Excerpt: In The Twilight Between

"Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies. "
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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"I'm sorry," Tylev said under his breath. Nadya turned towards him and saw a long dagger in his hand as he moved closer. With a start she shrank away, trying desperately to scramble to her feet and run, but she had barely gotten to her knees when he snatched a handful of her hair.

"I am sorry, I can't let you live." he said again she could feel the edge of the dagger touch her throat.

"Wait! Please! You don't need to do this!" Nadya cried tears of fear leaking from her eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a terrified bird trying to escape, but he didn't seem to hear her words.

"This must be done. I cannot let him have your power." Tylev said.

Tears were running freely down her face now. "Please." She begged again. "I just want to get home. I never meant to come to this horrible place to begin with. All I want is to get back home. To get back to-" her voice broke as a vision of Jake's smiling face floated up from her memory.

Tylev hesitated for a moment. "I am sorry." the blade moved from her throat and for a moment Nadya felt a spark of hope. Maybe he would let her live after all. But then the cold touch of the knife repaired at the back of her neck as he touched the point to her spine.

"I will make this as quick and painless as I can." his voice said from right by her ear. His hand moved aside her hair to see his mark better.

Nadya closed her eyes waiting for the cold of his dagger to cut into her, severing her spine and ending her life. In the back of her mind she thought idly that this was not the way she had planned to die.

But after a moment when he had still not made his finale blow she cracked one eye open slowly, afraid to move or breath.

"You don't have the mark." his voice said quietly.

"What mark?" Nadya dared to ask her stomach fluttering giddily with renewed hope.

"You have not given your soul to the White Lord."

"No. Levah said that a powerful magic person was needed." she paused fearing to say anything more that might convince him to kill her again. The knifepoint disappeared from the back of her neck and Nadya let out a long breath. Tylev released her hair and took her wrist, picking up the rope and retying her hands together.

"I don't understand." she began, but he was not listening to her. With a last pull he finished tying her hands, Nadya noticed that the binding was much looser this time. He lifted her from the ground and led her over to the base of the tree. With another length of rope he tied her to a protruding root. Drawing a blanket from the back of his saddle, Tylev draped it over her.

"Sleep here." he said simply then turned and walked away taking a seat on the other side of the fire.

Nadya was surprised, but didn't complain at his sudden change of mood. Wondering silently at what was going on, she lay down under the tree. Hopefully Tylev really had decided not to kill her, but she couldn't help but wonder why.

And if he wasn't going to kill her, what he would want from her in return.