Page 68 of Hades

“No,” she whispered and cursed Mnemosyne when she pressed her hands to his armour and the expected surge of power didn’t come. She wasn’t skilled at healing with her touch, but she had managed it in the past. She could have saved his life. She looked up into his eyes and croaked, “Why?”

He had taken a killing blow meant for her and now there was nothing she could do for him.

His dark eyes were already growing dim.

He swallowed thickly and struggled to prop himself up. Persephone helped him, manoeuvring him onto her lap as she sat on her knees. She pressed her hand to his chest, her concern for him growing as blood pooled beneath him, spreading outwards.

The corners of his mouth tried to twitch into a smile. She supposed he was trying to reassure her that he had done the right thing in saving her life, but she couldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t.

“Hold on,” she murmured, pushing past the fear to focus on what she could do to save him. “I will get you out of here. I only need to get to the other side of the wards and I can save you.”

She only needed to carry his weight through countless soldiers. She shunned that voice in her head, determined not to listen to it.

Erastus reached a trembling hand up and tugged at something around his neck. He grimaced as he snapped the thin leather thong and coughed again, one that sounded like a death rattle to her ears.

“Come. We must move.” She tried to tug his dead weight up, refusing to give in, but he shook his head and pressed something into her hand. She opened her fingers and looked at the small silver medallion—a protection token.

He rasped, “Daphne.”

And closed her bloodied fingers over the medallion.

Persephone shook her head. “No. Save your strength. Return it to her yourself.”

The sobering resignation and acceptance in his dark eyes told her that he knew it was too late for him and had tears misting her eyes.

“Daphne,” he murmured again.

Those tears spilled over as she nodded and clasped his hand and the protective charm. “I will deliver it. I promise. Hades will guide your soul to the Elysian Fields. I vow it. You will be together again.”

That seemed to soothe him. The stark fear that had been building in his eyes faded away as he clutched her hand, his grip growing weaker as she watched over him, keeping him company as he passed.

When he was gone, she laid him down, closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to each one.

“A token for the ferryman,” she whispered with each press of her lips, paying his due so he could cross the River Styx with Charon. The ferryman would accept the payment in lieu of coin and would know to keep him safe for her. She smoothed Erastus’s hair and smiled down at him. “Thank you.”

Persephone took up her sword and pushed to her feet, drew down a breath and marched towards the next staircase with a renewed determination to leave this place, if only so she could ensure that Hades led Erastus to the Fields and she could deliver the love token to Daphne.

She tucked the medallion away in the band of her black nightgown and gripped her sword in both hands. Erastus’s sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain.

Persephone cut her way through five soldiers on the stairs to reach the next floor, refusing to give up even as every inch of her ached and shook with fatigue. She fought fiercely to honour Erastus, despite the narrow space that forced her into close proximity with her foes and made it difficult for her to land strong blows on them.

She fell into a rhythm as she fought, some dormant part of her awakening to guide her blows as she took on three guards on the next floor. She moved as if she was in a dream, as if something else was in control of her body, barely aware of what she was doing. Two of them fell easily enough, but the third proved more challenging.

Her sword clashed with his, the strike making her bones vibrate, and she fought to keep hold of her sword as she backed off to gain more space. The male was twice her size and packed with muscle. She desperately blocked another blow, barely managing to deflect it, and weighed up her options. No one was coming up the stairs. She could make a break for it, but that meant giving this warrior her back.

He would easily cut her down if she wasn’t quick enough.

She wasn’t sure her tired legscouldbe quick enough.

Her trembling arms weren’t faring much better as she dodged and tried to block another blow, and almost took a hit to the leg when she did a poor job of it. She could feel the cold press of the medallion she had taken from Erastus against her ribs as she struggled to evade another skilled blow from the guard. She had to keep going. She slashed at the male. She needed to deliver the token to Daphne. She couldn’t fail Erastus when he hadn’t failed her.

She had to at least make it further than only another floor down.

To die now, when she had come such a short distance, would be shameful.

She moved to her right, her gaze darting to the staircase and then back to the male as he swung at her. Why weren’t more guards coming? She swept her sword out, knocking his blow off course, and tumbled left, rolling to her feet closer to the stairs. The guard immediately moved to block the route. She flicked another glance at the stairs.

By Erastus’s count, there were dozens more guarding the tower. Were they waiting outside for her to emerge?

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