by Bree Despain
I nod in approval and take on a defensive stance. My other comrades are busy keeping any Keres from escaping the grove. Daphne tries to give me a reassuring smile while she sings, but I don’t know how much longer she can keep it up. And we haven’t even seen the worst of it yet. Once we get through that gate, I don’t know what we’ll find, but it definitely won’t be any easier than this.
“Ready!” Terresa yells.
I blast a Keres and call back the rest of my comrades to make a knot around Daphne. Terresa’s soldiers—considerably fewer than before—take their shields and spears and swarm around those of us who do not have physical weapons. The Skylords create a phalanx position, locking their shields together around us, creating a wall. The first three rows of soldiers project their electrified spears out over the wall of shields, creating a hedge of sharp, crackling points. We advance slowly, moving as one large mass toward the gate. Any Keres attacking from the front are beaten back and destroyed by the spears, and any monsters that try to fly away have their wings clipped by Jonathan and another archer from the Skylord ranks. Daphne keeps up her song, breathing only when absolutely necessary.
Getting to the gate is agonizingly slow but effective. It’s passing through the gate that will be difficult. It will need to be done one by one in single file, breaking the phalanx position that protects us.
I hear more than one soldier scream as they reluctantly step into the gate, burning up on impact. The ones who make it through will be greeted on the other side by Keres who can’t be killed—at least not until Daphne crosses through the gate.
I position myself in front of her, but cling to her hand from behind. I want to go first so I am ready to protect her. Before stepping through the gate I look back over my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“With all my heart,” she says.
I step through the gate with a bolt at the ready and pull her in behind me. And then suddenly I remember something and worry that I have made a grave mistake. What if the gate won’t allow her to pass through after me because of the unbreakable vow I made? The vow that I would never bring Daphne to my father in the Underrealm? I hadn’t even thought of that until this very moment . . . but the gate lets us pass. I can only assume it is because my father is no longer the king of the Underrealm, or because he is still in the grove behind us. Or possibly my dying earlier today has released me from any vows I made in my former life. Whatever the case, I am grateful the gate does not repel us.
Grateful, that is, until I see the scene in front of me as I enter the Underrealm. The sky above the ravine is almost completely black, swirling with shadow beasts. Thousands and thousands of Keres. They’ve become strong enough to multiply. The floor of the ravine is littered with bodies. Not only of the Skylord soldiers who passed through the gate before me, but also of Underlords. Men who either tried to pursue the Keres here, or who were trying to flee to the gate. Either way, they failed.
They’re all dead.
chapter forty-three
daphne
As soon as I cross through the gate I am so overwhelmed by the scene in front of me that my voice fails me. I am rendered speechless, or songless, by shock—and by trying not to wretch from the carnage at my feet. The ravine is filled with shadows, but through the darkness, I can still make out the dead bodies. Some are covered in flesh-eating sores, others look as though the soldiers turned on each other, like what I witnessed when the Keres were first released. But they’re all the same, lifelessly strewn on the ground around us.
My gaze searches for Tobin amongst the dead, but I can’t really make out the features of any of them—especially the ones who look as though part of their faces have melted away. Then I scan the ground for the Key, but see no sign of that either. If only there were a way to shut the gate and keep more Keres from escaping into the mortal realm.
Only a few of the Skylord soldiers who proceeded through the gate before us remain standing. One soldier, only a few feet from me, is wrapped in a black cocoon of a Keres, who is feeding on his life force. Another soldier tries to strike the Keres with his spear, but the weapon passes through the shadow creature and impales his comrade in the shoulder.
The man screams, and another three Keres swarm the two soldiers. Haden grabs my arm and tries to push me back through the gate. “It’s too late. Too dangerous. We have to go back,” he says frantically. His words finally shake me out of my shocked state and I don’t let him deter me. I step around him.
“These people need my help.”
