We stayed like that for a while, kissing and hugging and whispering sweet words in each other’s ears. I couldn’t get enough of him. I couldn’t get enough of this body either, of experiencing life like I never had before. This was what I had been missing, and there was plenty left for me to discover.
“Where is she?” I asked after a while.
Tristan sighed. “She got away. Anunit knew we were plotting to catch her. I didn’t stand a chance.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, slowly getting up. He helped me, and I measured him from head to toe, just to make sure. This was the man I had married. The man I loved with all my heart. The man with whom I had spent the last twenty years of my existence. Oddly enough, I only remember the last twenty years.
“Yeah. She roughed me up a little, just to teach me a lesson, but that’s it. Out of respect for you and the help you’ve given her,” he replied. “That’s what she said. ‘Out of respect for Unending and the help she’s given me, I’ll let you live so that she can enjoy a life with her husband. A real life.’”
“Damn. Death is going to be so mad.”
“Do you care?” Tristan replied, holding back a chuckle. I offered a shrug and tried not to laugh. Yes, I felt worried, but the truth was that I had earned this moment for myself and for Tristan. “The fate of the world does not rest on your shoulders. It is not entirely up to you to fix everything that’s wrong with it,” he added. My death magic spell still protected him from the sun’s light, which meant that all the spells I had cast before were unharmed—that was good. I still felt my connection to Death’s last seal, which meant my leverage against her remained valid. Thank the universe. Anunit had absolutely kept up her side of the deal, and then some. I had respect for that. She was a renegade, but she’d done right by me in the end.
I nodded, my arms wound tightly around his neck. “Well. The World Crusher is free. I accidentally set her loose. The Ghoul Reapers are free for the same reason. And Anunit is in the wind after she got her capable claws on the Mixer and shoved me into a living body. If you think about it, this could’ve gone a lot worse, right?” My self-deprecating sarcasm was stronger than ever.
“A lot worse. But I have this to keep safe, so it’s not that bad,” he said, showing me the die Anunit had left him, the little device where all my knowledge and memories were stored, with the exception of the past twenty years. I’d have no access to it unless I chose to forsake the body, but I found comfort knowing it was safe with him.
“Good. Well, it’s still bad, obviously. Kind of shames me and my years of experience. But no one got hurt, in the end,” I replied. “And Death insisted upon handling it herself, so…”
Tristan sighed. “Anunit is smarter than we gave her credit for. That much is clear.”
“I wonder what she’ll do next.” Pausing for a second, I gazed into the distance, imagining the self-satisfied grin on her face, wherever she was. “Whether Death likes it or not, it’s time to get my siblings involved. Our maker needs all hands on deck for what comes next. I may not have my death magic or my ability to wield a scythe, but I can still help.”
“She won’t ask you to,” he said. “I do agree though, about all hands on deck. Come on, we’ve got a Reaper coming to get us soon. Of course, he’s coming with the incorrect assumption that he’s going to pick up Anunit. We’ll have to break the bad news and grovel for a ride back to… where are we traveling to next, my love?”
After everything we’d been through, I needed a long and pleasantly quiet break. The Shade had always risen to the occasion, with its eternal night and fragranced forests. We had a treehouse of our own there. A nursery to decorate.
My body was mine, but my heart was Tristan’s. We had fought so hard to get to this point. Even Death had signed off on this colossal step. My siblings would poke fun at me, but I was the happiest I had ever been. I was alive, my lungs filling with fresh air, my blood rushing, my soul singing.
A new life awaited us.
“Take us home,” I told my husband. “Take me to The Shade.”
ASOV 91: A Gate of Light
Dear Shaddict,
Thank you for reading A Ruler of Clones.
Continue the journey in ASOV 91: A Gate of Light — releasing July 28th, 2020. Not long to wait!
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Love,
Bella x
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HARLEY MERLIN
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Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
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