Black Blood (Series of Blood Book 4) by Emma Hamm (scary books to read .TXT) 📕

“You’re the oracle who told the Five about the prophecy?”

“Um,” Lydia looked up at Pitch for a moment before responding. “In a way. I was the one who told the Oracle about the prophecy. It’s mine, you see. The prophecy itself was something I made up to get you all here.”

“Why?” Wolfgang asked.

“I can see the future in a way no one else can. I can manipulate it. Change it. Distort it. And I saw this ending for your world thousands of years before the creatures inside you even thought about a war that would end their dimension. My entire life, the power inside me, was all created to stop your world from ending. A prophecy was required to save us all. So I made a prophecy.”

She watched the shadows slither from their forms. Pitch released his magic, and they remained in their seats. They didn’t look frightened anymore, they look intrigued. It was a start. That’s all she could ask for.

“I’m sure you have questions,” Lydia said. “I’m here to answer them and to help.”

“Help?”

“Malachi must be stopped. You are the army I have chosen but now the real work begins. You’re finally all here together.”

“We’re still missing the last piece of the prophecy,” Mercy said. Her eyes were sunken hollows, her voice a mere whisper.

“Oh, Mercy. You were only meant to find three. The last piece of the prophecy was with me from the start.”

“Excuse me?” Pitch asked.

“You were the original piece of the puzzle, my love. From the beginning, you continued my work until I could be here again. You never wavered. You never doubted.”

He looked as though she had swept the rug out from under his feet. “Why didn’t I ever put that together?”

“You never tried to.”

Jasper cleared his throat. “So, you’re a Goddess then?”

“Yes.”

“But not one of the Five?”

“No,” Lydia chuckled. “But Pitch is.”

Jaws dropped all around the room, and they turned to stare at the man whom they had known for years.

“You?” Wren asked. “You’re one of the Dark Five?”

“Always have been. And I created E, so you could say I have a vested interest in you.”

Stunned silence rang in her ears. She had known this would be a hard conversation to have. There was a lot of information for them to process, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by explaining just how far the Light Five had fallen.

Jasper leaned forward. “I’m putting it together now. Your voice is so familiar, I know I’ve heard it before. You helped me get to Mercy when she was entirely lost in the Phoenix.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Wait,” Wren’s eyes flipped backward and stared at her through milky white. Her voice echoed with thousands of others. “I met you in a dream. You were kind and apologetic for causing any pain.”

“That was also me.”

Wolfgang traced a rune into the table, blue magic sparkling under his touch. “Pitch spoke of you as I was growing up. He said you were a Goddess, but also that you saved me. That true?”

“I couldn’t leave you in that house. You didn’t deserve to be locked away for losing control. None of you deserved what fate had in store for you although I worry I’ve made it worse.”

Burke snorted. “Right. So you’re both deities and you’re here to help us? What about the Five? Isn’t that their job?”

Lydia glanced up at Pitch not knowing whether or not this was the time to answer that. She desperately wanted to talk to everyone. To get to know them, hear their stories and their laughter.

There wasn’t enough time for her selfish desires. Pitch nodded, and she took a deep breath.

“No. No, I’m afraid they won't help. You see, the Five are behind all of this. They’re working with Malachi and were holding you close to distract you. To keep you running along a path while searching for each other, but limiting how quickly you would.”

Stunned silence once more burned her ears. Their eyes had grown large, their fingers tapping against countertops or legs swinging with agitation.

“What?” Lyra blurted.

“This will take a while to explain,” Lydia gestured to the living room. “Perhaps we should all sit down? I promise, I will answer all of your questions and more. There is much to tell and very little time.”

They all shuffled into the warm room with wooden floors and stag heads mounted on the walls. As she walked past him, Jasper asked, “How do you know where the living room is?”

“I’ve been watching over all of you for a very long time,” Lydia replied with a smile. She reached out and brushed a hand over his pink wings. “And hello Bluebell. It’s lovely to meet you.”

She heard the faint sound of an answering chirp and strode into the living room to tell her story. And theirs.

Much later, after they had gorged themselves on cucumber sandwiches and mulled wine, Pitch tucked her into the spare bedroom Jasper had loaned them. Rounding the edge of the bed, he pulled back the covers. “Was it everything you imagined?”

“I didn’t know Burke’s laugh was so deep!”

“I will take that as a yes.” He pulled her into his arms, tucking her against his side.

“And I didn’t know Lyra liked to drink salted water rather than fresh! And Mercy was finally coming out of her shell again. She even ate with all of us. Do you know how long it’s been since she ate a full meal?”

“No, but I’m sure you could tell me.”

“They’re all so much larger in life,” Lydia said with a happy sigh. “I feel as though all my memories of them pale in comparison to the reality. They are so good and kind at heart.”

“You don’t regret choosing them anymore?”

“I will always regret putting them in this position, but they are capable of handling anything thrown at them. This may be the first time I’ve ever thought we stood a chance.”

Pitch squeezed her so hard her ribs creaked. “That is good to know. And your visions?”

“The threads of Time are