"Thank the Gods!" a man cried from the waterside. He was older, his spine bent and a bloody rag clasped in his hand. Dark shadows were under his eyes, which were set deep in his skeletal face. A telltale sign of illness. The glowing water cast light upward into his face as a grin pulled at his mouth. Whatever Fate was showing him must have been wonderful.

I stifled a snort. I would thank your healer, sir. Not the Gods.

The Blue Moon seemed brighter tonight as the second night of the festival drew to a close. The bonfires held off most of the winter chill with their blue flames. Moonlight glittered off the endless blanket of snow covering the plains. People strolled around me, shivering despite the heat from the fires. Everyone meandered around the Borobelly lake, seeking a private spot to see their reflection. Ghost thistle was clenched in every palm as people caught the last minutes of the Gazing Ceremony.

I'll spare you the majority of the details of the rehearsal dinner from earlier tonight. Matron Beaufoutonte drilled what everyone was supposed to do into us until we were all able to recite the ceremony by heart. Dresses and tuxedos were fitted down to the last stitch. Final orders for food and drink were placed. All that was left was the grueling wait for the ceremony that would take place on the third and final night of the Blue Moon Harvest Festival.

Even knowing the danger, Myra and Levi still found a way to look excited.

It was amazing to me that something as normal as a wedding could still happen in the middle of all this shit. Did none of them realize what prowled in plain sight? How the God of Knowing's Chosen could just show up and kill someone before taking on another skin.

But, as those two looked at one another, there was a promise of a better life. Maybe a better world.

I wasn't one for sentiment. That was beaten out of me a long time ago. To be honest, people like me didn't make the world a better place. I knew that. The best thing I could hope for was to eliminate as many evil people as possible while I was stuck on this plane. I would never lead armies, give inspiring speeches, or be the heroine people tended to picture.

But those two were different. Levi always had an indomitable sense of optimism. Did he genuinely love Myra and manipulate Father into arranging this? Or was this yet another example of him thriving regardless of his circumstances? He refused to give up on our father, no matter what was next on his endless list of abuses and neglect. But, even more unbelievable was his stubborn refusal to give up on me. And Myra? She had never once flinched about this marriage. She had complained about nearly everything else, but never about her love for Levi.

Someone was trying to kill Myra and the Deified, but they still found a way to smile at the thought of spending the rest of their lives with one another. That hope eclipsed their fear.

As for the Matron, I was pretty sure she would let the entire world burn if it were the only way of lighting the ceremonial lanterns for the evening.

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Tomorrow. These were all thoughts for tomorrow. I had done everything I could do today. But tonight wasn't done yet.

Ice crusted the edges of the lake, but otherwise the water lapped at the shore. As if the power of Fate kept nature from freezing it, along with the plentiful bonfires. Myra and Levi were walking together on the paved path around the lake, Myra's arm looped around Levi's. Part of me was happy that they saw anything at all as they took their turn gazing into the water.

Dash was talking amiably to Zachariah and Lucien, all three of them chuckling.

I walked along the stone bridge which spanned the center of the lake. The radiant blue glow of the water reflecting upward off the stones. I massaged my hands, trying to warm them. If it were up to me, we would already be home. But I was outvoted. People were gazing at their reflections all around me, seeing what glimpse into their timeline Fate had for them. What their destiny was.

Me? I knew what I wanted my destiny to be. My road ended with me turning in thousands of souls to Death, and going to the Far Shore. That wouldn't change, even if it took a millennium. I didn't need Fate to show me anything else.

And yet...

I started to peek over the edge of the bridge before I recoiled. No. I wouldn't do it. I didn't need to. Nothing I saw in there would change what would happen tomorrow. My jaw clenched, and I nodded to myself before I began to walk again. I was about halfway across now, directly under the moon. Yes, I would round the others up in a few minutes and head back to the house. Gods, these two weeks had been so fucking long. One more night, and I was free to go back to hunting down my bounties.

And maybe stop a war while I was at it.

There was still the puzzle of the Elemancy guns to solved, but that could wait until after we killed a certain murderous bastard.

My steps quickened as I approached the true center of the bridge, my boots thudding on the stones. I didn't need to take part in this ceremony that had no bearing on my past, present, or future. I didn't even have the Ghost Thistle necessary for-

I came to a grinding halt.

A young woman walked away from me, singing a happy tune to herself. She left her bundle of the white flowers on the wall of the bridge. Ghost Thistle.

Gods damn you.

I stared at the bundle as the water continued to cast its beautiful glow. As I considered the flowers, another voice sounded in my head, promordial and mocking. The same voice from last night when I was gazing at the same water.

Coward.

Growling, I strode toward the bundle and ripped a flower out of it. I crushed it into my fist for several seconds, taking a deep breath as I peered over the edge of the wall. The water beckoned, nearly blinding me as I allowed the little flower to fall from my fist.

It barely made a ripple when it hit the surface, and I breathed a sigh of relief as nothing happened. A small laugh escaped my lips as I made to turn away. What was I so fucking scared of? I really needed to see a counselor.

The light disappeared below me, catching my attention. Turning back to the water, I looked down again. The flower was gone, and so was my reflection. In its place was an all-consuming darkness. I peered around me, but nobody else was on the bridge. People were still gathered at the edge, but the water below them was still glowing.

Grinding my jaw, I looked down again, the cold seeping into my core. That cloud of black was still there, blotting out the light. I gripped the wall tightly as I leaned further over the edge, but the image didn't change. It wasn't just darkness. This was darkness. The type that stared back at you, promising something within. Endless and oppressive.

I allowed myself a few more seconds to stare at what Fate had to tell me before I tore my eyes away. I grabbed the remaining bundle of Ghost Thistle, staring at it treacherously. Without warning, I threw the rest of it into the water and turned away firmly as a single word tore free from my lips.

"Fuck."