Four-Letter Words by Evans, Gabrielle (best novel books to read .txt) 📕

The deeper into the abyss he trekked, the number he felt, as though the very air he breathed was decaying his soul. He felt empty, devoid of any emotion. Joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, hate—he felt none of those things.

Ignoring the cold, Thane fought through the growing numbness and sent out small tendrils of magic. He could almost picture the energy unfurling from his palms and fingertips like climbing ivy vines, stretching out into the inky black in search of their target.

“Well, it’s about time.”

As the familiar voice chastised him for his tardiness, a thin golden light bloomed from Thane’s palm, illuminating one of the ropes of magic he’d released. Though he couldn’t see the man on the other end of that rope, he could feel the slight tug reeling him forward.

“It’s not my fault you went and got yourself kidnapped,” he responded, carefully making his way toward his brother’s voice.

“Yes, Thane, because I planned that. You’re so right. I totally deserved this.”

“Is that what I said?” Where Nix was calm and optimistic, often times the diplomat of the group, Mikko had a sharp tongue and an eye for trouble. “Stop being a dick. I’m trying to help you.”

When he finally reached the end of the magical tether, all of Thane’s annoyance drained away at the sight of his brother. He couldn’t see much of him, but there was enough light from those strange blue lights to recognize the man.

“I really am glad to see you, but do you think we can get the fuck out of here?” Mikko stepped even closer, reaching out to take Thane’s hand, but his fingers passed right through Thane’s wrist. “Okay, that was creepy.”

“You should know that your body is…well, you’ve looked better. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“I might die,” Mikko stated without a hint of reservation. “Well, I’d rather die than be stuck here for the rest of eternity.”

“How did you end up here, anyway?” Thane asked, leading the way back toward the veil. “Just follow the lights.”

“Really? Follow the lights? I’m a ghost, Thane. I’m not stupid.”

Technically, he wasn’t a ghost, either, but Thane was done arguing with the runt. “Fine. Then keep your mouth shut and stick close.”

“We need to move faster.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I can’t see two feet in front of me.”

“Yeah, well, you’re going to be getting to know this place a lot better than you’d like if you don’t move your ass.”

“Mikko—”

“Go, Thane! They’re coming. Run!”

The level of urgency in Mikko’s voice convinced him to shut up and pay attention, but it was the sudden rise in temperature and the sinister hiss through the darkness that finally propelled him into action. A bright, orange glow pulsed up from the floor, illuminating a narrow pathway that started several hundred feet behind them.

Thane had descended into the lower dominion of Purgatory on only one occasion, and he had no desire to repeat the experience. It was like walking into fucking Mordor, and well, that hadn’t turned out so great for Frodo.

The region below was not the fiery depths of Hades but just another sector of Purgatory. Hades, Hell, the Underworld, no matter what people called it, the place was reserved strictly for the incontrovertibly dead. However, the lower realm of Purgatory was a place for the wicked spirits trapped between worlds—or those simply attempting to cheat death.

Thane called it The Pit. Unlike the frigid void where they currently stood, The Pit was blazing hot, alight with the evilness that burned within its inhabitants like glowing embers. A simple brush against one of those spirits burned the skin like a branding iron, and the pain lasted for weeks with no magical cure or relief.

The ground beneath his feet began to tremble as the barrier between dominions split open with a thunderous crack. The fissure zigzagged toward him, spraying up more of the pulsing, orange light and increasing the temperature to blistering levels. Within seconds, Thane was dripping with perspiration, and his simple cotton T-shirt was clinging to his torso, completely drenched in sweat.

“Thane!” Mikko shouted at him. “You have to lead me. I don’t know which way to go.”

The voice he’d first heard as a hiss was now joined by others, and they grew in volume until it seemed the noise surrounded him on all sides. The jumble of words and sounds were confusing, disorienting, and worse, the voices felt like they were piercing his brain, causing his temples to throb and his stomach to convulse with the sickening pain.

“Thane!” Mikko shouted again. “We have to go!”

“I can’t…I don’t know…I can’t see the…” And there it was—the most gloriously beautiful sight he’d ever seen. It was nothing more than a faint, twinkling light that sparkled ahead within the pitch black, just a tiny pink flicker that waited for him at the end of the tunnel. “This way.”

Thane refused to look away from the little star, afraid he’d lose his way if he let the pain in his head or the rising heat distract him. Using every ounce of strength he possessed, he sprinted through the dark, unconcerned with his limited sight.

The ground shook harder, causing him to sway and stumble, but Thane kept running. He didn’t dare look back, but instead, he listened for the sound of Mikko’s labored breathing to make sure his brother was still close. As they neared the flickering pink light, the voices exploded into a cacophony of noise, reaching deafening volumes that nearly sent Thane to his knees.

He didn’t go down, but his momentum slowed, and it was a struggle just to place one foot in front of the other. The voices increased in numbers and became even louder, while the dangerously high temperatures said the spirits were creeping ever closer.

The last dozen steps felt like a perilous trek through miles of broken glass, but at last, Thane finally stood beneath the star that had led him home. “Mikko, hold my hand.”

“I can’t. It just goes right through you.”

“Mikko, damn it, just take my