Page 44

CAMI

A Few Minutes Earlier

C hills trickled down my spine as we walked through the Netherworld Courtyard. There were trees everywhere. Skeleton trees . Their bony limbs creaked in the wind stirred up by the turbulent sky above, the village surrounding us a literal ghost town.

“The Corpse Fae are all hiding in the crypts,” Maliki said as he wandered alongside us. “And the Death Fae are in their castle. First time I think I’ve ever seen this place empty.”

He’d met us in front of Death’s Den, having seen Melek flying us all into the crater that the Netherworld Kingdom called home.

Or maybe he’d felt Ajax’s protective energy; he’d created a massive shield around Melek to ensure he wouldn’t weaken too much in the Netherworld Kingdom. “Can’t have your wings giving out mid-flight,” he’d said to my Virtuous Fae mate.

“Thanks,” Melek had replied, giving Ajax a small smile. “Once we reach the tunnel, I’ll be fine.”

That’d been the end of the conversation, all of us too somber to talk on the journey.

But Maliki didn’t seem to share that melancholy feeling.

As evidenced by him facing Az now and asking, “So, want to tell me what’s going on, big brother? Or shall I guess?”

“What you should do is go grab Hades and see if he wants to help us take down a Virtuous Fae,” Az returned.

Maliki considered it for a moment, his finger tapping his chin. “Hmm, no, I don’t think he’ll be of much use. He has his knot in a twist over something at the moment. But maybe Morpheus will be interested? I saw him playing in the tunnel a bit ago.”

Az paused and looked at his brother. “Do you just perch up on a mountaintop all day and spy on everyone?”

“When I’m bored, sure. Don’t you do the same when in bird form?”

“It’s a Phoenix, not a bird, and?—”

“A Phoenix has feathers, ergo, bird ,” Maliki interjected.

“—no, I do not,” Az finished, ignoring his brother.

“Look, if you have nothing useful to add, then can you fuck off?” Ajax asked, sounding exhausted. It made me wonder if maybe he was feeling dreamy like I had a bit ago. However, a glance at him told me he wasn’t exhausted, just exasperated.

“We’re trying to make a silent entrance into the Morpheus Kingdom,” Az added, his tone exuding a patience that resonated deep inside me.

Because despite the chaos unfolding in the sky above, I felt right about our path. Which only further confirmed that the Source was the one drawing me forward.

I no longer felt dreamy or tired, simply focused.

There were no hints of being overwhelmed. No fear. No true concern. Just a sense of purpose. Of rightness .

This was where I needed to be.

With my mates.

Ready to face Vivaxia .

Was I ready? Probably not. However, given her age and experience, I would never be properly prepared to face her.

But I had something she didn’t— love .

And that love was what drove me forward.

Provided me with a goal. An aim .

This realm was falling apart.

Everything Typhos had created for his Nightmare Fae and Hell Fae.

I could feel it crumbling, see it fracturing high up in the sky.

Ajax had asked Garmr about portals, and I supposed the holes above somewhat resembled a similar concept.

Only, those holes bled into nothingness.

A void. The destruction of the Hell Fae Realm .

I could feel it deteriorating all around me, causing my feet to move faster.

Vivaxia was absorbing all of this. Siphoning it. Creating her own… something .

A new Virtuous Fae Source? Her very own light?

I wasn’t sure.

I just knew I had to take it back.

And find Typhos .

How did she wound you? I wondered, ignoring whatever Maliki was saying to Az now. How did she get the upper hand? Is it because of what I did to Vita?

I’d pushed a lot of power into that book.

I’d shattered something. Broken a veil. Given Vivaxia exactly what she’d needed.

Part of me wondered if that had been the plan all along, if the valve she’d placed inside me had been a red herring.

It made sense. We’d all been so focused on ensuring I didn’t feed any power to Vivaxia via that connection that we hadn’t even discussed other potential threats.

If the portals were all a distraction, I thought, then maybe I was a distraction, too.

I wasn’t actually sure the portals had been a distraction; it just… felt right. She hadn’t really accomplished much other than stirring temporary chaos.

Well, and hurting Typhos’s image as a protector, I thought as we walked out of the courtyard and into what looked like another village. Or maybe it was the same village and it just framed the courtyard.

Regardless, the flickering blue flames were dimming ahead, suggesting we were nearing the end of this very long path.

And hopefully entering a tunnel.

