Page 29 of The Unseen Hour

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll settle the Shades and convene with you.”

The two of them murmured some more words I couldn’t hear, and then Charon retreated beyond the Meadow and out of sight.

The Head Shade didn’t immediately follow, instead approaching me.

He leaned closer than was decent and whispered in my ear, his breath pleasantly warm.

“Remain here. Do not make a scene. I will be back soon, but if Charon finds you, it will not be good. Nod if you understand.”

I leaned even closer to him as he spoke, desperate for any source of heat.

I nodded, too tired to fight him on the request.

“Good. I’ll return shortly.”

He whisked away, taking his warmth with him.

I was stuck with the Shades, with nothing but my questions for company.

CHAPTER 16

The other Shades had broken from their ordered lines and were floating and wandering through the flowers but not leaving the Meadow.

Was this to be my life until I escaped? Pacing and roaming listlessly until I managed to find my father? If I had to wait for the Head Shade’s return, I might as well get started.

The crowd was vast, and I wandered well past the group I’d arrived with. Father disappeared years ago, so I might need to check everyone. But the veritable sea of wispy Shades in the Meadow made it clear that would be a longer task than I’d hoped.

Nearly a hundred years of souls.

My limbs grew heavy again as the realization sank in. Charon had indicated this hour was over; he had his souls for this year. Time was probably moving forward in Emrys, and I was only just beginning my search.

My family and friends would know soon enough that I was missing, if they didn’t already. The moon was still high overhead here, but who knew if that reflected time in Emrys? My original idea of trying to make it here and back within the confines of the hour was laughable. I could only hope Father was here in the Meadow and that finding him would be simpler than the presence of thousands upon thousands of souls led me to believe.

The Head Shade had warned me not to make a scene, and I had no desire for Charon to come back, with his frigid demeanor, but I wouldn’t find my father by standing around.

“Father! Calden Hipnosi!” I called out, making my way through the crowd.

Yelling hadn’t worked. The Shades only looked up occasionally, and no one responded to me. I’d had to revert to checking everyone individually after all.

I’d barely made a dent, spinning yet another person around only to be disappointed when I didn’t recognize him, when someone shouted.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Turning, I saw the Head Shade had returned. He raised a hand, beckoning me toward him.

“No,” I muttered to myself, trying to resist the pull the Head Shade’s voice created. I had come here for my father, and I had no intention of leaving without him.

Across the crowd, the Head Shade’s eyes widened, and he marched over to me.

“I’ve left him with some figures to look over, but Charon could still choose to come back at any moment. His whims at this time of year are difficult to predict, and you do not want to be here looking alive when he returns. You need to be gone before that happens.”

Was he going to try to send me back to Emrys? For a moment I felt relief, followed immediately by a strong surge of shame. I’d come all this way, and I couldn’t be deterred just because of one individual. Even if they were a god. Even if they sent a chill deep into my bones that made me want to curl up and cry.

“You can’t send me back yet. I’m looking for someone,” I told the Head Shade.

Upsetting the only other living being here was perhaps not a great strategy, but I couldn’t let him stop me.