Page 73 of Half Dead

“I can only tell you about mine. I’ve been to Helheim, too, but I wasn’t there long enough to get a real sense of it.” Not that it mattered; Kumbhakara was destined for another plane of existence.

“I want to hear about yours then,” he said. “If I arrive in your afterlife, what can I expect?”

I let my mind wander to the details of my homeland. “There’s a network of five rivers to navigate.”

“I am not much of a swimmer. This body is not designed for water.”

I smiled. “There are boats to carry the souls. The most important one is called Lethe, the river of oblivion and forgetfulness. The water washes away all the pain and anguish from their past. That’s how the souls are prepped to enter the Elysian fields, hopefully.”

“They sound nice.”

“If you’re in my underworld, the fields are the place to be.” I cleared the emotions from my throat and continued, “The realm is divided into four regions. The Elysian fields, reserved for the most excellent among us, Tartarus…”

“That one I know. It is an afterlife prison for the worst offenders.”

“More or less. Zero stars. Do not recommend.”

“You have spent time there?”

“No, or if I have, I don’t remember it. It’s a separate area in the underworld where the worst souls endure eternal punishment.”

“They are tortured for all time?”

My throat ran dry as I answered in the affirmative. His question took me by surprise. I’d been so busy dwelling on Kane’s torture in hell that I’d failed to see my homeland had its own version.

“It bothers you?”

“I don’t know. I guess now I’m wondering whether the souls deserve to be there.” What if they were wrongly punished, like Kane had been?

A question for another day.

The light began to fade from his eye. “And the other two regions?”

“The Fields of Mourning exist for those hurt by love, andthen there are the Asphodel Meadows, where the majority of ordinary souls dwell.”

“I suppose I am fortunate to have never been hurt by love.”

I felt the temperature of his body dropping by the second.

“Tell me more about the fields for the excellent so that I might pretend…”

“It’s a land of eternal sunshine and fragrant meadows to frolic in. No pain. No suffering. Not a care in the world.”

“I…” He coughed again. “I was never much for frolicking.”

Although his spasms had eased, I continued to hold him. “Now I have a question for you, friend.”

“Ask and I shall endeavor to answer.” His breathing was labored now; it was only a matter of moments.

I pressed my cheek against his chest and allowed the tears to spill. “Did you ever experience love?”

“Not until today,” he said, as his eyes closed for the last time.

CHAPTER TEN

My sword had never felt heavier.The weight of it slowed each step toward Fairhaven. Sending me to slay Kumbhakara wasn’t a trial; it was torture, pure and simple. I nearly burst into tears at the sight of Kane’s face when I crossed the border. I heard a whoop of celebratory relief when I appeared. Before I could speak, he cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was possessive, affectionate, and emotional all at once; I didn’t think I’d ever felt more loved than in this moment.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

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