Page 27 of The Unseen Hour (The Unseen Hour Duology #1)

W e’d spent two weeks watching and mingling with the Shades. I hadn’t seen my father, although I had come across a few vaguely familiar faces from Emrys.

It was disconcerting each time, and I could only imagine what Orion had gone through, watching the number of souls grow over the years. We’d started with more recent clusters of Shades first, so we hadn’t gotten anywhere near his siblings. I would follow his lead on how to deal with that situation.

I had tested Orion’s theories on interacting with the Shades.

If I touched them and got their attention, I could ask them a question.

Their responses were muted, and limited, but some of them did engage.

Others were frustratingly silent. I’d found that trying to evoke strong emotions brought more reliable responses and heightened interaction.

“I’m sure you’ll see your son again someday,” I reassured a crying Shade whom I’d upset when I mentioned children being separated from their parents.

It hadn’t helped. The woman burst into tears and didn’t answer my questions about my father at all.

I was thankful the Shade’s tears dried almost as soon as I stopped talking to her, and she went back to floating along with all the others, any signs of despair disappearing as her expression flattened once again.

“Any luck?” Orion asked as he joined me.

I shook my head.

“No. They barely speak to you at all before they get distracted. Some won’t even talk to me to begin with.” A few Shades stared right through me when I attempted to get their attention. “You?”

“I found someone from Mejje who said they had an Emrys-looking gentleman milling about. It wasn’t your father, though.

He was far too portly to match your description, and the style of his clothing was nothing like you described.

Or his eyes. Those were brown. Then I tried a section with Shades from several years back.

I got a couple of reactions from people who knew your father, but no one that had seen him here. ”

“You’re still doing much better than I am. I’ve upset several of the Shades, which I assure you was unintentional.”

I wasn’t trying to traumatize anyone.

Orion shrugged, and I watched the slight movement of his strong shoulders. I was back in my brother’s riding jacket today. When I wore Orion’s clothes, they were loose and baggy, but on him they were fitted and accentuated the muscles he’d gained fending for himself in the Ether.

“I’ve had a lot more years to practice, that’s all,” Orion said. “You’ve already figured out that eliciting those stronger, personal emotions livens them up a bit more. I’d had loads of frustrating one-sided conversations before I stumbled on that knowledge.”

“Have you spent a lot of time talking to the Shades?”

He’d said as much, but I hadn’t realized the amount of effort he’d put in. Of course he had. He’d had no one else down here. The Shades were his only option, even if they were duller than an old blade.

“I know a fair amount about some of these Shades. Not that they’re aware.

They don’t really recall much from one short conversation to the next.

I tried, though, for the first decade or so, to get them to engage.

Since then, I’ve had some bouts in the ensuing years where I got lonely or frustrated enough with the isolation to try again.

It’s easier as it gets nearer to the hour, since they’re livelier then. But it’s not a real friendship.”

He’d gone still, glaring at the nearest group of floating Shades. I was learning to watch his expressions, and the way they correlated to his moods. Remembering what he’d gone through in the Ether elicited an immediate frown.

I had all sorts of things I wanted to know, but I had tried to space out my questioning.

I didn’t want to cause Orion pain, any more than I wanted to hurt the Shades.

“Why don’t we take a break and eat something?” I suggested.

He uncrossed his arms, and I held out my hand. He took it without hesitation. We often walked like this. It kept me warm, and while I couldn’t say for certain, he looked more relaxed when we walked together.

The only drawback was that the contact was having increasingly strong results.

I’d thought I would grow used to it. Instead, the more we touched, the more my mind wandered to questions like what his hands would feel like on other areas of my body.

Whether the rest of his body would feel as warm, pressed against mine.

We stopped under a tree, and Orion rifled through a small bag we’d brought from the cottage. He pulled out a root vegetable that grew here. Deep purple, a bit like a potato, but soft without needing to be cooked. I bit into it eagerly .

Orion watched the Shades while we ate, and I decided to try a different tactic.

“I’ve seen a couple people I recognize. There was a lady I tried to speak to yesterday.

She used to work at a dress shop in the capital.

She said hello, and I think I might have seen a brief flash of recognition, but then she got quiet again.

It’s odd, interacting with people when they're not really, well, people anymore.”

Orion let out a short sound that might have been agreement.

“And then I wandered over to those from Sez for a while. Just in case my father decided to hide himself there. After all, if he’s not really a Shade, he’d be less likely to stay with groups from Emrys.

At least that’s my thinking. It might be tougher to stay around people you knew and recognized when they’re like this. ”

“It changes day to day, honestly. At least for me. Sometimes, I wanted to be as far from the reminders as possible. Sometimes, I wanted something familiar, even if I knew it would end in disappointment. And sometimes I did what you tried, for different reasons of course. I’d approach those from other countries.

Try to learn in small bits and pieces everything I could about them.

Closest thing I can get to real travel in the Ether. ”

I felt the urge to embrace him. He was as trapped as I’d felt in Emrys.

“You must have learned a great many things. I, for one, have been both shocked and thrilled at the women of Sez. I think we can both agree that trousers are a lot more practical when moving around than layered dresses.”

Orion nodded, turning away from the Shades and back to me.