“They’re losing faith in him to lead, Az,” Maliki said, his softly spoken words piquing my interest. “The portal incidents haven’t helped.”

“One of which you were responsible for,” Az reminded him with a growl.

“Yes, but that had nothing to do with Vivaxia.”

Az considered him for a long beat. “You’d better hope I never find out otherwise, Mal. Brother or not, I’ll be forced to side with Typhos’s judgment.”

“As you should,” Maliki replied, his voice more serious than I’d heard it before. “However, back to what I was saying—they’re losing faith. That incident at the Den was the final straw for a lot of the Corpse Fae. Being manipulated with that spell…”

“Fucks with you,” Az said when Maliki didn’t finish his statement.

“Yeah.” Maliki’s expression darkened. “Yeah, it does.”

I frowned, wondering if Maliki had lived through an experience similar to Az’s. Except Az had said his brother was born in the Hell Fae Realm, not the Virtuous Fae Realm. So perhaps it was something else he’d experienced.

I would have asked Az if I could link to him, but our mental bonds still seemed to be fractured. I wasn’t sure what had caused it because it didn’t feel like a spell so much as a protective barrier. Like our minds were purposely not speaking to each other.

How I knew that, I wasn’t sure. But as Az had said before, he was trusting my instincts, and so I was doing the same.

Thus far, it seemed to be working.

“Now this,” Maliki went on, his voice even lower. “This isn’t good, Az.”

“I know.”

“Morale is already low?—”

“Mal,” Az interjected, pausing beside me. “ I know . Fuck, we know. And there’s nothing I can do about it right now. We need to find Typhos.”

Maliki stared at him for a beat and nodded. “All right. I’ll… I’ll see what I can do here.”

Az arched a brow. “Will you really?”

His brother tilted his head, a cocky grin gracing his full lips. “Have I ever let you down before?”

“A thousand times.”

Maliki’s grin only grew. “Then maybe I’ll surprise you this time.”

Az grunted.

Maliki winked. And then he vanished.

“Well, that was helpful,” Ajax deadpanned.

“It was, actually,” I said slowly, thinking through everything Maliki had said. He’d commented on the weakening morale, which had me thinking about the point of the portals and Vivaxia’s attacks again.

Rather than remark more out loud, I let those thoughts circle around me as I continued our journey toward the tunnel that connected the Netherworld Kingdom to the Morpheus Kingdom.

“How was it helpful, little angel?” Melek asked after a few moments of silence. He didn’t sound doubtful so much as intrigued.

“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted, aware that I probably sounded a little crazy. “I’m not done puzzling it all out. Vivaxia wants Typhos’s light. That’s always been her goal. But why instill distrust in his fae? To make them turn against him?”

I paused as the path ended and turned back toward the silent village.

“If her goal was to create a rebellion, I think she failed. The Nightmare Fae don’t seem angry so much as scared. They’re not vengeful. So was that not her goal?” I looked at Melek. “And if it wasn’t her goal, then why create all those portals? Was it really all a distraction?”

I was being repetitive. I knew that. But I needed to understand her motives. To see through every trick. Uncover the details.

Because that was what made Vivaxia tick.

She’d been playing with Typhos Lucifer for thousands of years. And from what I understood, she kept undermining him at every turn.

This is no different, I thought.

“She wanted to destroy their faith in Ty,” Melek murmured, his irises glittering with a mixture of anger and sadness.

“Yes, that’s why she attacked the brides, too,” Az added. “Typhos spent a millennium planning that event, all to appease his fae. Only for her to undermine it and make him look like he was losing control.”

“Another hit to their faith,” Melek said.

“Exactly,” Az replied.

“But why?” I pressed. “What end purpose does it serve?”

“Guilt,” Melek answered simply. “Losing the faith of his fae makes him feel like a failure, which induces guilt .”

I frowned. “Guilt.”

He nodded. “If there’s one thing Vivaxia is good at, it’s exploiting guilt in others. And guilt is one of Ty’s weaknesses. He doesn’t like to fail others, not when he’s spent an eternity repenting for his perceived sins.”

The deaths of his parents , I realized. That’d been the catalyst that had caused him to shift his power into something else, to use his talent to help others rather than harm them.

It was why he no longer considered himself a siphon, and yet, he was still siphoning power… just in a very different way.

Melek had said Vivaxia didn’t know about his ability, or that Typhos thought she didn’t. But I was starting to wonder if that was true.