Haden protests, but a swarm of Keres descends on us. I sing a scream, louder than ever before, causing the Keres around us to take solid form. Haden flings two blasts, freeing the two men I’d seen in the Keres’ embrace.
The few soldiers who survived regroup into their rectangular formation, creating a wall in front of the gate with their shields and spears, allowing for the rest of our group to pass through the gate, one by one, into the Underrealm. When Joe enters, brandishing his sword, his eyes go wide with shock. For a moment I think he is about to turn back, but instead he joins the soldiers’ huddle. Dax and Abbie are the last to enter. They hold hands just like Haden and I did. All of our friends made it through, but only about twenty-five of the Skylord soldiers remain, including Terresa and Ethan’s friend Jessica.
I keep singing, trying to keep the Keres solid and killable, but my voice is growing hoarse. Matching the high-pitched shrill of the Keres is murder on my vocal cords. It kills me that I’m not able to physically fight like the others, but I know my part in this is the most important. Without my voice, the others would be defenseless, even with all their special powers.
“What should we do?” Ethan asks. “Go back or press forward?”
Haden shakes his head as if he doesn’t know the right answer. I grab his sleeve and point out of the ravine. “Palace!” I have to sing the word in my screeching tone because if I let the song drop, the Keres will lose their solid form. “The women and children.”
Haden shakes his head again, remorse filling his eyes. “We’ll never make it there!” he shouts to be heard over the screeching. “Not even with the protection of the phalanx. It would take days. Based on the Keres’s numbers, the odds that there are any survivors are slim at best.”
I tap my pomegranate necklace. “I can teleport.” I feel more than silly singing the words, but I have no other choice. “We can’t just leave them there. I can go to the palace and check it out. Bring any survivors back here.”
Haden lobs a lightning bolt over the wall of shields, taking out a Keres that was attempting to fly off with Crux in its clutches. The Skylord drops to the ground with a sickening crunch. He moans and rolls over, clutching his leg. Aris and Jessica break away from the formation in order to drag him back to safety.
“You’re the only one that necklace works for?” Haden asks.
I nod. As Persephone’s heir, I am the only who can control her Kronolithe—at least, according to Shady. My mind wanders for a moment, wondering what has become of my unlikely friend . . .
“That’s no good,” Haden says. “You’re the only one who can teleport to the palace, and you’re the only one who can keep the song going here. If you leave, the gate will be unprotected. All of these soldiers will die and the Keres will escape into your world. Our first priority has to be protecting the gate.” He tries to squeeze my hand but I pull it away.
I shake my head, refusing to believe it even though I know he’s right.
Haden swallows hard. “Believe me, Daphne, if there was a way to do both, I would will it for the Fates to make it so. I don’t want to let my people die, but even you can’t be in more than one place at once.”
Tears well in my eyes as I think of the Lesser boy who shared my breakfast and the woman who brought my clothing. I think of all the other innocent people who will die because I can’t make it to them. My voice begins to falter from emotion but I choke back my cries. I can’t lose control or I won’t be able to sing
.
“She can’t be in more than one place, but I can,” Jonathan says. He shoots a Keres with an arrow and then crouches beside us. I notice he only has three more arrows in his quiver.
Haden nods but I just stare at him, not sure what he means.
“Music is from the metaphysical realm,” Jonathan says. “Now that I am a god of the Metarealm once again, that means I can manipulate it. I can take Daphne’s voice and spread it through the Underrealm. I can keep it here while she goes to the palace.”
I clap my hands together. I have no idea how Jonathan’s plan will actually work, but I grab on to the idea with all my heart. We have to at least try.
“You’re forgetting one thing, Daphne. You said your vocal powers do not work on the royal grounds. Even if Jonathan can spread your music throughout the realm, if you go to the palace you will be unprotected.”
“I don’t care,” I sing. I can’t let innocent people continue to die because I wasn’t willing to try to save them. I told Tobin not to blame himself for Garrick freeing the Keres—that that choice was on Garrick alone—but I cannot rid myself of the guilt I feel over being the one who put the Key in Garrick’s grasp. That was my choice.
