Page 14 of The Unseen Hour (The Unseen Hour Duology #1)

A cacophony of noises woke me—wailing, urgent whispers, even a few screams. Above all the rest of the noise rose a singular voice. Smooth, male, and authoritative.

“Everyone form up over here. Quickly now!”

Though his tone was harsh, the words had an almost melodic quality, soothing and welcoming.

I shook my head, moving to push myself off the ground.

“Bloody ghosts!”

I was already on my feet. Had I been sleepwalking?

The last thing I remembered was the Thipp’s root, the clock’s warning, and music. I felt along my arms, chest, and neck. There was a steady pulse. Not dead, then.

And most certainly not in Emrys.

The ground underneath me was grass, but tinted blue instead of green or the dried-out beige of winter. Staring overhead, I saw that the moon might be partially responsible for the shade. Instead of a stark white, it had a bluish tint as well.

An orb of light floated by me with no discernible means of staying aloft. I jumped backward, throwing a hand out to catch myself. My nail beds had a bluish tint similar to the grass. Was I dead after all, then? Had I miscalculated?

I glanced left and right, my hair loose and slapping at my shoulders. Where had my brother’s top hat gone?

Were hats disallowed in the afterlife?

A hysterical giggle worked its way up my throat, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to suppress the sound.

I needed to calm down. To think. I’d swallowed the Thipp’s just as the Unseen Hour had begun.

That meant that, unless I was in some sort of medicine-induced stupor, I’d been Taken as intended.

As for the hat, it had probably tumbled off my head when I’d stumbled in the ruins. My gait had been wildly unsteady.

I jumped again when I heard the sound of a woman wailing and the authoritative voice repeating his instructions.

I was not in Emrys, and I was in who knew what level of danger.

Around me, other men and women were throwing confused looks at one another. Several had tears running down their faces. If my own heartbeat hadn’t been enough, a good look at those around me would have convinced me that I was in a much different state than the other people here.

All the vibrancy had leached from the hair, skin, and eyes of those around me. When I looked closer I saw that they were all swaying to and fro as they moved. Their feet trailed the ground, but just the toes.

They weren’t walking; they were floating.

I choked down a scream.

“Not too much farther. Come along, then!” The man up front continued to coax us all away from wherever we’d arrived.

Everyone—the crying, the calm, and those who looked lost—followed the soothing voice .

“Don’t worry, the memories will fade soon. You won’t be scared in a moment. You just need to follow me this way.”

The others moved toward the voice, drifting like the very ghosts they were.

I checked my own feet, but they were still firmly planted on the ground.

“Hurry now!” the voice called, more urgent but no less musical.

With no better plan, and not wanting to draw any undue attention to myself, I fell in line with the others.

My legs shook as I walked, probably helping me blend in.

I tottered, partially out of terror and partially because of a leaden feeling in my limbs.

Could the Thipp’s still be having an effect?

Another glowing orb floated by, and I managed not to jump this time.

Aside from the moon, these orbs were the only thing lighting the way.

Spherical lanterns. The next time one passed, I reached out to tap it and discovered the casing wasn’t hard like glass, but soft like a flower petal.

I was too shocked to try to see what the light source was inside.

As we continued forward, the bluish grass was broken up by clusters of flowers, in shades of violet, ivory, and soft champagne.

It was the middle of winter in Emrys. Even though all the clues pointed to us no longer being anywhere near my home country, let alone any country in all of Rayus … the whole setting was a bit too comfortable for how I’d always envisioned death.

“No time to waste! Line up!” the voice from before barked again. Even when he sounded impatient, I felt an urge to listen instead of run.

One of the floating souls, if that is what they were, moved past me. I reached out and grabbed the arm of his coat, which had more color than his sallow skin .

“Excuse me, but do you know where we are?” I questioned, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

As he turned toward me, I took a step back. His eyes were void of any emotion or recognition. Though he was staring straight at me, I felt as if he were looking right through me.

After a moment, without answering, he turned and moved toward the voice that instructed us all.

With nothing to do then but follow the orders being yelled at us, I fell into a row forming as hazy men and women took their places.

The initial wailing had stopped, and all of the others seemed almost eerily calm.

Their faces expressionless, they formed precise rows, everyone’s spacing even.

I took a place in one of the lines. Clutching at my riding jacket— Temple’s riding jacket—I realized as my shock wore off that I was dreadfully cold, in spite of the springtime surroundings.

In Emrys it had been a mild night, but here it was frigid even with the flowers and lush grass. I shivered.

“All right then, I believe we’ve got everyone.”

I craned my neck, finally getting a look at the cloaked leader of this horrible parade. His hood prevented me from seeing him clearly, and it was a stony gray.

