Page 14 of Salt & Blood (Ivy & Bone #4)

MIDAS

PANDORA

Pandora was acutely aware of Sol standing so close, even with Evander between them. She secretly wished Mona had ordered Sol to stay with the witches. But deep down, she knew it was pertinent for him to meet the king with them.

Pandora had heard of . He had once been an alchemist who worked for Apollo. When discovered a magic that could turn light into gold, Apollo stole the power from him and cursed . Pandora never learned what became of the alchemist after that; she was only well-versed in Apollo’s history to better serve her plot for revenge.

Now that she thought about it, Sol was likely old enough to have known before he was cursed. But she wasn’t sure if this was a good thing. It was possible would see Sol as an ally of Apollo’s and turn them away.

Then again, Pandora herself came from the Underworld. So did Evander and Romanos. That didn’t exactly put their party in a positive light either.

The mysterious shadow witch led them through a curtain of ivy, holding it open for the group to pass through. Mona and Evander continued without hesitation. Sol paused uncertainly before stepping through.

Pandora lingered for a moment, trying to steady her breaths. Beside her, Romanos nudged her shoulder with his.

“The witches won’t hurt you,” he whispered.

“It’s not the witches I’m afraid of,” Pandora said darkly. With a deep breath, she passed through the curtain of ivy. The air immediately chilled around her, and she rubbed her arms, glancing around in amazement.

Tiny bobbing lights floated from underneath a massive willow tree whose leaves formed a dome-shaped canopy around them. As soon as the ivy curtain fell closed once more, the shadowed witch stepped into the light. The darkness surrounding her fell away, revealing a tall woman with a wild mane of curly red hair. She had fair skin and pale green eyes that seemed to glow as brightly as the lights from above.

“My name is Saffron,” the witch said, her voice solemn. “In allowing you passage into these sacred lands, you are swearing a vow to protect the secrets of my coven. Should you forsake this vow, you risk incurring the wrath of the Triple Goddess herself.”

Pandora might have laughed were it not for the ringing authority of the woman’s words, and the way the air seemed to quiver around them ominously. She swallowed hard as Saffron took the lead, guiding them toward the trunk of the mighty willow tree.

Pandora fell into step beside Mona and whispered, “Have you ever encountered earth witches like this?”

Mona shook her head. “We were very isolated on Krenia, so there was no need for such secrecy.”

“But… the way she speaks of the Triple Goddess… the authority in her voice, it’s—” Pandora couldn’t find the words.

Mona looked at her with a frown. “You haven’t encountered witches before, have you?”

“I haven’t encountered any mortals before,” Pandora pointed out. “Before you, that is.”

Mona smiled. “I’m not exactly a mortal, though, am I?”

“I suppose not.”

The notion sobered Pandora as she recalled what Mona had told her when Elysium had fallen. The three of us were bound by a powerful enchantment that kept us locked in our mortal bodies. Only upon death can our true powers be freed.

Mona had died and come back again, resurrected by her sister, Prue. But Pandora would never be able to access these goddess powers. Because if she died, no one would care enough to bring her back. No one loved her. No one even liked her, except perhaps Mona. But to resurrect the dead was a dangerous deed. Mona would never sacrifice what she had with Evander just to bring back a sister who had betrayed her. If there was even a chance the spell would go awry and Evander would be harmed, Pandora knew her sister wouldn’t risk it.

So, Pandora was doomed to be a mortal forever. Or die without any hope of returning.

Her thoughts turned to Prue, whom she had assumed had perished with the Underworld. But now, she wasn’t so sure. If she had died, perhaps someone had brought her back. Cyrus loved her enough to do it. Gaia did, too, and she was capable of creating life from anything.

The thought soured Pandora’s stomach and made her face twist into a disgusted grimace. Gaia, Mona, Prue, Cyrus, Evander… They all possessed a love stronger than any other force in the world. A love Pandora could never be a part of because more powerful gods and goddesses had decided she wasn’t worth it.

“This way,” said Saffron, urging the group forward.

Pandora realized she had fallen behind and hastened to catch up to Mona. Sol was watching her, and she hadn’t realized how long his gaze had been fixed on her. Only when she looked at him did he finally turn away from her to follow Saffron.

Saffron led them directly to the center of the willow tree where a massive trunk stood, thicker than five men standing side-by-side.

To Pandora’s surprise, Saffron didn’t stop when she reached the trunk. She walked right into the center of it, her form dropping suddenly into some space below that Pandora couldn’t see. Her heart lurched in her throat. Was there a hole at the base of the tree?

