Page 149 of Wrath of the Dragons
“Fine,” she says. “I want you to kill someone for me, and once that’s done, I require your services to find some lost objects.”
“Give me a name.”
She laughs again. “Cayden Veles.”
Easy.“How will I know you’ll return her soul to her body, and how will I fulfill your quest?”
“So devoted to her,” she mutters. “As it always has been.”
“What do you mean by that?”
She smiles in response, filled with sharp teeth and a suspicious glint in her eyes. “You will find her yourself,” she says, ignoring my previous question. “If you can. I cannot interfere, and your success is entirely up to you. The underworld isvast.If you fail, you’ll be forced to wander the underworld for eternity in constant search of your lost love. You will never be reunited with her, you will never rest, you will always hunger and thirst in a way that can never be quenched, no matter how much you try.”
I searched the world for this woman since I was a boy. I won’t fail. I conquered a kingdom to have her, and I’ll conquer death as well. I’ll make hell my kingdom and crown her as my queen in this world, the next, and all to come.
“What object do you want me to find?”
“All in good time, my friend,” she giddily states. “Before you do this, know that a soul can’t die. You can be wounded in your pursuitand feel as if you’re on the brink of death, but it will never be granted. Nothing suffers more than a soul. When the body is wounded, it can be bandaged, but when a soul is wounded, it rips you apart from the inside.”
Nothing can compare to what I feel right now. At least when I’m in hell, I’ll be in the same realm as her. I’ll have something to fight toward. I’d rather crawl through hell to be with her than fly through life.
“I accept your bargain,” I say.
“Lovely.” She snaps her fingers, and a silver band forms around my wrist as a black cloak settles over my shoulders. “There are ten layers to the underworld. That band will grant you access to each as you pass through.”
“It will get me to her, but will she be able to leave if she doesn’t have one?”
“First you must worry about finding her. I will offer you no information or aid beyond the band.”
I grit my teeth and turn away from the goddess to return to Elowen’s side. I slide her rings off her fingers and loop them onto the chain of her moonstone necklace before fastening it to my belt. I settle her in my arms again as I did moments before she died, with her head balanced in the crook of my elbow. “What will happen to her body? I will not have atrocities committed against her if I’m not here to stand guard.”
“We struck a deal,” the goddess says. “Your bodies will remain under my protection. No harm will come to either of your mortal remains, but if you come back, well…I believe you’ll find yourselves changed.” Her eyes show a hint of sadness when she glances at Elowen. “For what it’s worth, I do not relish the prospect of your failure.”
I ignore her, focusing my attention on Elowen, cupping her face in my hand and unsheathing one of her dragon daggers I sheathed on my thigh. “In every lifetime, Elowen Veles, and in every world.”
I wrap her hand around the hilt, covering it with mine and pointing it right over my heart as I scan her face again, committing it tomemory, not knowing when my eyes will be blessed with the sight of her again.
“I once promised you that I would defy death itself to keep you with me, and I will claw my way through it to get you back.”
I press my lips to hers and stab myself through the chest.
Chapter
Seventy-five
Cayden
I stare into the staggering obsidianarchway, swirling with mist, and unsheathe the sword at my back, taking my first step into the freezing pits of the underworld.
In the distance, there’s the smallest orb of light, but it’s gone so quickly I’m not sure if I hallucinated it.
I’ll see you soon, my angel.
A monster growls within the darkness, and my lips part in a snarl of my own as I raise my sword against the domain of death.
