Page 88 of Spring's Descent
Something in the tenor of his voice pulled my attention away from the body on the floor. My brows furrowed as I met Thanatos’s gaze. He was strong, just as stoic as ever, but there was a slight shifting on his feet, a subtle rustle to his wings. Something had happened in the northern parts of The Underworld. Something horrid enough to shake the God of Death.
My gaze bounced to Hades, catching the nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Questions would have to wait.
“Ruby is lost,” Hades said. It was an obvious change in topic, but Thanatos seemed grateful for it. “The portal in the pomegranate grove is dangerous. Hecate thinks she’s been displaced in time, or perhaps sent to an alternative realm. Either way, she’s no longer a concern of ours.”
“We need to return to The Underworld and present a united front to the realm,” Thanatos added, all traces of vulnerability displayed moments ago vanishing. “Magic is already findingbalance as your life force revitalizes the withered, decaying parts of The Underworld and The Realm of the Living. We need to capitalize on it and show them this is because of their new queen.”
A groan sounded behind them as Lark rolled to her side. Her hair was matted with dried blood, streams of it tracking down her neck. Her lip was split and there was dirt and splashes of Cyrus’s blood clinging to her gown, but when she blinked her eyes open, her gaze was clear.
The coil of dread in the pit of my stomach loosened as she glanced at the bodies at our feet before meeting my gaze.
“It’s done?”
“Yes.”
Hesitantly, she forced her shaking legs to stand. “My sister?”
I shook my head. “She never appeared. I think Demeter was telling the truth when she said you’d have to retrieve her from The Underworld.”
Anguish twisted Lark’s face as her shoulder bowed. “What I did to you was fucked, but?—”
“You’ll be taken to The Dark Palace to face questioning from Hecate,” Hades cut in. I lifted a brow in his direction. “She’s requested to speak to the witch who charmed your necklace.”
Lark’s face paled as her eyes widened.
“This soul is ready,” Thanatos called, kneeling beside Cyrus’s body. “The other should be along shortly.”
“I want them taken directly to Tartarus,” Hades rumbled, pausing only long enough for me to nod my agreement.
“Keep them parted,” I added. “I don’t want either to have any form of comfort, not even in sharing their torment.”
“Yes, my queen.”
Thanatos dipped his head as he reached for the flickering shade lifting from Cyrus’s body. The ghost blinked, dazed untilhe spotted me. A moment of realization flashed across Cyrus’s spirit, his soul seeming to fade and reappear.
“No you don’t,” Thanatos rumbled, his magic seizing Cyrus’s soul before he could flee, and then the two of them were gone in a flash.
“Let’s go,” I said, turning toward Hades.
“Wait,” Lark said, gaze bouncing between me and Demeter’s crumpled form. “Don’t you want to see the look in her eyes when she realizes she’s dead? She’s brought nothing but pain and suffering to everyone. She’s killed dozens of innocents.”
I followed Lark’s gaze to the vacant stare of the woman I’d called mother, recalling every horrible memory I had. I hated her. Loathed everything she stood for and all that she’d once been… But she was the only mother I’d ever known.
Shaking my head, I reached for Hades, allowing the fatigue of the day to catch up with me as his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me up.
“It’s over,” I said. Warmth hummed along Hades’s and my woven life threads as I met Lark’s fierce gaze. “I want nothing more than to never look upon her face again.”
58
HADES
We passedthrough the realms easily with Persephone tucked close to my side and Lark clinging to her hand. I’d wanted to kill Lark immediately, but Hecate insisted Persephone would want to keep her safe despite her betrayal. It seemed she was right.
Shadows cleared as the three of us appeared in Hecate’s sitting room. She was standing, her black floor-length gown crafted from obsidian scales that highlighted the serpents snaking up her arms. The tattoos were a reminder of who she was—the mother of all witches. A goddess in her own right.
Hecate promised me she would see to Lark, uncover the depths of her betrayal without placing Persephone in an unfavorable position. It didn’t seem brutal enough for what she’d done. Lark deserved to be punished, sent to Cocytus with the rest of the traitors, but as Hecate’s eyes narrowed on the young witch, her vast powers crackling through the air, I knew I could trust Hecate to uncover the truth.
“Meet us in the throne room in two hours,” I said, not moving my hand from around Persephone’s waist. Her lips tugged down into a small frown as she looked between Lark and Hecate before settling on me. “Hecate had agreed to keep Larkspur company while we freshen up. The four of us will meet with Thanatosand Morpheus soon, but first…” My gaze softened as I swept my thumb over Persephone’s blood-smeared cheek. “Let me take care of you.”