It wasn’t until she got closer that she realized a gap in the ground led to a narrow set of moss-covered steps that wound underground.

Awe and unease mingled in Pandora’s chest as she followed the group down the steps. The smell of earth and moss swelled around her, filling her with an acute awareness of her own magic. It surged to the surface of her being, floating higher and higher, blotting out any sign of the trapped soul within her. For the first time in her life, her entire body seemed to quiet with the resonance of that potent earth magic. A calmness, a relaxing sense of peace, filled her to her core, warming her bones and soothing her agitated soul.

Miraculously, the memories and the goddess who owned her were silenced. The earth magic here was stronger than she was.

Pandora felt a slow smile creep across her face as she descended farther and farther below ground.

The winding steps ended at the mouth of a wide tunnel lined by the same floating lights from under the willow tree. Earth and roots surrounded them, and the air seemed warmer down here.

Saffron said nothing as she led them through the tunnel. It wasn’t quite wide enough for Pandora to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with her sister, so she lingered behind, her eyes catching on the way Mona’s fingers coiled tightly within Evander’s. The two were always linked. Never to be separated.

And Pandora’s heart ached with the notion that she would never have that because of the choices she had made.

“ isn’t so bad,” Romanos muttered from behind Pandora.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “He isn’t?”

“Just don’t mention his curse. Or Apollo.”

Pandora huffed a laugh. “That will be a bit hard, since Apollo wronged everyone here and is directly responsible for my own curse as well as ’s.” She paused before asking, “Why do they call him king ?”

“He was once king of the Thanassian Empire. His ability to turn anything into gold made him wealthier than any other king or noble, and for a while, he brought prosperity to the continent. But, once his enemies discovered the power of his touch and tricked him into turning his own daughter into gold, he disappeared, going underground so no one could exploit him again.”

Sorrow twisted in Pandora’s gut from the tragedy of such a tale. “And what do the Gorgon sisters have to do with him?”

Romanos paused before answering. “’s knowledge of alchemy is incredibly valuable, especially to the witch community.”

Pandora frowned and glanced at him. Romanos had a closed expression on his face. There was clearly something he wasn’t telling her.

But that was fine. She was used to other people’s mistrust. He had no reason to share information with her to begin with.

“Do you think they will be merciful?” Pandora asked. “The Gorgon sisters?”

Romanos took another moment to consider this. “It’s hard to say. I wronged one of them many ages ago, and it took quite a lot to earn her forgiveness. But once I did, we were connected, our souls bonded for eternity. Now, she’s my wife.”

Pandora stumbled over a root, and Romanos gripped her arm to keep her from falling on her face. “Your wife ?” Pandora choked, eyes wide.

Romanos smirked. It was clear he had intentionally hidden this information. “Yes. Marina and I exchanged vows just last month.”

Marina. Pandora had heard the other witches use that name.

So Marina was a Gorgon. Pandora wasn’t sure what to do with this information.

The group halted at the end of the tunnel, which was shrouded by another curtain of ivy. Saffron turned to face them, her expression as somber as ever.

“When we reach the king, you will bow to show your respects,” she said. “Address him only as Your Highness. Nothing else. And if he orders you to leave, you must do so. We follow his command.”

Pandora’s brow furrowed. Since when did witches obey the command of a man? It didn’t make sense. The confusion on Mona’s face indicated she, too, was baffled by this. But they said nothing as Saffron led them through the ivy.

Brilliant gold light shone through the curtain, nearly blinding Pandora as she stepped through. Her breath stuck in her throat as she took in a magnificent throne room covered in layers of golden leaves. A massive chandelier hung from the earthen ceiling, but it wasn’t lit by candles. The same strange witch lights from before gleamed, bathing the room in an amber glow. A single throne rested on a mound of flattened earth, also covered in golden leaves. On that throne sat a man with auburn hair and blazing red eyes. He wore a golden tunic and trousers, a golden belt, and a golden sword. A matching gold crown rested atop his head, and a thick tan beard lined his face. Even his leather gloves gleamed with the same golden sheen as everything else about him.

But Pandora’s gaze snagged on the crimson fire of his eyes, her heart stilling in her chest. Beside her, Mona went rigid, noticing the same thing.

His eyes were the same as Hestia’s.

Sol drew forward, approaching the king first. He took a knee, pressing his fist to his chest and bowing his head. “Your Highness, it is a great honor to finally see you again.”

smiled, rising from his throne and spreading his arms. “No need for that, nephew. But you are right. It has indeed been too long.”

Pandora’s blood chilled as realization hit her.

was Hestia’s brother… and Sol’s uncle.