Chapter 38
Rule thirty-eight: The more the testosterone, the more difficult the diplomatic relations.
“ W hat do you mean, it’s gone? Is that even possible?” I stare at Sin, dumbfounded.
Sin shakes his head, dismayed. “I didn’t think it was. We need to leave. We’re unprotected.”
I purse my lips at his words, and my eyes stray to the open door behind him, beckoning me. “We can’t apparate out of here without your powers anyway. We may as well keep going until we figure out what just happened.”
Sin frowns, glancing at the door. “I don’t like it. This was set up to weaken us. We’re powerless.”
I pause, waiting to feel the anxiety creep in. But I don’t feel worried or negatively affected by the drink at all. Out of curiosity, I focus on the silver energy I used earlier, and the silver wisps dance across my fingertips.
My eyes widen in surprise, and when I look back at Sin, he’s staring at my hands. He’s still frowning, but there’s something else there, too.
Curiosity.
He wants answers, maybe just as much as I do.
He nods once. “Okay, kitten.”
We make our way inside. The room beyond is another cavern, similar in size to the one we just left. There’s no light, and we’re shrouded in darkness.
I try to step forward again so I’m standing next to Sin, but he reaches out, keeping me tucked behind him.
“Welcome,” a smooth voice drawls out.
I stiffen, and Sin squeezes my hand. I hear his blade leaving its scabbard and draw my dagger, just in case.
“Forgive me, where are my manners?” the voice calls out again, and with it, torches around the room blaze to life.
I blink at the bright lights, and my eyes settle on a figure in the far wall. And I mean quite literally in the wall. Most of his body is encased in the stone, with the exception of his head and forearms. His face is almost translucent; it’s so pale, contrasting against his jet-black hair and piercing ice-blue eyes. His features are sharp, giving him an ethereal look.
“You’re a little less walled-in than the last time I saw you,” Sin notes in the way of a greeting. He doesn’t lower his weapon.
The man in the wall’s lip tilts up. “A very recent development, I assure you. Though one I am eternally grateful for.” He flexes his hands before continuing, “Did you like my improvements to the place?”
“What improvements?” Sin asks, sounding on edge.
“Nothing too serious, I assure you. The Pit of Nightmares, for a start, which I’m sure you enjoyed. Oh, and my little key to enter this prison.” He grins at Sin, and it isn’t a friendly expression.
Sin stiffens, and the man in the wall laughs before continuing, “Not to worry, the effects are temporary. Your powers will return in a few hours, Destroyer.”
“Why?” Sin asks, evidently still a bit upset about the whole powerless thing.
Is magic a crutch?
I could definitely see it becoming a crutch.
Why do stairs when you can apparate?
The man in the wall grows serious. “I’ve just regained some of my power for the first time in longer than you can possibly comprehend. I am rather loath to allow any magical creature into my cell who may want to try removing it.”
My brow furrows, and I finally squeeze past Sin. He glares at me, and I smile at him before turning back to the man in the wall. “Why didn’t your traps affect me?”
Sin’s glare bores into the top of my head. I’m assuming it has something to do with me drawing attention to the fact that the strange man clearly missed a target.
The man in the wall shifts his gaze to lock on me, and he smiles, appraising me, before answering, “Because, Vivian, you belong to me. ”
I have had enough experience to realize that diplomatic relations are not a strong suit in Destroyers. Maybe not in most men who suffer from excess testosterone in general. Sin’s answering growl is menacing enough that I reach back and squeeze his hand reassuringly.
“Care to elaborate on that?” I ask simply, not letting him draw a reaction out of me.
The man in the wall smirks. I quirk a brow at him, unimpressed.
“Ahh, it’s delightful to have good company for a change. Are you quite certain the Destroyer needs to be here?” he asks, casting a self-satisfied expression at Sin.
My gut tells me this man won’t hurt me, but I’m not about to leave Sin. “He stays.”
The man in the wall sighs before asking, “Very well. Tell me, Vivian, do you know what I am?”
I purse my lips.
Don’t do it, Viv.
“A little stuck?” I answer.
Why am I like this?
The man in the wall laughs again, this time sounding delighted. “Beyond that, Vivian, I am a god.”
I nearly choke. There’s no way.
I narrow my eyes at him. “A god? As in Hades, God of the Underworld?”
Sin squeezes my hand. “There is no Hades, kitten. Those are myths.”
There’s no mistaking the hint of exasperation in his tone. I’m guessing he has little patience for mortal mythology .
“I’ve been called many names, but yes, Hades is one of them.” He takes in Sin’s dubious expression before adding, “The Mortal Realm is much more closely tied to death than the others. The Underworld may have fallen, but their spirits know where they belong.”
I nod. My necklace doesn’t heat, but I barely pay attention to it. Again, I’m not sure how, but I already know he’s telling the truth.
“So, is that why you think I belong to you? Because I’m mortal?” I ask.
The man in the wall’s eyes lock on me, and I can almost feel the power behind them. There is no doubt in my mind he is a god. “You are immune to my power, Vivian, because you are of the Underworld. The same power flows through your soul.”
Frowning, I step forward out of Sin’s grasp. “What am I?”
“A great many things, but regarding your darker powers, you’re a Reaper. The first in over ten thousand years,” he answers, his gaze blazing into me.
Pictures of cloaked individuals with scythes play in my mind, and I mull the title around in my head. I think of how I release trapped spirits, knowing they are going free.
