Chapter 24 Callum
CALLUM
The dragons carried us leagues across the sea, using their powerful wings to travel with the wind. Thankfully, the weather worked in our favor, allowing the dragons to glide in the draft and rest for longer periods of time.
Despite their fatigue, the dragons made the entire trip without stopping for sleep. They pushed themselves further than they ever had, for Lily’s sake. At the end of the second day, the snowy mountains finally appeared in view, the continent plagued by different serpent vampires.
We came for a landing in the snow, the clumsy descent of the dragons cushioned by the powder.
Talon dismounted then moved to Zehemoth, the dragon who called Lily his sister.
It seemed to be something important because of the intense look on Talon’s face, like whatever the dragon shared with him through the connection of their bond was paramount.
He exhaled the sharpest breath I’d ever heard then turned to me.
I couldn’t tell whether this was horrible news…or the best he could ever hope for. His expression made his reaction unclear. “What is it?”
“Zehemoth was able to speak with Lily briefly before their connection was blocked by Leviathan. She escaped to the forest, and the occult have taken her in as a goddess. That was all she said, but it sounds like she’s okay, and we know where to find her.
” He said all of this in a breathless sentence, on the verge of catharsis.
I took a step back as I processed this, relief and pride rushing through me, because of course, Lily Rothschild was able to prevail in the darkest crevice of existence. “Was he able to tell her that I’m coming for her?”
“No. But the fact that she shared her whereabouts tells me she already knows.”
Of course she did. Because even if I had to take on the entire underworld alone, I was still coming. “General Viper will be at the castle. Let’s hurry. Tell Khazmuda and Zehemoth to find a warm place to rest. We’ll have to sleep before we travel back, at least briefly.”
Talon seemed to relay the message because they took flight and headed toward the mountain, seeking shelter from the snow. We walked together toward the castle, the guards on the ramparts noticing us from far away and keeping their sights locked on us.
It was a twenty-minute walk to the main gate, and once we arrived, the gate immediately opened to allow us entry, even though we hadn’t introduced ourselves to anyone yet.
One of the commanders received us, and we requested an audience with General Viper before we were escorted to the castle without suspicion.
Talon and I walked side by side in silence, wearing matching armor even though we’d served different kingdoms for decades.
He led the Southern Isles while I led the forsaken dead.
We walked up the endless stairs of stone to the top of the castle, and I remembered all the details from the last time I was there.
When no one could see me.
We were led into the castle, away from the elements, illuminated by two grand hearths on either side of the entryway and the torches mounted on the walls next to the artwork.
We were guided to one of the enormous fireplaces, the mantel decorated with brass serpents, small images of snakes everywhere, even depicted on the armchairs and coffee table. We were offered no refreshment, probably because they only drank blood.
It was thirty minutes before the distinct steps of a heavy man approached. I spotted him across the room at first, his armor pristine like it’d never seen battle, the enormous sword protruding past his shoulder, his cape hanging behind him, the bottom inches from the floor.
His eyes were on Talon, clearly recognizing him from their previous conversations.
He stopped in front of us, but before saying a word, he turned his stare on me.
It was quiet and subtle and hostile…and potent.
He somehow knew exactly who I was without any information whatsoever.
He turned his attention back to Talon. “You’ve come a long way to speak to me. Lily isn’t in your company, so please tell me that she’s alright before this conversation proceeds.”
He definitely loved her—truly.
Talon faced off with the vampire in silence, unable to bring himself to speak despite the good news we’d just received from Zehemoth.
So I told him. “Lily traded her soul for mine. Leviathan accepted the trade, and now she’s a prisoner in the underworld while I walk free.”
He slowly turned his head to look at me, mimicking the movement of a snake, cautious and intentional…hostile. His slitted pupils landed on mine, and he stared at me with obvious disgust.
“We have a plan to get her back, but we need your help to succeed.”
It was as if he didn’t hear a word I said. “She took your place in the underworld?” He cocked his head, his voice low but packed with vicious judgment. “What kind of man are you? Letting your woman take your place while you go free.”
