Page 31 of A Spell of Bones and Madness (Nostos #2)

How much longer could they wander before Ajax truly lost his mind?

The air had turned so bone-rattling that every breath was strained and it only seemed as if they were venturing further into the abyss of night, not out of it.

They tried to retrace their steps, but every corner they turned looked identical to the last, the gray and obsidian walls sending them through the underworld with little direction.

It was maddening, spiraling about the corridors, not knowing whether Ember was even alive—not knowing if Thalia and Mykonos would make it.

Dmitris had slowed over the hours, barely able to carry the seer much further, yet refusing to ask Ajax for help.

Instead, Ajax clutched the furry psychí close to his chest, keeping the unconscious creature warm in the depths of Aidesian.

He had always hated the little daimon , the way it would lurk about and scratch at the doors on the off chance he was able to directly report his findings to the crew of The Nostos the past few years, and now, as it lay against his chest dying, he could not help but feel unnaturally attached to the creature.

It was so small and delicate, and had ferociously tried to protect Thalia.

Something he, himself, could not do. Instead he would try to keep Mykonos safe, try to lead them somewhere—anywhere—that would not put all their lives at risk once more, or at least somewhere they could sit and rest without fear of an attack.

Around yet another corner, steam began to creep up from the floor, sizzling in the now warm air.

Ajax turned over his shoulder, checking on Dimitris, whose sweat clung to every inch of his skin, knees wobbling slightly as they ascended stairs that lay before them.

With each step, the air heated to a temperature that reminded Ajax of the summer’s in Alentus.

Light bounced off the walls of the stairway, the stone turning from a mildew gray to a shimmering onyx with flecks that looked like shattered diamond.

There were only a few steps left, and Ajax clutched the hilt of his sword firmly in his palm, unsure what terror might meet them at the end.

“Who dares enter these hallowed halls without invitation?” a deep voice boomed from the archway ahead. It was menacing, indeed, but familiar, and Ajax melted with relief.

“Aidoneus, thank the gods,” Ajax let out, sprinting the last few steps before he stood face to face with the King of the Underworld.

“Commander, I did not expect to see you so far below our realm, nor the seer.” Aidon looked past Ajax at Dimitris who had sunk to his knees at the top of the stairs. “And especially not that wolf.” He walked over and knelt beside Dimitris and Thalia.

Placing two fingers to Thalia’s forehead, Aidon began to chant a low spell in the Ellinika Glóssa. A faint light radiated off both the seer’s skin and that of her psychí , before it turned black and dissolved to smoke.

“She is fading,” Aidon said. “Her soul creeps farther from her body, guiding itself back to the Stygian River. We must get her to the mystikistís .” Aidon snapped his fingers and two cloaked figures appeared, their skin as pale and pallid as the seer’s.

The healers went to lift her collapsed body, but Dimitris would not let her go.

“And what exactly are these healers to do, Aidon? My father has told me of the mystikistís that live in these caverns below, what dark magic they use to heal the daimons that roam these halls. You expect me to risk the soul of a living mortal? Let them fill her head with darkness?” Dimitris seethed through clenched teeth, vein pulsing in his temple.

“Stand down, wolf. My men will not harm her. I know Thalia well and do not wish for her to leave with a more horrible fate than she has been dealt, but I do wish for her to leave. There are rules in this realm for mortals, ones you accepted as soon as you stepped foot past my gates.” Aidon’s eyes narrowed and shimmered with an obsidian hue.

“As for your father, Nikolaos should keep his nose out of what does not concern him. This realm abides by stricter laws than even he.”

“You are not fucking touching her,” Dimitris growled once more, flashing his canines.

“Have it your way, Prince, but I warn you—if they do not start now, she will be lost for good.” Although Aidon sounded resolved in his words, the tick of his jaw and darkening of his eyes told another story.

Ajax stood behind Dimitris, placing his hand on his shoulder. Thalia’s chest was barely rising with each strangled breath, and her eyes had still not opened since she was tossed against the stone. “We need to let her go. It’s the only choice we have, brother.”

“Fine, but I am staying with her. My brother would never forgive me if she died.” Dimitris slid his hands beneath the seer once more. Even though the prince wobbled as he stood, he managed to follow the first healer.

Ajax placed Mykonos in the second healer’s arms, and for a moment, he did not want to part with the white fluffy creature, feeling like he was sending her to her demise. The feline and her fading seer were not the only ones Ajax feared for, though. Because at least they were here, with them.

“Aidon, there is a pressing matter we need to discuss,” Ajax said, turning back toward the most fearsome Grechi in existence.

“Let me guess, it is about my daughter.”