An hour ago, Katrina had never held a weapon in her life. She had never wished to hold in her hands the power to judge others, to end their life on a whim. That power was reserved for the gods, not humans. You didn’t need to fight to protect people, you just needed to listen, to understand. Yet here she stood, a murderer, clasping a loaded revolver in her shaking hands and trying her best to shut out the whispering voices at the back of her mind.

On her left stood the purple-haired Ceres, one hand placed gently on her arm, the other perched on the small of her back. The cloaked witch chanted flowing foreign words under her sweet breath, the soft strokes of her warm fingers enticing unseen energies along Katrina’s veins and towards the weapon.

On her the other side was Lyra, the yin to Ceres’s yang, messy damp hair matting over her eyes, her grip on Katrina tight and her low mumbling harsh and sudden. Katrina just hoped whatever they were trying would work as there was no telling how long the golem would remain stationary. What if it got bored? What if it decided to attack again? What if that horrible man had defeated their teachers and was now coming after them?

“We’re done,” said Lyra.

“Give it ya best shot,” added Ceres.

Even with their spellcasting over, both girls kept close, as if to help soothe the nerves shaking Katrina’s aim. It was only one shot, but the golem was a large target mere metres away. Surely she couldn’t miss? All she had to do was pull the trigger…

But what if it were alive? What if she was about to commit another murder? Take another step over the line and into darkness? She clenched her eyes shut and held her breath, hoping her aim was true. No point worrying. Just fire and forget. Let it go. Take the step.

The power is yours to take. Pull the trigger and wake up.

The echo of the shot ricocheted around the cavern as the recoil snapped the gun backwards. Shocked the the sudden force, Katrina lost her grip and the weapon fell, hitting the earth with a soft thud. Then, in that following moment of silence, she opened her eyes. The golem was still standing there, motionless; a single bullet-wound sending cracks across its limestone chest. It hadn’t worked.

“That it?” asked Theseus.

“Should be,” replied Ceres, “It ain’t nothin’ more than a statue now. For the time being, anyway,”

That was it? Silence? No heart-shattering scream of pain? Katrina found herself gasping for breath, realising she’d forgotten to breathe for at least a minute. Lyra clapped her on the back with her typical vigour.

“Ye did good. Be lookin’ a little pale though. Everything all right?”

Katrina nodded. “Just feel a bit weird, that’s all. Like…”

She could feel something. Something she’d not felt before. Not like this anyway. A tingling sensation, like an overdose of caffeine flooding the bloodstream. Giddiness. Life. Vitality. And most of all a sense that she had just opened her eyes after a long sleep. She shivered, steadied herself with Lyra’s support, and shuffled forwards.

“Like what?” asked the Raven.

“Like I’ll never sleep again,”

***

Chapter 56
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