros the Beautiful and Sexy, Sacred Yael who is better than the others, and Sacred Siret who told me all their proper titles.” I couldn’t help a snort. “Right. Can you maybe go and ask them again? Because when they said that they were guarding her, they didn’t mean from me.” “As you wish, Sacred One.” Donald made a short, snappy bow, and then she disappeared. “Sacred One?” I asked again, just as confused as the first time ... but she was already gone.