Page 27

Chapter Seventeen

I opened my eyes in Hyrax’s throne room.

He sat alone at his dining table, apparently waiting for me, as he used to do so often.

Tonight, he wore freshly pressed, immaculate clothes, dark fabric accented by silver embroidery at the cuffs.

He had neatly combed and styled his gray hair and beard.

He looked every bit as impeccable as one might expect of a God.

When his gaze met mine, he smiled pleasantly and gestured to the chair at his right, silently inviting me to join him.

A part of me wanted to reject him outright—to stomp my feet, curse him for his lies and misdeeds, and force myself awake and out of this realm.

As much as that temptation burned within me, though, his words from our last conversation still echoed in my mind, his declaration that I simply didn’t have any memories to recall.

I’d been tossing it over for days, tearing myself apart, trying to piece together what that could possibly mean.

If it could be true...

Hyrax was the only person who had ever spoken about my past with such finality. His words carried no doubt, no speculation. As much as I wanted to deny him, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that he might hold the answers I’d been so desperate to find.

Reluctantly, I crossed the room and sank into the chair at his table. His blue eyes sparkled as he regarded me.

“This is nice,” he remarked, summoning two glasses of wine with an easy wave of his hand. He pulled his to his mouth, smelling deeply before drinking with an appreciative hum. I left mine untouched. “We used to do this more often.”

The memory stirred something uneasy in me. “Things were different then.”

Back then, I hadn’t realized I was visiting the Underworld.

I hadn’t known that the mentor I had come to trust was the God who had tried to enslave the Mortal race.

I hadn’t realized the only reason he was showing me kindness was because of some prophecy that I was the key to his release.

That had been back when I valued him, when I trusted him.

It wasn’t the first time I’d been burned by trusting someone I shouldn’t.

Hyrax nodded, his expression pinched in thought. “So you say. Tell me, who exactly did you think you were speaking to in those days?”

I sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Some specter of my imagination, maybe? Or a face from my past that I’d forgotten.”

“I told you,” he said firmly, “there are no memories from your past.”

There it was again—that same confident declaration, hanging in the air between us.

Somehow it made even less sense now than it had the first time I’d heard it.

“I don’t understand,” I admitted, my voice quieter as I leaned my elbows forward onto the table. “How can a person simply have no memories?”

Hyrax traced circles along the rim of his crystal glass, his expression pensive. “It’s difficult for me to explain.”

“What in all of creation could make it difficult to answer basic questions?” My irritation spilled out in sharp words. After all this time, why was he still insisting on keeping these secrets from me? Secrets about me I had every right to know the answer to.

“You must be ready—not only to hear the truth, but to accept it as well.”

My frustration erupted. My glass flew from the table, shattering against the stone wall.

Shards of crystal glittered as they scattered across the floor.

Hyrax didn’t flinch. He simply watched, infuriatingly calm as ever, while I struggled to steady my breathing.

It had been a long time since I had lost control of my magic like that.

His lips twitched into a faint smirk. “As I was saying, you don’t seem ready for that.”

Anger burned through me like molten fire, searing every nerve. Just as I was about to unleash the full force of my rage, the door creaked open, and the echo of boots against the stone floor cut through the tension.

Caldrius strode into the room, his dark hair gleaming in the light of the roaring fireplace. He paused when he saw me, dark eyes flicking between Hyrax and me before he offered a polite bow.

“Theadora,” he said smoothly with a lopsided grin, “how lovely to see you again.”

“Caldrius,” I replied, my mind flashing to that night in his chambers.

His knowing gaze lingered on me, as if he could sense the unresolved tension in the room—and where my thoughts had drifted.

“This evening’s reports, my liege,” he said, walking forward and resting his hand against the back of my chair as he leaned forward to give a stack of parchment to Hyrax with a bowed head.

The tips of his fingers traced lightly against my back, barely a touch, yet somehow searing.

A slow, absentminded gesture, like he wasn’t even thinking about it.

Like it was natural. A shiver ran up my spine before I could stop it.

“The new arrivals are waiting outside for you,” Caldrius continued.

