Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
“I’m not a soldier.” His words don’t make sense except that this prophet person kept me from being with my family. From holding my mother’s hand as we went to the next life together.
“No, and that is why you are so important. I prophesize, but I cannot explain, so sometimes things get interpreted improperly,” he explains. “Especially when you’re dealing with a very literal wolf. And sometimes a prophecy can go more than one way. No matter what is written down, there is almost never only one way. Life doesn’t work like that. We all think fate is a through line, but there are almost always many roads that come to the same place. By saving you and hiding your value, I am giving us options. Options Myrddin will overlook in favor of the ones he understands.”
This is a damn weird dream. “I don’t understand you. I’m not important. I’m never leaving this place. They won’t ever let me leave.”
“Because you don’t know how to say and do what you need to in order to get out and take your place with the rebels,” he explains. “That’s what I’m going to do today. Or rather I’ve simply come to watch an important event. If anyone from Heaven or Hell asks, that’s what I am doing. I didn’t lure him here or anything. I’m sorry it took so long. He was trapped for a while, but he’s ready now.”
“Who is he?” I ask.
Suddenly there’s another man standing in front of me looking like he’s ready to go play a round of golf. He’s much shorter than the prophet guy and older. He’s like my grandpa’s age. If my grandpa was alive.
“Hello, Shy. My name is Harry Wharton, and according to Gray here, we can help each other out.” He has the most lyrical Irish accent, and something about him is infinitely warm. “I have a granddaughter who’s only a bit younger than you. Her name is Evangeline.”
“Uh, I thought we talked about not using my name,” the prophet says.
Harry waves him off. “We both know neither of us will remember this encounter. The way you explained it, bonding to her soul will make this brief time foggy and dreamlike, if anything at all. I won’t even remember you were the one who guided me here, so I can’t tell Heaven and Hell on you.”
“It’s Hell I’m worried about. Heaven would stop me if they wanted to. Lucifer might get upset if he thought I was playing favorites,” Gray says.
“Lucifer Morningstar?” I ask. My mother was careful around demons. I had heard many a lecture on staying away from them. “He watches you?”
“As you can see some of her delusions are biblical in nature,” the doctor outside says.
“Does she always talk to people who aren’t there?” another asks.
“Oh, yes. Though she usually begs them to leave her alone. This might be a further decline,” the doctor explains. “She also claims this very institution is filled with ghosts.”
I ignore their laughter because I’m starting to think this isn’t a dream.
Also, this place is unbelievably haunted, and I hope one of those ghosts binds to the doc and gives him hell.
“Lucifer watches me carefully,” Gray says with a sigh. “Which is precisely why I will never mention this day to anyone. I will keep my distance so they never suspect. The next time I see you will hopefully be the day you join the rebellion and meet… Well, I’ll leave that to fate.”
“Leave it to me,” Harry offers. “Shy, I died fighting Myrddin Emrys. My daughter is Queen Zoey of Vampire and the High Priestess of Faery. My grandchildren are on the run. I need to help them, and you need to get out of this place. It’s killing you.”
“They won’t ever let me out.” I look to the door, but the doctor and his students have moved on. They’ll be back, of course, but not for hours.
Harry kneels down, and we’re eye level. He has kind eyes. “I promise, I’ll teach you what to do and say and how to act so we can get out of here. It will take a while, but I promise I’ll get you out. Once we’re out, we’ll make our way to Iceland, where the rebels are. There are vampires and wolves and witches and Fae who are resisting Myrddin’s new world order. They’re growing stronger by the day.”
“I didn’t tell you that either.” Gray seems concerned with plausible deniability.
“Of course you didn’t.” Harry’s eyes never leave mine. “Shy, I will do everything I can to help you. I know I’m not a psychic, but I actually collaborated with your dad from time to time. He was the best telekinetic I ever worked with.”
“You knew my dad?” Tears start to roll. It’s been so long since I even talked to someone who understands the world I grew up in. I started to wonder if maybe I’m wrong and they’re right. Maybe I made up all of this in my head to disassociate myself from trauma. But Harry knows who my dad was. Knows what his powers were.