Chapter 50

“Accashia.” The woman sobbed. “My daughter.”

Accashia knows that her mother is dead. A month had passed since then, and yet here she was, sitting in front of her. Alive and breathing. It was such a strange thing. And Accashia knows that this was all a lie. Deceptive. A snake in Eden. An illusion.

Lies.

And yet, there’s a warmth that fizzles on her heart when she sees her mother, Ember. She knows it’s not true. She knows her mother is dead. She senses it in the wild, wild soul. It’s a trap. The soul was erratic, and it was stained, for it was no longer in a beautiful shade of light blue or white. She thinks of this as nothing more than the most irrational thing. Perhaps it is, this is, most of all, that makes it so painfully easy to suspend belief.

The belief that her mother is truly gone, for there she really was. But there are times when Accashia wished that it was not true.

Accashia’s lips trembled and the long sword slipped from her fingers. “Mother…” She whispered. “Mama.” Aga