“It wasn’t my choice, and I told her on many occasions that I would never want this,” I snapped.
“She asked her father to help free me, and he refused. She asked Riviana to open the portals and was denied. But she knew if she were the one down there, she would be getting very different answers. So she decided to take my place. Would you like to continue to waste time by ridiculing me, or would you like to help?”
His eyes narrowed like no one had ever spoken to him that way. There was a flash of anger like he might strike me just like a venomous snake. “How do we get her back?”
I didn’t care that he hated me, not when I was grateful that he still had Lily’s back, even if she’d made the wrong choice when she picked me.
“We need to return to the dead island closer to the Southern Isles. You need to provoke Leviathan, my successor. Tell him that you’re interested in making a deal for Lily’s life.
I just need to sneak past him to the door hidden inside the skull rock.
It’s the entrance to the underworld. But you need to distract him for at least an hour. ”
“An hour?”
“Not the entire hour,” Talon said. “Distract him so Callum can get into the door. Then you can step outside the line of torches and say you need to consider his offer. Then come back forty-five minutes later and distract him for another fifteen minutes so they can leave.”
Viper shifted his gaze to Talon and then back to me, clearly confused.
I explained the way the line of torches worked, that it was a magical booby-trap that let Leviathan know when someone approached the doorway to the underworld.
But he couldn’t distinguish who was present or how many people were in the party.
“Talon can’t do it because Leviathan will be suspicious.
He’ll be suspicious if anyone we know approaches him.
But you’re distant enough that he might believe your intentions are sincere. ”
“Trust me, they are.” He looked at me as he said that, his tone full of accusation. “I warned her that this relationship was doomed to fail. Would leave her to rot in regret—and I was right.”
That hadn’t been decided yet.
“She deserves better than you,” he said viciously.
My face remained stoic and my heart hard as stone. “I don’t disagree with that.”
His eyes were still pissed off when he looked at Talon. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you—”
“And perhaps when this is over…” He looked at me again, still furious. “She’ll realize she chose the wrong man—and correct that mistake.”
We were granted accommodations for the evening so we could have a full respite before we made the return journey.
Knowing Lily was protected by the occult who revered her as a goddess quieted the manic panic that had taken hold of me.
She wasn’t in Leviathan’s grasp, but protected by a coven of witches that would slit their own throats if she asked them to.
The bedchambers granted to me were fit for a king. They felt wasted on me, a mortal man who had no power in this world. I was a carpenter once more, a man who hunted for my own food, a simple man with simple wants and desires.
Nothing extraordinary and wholly unworthy of Lily Rothschild.
I sat on the couch in front of the warm fire, my thoughts drifting away as I stared into the flames, thinking about Lily when she’d sailed with pirates of the Brigandine Empire, when she’d challenged the Empire Colonies and tried to spare King Ithaca, even though he still would have betrayed her if given the chance.
She was more than a queen, rather a goddess.
When that thought struck, I was hit with a realization.
She still had my strength.
I was on my feet without realizing it, my eyes still on the flames without really looking at them. They recognized her as a goddess because they felt the power I had bestowed upon her. At that moment, there were two gods in the underworld.
And Lily was one of them.
I was in the casual attire that a servant had provided me, and I pulled on the shirt that I’d left on the back of the couch and stepped into the hallway.
I wasn’t sure where Talon’s quarters were located but I assumed it was next to one of mine, so I started knocking on all the doors in the hope he would answer.
But he didn’t.
I left the hallway and entered the grand entryway, but it was empty except for one servant.
“I’m looking for Talon Rothschild,” I said without preamble.
“He’s in the study with General Viper.” He nodded toward the hallway on the other side of the room. “Third door on the left.”
I nodded in gratitude then walked down the hallway, and when I got close enough, I heard Viper’s voice. “There’s no way you could possibly accept him for your daughter in light of what’s happened.”
I stopped before I reached the door, my angry curiosity halting me in my tracks. It was dishonorable to eavesdrop, but I stayed there anyway.
Talon said nothing to that.