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Mason sprang off the floor then, sticking his hands in his pockets then traipsing off down the corridor leading back to the coed h I suppose I could have said that of round, even the entities What started with fear and hatred turned into solidarity, whether out of convenience or actual affection

“So you do think of us with affection?”

My blood ran cold, though no colder than the skin and flesh of the hand that had looped itself around my wrist I stared in rapt horror at the wetness of it, how it had es I wanted to screa came out of my throat

“Don’t be afraid, fleshling,” the voice said again, this tirittedWhen I opened ain, there she was, all three of her, one copy sitting to either side ofslickly, wetly, i bowl, like some hellish apparition from a well

The third copy of the goddess slithered her body whole froround in front ofwater out of her hair She was drenched, like she’d actually gone swi I refused to even attempt to s when it caic, thata sharp turn down the road to madness

My fingers dug into the stone floor beneathways to make your presence felt, Hecate”

“Ah,” Hecate said, three voices speaking out of three grinning ”

“Not fun for me, it isn’t”

Hecate tittered, then her face fell, her expression more serious “We are here for a reason, Dustin Graves Do you remember our last conversation, e told you of the little things you must do to win your battle?”

“The little sacrifices,” I said, the word like bitter, rotting flesh on ue

“Yes,” she said “It is time to decide We can tell you such stories, show you such horrors We can tell you all about the ritual, fleshling, all about the things you will need to ascend”

There was the word again Ascend Just the sound of it , h my veins with curious, excitable fire Slowly, I nodded

“Tell ”

Hecate spoke As she told me her stories, as she shared the ritual, my heart swelled with terror, then awe, then despair

Yet above all things, despite it all – my heart filled with hope