Page 124 of The Unseen Hour

“Why you six? What about the rest of the world?”

“Because we were the ones who had discovered, researched, toiled, and spent countless hours conversing about this potential gift. And ultimately, it was for the good of everyone. With these powers, we would be more equipped to help the people around us.”

She spoke passionately, but I couldn’t help noticing that things hadn’t turned out that way. At least not in my time. The hour was proof enough of that.

“And you, a woman, became the most powerful one?” I asked, once again unable to come up with a style of questioning that was guaranteed not to offend.

Death smiled, looking wholly unbothered.

“Women have always been powerful. I will admit that Emrys has become more than a bit disappointing. We were wilder in my time, freer. That is something I would like to see again.”

Then why not help? But maybe she couldn’t. She’d already said it was beyond her purview to bring life back, and perhaps it was just as impossible for her to interfere in Emrys, with the trajectory of our lives.

“We gained our powers and used them to improve things for those around us. To bring the chaos of their existence under better control,” she continued. “The churches in Emrys, and around the world, were initially set up as tributes to us. Over time your understanding of things, and even the rumors of which god and how many, have been blurred. Each nation favored its own deity at first; then, as people evolved, some nations adapted differently from others. The key here is the churches. That’s why I mention this at all, because it pertains to our plan. Many of you have grown apathetic, but the buildings still hold power. The original ones, anyway. Do you know where the original churches were in Emrys?”

“Fox Haven,” Orion answered without pause. “Centuries ago, it was a favored location, for its farmlands and ready access to water. Eventually, things moved to Karith, where people could construct a larger city without sacrificing the farmlands.”

Death nodded, her smile still in place.

“Precisely. The church in Fox Haven may have Day’s face plastered on it alongside mine, but initially it belonged to me. Just as we gods tie a bit of our power to the items that control the souls who help us, we did the same with those original churches.”

Fox Haven’s church was beautiful. Breathtaking stonework, stunning stained-glass windows.

“Did you know that Charon also had a church in Emrys once?” Death asked, turning to me.

“I’d never even heard of him until my arrival here. And I’ve never seen another church,” I said.

“Oh, I’m not so sure about that. The foundation still exists, but no one cares for it anymore. Mine still shines like the sun, but Charon’s has been abandoned for years. All that remains is crumbling stone and a cemetery of long-forgotten graves.”

I gasped.

“The ruins?”

“The very same.”

All this time, I’d been riding Pellix to Charon’s church. I’d found escape in the shadow of the god who had cursed my world. I’d chosen his seat of power as the location where I was Taken.

I’d been taking comfort from a place devoted to my enemy.

CHAPTER 50

Something like betrayal hit me as Death went on.

“For our plan, you will each need to be in a separate location. It requires living souls, wielding the power of gods. Now that you’re both here, we have the means. Celia, you will carry the sheet music to my church. You need to take it to the altar within the church and destroy it. First, sing the melody written on it. Then, rip it in half, burn it, do whatever it takes. But it must be damaged beyond repair.”

It almost hurt to think of getting rid of it. Charon’s music was deadly, but beautiful. For my family and Orion, though, I would do anything.

“I can do it,” I promised.

“Good. Orion⁠—”

“Why are the churches so close together? Emrys is large, as you said. Why not put the churches in two locations?”

Death turned to me, lightning dancing on her skin.

“The relationship of the gods is complicated. Charon and I were not always as we are now. Now then, Orion. The baton is the other piece. Take it to Charon’s ruins and the graveyard that surrounds his former church.”

I wanted to know more; I was no better than the worst gossip in Emrys. But whatever had happened between the gods didn’t matter nearly as much as how we could save Rayus.