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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

Beru slammed her eyes shut, heaving in a breath as the god wrestled for control. She could feel it, like a dark fog invading her mind.

She reached for a memory to drive it back.

When I was seven, I found a bird with a broken wing beneath the acacia in the yard, she thought. I brought Ephyra to it, and she healed it.

She saw the memory in her mind, holding on to it tight. The way the bird’s little feathered chest had trembled when Ephyra touched it. The way it had hopped away from them, shifted its healed wing. The little warble it had made when it flew away, joining the other birds high up in the branches of the acacia.

The details of the memory grounded her. Reminded her of who she was and what she could feel. She let those feelings fill her like light, breaking through the fog.

YOU WANT TO, the god said, pushing against the seal. I CAN FEEL THE DESIRE IN YOU. YOU WANT TO END HIM AS MUCH AS I DO.

Between one breath and the next, she considered it. Killing Pallas. Letting the god go free.

But she couldn’t. As evil as Pallas was, the god would be worse. If she set the god free, then there was nothing to stop it from wreaking total devastation upon the world, the way it had in Behezda, with Beru just a passenger inside the beast.

She felt a presence at her side. Lazaros hovered behind her, ready to restrain her with Godfire chains if need be.

She dropped her hands, letting the Godfire extinguish, and turned back to the Witness and the chained woman on the altar. The Witness groaned and climbed to his feet.

“Behold!” Pallas said, stepping smoothly out in front of Beru as if nothing was amiss.

The Witness took a lurching leap, his newly stolen Grace launching him farther and higher than an ordinary human could manage. It was a clumsy and somewhat inept demonstration, but he would learn to wield his Grace in time.

Beru met Pallas’s icy gaze. Dread pooled in her gut. Though she’d managed to stop the god, the damage was done. And Ephyra would pay for it.

That night, they returned to the Archon’s residence in the citadel, and Beru to her collar. She was used to the slight sting of the collar by now, and it was a relief not to feel the god’s emotions encroaching on her mind like storm clouds.