Fate's Demand (Twisted Fate, Book 3)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Travelling the Void, Entering the Void, Exiting the Void, Time Stands Still.

I flipped back to the chapter about time standing still and leaned forward to read the small text. For once, I didn't feel the least sleepy.

Mortal time passes swiftly in direct correlation to the finite lifespan of its inhabitants. To each hour of the Celestial Realm, another Mortal day passes, and the Void stands still. Frozen, having existed before time actualized.

I leaned back in my chair, and my eyes went wide.

Deryk was right!

The flyer, my parents, the entire dream had been real!

My breathing quickened, my body flooding with warmth. Glancing around, I felt like I needed to make sure no one was watching before I hunched over the text. Had I read it wrong? No. The words and their meaning became clearer when I skimmed the same page again.

How could the Brothers lie to me? Or, if not lie, trick. Yes, they had definitely manipulated me into coming to Glory Academy by leaving out details as they saw fit. Even then, when it was time to leave, I hadn't been given the choice. If Darkness hadn't shown up, they would've found another way so that the outcome would meet their goal. I couldn't believe that Darkness wound up helping the Brothers get what they wanted in order to win whatever fight they were engaged in.

I slammed the text closed to hide the offending words and braced my hands on the table to help me stand. The tightrope I had become snapped, each of its halves resting against a platform, sizzling at its tips as the fire of my rage ascended, leaving ash. The Brothers would be sorry for what they'd done, failing to tell me. I didn't care what they wanted. Being a leader didn't matter.

It was time to go home, even if I had to ask Deryk for assistance.

"Are you okay?" Sera asked, appearing on my right and looking down with undisguised concern at where I gripped the table. She glanced back up, narrowing her eyes to scrutinize me.

"Fine." I loosened my grip, surprised I hadn't created dents. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and forced a smile for her benefit. "Don't you have class?"

"Nah." She shrugged and met my gaze with a smile still laced with concern. "With some of the Brothers away, the classes they teach are cancelled for the day."

"Then they'll be back tomorrow?"

"Sure. I think so. Why? Am I bugging you? Cause I can go?" She looked over her shoulder to the main door and then around the room. "Or switch tables so you can be alone?"

"No." I reached out and patted her arm. Feeling like I was crossing boundaries, I dropped my hand back to my side. "You aren't bothering me. I just had some stuff I wanted to know, and I don't know the other Brothers well enough to ask."

"Can I help? I mean, I'm almost finished my first year, so maybe what you want to ask is something I was taught?"

"Hmm." I sat back in my chair, nodding for her to settle across from me. Maybe she could help. With Mike and Gabe gone, all I had was waiting. Who knew? Maybe the Brothers failed to mention it because the answer was so basic, even first year students knew it. "What do you know of time?"

"Uh, there's twenty-four hours in a day?" She tilted her head, resting her hands on the table as she lowered herself into the chair across from me. "Hours and minutes are broken into increments of sixty?"

"I meant the difference here compared to home. The Mortal Realm?"

It was hard not to snap at her and demand her to refrain from joking, but I somehow managed. I couldn't keep from being snippy about things, my sarcastic nature almost always winning out above the pretence of patience and logic. All my love of logic had vanished now, as nothing was rational in my world anymore. Sera was what? Fifteen? And dead. Yeah... I couldn't blame her for the comments. She probably didn't get much of a chance to act her age.