Page 6 of Touch of Death
“Charon, you cannot mean—”
“Silence, boy. You know the rules,” Charon orders. “Now, get in my boat, mortal.”
I move forward, unable to stop my feet from obeying the creature's demand.
"Be careful not to touch the water," he warns with a dark chuckle, stepping aside to let me past, just as a decaying boat materializes on the water. "We would not want you to get dragged under by the souls of the lost and the damned now, would we?"
My stomach twists at the thought as I reach for the stern of the boat to help me up, only to find my hand caught by Charon's twisted fingers instead.
A shudder runs through me, and I instinctively try to pull back, but his boney grip tightens to keep me in place. I inhale sharply as he leans closer with a hum of pleasure.
I glance up at him, my eyes widening as I take in a set of sharp, pointed teeth protruding from a grinning mouth that has suddenly appeared in the otherwise empty abyss of his hood.
I struggle to wrench my hand free, but Charon's grip is like iron, unyielding and relentless.
"Let go of me," I gasp, an icy chill creeping its way up my arm as what little warmth I have seems to drain from me.
"Why, my dear, I am only trying to help," he says, his voice dripping with honeyed venom. "You do not want to fall into the river, do you? The souls within are hungry, always looking for new ones to drag down into the depths."
I grit my teeth, fear and disgust rising sickeningly within me. My soul tugs at me, warning me not to trust this monster, but I have no means of escape.
Nowhere to go but forward.
No choice but to accept his help.
“Fine,” I say, my voice barely audible as I tear my eyes away from Charon's hood, once again focusing on the dark rolling waters of the river.
“Good girl,” the ferryman sneers as I begrudgingly allow him to help me.
As soon as his grip loosens on me, I hurry to scramble away from him, my heart racing as I settle onto one of the wooden seats. The boat rocks beneath me as Charon takes his place at the helm and pushes off from the shore.
"Good luck," Hermes calls, but he's already gone by the time I glance back at him.
I peer over the edge of the boat, the water writhing and churning beneath us, and I can't help but wonder what horrors lie below the surface.
"Are you sure this is safe?" I ask, the question slipping from me before I can bite my tongue.
"Nothing is safe here," Charon chuckles darkly. "Especially not for a mere mortal such as yourself."
We fall into an uneasy silence, broken only by the sound of sloshing water and the occasional creek of the boat, as Charon guides us further into the river.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask, my voice nearly swallowed up by the heaviness of the air.
"Now, now, do not bore me with such useless questions. You know very well where I am taking you, or rather, where the river is guiding us, whether or not your soul is willing to admit it. Come, ask me the question that isreallyon your mind."
I shiver at the way his voice crawls over my skin, and I can’t bring myself to look back at him out of fear that he might have actually drawn closer.
"These souls you speak of,” I start, my eyes dipping back to the black waters, “why are they stuck here?”
Charon laughs, the sound ringing out across the water and causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
“Why not try asking them yourself?” he whispers, his hood suddenly appearing next to my ear.
I cry out as his boney hand clamps down on my shoulder, and he forces me to lean out over the side of the rickety boat.
“Take a good look, mortal. Tell me wha—”
Charon’s words are suddenly cut short as swirling shadows rise to throw us both back into the bottom of the boat.