It fits.
Sin comes to stand beside me again, eying the man in the wall warily. “Why is she the first in so long?”
The man in the wall holds out his hands in a questioning gesture. “That, I’m not sure of. I’ve been encased in this wall since my realm betrayed me ten millennia ago. The Council wanted to control the Fates. As it turns out, the Fates have an insatiable thirst for souls. They consume them like drugs, leaving them at the mercy and control of whoever controls the souls. In a single breath, the Council slaughtered my Reapers, cutting off the source of my power. Without the souls, I grew weak. I’ve been imprisoned here ever since.”
I swallow. “So, you eat the souls too?”
He looks at me like I should know better, and I can’t help but agree.
It was a stupid question.
“The mere thought of consuming a soul is abhorrent. Their presence in the Underworld, their worship. That is what fuels me,” the man in the wall spits.
Sin frowns, suspicious. “So, what changed? Why make a Reaper now? And why are your powers suddenly returning?”
The man in the wall arches a brow. “The Reapers are made by the Fates when they weave together destinies.”
My eyes find Sin’s. “Clotho,” I whisper, remembering how it was one of the Fates who kept trying to keep me alive.
“It would seem that one of the Fates has recently decided to go against the Council’s wishes and wove something extra, something hidden, into your thread of life,” the man in the wall continues, “And before I forget myself, I do thank you for the vast number of souls you sent my way a few nights ago. I am finding the extra mobility and power very pleasing. I was surprised, of course, that something could reap so many souls at once, but it makes sense now. ”
I frown at him, not understanding. “Why does it make sense?”
He smiles at me. “You already know, Vivian. You are much more than a simple Reaper. You’re something the likes of the realms have never seen before. A budding Creator and a Reaper. Two powerful and conflicting energies. I imagine, when they combine, you are something truly fearful to behold.”
He pauses, eyeing me further, before adding, “Or at least you will be when that pesky key is removed from your arm.”
His words have my heart jumping into my throat. “You know how to break a Keeper bond?” I ask, trying not to let my desperation show.
I fail.
The bond to Leon looms over my head, always leaving me wondering when he’ll find me and use the corrupted Keeper bond to force me into submission.
The man in the wall nods. “There’s only one way to remove a Keeper bond, Vivian.”
My heart sinks at his answer.
Sin looks at my shattered expression and steps in front of me protectively. “Then we’ll kill him, kitten. We’ll kill him, and you’ll be free.”
I think of the armies likely headed to the Shadow Realm already, just to get me back. There’s no way the Council will make it easy to kill Leon.
I sidestep him, frowning at the man in the wall. “What if I die?”
Sin’s breathing stops, and he whirls on me, but I ignore him. I need this answer .
The man in the wall smiles like he’s impressed. “Very clever. With your Reaper and Creator energies, you probably won’t die for good. Ending your mortal life would likely sever the Keeper bond and allow the Creator energy to fully take hold. It’s struggling now, fighting against your other energies, looking for the proper place to take root.”
Sin growls next to me, “ Probably isn’t good enough. We don’t know that you’ll come back if you die.”
I hum, thinking through the dark god’s words.
Sin takes my chin, ensuring he has my full attention. “Tell me you aren’t considering it. Don’t you dare tell me you’re thinking of gambling on your life.”
His expression is devastated, and it kills me that I’m causing him pain. “It’s my freedom,” I answer honestly.
Sin lets me go and paces away, running his hands through his hair.
“Are you quite certain of your relationship with the Destroyer? Once I reclaim my realm, I’ll be needing a queen,” the man in the wall drawls out. “You’re more powerful than anything I’ve seen outside of the God Realm, Vivian, and you’d make a lovely goddess.”
I blink at his proposition and pretend I don’t hear Sin’s muttered cuss.
“I’m flattered, but yes, I’m certain of him,” I answer, hoping to not offend a literal god.
Sin’s mutters stop.
The knowing look on the man in the wall’s face makes me think he already knew my answer. “Very well. Allies then? Send me more souls, Reaper, and I will aid you in bringing down the Council.”
“Allies,” I agree. “So, what should I call you then if you have so many names?”
He looks thoughtful for a moment, throwing an amused look at Sin before answering, “Go ahead and call me Hades. It seems the immortals have forgotten that which made them.”
I smile. If there was ever a moment when being part-way through a history degree had real-life applications, this is it.
More proof that a history degree can work as more than an expensive decoration in your house!
“Well, now that we’ve settled things, I suggest you both take your leave,” Hades says, dismissing us. “The guards you evaded earlier are on their way down here. Might I suggest you find a place to shelter and then take the East exit? It will be less painful for the Destroyer.”
Sin and I exchange glances, and he nods.
East it is!
I turn to Hades. “Thank you for the information. And you’re certain that Sin’s powers will return in a few hours?”
Hades smiles, and this time, it holds warmth. “It has been a pleasure, Vivian. And yes, I assure you, he’ll be as good as new in another six or seven hours.”
I blanch. That’s a long time to wait in a hostile realm.
Sin takes my hand. “Time to go, kitten,” he says, his tone gentle .
I nod, waving at Hades. “I’ll see you when you loosen up a bit more.”
The god of death cackles as we close the door behind us.
Sin and I have no time to process everything we’ve just learned because as soon as we hear the lock click into place, we hear guards coming our way.