Chapter 6 Rhadamanthus
Rhadamanthus
There was only silence when darkness fell. Not true darkness, but a blood-tinged red that lit up the sky and outlined the endless fields beyond the city.
Now, there were more fires. More people. A ship load of creatures from Avalon arrived in the dead of night, fleeing the horrors stalking the island they once called home.
My demons who remained there, who could travel through the shadows, warned me more would be coming.
Some took refuge in the north, where the terrain was wild and belonged to the shifter packs.
Others took to the islands, praying to the Goddess the glamours and protections they built would be enough to keep Dante and his army out.
But there were too many falling for his lies, bowing to him out of fear.
Enough are coming here, I reminded myself as I brought the tumbler of amber liquid to my lips.
Soon enough, we may not have the space to accommodate them all.
Sloth planned to open their gates if it came down to needing more room, but I would not put that responsibility on the Houses, as much as they wished to help.
Lust and Gluttony were sending representatives daily to help with food distribution.
None had seen war like this before. When the human world went to battle, we sequestered ourselves within the bounds of our realms, in our warded towns, and we stayed quiet. We remained diligent and ensured they did not turn their guns or atomic bombs on us.
Now, though, our supernatural communities in the human realm were locked down. Academies going dark, hiding their students from the influence of Dante. Too many Phoenix agents were trapped in the human world, agents who were trained for battle.
It should have brought me some peace, knowing Ivy’s people were finding refuge here. That they were joining the fight rather than hiding from it—or submitting to him.
And yet, I felt nothing. I feared a small part of it was because of my soul. When I’d been close to her, I’d felt a wide range of emotions—emotions that should not have come easily to me, considering my deal with the Goddess when I claimed the Elysian throne and became its king.
But with her gone, taking my soul with her, I felt…empty.
And I could not simply blame my soul for that.
For the first time in three thousand years, I’d felt alive. In her presence, I had been more than just the shadow of a king, ruling the throne of death.
I was more than just Rhadamanthus, an eternal demon.
For a short time, I’d been Damon again.
I scrubbed a hand down my face, eyes blurring with exhaustion. But sleep evaded me, a symptom of my soul being in another realm—though even I could not bring myself to believe that lie.
My gaze went to the mark on my hand, the snake that bound me to her.
It should have brought me some peace, seeing its dark red lines upon my flesh.
But instead, it only dredged up memories of the cottage ruins.
Of watching shadows slice through the Luna Fae prince and my wife falling to her knees in anguish.
I would do anything to remove the memories of her scream as she lost him.
And I would do anything to wipe my mind of the moment he put the collar around her throat.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced the memories from my mind. In all my years, I’d seen destruction. War. So much death. And yet, watching that collar go around her neck while I could do nothing was the most horrifying thing I’d witnessed in my long life.
I turned from the window finally, the glass tumbler empty. I dropped it, felt the shadows claim it, and released a breath. There had to be better things for me to do other than wallowing in the darkness of my own mind.
It was only a matter of time before Dante attacked the Underworld. As far as I knew, he wasn’t trying to take the ocean; the Titan’s Channel would not allow him or his army through, and the cursed waters would keep him busy if he ever dared to try. But there were other ways into the Underworld.
And he could shadow jump.
It was not the same. I’d seen it with my own eyes. Not quite using the shadows to move between places, but close enough. I had no knowledge of any other creature with the same ability. It was only demons. Specifically, those from House Elysian—and hellhounds.
I left the war chamber without looking back, entering the quiet hallway.
Sao appeared at the end of the corridor; he’d been my assistant for many years and would likely go on to serve me for another century before he trained his replacement.
He was not an Elysian demon, unlike the one who came before him—and those who’d been by my side since my ascension to the throne.
He was from Sloth, which to most would deem unusual, given his role. But it made him all the better to work with. Those from Sloth were smart in ways most were not. They saw things usually overlooked. And they were brilliant at finding ways around sticky situations when necessary.
The demon in question bowed as I approached. “My King,” he breathed.
“Sao,” I greeted. “What news do you have for me?”
Give me anything, I thought desperately. I needed something to take my mind off my own failures.
Sao rose, placing his hands behind his back. “The witches you requested are here, as are their families.”
I released a breath. “Thank you. Where are they?”
“In the throne room. I wanted to update you before seeing them to their—”
“I will see them first,” I interjected, stepping around him. “I want to ensure they are not compromised before they are allowed anywhere near my wife’s mates.”
Sao’s footsteps sounded behind me, though he said nothing more about my decision.
