Page 172 of Tale of the Heart Queen

He advances a step as I shuffle back. Morana and Khione howl and bark, their panicked sounds vibrating through the enclosed space.

Rion sneers as he approaches. “This time, there is nowhere for you to run, girl. Finally, you are mine.”

And then he blasts out a wave of pure, dark magic that fills my nose, mouth, and lungs before everything goes black.

CHAPTER 60

RION

SOMEWHERE UNDER THE MOUNTAINS

The girl lay at his feet, her hair spilling over the tops of his shoes, her eyes closed, and her jaw slack. He noted her red dress. The heart-shaped jewel on the dagger strapped around her waist winked in the dim light.

The Heart Queen.

Finally. After months of frustration and losing her at every turn, he had her. This girl who he’d captured and tortured a decade ago on an ephemeral promise that failed to manifest would now become his salvation.

He bent down and hauled her up, tossing her over his shoulder before he spun around to face his son. Liquor flowed through his veins, and he blinked as everything around him tilted. He waited in a staggered stance until his vision returned to normal.

Nadir sat on the ground, tethered to the unconscious sister, both of them bound and gagged by the magic of virulence. He’d leashed those foul dogs to the stone floor, where they thrashed against their restraints, their teeth bared and their snarls filling the tight cavern.

Nadir struggled, too, shouting over the gag stuffed in his mouth, but the words were lost. Rion didn’t need to hear them to understand his vitriol. The dark loathing in his son’s eyes had been dragged from the deepest pits of the Underworld. Nadir had always hated him and with good reason. This hatred was borne from the most shadowed corners of the world.

Was Nadir in love with this girl? How deep did that love go? She was technically a Primary, and thanks to Cloris, Rion knew what had happened during that cursed bonding between Serce and Wolf, even if so few others did. Would Nadir give up a crown for love? Never, Rion decided. As much as Nadir might be loath to admit it, they were more alike than either wanted to admit. They were cut from the same cloth, and his son would never let anything get in the way of what he wanted.

Rion stared at Nadir and the sister, considering what to do as uncertainty stayed his hand. He could kill them both without a thought, but perhaps some weak, sentimental part of him lived in the deepest recesses of his withered heart. A father shouldn’t kill his son, no matter the misery he’d caused.

“Say goodbye to her,” Rion said instead. “I do hope you enjoyed whatever time you had together.”

“Mmmmppfff,” Nadir screamed against his bindings. He thrashed and bucked, but the restraints held on. They would dissipate in time—but by then, Rion would be long gone.

Not just gone but reunited with the woman that he loved.

Rion spun on his heel and continued deeper into the cavern until Nadir’s muffled shouts receded into the distance. Down, down, down Rion carried her as their surroundings grew darker and darker. He’d left the map Herric had directed him to create in his library, but he’d already memorized every step. The moment he knew Rachel was waiting at the end of this journey, he didn’t hesitate.

Rion used a ball of magic to light the way, but the oppressiveness of this place was enough to smother even his strongest magic. Whispers floated up from below, bouncing off stone walls and the inside of his skull. They were vacant and yet full of presence. They could only be souls of the Underworld calling him deeper. Deeper than he ever thought possible.

How had Rachel fallen so far? What desperation had steered her towards the sorts of people who’d condemned her to this fate? Rion wasn’t sure how, but he would make it his mission to bring her back out. Herric had hinted it was possible, and he would use the girl as his bargaining chip.

Herric obviously couldn’t reach her on his own, so Rion would withhold her and the ark until he’d extracted a promise to return Rachel to the surface. He knew negotiating with the Lord of the Underworld was a risky gamble, but it was the only thing he had left.

Rion stumbled over a rock and crashed into a wall, his head spinning. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, but the alcohol burned in his blood, making walking over the rough terrain challenging.

The girl moaned, and he sent out another tendril of virulence magic to keep her unconscious.

As he wove back and forth, the walk dragged on. Rion winced at the ache in his shoulder and back as he hoisted her up, trying to find a more comfortable position. Even with the benefit of his Fae strength, her body was starting to drag him down.

He shook his head and inhaled a deep breath, but without the freshness of a breeze, it just congealed in his lungs, making him even more lightheaded.

But he had to get to the Underworld before his son found him. Rion knew he would. Nadir had never liked anyone touching the things he believed belonged to him.

After what felt like hours, Rion was ready to collapse from exhaustion, his joints and muscles quivering from strain. Finally, he entered a dark cavern, the ceiling soaring so high that it disappeared into the shadows.

Peering up, he threw a ball of magic into the air and watched it dissipate into the gloom pressing in from all sides. A smooth wall of rock stood at the far end of the cavern, shimmering softly with its own source of dim light. His breath hitched. This was his destination.

Rion hoisted the girl higher on his shoulder before he crossed the cavern. Every footstep echoed like a lightning strike as he felt the air crowd in around him. It felt almost like walking through water as the weight on his lungs increased, trying to drown him. When he reached the wall, he placed his palm against it as Herric had instructed. The stone was warm to the touch despite the frigid air permeating these mountains.

Now he heard the whispers more clearly as they grew more distinct. Through the sounds he could make out the words and eventually the voice he’d come to know all too well.