Page 21 of Love and Death (Tempting the Fates #4)

HAZEL

I drag my feet as he pulls me forward, my stomach tightening into knots within me.

This isn’t right. Why would my father be held here, of all places?

Especially if what the guards said about their orders concerning the queen is true ... And, regardless, why aren’t there any men posted outside her chambers?

Or anywhere else, for that matter.

I suddenly realize that I haven’t seen or heard anyone, guard or otherwise, since our run-in with the stone sentinels.

Where has everyone gone since our return from the arena yesterday?

Before I have a chance to question Cerberus about this, his fist has already connected with one of the doors.

Twice.

The knocks reverberate through the empty halls, making the hairs at the nape of my neck stand on end. Every fiber of my being wants nothing more than to turn on my heel and run as fast and as far as I can, but even if that were possible, it’s already too late.

Perfumed air wafts through the cracks in the door as someone presses against it from the other side.

“Yes?” Persephone whispers, and my stomach clenches at the sound of her voice.

“I have the girl with me.”

“Cerberus?”

She sounds just as wary as I feel.

“Are you expecting someone else?”

“No, but …” she trails off, the uncertainty in her voice only heightening my unease.

“Then, are you going to let us in?”

“I need to be certain that the girl is with you first.”

Cerberus’ nostrils flare in annoyance before he turns his head to look down at me expectantly.

Of course, I’m the only one who can assure her of my presence, but do I want to?

What truly waits for me behind these doors?

What if my father isn’t here?

As far as I know, this could just be some ploy of Persephone’s to exact her vengeance upon me in Hades’ absence.

And yet, there is only one way to know for sure.

“He speaks the truth. I am here.”

“Hazel,” Persephone sighs with relief, quickly unlocking one of the doors and cracking it open. “Come in, please.”

Cerberus shifts to one side, releasing his hold on me and motioning for me to step past him to move inside.

I hesitate for a split second, reluctant to cross over the threshold and into her chambers, before finally doing just that. Much to my relief, as surprising as that is, the hellhound doesn’t shut the door behind me, but enters as well.

We have barely made it past the threshold before Persephone shoos us out of the way to shut and lock the door behind us.

There’s no going back now, and I whisper a silent prayer to myself that I’ve made the right choice as I turn to take in my surroundings.

The vast room is cast in pale moonlight, fog rolling across a flowering, mossy floor as it would a secluded heath on a gentle spring morning. Even in my current state, I cannot deny the sheer loveliness of the scene before me.

It's almost enough to make me forget why I am here, until my eyes catch on a strange shape in the middle of the room, nearly hidden by the fog. Though hard to make out, there’s no doubt in my mind as to what it is.

Lying in the very midst of Persephone’s moor is … a body.

My heart skips a beat, and I lurch forward in an effort to get a closer look.

“No. Hazel, wait,” Cerberus says, grabbing my arm to stop me.

“Is that him,” I ask, whirling around to face him. “Is that my father?”

The hellhound ignores my questions and turns to Persephone instead. “Is he safe?”

“As safe as one can be in such a state,” the goddess answers .

“Will one of you please tell me what is going on,” I say, glancing between them and their wary expressions.

“Hazel,” Persephone starts uneasily, “there is something you need to understand. I am not sure how to put this, but your father … he is not who he once was.”

“So, that is him, then?”

“Yes, but—”

That’s all I need to know. The words have barely left her mouth before I’ve twisted out of Cerberus’ grasp, surprising us both in the process.

Realizing my good fortune, I dart across the room toward the figure before the hellhound has a chance to react ... Completely forgetting that the space doesn’t just look like a moor in my haste.

I stumble, the water and peat sloshing up in great, splattering squelches beneath my quickly sinking feet. My hands shoot out to catch me as I drop forward to land on all fours, muddying the front of my dress and altogether ruining Florence’s hard work.

“Stop!” Cerberus shouts, but I choose to ignore him as I scramble to get back to my feet and press on.

The going is tough; the moor clings to me, suctioning each and every step I take, and I don’t dare look back for fear that I’m mere seconds away from being caught and dragged back to solid ground.

It isn’t long before I find myself forced into a desperate, sloshing crawl forward in order to make any progress at all ... But soon, even this is too much work.

Exhausted, I stop to rest a moment only to realize just how quiet the room is, aside from my own heavy breathing.