She’d mentored him in the art of deals, something he’d used to foster his energy-absorbing talents. Surely she’d noticed.

And we all knew she hadn’t helped him out of the goodness of her heart.

She’d just wanted him to master his skill so he could amass more power.

Power that had become his inner light.

A light she’d wanted to steal.

And now I realized that she’d determined the best way to do that was to exploit his weakness— his guilt .

Guilt was a building block of his Source, his need to protect others with his power born of his desire to repent.

Vivaxia had left him alone for thousands of years while he’d created the ultimate light. She’d waited until he was bursting with power, nearly knocked off-balance, to swoop in and make her final play.

And she built her final act around his guilt .

I stared at the tunnel, my heart suddenly in my throat.

Whatever we were about to walk into was going to hurt. I could feel it in my soul.

We’re coming , I wanted to tell Typhos as I resumed our journey, only with a faster pace. We’re coming!

I started to run, my spirit suddenly filled with an urgency I couldn’t define. But Az had said to follow?—

The world shifted as I fell into the tunnel entrance, my palms flying upward to catch myself before I face-planted onto the cobblestone path. “Ow,” I groaned, my foot throbbing from whatever I’d caught it on.

Az and Ajax were instantly there, both of them saying my name in unison. I winced, feeling like a complete klutz.

New Hell Fae Queen Rule Number One, I thought to myself. Watch. Your. Step.

That should be common sense. But apparently I’d let my emotions control me… again.

Maybe that should be the first rule, I mused. Don’t Get Emotional .

Of course, I wasn’t supposed to have any rules.

Yet my mind was clearly focused on?—

“She tripped over the death stone,” Melek said, interrupting my mental gymnastics and causing me to frown.

“What?” The death stone had shattered into pieces after I last used it. “I tripped over pebbles?” And why the hell were they on this path?

“It re-formed,” Melek said, stepping around to squat in front of me. I was propped up by my palms, looking like a clumsy fool. But the moment the rock came into view, I forgot all about how I’d fallen.

Because Melek was right.

The rock had re-formed itself. “Or is it a new stone?” I whispered, my brow furrowing. “What’s that with it?” I could see a little piece of what looked like scrap paper in his hand.

“A note,” Melek said.

He stood as I went back to my knees, then held out the “note” for me. It was small, reminding me of a business card.

But the words were very clear because they were glowing like literal fire on the white parchment.

“Glad you finally got my message, Queen Camillia,” I read out loud. “A mutual friend said to give you this. In dreams, M.”

My brow furrowed.

“What the fuck does that even mean? In dreams ? And what message is he or she referring to? And who the hell is M? Maliki?” I guessed, pushing up to my feet to spin around and look for the meddling fae.

“Morpheus,” Melek said, giving me pause. “I can feel his essence all over that note.”

“That explains the dreamlike sensations,” Az added.

“What?” I looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“He’s the God of Dreams, and the Morpheus Kingdom is where he resides since it’s, well, his . He must have been trying to coax you here with his magic.” Az sounded irritated.

It was an irritation I felt, too. “Why not just call?”

“That’s not how Mythos Fae work,” Melek replied, amusement underscoring his tone. “They’re cryptic.”

“Then you must be best friends,” Ajax deadpanned.

“With Morpheus? No. But I am fond of him,” Melek told him. “However, I’m much more interested in the mutual friend he’s mentioned. I assume that’s Zenaida?”

“Considering he left Cami a death stone that’s either the same one Zenaida gave her or similar to it, then yeah, I’d agree with that guess.” Ajax drew his fingers through his thick hair, his expression darkening. “Or it could be Shade. Morpheus seems like the type of fae he’d befriend for fun.”

My jaw clenched, my mind whirring.

So if Morpheus was the one who drew us here, it had nothing to do with Typhos’s Source.

Why does that feel wrong? I wondered as goose bumps skated down my arms. Because I can still feel his Source calling for me…

Maybe… maybe both assessments were true.

Morpheus had inspired the dreaminess while the Hell Fae Source called for me.

That could explain the calmness that had settled over me, the need to rein in my emotions and think .

Or perhaps it was just me and I was learning what it meant to lead.

To be a queen .

But not just any queen—the Hell Fae Queen.

I took the stone from Melek and said, “Let’s go.”

We could analyze what this meant all day and night, or we could act.

And something told me Typhos needed us to act… right fucking now.