I hold my hands out to Jonathan, telling him I am ready.
Haden tries to protest, wanting to protect me, but Jonathan clasps his hands over mine. He closes his eyes, and a moment later he disintegrates into a golden mist. My eyes go wide and I wonder if they’re playing a trick on me. The golden mist swirls around my face as I sing and then dives into my mouth and down my throat. It feels as though I am choking until the mist sails out between my lips. It pulses and glitters, and slowly the misty particles form into the shapes of tiny musical notes. Then the strangest thing happens—I hear my voice outside of my head. It sounds like a recording. Distant and higher-pitched than normal. The mist sails away, circling through the ravine. It splits in several directions, taking my voice with it.
The Keres, still solid but no longer focused on attacking just me, break apart and follow the different paths that my voice takes. I can only hope they can’t harm Jonathan in his metaphysical state.
“Dax, Joe, Ethan, Crux, Psyche, and Abbie, stay and protect the gate,” Haden commands. “Jessica, Terresa, and Aris, take small bands of soldiers and follow the Keres. Attack and kill as many as you can while they’re broken off from the flock.” He turns to me. “You can transport me with you?” he says, pointing at my pomegranate.
Yes—I try to say the word but no sound comes out. My hands fly to my throat. Jonathan hasn’t just copied my voice, he’s removed it from me. It feels like being stripped of my heart and soul. I take a deep breath and hold my hand out to Haden. Now is not the time for panicking. I mouth the words, “Yes, I can take you with me but I don’t want to put you in more danger.” No music in the palace won’t just mean I will be unprotected, it means he will be as well.
Haden shakes his head, and at first I think he doesn’t understand what I was trying to convey. But then he holds his hand out to me and says, “We do this together or we don’t do it at all. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
I take Haden’s hand, knowing he is right.
“Let’s go save your people then, my queen,” he says.
I close my eyes and imagine the one place in the palace I can picture best. A moment later, Haden and I land on the bed in my queenly cell.
chapter forty-four
haden
I am completely astonished when in the blink of an eye, we go from the ravine swarming with Keres to a room that looks like one of the bedchambers in the palace. Our impact is soft, and I realize we’ve landed in a bed. I can’t help it—seeing Daphne lying next to me, tangled in the sheets—I lean over and kiss her softly on the lips. I want to take solace in her if only for a moment. She tries to say something but no sound comes out. I gather from the look on her face that she is trying to scold me. But she kisses me once more before pushing me away. I stand and hold my hand out to her. I want to search the palace as quickly as possible and get out of this place.
Every moment we are here is a moment I cannot protect Daphne.
We head for the door that will lead us out of this room, but I am stopped by the sound of a chair crashing to the floor. I whirl around and catch a glimpse of a small foot being pulled under the cloth that drapes over the table in the corner of the room.
Daphne dashes to the table and pulls up the cloth. A scrawny Lesser boy cowers underneath. He flinches and cries, “Please don’t hurt me!”
Daphne tries to say something but no sound comes out. I can tell the loss of her voice is deeply disturbing to her. She taps the boy’s leg, trying to get his attention.
He cracks his eyes open and gasps when he sees her. “You’re alive?!” he says. “I knew you’d make it.” The boy speaks ancient Greek but Daphne seems to have no trouble understanding him. She nods with a smile and holds her hand out to him, not seeming to care how filthy he is.
“No, we have to hide,” the boy says, gesturing for her to join him under the table. “There are monsters out there. Keres. They’ll kill you if they find you.”
“We know,” Daphne mouths the words. “We came to find you.”
“What?” the boy says, shaking his head. “What is wrong? Why can’t she speak?” he asks me.
“She lost her voice,” I say, switching to Greek so the boy can understand. “What she’s trying to say is that we’ve come to rescue you.”