Daring a glance back at Cerberus and Persephone, my heart sinks in dismay as I realize that, not only have neither of them moved from the door to give chase, but I’ve barely made it more than a few feet from where I first began.

The queen is watching me with what looks to be a sad smile, though maybe it’s merely that Cerberus stands in such stark contrast next to her, obviously fighting back a laugh, that she appears so gentle.

Of course, I was a fool not to realize he’d be protected by some kind of magic.

These are her chambers, after all.

“Are you done?” Cerberus says.

“Would you like some help?” asks Persephone in nearly the same breath.

The last thing I want is to admit defeat, but I’ve embarrassed myself enough as it is.

Besides, there is no denying it, I need help.

Swallowing what little pride I have left, I nod.

With a simple wave of her hand, a soft shimmer ripples over the moor to reveal a dry, narrow path winding its way through the soft heather … barely an arm’s length from me.

Persephone steps onto the path beside me and leans down to offer her hand. Reluctantly, and with great difficulty, I accept. My cheeks burn as I struggle to free myself from the mud before slipping my filthy hand into hers.

Vines burst forth, snaking down the goddess’ arm to twist around me and slowly draw me forward until my whole body is pulled free of the mud. Safe on dry ground once more, the vines wither and disappear in a puff of dust as Persephone helps me to my feet and brushes me off.

“See, good as new,” she says, gesturing to my clothes.

I follow her motion and blink in surprise to find myself clean once again. “How …”

“Magic, my dear, how else do you think I maintain my presence amidst an ever-changing landscape,” she says with a gentle smile. “Come, let me take you to your father.”

Grabbing my hand, she turns to lead me through the moor, the path slowly revealing itself to us with each step she takes. I don’t quite know what to make of her kindness when, just a day or so ago, I thought she’d prefer never to lay eyes on me again.

“Persephone, are you sure this is a good idea?” Cerberus says, having at some point stepped silently into place behind me, the low rumble of his voice sending chills racing down my spine.

“I believe we are long past worrying whether or not an idea is good,” she answers. “All we can do now is try.”

“Hmph.”

I can’t tell if he agrees with her or not, but either way, we continue on without further argument.

The path twists and turns its way through the mire, making our progress slow and each new step altogether impossible for me to guess.

I strain to make out more of the figure’s features as we finally begin to draw closer, but it isn’t until we’re nearly upon him that the fog clears enough to allow me to make out his face.

My breath catches in my throat, my feet slowing to a stop as my stomach knots within me.

I wasn’t deceived into coming here, but now I almost wish I had been.

Before me, half-swallowed by moss and overgrown vines—is my father.

But I see now what Cerberus meant.

He’s barely recognizable.

I don’t register the tears until they’re already streaming down my cheeks. I should go to him, but I am rooted in place by shock.

All I can do is stare. Stare at the swollen shape of his face, his eyes crusted shut with blood, his nose broken beneath bruised skin. Jagged, angry lines have been etched into his skin wherever it is visible, leaving his clothes bloodied, tattered, and torn.

If not for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, I’d believe he was already dead.

“What have they done to you?”

I move to push past Persephone, but Cerberus grabs my arm and pulls me back before I can.

“Hazel, stop!”

“Let me go! He needs me!”

“No, not yet.” His voice is gruff as he spins me around to face him, grasping both of my arms to keep me firmly in place. “Little lamb, I need you to listen to me.”

“Whatever it is can wait. My father needs m—”

“No, it cannot,” Cerberus says with a low growl of warning, giving me a gentle shake. “I know this will be hard for you to hear, but there is something you need to understand. Your father—the man you knew him as before—is not there.”

I give him an incredulous look before glancing over my shoulder at the figure lain across the moss. Despite his broken state, I would recognize my father anywhere.

“I don’t know what game you’re trying to play,” I say coldly, turning back to Cerberus, “but I would recognize my father anywhere—”

“I never said otherwise.”

“Then what are you saying!”

“Hazel, please,” the queen implores, “you must try to listen .”

The air fills with an intoxicating, floral scent, and a sudden sense of calm settles over me.

“Is that really necessary—”

Persephone holds up a hand to cut the hellhound off as she moves to stand beside me on the narrow path.

Taking a deep breath, she speaks as gently as she can. “Hazel, it is not his body, but his soul, that gives us reason for concern.”

“What of his soul?” I ask, the fight in me now fully seeped from my bones.