BooksBarbecue
Back Into the Dying Light
Chapters (72)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. I
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. BEFORE
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. BEFORE
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. BEFORE
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. BEFORE
  25. II
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. III
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. IV
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. AFTER
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  72. Newsletter Sign-up

Illya shrugged. “What can I say? I might be a terrible person, but I’m a terrible person who wants to live. And ancient, vengeful gods tend to put a damper on survival plans.” He swallowed, looking down. “What … what does it want?”

She stared into the dying flames. “It wants to make the world its own again. A world where its will is obeyed. Where there’s no defiance, no love. A world that’s…”

AT PEACE, the god said.

Beru looked at Illya. “Hollow.”

The Witnesses were close. Anton had sensed them only a league away, and that meant their group needed to get moving. The others hurried about packing up camp as Beru looked on.

“We’re only half a league from the Serpentine,” Khepri said to Jude. “We should head toward it and find boats to paddle upriver.”

“What if we don’t find boats?” Jude asked, shaking his head. “We’ll be hemmed in against the banks, and the Witnesses will have an easy time surrounding us. We need to keep going north.”

“And just keep trying to outpace the Witnesses?” Hassan cut in. “It will be like the caverns all over again. We’re all exhausted. We won’t survive.”

The conversation grated at Beru. Someone needed to make a decision around here.

“We should go after the Witnesses,” she spoke up. “Why keep running when we can find the Witnesses ourselves and kill them? Problem solved. I could do it right now.”

A stunned silence followed. Beru looked around at the others. None of them met her gaze, save for Ephyra. She looked horrified.

“We’re not doing that,” Jude said calmly. “We stick together, and we keep moving.”

The others finished packing up. Ephyra stepped toward Beru.

“What’s going on with you?” she asked in a low voice.

Beru looked at Ephyra’s face, grasping for some feeling of compassion, of concern. She felt nothing.

“I’m fine,” she answered.

“No, you’re not,” Ephyra said softly. “I know you haven’t been sleeping. And what you just said about killing the Witnesses … the Beru I know would never have even suggested it.”

“I said, I’m fine,” Beru said through gritted teeth. “And since when are you so worried about killing?”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Well, don’t be,” Beru said, spinning on her heel and marching through the trees. She didn’t know where she was going, she just had to get away from Ephyra before she did something she would regret.

The trees in this part of the valley were strange, with slender trunks and pale bark notched with dark scores. This late in the year, the ground was blanketed with their golden leaves, and when the morning sun peeked out from the mist, it gilded the whole forest.