Page 207 of Famine

Still, I nearly stagger.

He will help me after all.

“I will even allow you to strip yourself of your immortality and your duty,” he continues, “because you so love humanity.”

I hadn’t asked for his permission when I first tried to cleave away my immortality, and I didn’t ask for it now, but I’ll—begrudgingly—take it all the same. This is what Death does, after all—he can strip men’s souls from their bones, and he can strip my immortality and purpose from mine.

“But—” Death adds.

But.

That single word steals my breath, and I feel the weight of his tithe.

“—but your mortality comes at a price.”

Not many things shake me, but this does. What other hells must I endure?

“I thought the price was steep enough as it is,” I say. Thanatos himself had been the one to say this was an unworthy trade.

“You’re in the land of humans. There is no fairness here,” my brother replies.

Damn him, but I cannot disagree.

“You want mortality?” he continues. His hand moves to Ana’s shoulder once more. He squeezes it. “Then your female comes with me.”

To the afterlife, he means.

“What?” I take a step forward, alarmed, just as Ana bites her lip, a couple more tears silently slipping from her eyes.

“Ah, ah,” Thanatos says, his black wings unfurling. They come around Ana, further isolating her from me. I stiffen at the sight of her in Death’s embrace. “That’s not how this works, brother.”

I try not to panic. It would be effortless for him to take her from me. Worse, he’d consider it a mercy to deliver her from this world.

“Fuck you, Thanatos,” I say, “That is no trade.”

The only reason I want to rid myself of my immortality is so that I can live and die alongside Ana. What would be the point if she were already dead and gone?

“But I thought you wanted to save humanity?” Death says, his eyes gleaming.

To hell with humanity. I don’t much care about all the other humans out there.

My brother’s eyes narrow. “I see. You wouldn’t save humanity if this woman couldn’t be saved, too,” he says, echoing my thoughts.

“Does it matter what my reasons are?” I say.

“Of course it does,” Death says. “You are the bearer of the scales. You know better than I do that motives areeverything.”

I take a step closer. The last of my reasonableness is burning itself away. I’ve stayed my hand, I’ve been more goddamn civil than should be expected of me.

Now the heavens open up. Rain begins to pelt down, and the sky flashes.

BA-BOOM!

The thunder rattles above me.

“Listen closely, brother,” I say. “The woman you’re holding is theonlything that matters to me. If you hurt her at all, we will have a problem, Thanatos. Your duty won’t mean shit in the face of my wrath.”

Death looks sad. “You have lost sight of who and what you are, Famine, to so easily turn your back on your task,” he says.