I frowned. “New arrivals?”

They both glanced at me, their expressions confirming my suspicion. Recently dead souls had arrived.

“Do you greet them personally?” I asked Hyrax.

Rising from his seat, he smoothed his jacket and glanced down at the parchment. It was a list, each name meticulously recorded, with a specific time and date. Their times of death.

“I am the ruler of the Underworld. It is my duty to welcome all souls to their place of rest and determine their future in the realm.”

Curiosity itched at the edges of my irritation. Despite my frustration with him, I couldn’t suppress it. “What does that mean, exactly?”

There wasn’t much written about the Underworld. No one knew what it looked like or how it operated. It wasn’t a place you could travel to and learn about until after your death.

...unless you were me, of course.

Hyrax’s gaze flicked toward the door, his shoulders tensing slightly.

“You should go, sire,” Caldrius said, his tone calm and measured. “I know you dislike keeping them waiting.”

Hyrax’s gaze lingered on me, conflicted, as though something about me unsettled even a God. Finally, he nodded. “Perhaps we can continue this conversation on your next visit. I would like to share the Underworld with you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, only to close it once more entirely.

The offer left me speechless. In all of my months visiting this place, Hyrax had never invited me to learn about this realm before.

Even in those early days when we might have been friends, he had only ever asked about my life.

Then, once I’d realized who he was, I simply assumed that learning more about the Underworld might be forbidden for me, a living soul.

Caldrius’ voice broke through my stunned silence, his hand giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’d be happy to give Theadora a tour while you’re occupied, sire.”

Hyrax hesitated, his gaze shifting between us, before nodding. “Yes. That would be nice, I think.”

A s Caldrius led me through the winding tunnels of Hyrax’s castle toward the exit, a rush of excitement rolled through me at the thought of exploring this unknown realm.

Caldrius walked beside me with a confident grace, gesturing subtly in the correct direction whenever we reached a crossroads.

His dark clothes were simple yet tailored from fine fabric, fitted against his tall frame.

His hair, just as dark, fell in thick waves that curled around his ears and the base of his neck.

As we walked, I studied him, trying to decipher the man beneath the polished exterior.

“Why are you staring at me?” he asked, a smile playing on his lips even as he kept his gaze forward.

“Why did you offer to do this?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?”

“Do you?”

His laugh echoed around us, rich and unrestrained. When we finally reached a dark stone door, he pushed it open, and the crisp night air rushed over my skin, wiping every thought from my mind.

The world outside was magnificent.

The night sky stretched endlessly above, scattered with stars so abundant they illuminated the landscape, casting everything in a silver glow.

My pale skin, dulled by too many days spent indoors, seemed to radiate under their light.

Surrounding the castle, countless flowers bloomed in vibrant shades of red, purple, and orange, untouched by the chill in the air.

And the castle itself...

I spun around to take it in, though its full expanse was impossible to grasp from this close.

What I could see mirrored the dark, gothic architecture of Hyrax Manor.

The stone facade stretched high into the sky, crowned with multiple iron spires.

Tall windows, framed in intricate ironwork, glinted in the evening starlight.

“You’re smiling,” Caldrius remarked, his voice soft.

I turned sharply to meet his gaze. “It’s beautiful.”

“I know,” he replied, his eyes locked on mine. “Come.”

He offered his arm. After a brief hesitation, I looped my hand through his, allowing him to guide me down the stone stairway that descended the mountain Hyrax’s castle rested on.

In the distance, the twinkling lights of fiery torches and buildings glimmered like a mirage.

Music floated on the breeze, mingling with the unmistakable sound of laughter.

“What is that?” I asked, nodding toward the lights.

“One of the Villages of Life. There are several across the Underworld, each filled with reunited families and loved ones who spend eternity together.”

I glance over the expanse of land, the blocked off sections of square patches of land surrounded by dirt-filled wheelbarrows and tools. “They farm?”

He nodded. “They farm, fish, and share all they gather. Food is plentiful here, as is merriment. Villages of Life are a happy place for souls. Living here is their reward after a life well-lived.”