That was also a good thing about the demon; he didn’t question me.
At least, not where prying ears might listen in on our conversations.
Sao was a great assistant, and his insight into the other worlds served me greatly.
But I had a feeling I would be hearing about this later.
We descended into the entrance of the palace, and I couldn’t help but think about her again.
Her descent for our wedding, in the dress I’d chosen for her.
I hadn’t, at the time, considered it for a wedding.
I’d chosen it for the ease in which it would go on her body.
It was a magic designed by those in Pride, one of their more interesting inventions.
My Queen had no idea how glorious she’d looked when she’d entered the throne room in that gown, with the crown atop her head. She’d looked like a Goddess from the Old World, a figure one could only dream of. The demons who saw her had seen more than just the woman she thought herself as.
They’d seen a Queen. One worthy of being followed.
They’d witnessed a union no other Queen could claim. A powerful union at that.
An alliance that would now change the course of the war.
Because for her sake, I would not go back to being the king who hid behind his throne and title anymore.
Promise to Nyx be damned.
The bridge between the throne room and palace entrance opened up over the city and an inner courtyard, the latter of which had tents set up for those helping the refugees. The heads of the Houses were particularly helpful in that area, taking that off our plates as we planned the rescue and war.
Two Wrath demons guarded the entrance to the throne room. They bowed their heads without a word, opening the doors for Sao and me.
I didn’t look at them, instead taking in the witches and mages gathered within.
The two Original Bloodlines stood separately; the Windermeres and Blackwoods were even older than I was, but it was interesting seeing them together again.
Once, they used to head the great Witch Council, back before mages were created.
Ancestral magic was their affinity, as it was with all Original Bloodlines, but there were few left with the magic. It passed from mother to daughter, though it was clear the young women of their bloodlines did not carry it.
There was the mind witch. Even from here, I could tell she was powerful. It came from her bloodline, ancient and well preserved, but it was strange seeing the only daughter of Windermere without access to her Ancestral power.
They turned to me at my entrance, silent.
Most tried to hide their expressions of shock; from Windermere, there was the matriarch, a witch at least over a century old.
She stood proudly at the head of her family, wearing a black gown fit for meeting a king.
At her side, her young mind witch heir. She wore all black too, though not formal like the matriarch.
The matriarch stepped forward, leaving the young witch behind. “King Rhadamanthus,” she breathed, bowing her head. “We did not expect to meet with you.”
I came to a stop in front of her as the matriarch of Blackwood appeared. She was younger, and from what I knew, worked for Phoenix. She had long, honey-brown hair that was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. Though she didn’t wear gear, she still appeared ready to fight.
Like the Windermere matriarch, she bowed her head as she approached. “You called upon our daughters. We can assure you, they are not working with the bastard king—”
I held up a hand, stopping the Blackwood witch.
“I doubt they are, though we will need to put that to the test.” I glanced over at the two young witches: one a friend of my wife, the other a tool in this war.
“The mind witch. She is needed for memory retrieval and to create blocks to withstand the false king.”
The Windermere matriarch raised her head at that. “My granddaughter is not nearly as powerful as him. She is not capable of that.”
“I highly doubt that,” I replied, waving a hand at the elderly woman. “She’s been working for the Queen longer than she ever realised.”
Those words had all of them stiffening. “Blythe?” the older witch questioned, turning to her granddaughter. “Is that true?”
The young one stepped forward, though nothing in her expression gave away her thoughts. “I’ve been aiding the Luna Prince, yes.”
“And he was the mate of the Queen,” I added, glancing back at the old witch. “Thus, she’s been helping the Queen. Quite well, from what I have heard—”
“What do you mean was?” the young witch interjected, moving to stand by her grandmother. For the first time, emotion appeared in her eyes. “Where is Orion?”
I pressed my lips together. “He is in a place between life and death. Killed by his father but somehow kept alive despite the bonds between our Queen and her mates being cut off. He is in a sleep stasis, though we do not know if he will survive without his mate. You could, perhaps, try entering his mind, though that might prove unsafe.”
Sadness flickered in her dark eyes, but she shook her head. “What about the memory retrieval?”
“That, you will do once you are checked for any sign of the false king’s influence,” I replied, taking a step back. “Sao will show you to your rooms. The Queen’s mates will see you in the morning.”
With one final look at the young mind witch, I let the shadows consume me.
I had no doubt she was safe from Dante. He would not test his power against a witch of her line.
And that would be an advantage I doubt he considered.
One I hoped would lead to his demise.