Daphne holds her hand out to the boy again, gesturing for him to come.
“We need to hurry,” I say.
The boy crawls out from under the table and takes her hand.
“Any others?” Daphne asks.
The boy shakes his head in confusion.
“Do you know if there are any other survivors?” I ask for her.
“The mothers,” the boy says. “They escaped the harem and took the nurslings to the healing chambers. Some of the Lessers were headed there as well. The hallway was filled with Keres. I couldn’t make it so I hid in here.”
Daphne looks toward the doorway. I can see the thought in her head—is the hallway still filled with Keres? A screeching cry echoes from somewhere nearby. If not in the hallway, they are somewhere close. “Nurslings?” she mouths to me and I am thankful I studied lipreading while in the mortal realm. “As in babies?”
I hesitate for a moment then say, “Infants, yes. And children.”
Daphne takes in a deep breath, staring at the door, and I know I’ve just told her the one thing that will send her running into the hallway.
“What about your pomegranate?” I ask. “Can you transport us there with that?”
She shakes her head, pointing from the pomegranate to her head.
“You have to be able to picture it in your mind in order to go there?” I ask.
She nods remorsefully, and I gather that she has never seen the healing chambers.
“What about the stables?” the boy says. “The search party left from the stables. Do you remember what they look like? Can you can get us there?”
I give the boy an approving look. He catches on fast. “If you can get us to the stables,” I say, “ you can see a tower that connects to the corridor that will take us to the healing chambers.”
Daphne takes both me and the boy by the elbows. She doesn’t hesitate. One moment we are in the bedchamber and the next we are in the stables beside an overturned chariot. Daphne’s grip on my arm tightens and she lets out a loud breath—which I realize would have been a cry if she had a voice.
The stable is littered with weapons, broken fragments of chariots, and the bodies of horses and soldiers. Alas, not merely adult soldiers but also the apprentices. Boys as young as six, dressed in armor that is several sizes too big. In the Underrealm boys are expected to become men in their sixth year. Expected to learn to fight and run into battle with their adult counterparts.
These boys never made it out of the stables.
Daphne
cries silently beside me, her grasp shaking against my skin. “We’re too late,” she mouths. “Too late.”
I brush my hand against her cheek, wiping away tears. “Focus,” I say in a calming voice. “We can still save the others. There’s still hope.” The windows of the stables begin to darken. The sound outside heralds an approaching group of Keres. “Look out that window. Look before it’s too late. See that tower? Take us there.”
Daphne opens her tear-filled eyes and looks out the window. The tower is almost completely obscured in shadow. She seems to focus on an open window at the very top of the tower—the owl roost where I spent so many hours as a child, hiding from my father’s wrath.
Daphne closes her eyes and we vanish from the stables. However, either she couldn’t get a good enough look or something shakes her concentration, because when we reappear we’re in midair. Floating a few feet above the window. Floating until we’re falling. I swing my arm out, grasping at the stone walls of the tower. I almost grab the windowsill, almost stop our fall, but the weight of Daphne and the boy are too much. My fingers slip off the stone and we tumbling toward the ground. I try to summon a bolt of lightning to propel us upward, but my power fails me. A silent scream echoes from Daphne’s mouth. She clenches her eyes shut as I prepare to meet the ground—and we vanish.
We reappear inside the owl roost. Sitting in pile of straw. The owls startle and burst from their roosts. Sending feathers floating all around us.
Daphne sighs—it almost sounds like she’s in disbelief. “Got a look in the window,” she mouths.
I almost laugh in relief but there’s no time. The cooing call of the owls that flew out the window shifts into a horrible noise. I glance out the window to see the owls captured in mid-flight, swathed in black shadowy cocoons. Even the animals aren’t safe.
“Come on,” I say, pulling Daphne and the boy from the roost out into the spiraling staircase that will bring us to the corridor that leads to the healing chambers.
Once the Keres are finished with the owls, they will come for us next.
