Page 66 of Thorn & Ash
“Show me Kronos,” Cyrus commanded the bowl, ignoring the way Romanos stiffened next to him.
The liquid in the bowl rippled and shimmered, and Cyrus held his breath, waiting for it to conjure the one being he loathed more than any other.
His blood chilled as the bowl revealed a forest. But no… it shifted to the mist obscuring the forest. Within the mist were tendrils of black flame. Cyrus’s black flame.
“Gods above,” Cyrus whispered. Kronos was controlling the mists of the realm—the dark sections of poison slowly spreading throughout the Underworld.
“He’s not corporeal,” Romanos mused.
“His body must still be in Tartarus,” Cyrus said, piecing it together. “He needs a vessel.”
Romanos stared at him. “You. You were his vessel.”
Cyrus nodded, not bothering to deny it. “But I vanquished him. So what is he after now? A new vessel? Or is he moving on to something else?” He frowned. “I know he wants to devour this realm, but how?”
The contents of the bowl rippled, showing an overhead view of the entire realm. Patches of gray mist were spreading along the Forest of Thanatos, as well as Lethe and Acheron.
Kronos’s power was overtaking everything. And it would keep going until it obliterated the realm.
“If I find his body,” Cyrus said, “maybe I can destroy it. Perhaps that would sever his power.”
“It’s a gamble.” Romanos rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“But when he was controlling me, he kept increasing the security around Tartarus,” Cyrus said. “He was terrified of something there. At first, I thought he was afraid to go back. But now I’m wondering if he’s worried someone will find his body.”
Romanos’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You would venture inside Tartarus to find it? Have you ever been down there before?”
“No,” Cyrus admitted. “Have you?”
Romanos shuddered. “Once. I’m not eager to return.”
“Romanos.” Cyrus turned to face him. “You must help me. Our home is at stake. If you are cursed and cannot leave, think of what this would do to you. It would destroy you, too.”
Romanos pressed his lips together, then scratched at his dark goatee. “You really trust me with this?”
“I don’t have any other choice,” Cyrus said. Honestly, Evander would’ve been his first choice, but he likely hadn’t ever been to Tartarus, either. None of his other brothers or even his father would be of any help.
Romanos sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re right. I don’t particularly want to be devoured by Kronos. So, yes, I’ll help you.”
Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief, but Romanos raised a hand.
“On one condition. You help me break my curse. Help me leave this place.”
Cyrus’s brows furrowed. He had no idea how to break a curse cast by the gods of Elysium. But he would do anything—anything—to save his home. To save Prue. Even if it meant seeking an impossible cure for Romanos’s curse.
Cyrus stuck out his hand, and Romanos shook it. “Agreed.”
REMEMBER
MONA
Mona acted on instinct when she dove into the mist, not caring for her own safety or the dangers that might be lurking within. She thought of only one thing: Evander.
She couldn’t let the darkness have him.
The fog momentarily obscured her vision, and her body tensed, expecting that dark tentacle to wrap around her, too. But nothing happened. She took a deep breath, but it shook everything inside her. Fear clamped down on her, freezing her in place.
You are not a coward, she said to herself. She might be afraid, but that wouldn’t stop her from moving forward. When fear existed, it only made way for courage.