Page 23 of Salt & Blood

“I need to access it in order for my plan to work,” Apollo said, his expression wary. He still didn’t trust Cyrus, but that was to be expected.

“Without my magic, there isn’t much I can do.” Cyrus spread his hands as if in apology.

“Someone else, perhaps?” Apollo asked hopefully.

Cyrus’s eyes narrowed. “If I knewwhy, I could be more helpful. For instance, there are several demons who might be able to move the rubble, but if you want the matter kept private, that limits our options.”

Apollo considered this, his lips thinning as he gazed absently at the boulder. After a moment, he said, “We will be expecting visitors in this realm very soon. Allies of mine who will ensure I win the crown.”

Cyrus’s heart lodged itself in his throat. “Visitors… from Tartarus?”

“Yes.”

No, no, no, no…“That isnota good idea,” he growled.

“What could you possibly be afraid of that hasn’t already happened?” Apollo spread his arms wide, indicating the broken mess before them. “There is no realm to destroy, no people to slaughter.”

“Therearepeople,” Cyrus argued. “There’s a palace and…”And Prue,he thought.Prue could be in danger.

But he couldn’t say that. Instead, he said, “What good would this place be if you didn’t have subjects to rule?”

“My allies will take care of that,” Apollo said vaguely.

Cyrus’s insides twisted with unease.Allies?From Tartarus? How could he possibly go along with this?

When Cyrus didn’t respond, Apollo turned to face him fully, his eyes flashing with irritation. “I was under the impression you wanted your powers back. Or am I mistaken?”

Still, Cyrus hesitated. He could say he changed his mind. He could turn away and refuse to unleash whatever hellish monstrosity Apollo sought from Tartarus.

But Apollo would find a way. He was powerful and persuasive, and even without Cyrus’s help, he would make this happen. And Cyrus would learn nothing of his plans if he refused.

At long last, Cyrus said slowly, “I know the demon overseers who were last in charge of Tartarus. If I fetch them, they should be able to clear this.”

Apollo grinned and clapped his hands together. “Excellent. Send for them, if you will.”

Cyrus turned, then paused. “Give me your word they will not be harmed after they’ve completed this task.”

Apollo blinked at him in confusion. “You think me so callous?”

“Yes,” Cyrus said at once. “It’s what I would do.”Or rather, what I would have done before.He was stunned to find that the idea of losing his subjects tormented him almost as much as the idea of losing Prue. How had that happened? And when had this change occurred?

Apollo sighed. “Yes, yes, I swear it,” he said impatiently. “Now, please fetch them. The sooner, the better.”

Without waiting for a reply, Apollo turned away from him, shooting more of his sun magic at the boulder in his fruitless attempts to blast it free.

Cyrus watched the sun god for a long moment before turning back toward the palace, wondering if he was making a grave error in helping Apollo.

RUINS

PANDORA

Pandora knewone thing for certain: she despised the desert.

The caverns opened to reveal a vast expanse of dunes. For miles on every side there was nothing but sand. The relentless sun beat down on her, far more piercing and agonizing than the sun in Elysium. From the moment she stepped out of the cave, the brilliant light assaulted her, bringing her to her knees with flashes of horror and trauma. Apollo’s light searing into her, scorching her blood, melting the flesh from her bones…

Only when Mona’s warm hand captured hers was she able to ground herself, returning to the present. She shot her sister a grateful look, and, hand-in-hand, they followed Farah across the dunes.

The heat was unbearable. Farah and the other witches used scarves to cover their faces, but Pandora was already sweating so much that the idea of covering more of her body suffocated her. And on the rare occasion when the wind blew, it stung Pandora’s eyes with grains of sand, embedding the tiny particles into every crevice of her body until she felt like she was caked in the substance.

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