76 DAYS UNTIL THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, AFTERNOON
I let go of Skye’s chin.
I smiled. I breathed. I took her hand. As we left the Dead City and walked through a fading Nil rain, I pretended everything was okay.
Nothing was okay.
The darkness in her head had shocked me. Blown me away. The depth of it, the pure want. I felt it when her thoughts touched mine: there was a moment—a cold instant—when a surreal darkness flooded my mind, like when she’d shown me the darkness of her dreams, only this darkness was a hell of a lot more potent. A million times more tangible, more connected. More alive. Like for just that moment, Skye had cleared her head, expelling her thoughts and the darkness in one massive purge, dumping the whole mess into mine.
In that one second I saw everything so clearly: a crisp vision, seared into my brain with no room for misinterpretation. Skye, lifeless on black rock. Skye, claimed by Nil.
The darkness wanted her.
It wanted her dead.
Rivesssss …
Over the water, through the rain, I heard the papery hiss.
Be fearless …
I closed my eyes, working not to clench my fists. Working to breathe, which right now seemed like a monumental task. It’s easy to be fearless when you have nothing to lose.
Me, I had everything.
I’d never been more scared in my life.