The souls around me continued to sway like leaves in a breeze. I did my best to imitate them, smoothly swaying to and fro as if the slightest breeze might shift me.

The number of people around me had swelled.

Some wore fashions popular in Emrys, but I also spotted the loose and baggy clothing worn in Mejje, said to keep people cool in the heat.

Having never been, I had to make do with what I’d learned from books, but I recognized the fashion just the same.

Another man wore thick furs I recognized as being from Tang.

They were known to hunt the wolves and elk in their lands and used the hides to keep themselves warm on the icy tundra.

There were a few people holding weapons, small daggers and knives, and I was shocked to see even the women in pants. They had to be from Sez.

For a single moment, curiosity overrode my concern and I snapped my head around, trying to discern whether anyone from the lost country was here.

The cloaked man at the front yelled again, and I turned my attention forward.

Goosebumps rose on my arms and I willed them to stand down lest even that small detail come to the attention of the figure that stalked in front of our rows. It wasn’t like he could see them under my sleeves, I mused, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he could.

What if he was Death?

If the god was real—and the fact that I was standing in an entirely different realm was quickly making a true believer of me—there was no telling how he would react to my intrusion. He might be impressed at my ingenuity, or he might be offended by my trickery.

Whether because of the goosebumps, or my breath that clouded the air in front of me, I caught his attention somehow. Of all the rotten luck.

The cloaked figure froze, his stillness even more disconcerting against the background of shifting souls. He, too, kept his feet firmly on the ground.

He lifted his head, and I saw the gleam of his eyes under the hood. Eyes more vibrant than that of any of the souls before me. They were grey, but even from a distance I saw small flecks of blue. They locked onto me, and he began moving toward me, shoving the other souls aside.

My fear ordered me to run, and my traitorous, hammering heart set the speed at which I ought to escape, but I held my feet firm. After all, I had nowhere to go. I didn’t even know where I was. Perhaps I might still fool him.

I held my breath so it wouldn’t fog in front of me, swaying awkwardly even as the figure drew closer.

He reached up, grabbed onto his hood and pulled it back.

Brown hair with just a hint of a wave framed his face, a loose piece falling over his forehead.

My arm jerked as I fought an instinctive reaction to reach out and fix it.

He had a defined jaw with the shadow of stubble, and sharp cheekbones that would have made him look severe if not for the warmth in his eyes.

He was handsome. Undeniably so.

I hadn’t expected handsome.

Then again, wouldn’t the gods have given themselves a face that could tempt people?

His eyes were wide as he pointedly gazed at me, his eyes moving from the top of my head down to my boots. Then he looked back to my face.

Maybe it was the Thipp’s and its lingering effects, but I was short of breath.

During the season I had done what I could to avoid drawing too much attention, but now I couldn’t help but look boldly back at him.

If anything, I wanted to get closer, to trace my finger along his jaw and see if he was as solid as I was.

The space around us was quiet enough that I heard the soft whoosh of his breath as he gasped and then uttered one word.

“Starlight.”

I looked around me, trying to figure out what he meant. I craned my neck upward, only then noticing there were no stars to be seen.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”

One of his hands reached for me, but he stopped before he touched my skin, pulling back .

My breath caught, and a part of me wished he’d kept reaching.

If I’d already been found out, I should at least try to make a good impression.

I dipped into a curtsey.

“Hello. I’m Celia Hipnosi, and?—”

He threw out an arm, cutting me off.

The other individuals surrounding us still wore blank expressions, but a handful of them had turned to look.

Without a response, he turned away from me, and my heart sank.

I’d already upset him. If he was indeed Death—and who else could he be?—then I needed to fix this. More than that, I wanted to fix it. The very air felt more frigid as he walked away.

I scrambled for something else to say. Something to do.

Before I could manage anything, he glanced around at the individuals getting out of line and snapped his head in their direction.

“Back as you were!” he yelled, turning on his heel and marching back to the front of the formation.

I let out several quick, shallow breaths as I regained my composure.

Starlight , he had said.

What did he mean? Had it been a test? Had I failed?

At the front of the group, his voice boomed over the crowd once more.

“Welcome, new Shades, to the Ether. You are here under the hospitality of Charon, god and ruler of this plane. I am his Head Shade. For now, I’ll be taking you to where the others linger. You may rest there until it is time to realize your purpose.”

So he wasn’t Death, and apparently neither was the leader of this place. Charon , he had said. Then who was this man? Another living being like me? Trapped here, or was he here on purpose? And who was Charon?

Emrys worshiped only two gods: Day and Death. There was no one else.

The questions swirled in my head as I followed the other Shades farther into the Ether.