“Too true. And those from Mejje often conceal weapons under those billowing bits of clothing. Between them, and the materials Sez uses for their own outfits, I was able to come up with my own holsters and methods of transporting things. I often carry a dagger around the Ether. Actually, I should make you something so you can have a weapon as well. Not sure why I didn’t think of it before. ”

Likely because he’d been building himself a new bed and chair, as he’d given me his. And he’d had to do it while working around the long hours we’d spent searching for my father.

He smiled, and those blue flecks in his eyes sparked to life.

“Yes, I think some sort of holster would be a fun project. You could wear it on your thigh, since you’re not encumbered by layers of skirts, as you pointed out.”

“And not missing them in the slightest.” I smirked.

His gaze lingered on my leg, and that curious feeling returned. A small part of me wanted to tuck my legs back so he couldn’t see, but a much larger part wanted to know what it would feel like to have his fingers trailing their way up my thighs. My heartbeat raced at the thought.

He cleared his throat, looking away.

“Do you know, I would never have expected to see a Hipnosi in anything but layers of pink. You are certainly a surprise, Starlight.”

“Did you know any Hipnosis then? Before coming here, I mean?” I asked, intrigued.

“Even a hundred years ago, everyone knew about the Hipnosis. Your family has held wealth and power for centuries, longer than mine, I believe. My family may be dukes, but everyone respected the input of a Hipnosi.”

My father wasn’t the first to find himself closely helping a monarch.

Some long-dead Hipnosi generations ago had been incredibly close to a former king, and the connection had continued for years.

My father had even once shared a theory, really more of a family secret, that the Hipnosis had quietly turned down a chance at becoming dukes, or once marrying into the royal family.

They wanted to keep the relationship as uncomplicated as possible, not giving the crown any reason to think we were grasping.

In exchange, we had wealth and lands that frankly overshadowed any other noble.

“And you interacted with my family?”

“Your great-great-uncle, perhaps, would be the one I knew best. He liked to tinker with things.”

“Uncle Albert?” I’d never met him, of course, but we had portraits of the family tree at the Fox Haven estate. My father had told us about our predecessors. Uncle Albert was known as a bit of an inventor, perhaps also a bit of an eccentric, but very intelligent.

“That’s the one! He was always entertaining to be around.

Always had some new contraption to test out.

One time, he brought a whirring, flying thing into the library in the capital.

They were furious. He nearly got us thrown out.

Would have, if our fathers hadn’t stepped in.

He was actually part of what inspired me once I was down here.

I thought, Albert came up with some ingenious contraptions.

Surely I can figure out a way to make the most basic necessities. ”

I smiled, pleased to hear about the connection.

“Shame we’re not looking for Uncle Albert, then. He sounds like he could be quite helpful.” I tried to keep my tone carefree but didn’t think I quite managed it.

I had known it wouldn’t be easy. Still, I’d hoped by now to have some glimpse of my father. Even if he was a Shade, at least I’d have found him. Instead, he was nowhere to be seen, living or otherwise.

I was about to suggest we get back to work when a silent lightning strike hit the ground in front of us.

Scrambling backwards, I kept my ears open for the echo of thunder that would typically follow such a strike, but it never came.

A figure stood where the lightning had landed, wearing a long and elegant hooded cloak.

When the new arrival moved, they floated toward us, and my muscles tensed.

My throat felt too tight to breathe.

“Charon,” I managed to whisper, terror shooting through me.

“No”—Orion reached for me—“not Charon.” He looked back and forth between me and the advancing figure.

His eyebrows scrunched, head tilting like he was trying to make up his mind about something.

Seeming to decide, he put another hand on my arm and helped me to my feet.

“Come on. It will be all right.”

Even so, he stood between me and the advancing figure. I clutched his hand like a lifeline. His warmth spread to me, a familiar comfort even after such a short time. Albeit somewhat lessened by the looming figure that was getting closer and closer.

When the cloaked being drew to a stop in front of us, I craned my neck. The figure was just as tall as I remembered Charon being, even if it wasn’t him. As my shock wore off, my natural curiosity flooded back.

I slipped around Orion, now standing directly in front of the individual.

“Hello,” I said.

The figure reached up and pulled back the hood of the cloak. I froze.

The woman in front of me was ethereal. Her hair shone with a white light brighter than a star in the night sky.

The skin on her exposed neck was the same ivory as bone.

Her eyes still weren’t visible. Instead, a black silk mask covered them, along with a good portion of her cheekbones, with not even slits to see out of.

It was a wonder she could get around at all, I thought.

She looked like someone attending a masquerade ball.

Her head craned forward, and I sensed she was looking at me.

“Orion”—the woman’s voice was rich and full—“and who is this enticing creature?”

I recovered my manners enough to introduce myself.

“Celia Hipnosi. Charmed to meet you, er?—”

I extended a hand, unsure what else to do without knowing who I was addressing. The figure raised a palm, stepping back.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to keep this as a ‘look but don’t touch’ situation. At least if you’d like to stay alive,” the woman warned.

I gaped, but her voice held no venom.

Orion stepped up beside me, gesturing between me and the woman.

“Celia, allow me to introduce you to Death.”