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

Khepri nodded, and Beru had to appreciate her forthrightness. “I guess I find that hard to believe, too.”

“Well, he’s right,” Beru said, curling her hands around the gunwale. “I am dangerous.”

“Dangerous enough to take over the Six Prophetic Cities,” Khepri said. “That’s what the Hierophant was doing with you, isn’t it? Using you to subjugate the other cities. I guess Nazirah wasn’t enough.”

Beru felt a hot pulse of anger, and in its wake a sick lurch of guilt. Khepri was right. She’d let Pallas do all that.

“I know what happened in your city,” Beru said. “You were fighting Pallas before any of us.”

Khepri’s expression sprang open in surprise. Then she swallowed, looking solemn. “That’s right. And so were the people of Nazirah. My brothers, the Scarab’s Wing … they’ve been fighting Pallas this whole time.”

“And you want to help them.”

“I want you to help them. I saw the way you broke our chains with a flick of the finger, the way you stopped a whole—” She cut herself off, shaking her head. “You have all this power inside you. Don’t you want to use it?”

“I can’t,” Beru said. “I’m sorry. I wish I could. But I can’t.”

“Why not?” Khepri demanded. “You could do something good, to make up for the things that the Hierophant made you do for him. You could save my people.”

Beru turned so she wouldn’t have to see Khepri’s face, anguished and in pain.

SHE’S RIGHT, the god said. YOU COULD. WE COULD. YOU WANT TO.

Beru gazed at the horizon. The god was right. There was a part of her that wanted to be able to wield this power for good. To help Khepri, to help anyone and everyone who knew suffering.

But she knew how that would end.

“I can’t use this power,” she said, forcing herself to look Khepri in the eye. “It isn’t mine. And the thing that it belongs to … if I let it out … if I let it free … you saw what happened on the beach. That was just a small taste of what it’s capable of. If I saved your people, it would doom the entire world.”

Khepri held her gaze for a long moment.

“I’m sorry,” Beru said again. “I truly am.”

Khepri shook her head, looking out toward the horizon. “I guess I seem pretty selfish, asking you this while you’re trying to save the whole world.”

“Nazirah is your home,” Beru replied. “Of course you’d want to do anything you could to protect it. Maybe that is selfish, but it’s also human. And that means it’s worth holding on to.”