Page 173 of Tale of the Heart Queen

You have her? Herric asked, and Rion nodded, relief expanding in his chest. Despite everything and the lengths he’d gone to find this place, a small part of him had wondered if any of this had been real. And the ark?

“I have it.”

There was a long pause as Rion was left stewing in the bleak mire of uncertainty.

A click broke through the whispers, and then, the wall started to move. It ground open slowly, dust and debris raining down as though it hadn’t been opened in a very long time.

Rion stepped back, his chest and shoulders expanding with deep breaths.

Then Rion, king of The Aurora, enter.

The door revealed another tunnel, glowing with purple light, its walls made of luminescent stone.

“Come,” Herric said, his voice no longer a whisper in his mind but solid and corporeal, echoing off the walls like nails penetrating steel. Rion hesitated, suddenly wondering if this was madness. Some instinct told him he could still turn back if he chose. That it wasn’t too late. But if he crossed over that threshold, he might be trapped here forever.

“She’s waiting for you,” Herric said, and that was all the motivation he needed. It was a risk he would take willingly. There was nothing left for him on the surface, anyway.

Rion proceeded carefully down the tunnel as the colors shifted around him in a wash of glowing pinks and greens and blues. He’d always imagined the Underworld to be even darker than the mountains—not this riot of color. He wondered if this was all an homage to the aurora that Herric had lost sight of all those years ago. Perhaps deep down, every one of us was a bit sentimental.

Rion continued walking, his shoulders and back aching from carrying the girl for so many hours. The alcohol in his blood had finally worn off, and though his head pounded, he could at least manage a straight line.

Movements slithered in and out of Rion’s periphery, and every time he turned, they would be gone. It was impossible to catch their source. He shook his head, deciding it didn’t matter. He had one destination now, and it was the woman waiting for him.

He wound down, deeper and deeper, like the world was swallowing him up, until finally the path leveled off and he entered another long tunnel, this one lined with mirrors reflecting more of that eerie luminescent light. He continued walking, seeing his face reflected in the mirror over and over. He barely recognized himself, his eyes wild and his skin pale. He was no longer the king he once was. Maybe he hadn’t been for a long time.

The ground vibrated beneath his feet, a thrumming swimming in his limbs. As he continued walking, the rhythm pulsed through his chest, throbbing into the marrow of his bones.

It felt like . . . music? Nothing about this place was what he’d expected.

He continued around a bend until a large archway appeared before him and beyond that, a massive, brightly lit room. The floor turned from rough stone to silver, white, and black tiles, each one as shiny and smooth as glass.

He entered the cavern, where hundreds of bodies danced and swayed to the sounds of thundering music. They were dressed in things Rion had never seen before. Shiny black leather layered with silver spikes that sprang from their shoulders. Helmets made of various colored metals, with more spikes and feathers. Their faces were painted with swirls and lace and all manner of intricate patterns. They laughed and chattered, their heads tipping back as they cackled, the sound like shattering glass.

If he didn’t know better, he’d say this was a party.

He watched for several long seconds, marinating in the incomprehensible existence of his surroundings. This was the Underworld? Had he been tricked? Was any of this real?

Suddenly, the music cut off, and every eye in the room slowly turned his way.

Rion waited, holding completely still as though he might escape their scrutiny. He felt their naked examination as they eyed him up and down. After another moment, they began to shuffle towards either side of the cavern, clearing a wide path down the middle.

He regarded the crowd with suspicion as they studied him, their gazes vacant but also . . . curious and hungry.

“Approach,” came a deep, slithering voice that rooted into the corners of his mind. He stared down the length of the path, swallowing hard as he gathered the slivers of his courage. Then he straightened his shoulders as best as he could with the girl weighing him down.

Slowly he placed one foot in front of the other, his boots ringing on the slick tiles as everyone held completely still. As he made his way down the path, he stared straight ahead, trying not to let their heavy, silent stares unnerve him.

A massive throne sat on a wide dais at the front. Made of shimmering black stone, its back rose many stories high, spreading out in tendrils like curling smoke. As Rion drew closer, a chorus of whispers and twitters filled his ears.

Rion kept his focus ahead, on the male High Fae with midnight-black hair and glittering dark eyes occupying the throne. He, too, wore the same strange garments, though his were more subdued, as though he had no need of ornaments to prove his worth. A snug leather top covered his neck and arms, and his pants showed off the curves and muscles in his powerful thighs. Rion saw the family resemblance immediately. Herric sat with his elbow resting on the arm of his chair as he studied Rion with cool detachment.

He exhaled a shaky breath, trying to maintain a sense of calm as Herric stared at him, his leg flung over the opposite arm of his throne, his foot swinging casually from side to side.

“So nice of you to join us,” Herric said, sweeping out a hand. “As you can see, we’ve been celebrating your arrival.”

Rion didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his stomach twisted in knots. His tongue felt like paper glued to cardboard.

“Some of us more than others,” Herric said as he then gestured to the side. Rion followed the direction, noticing the woman who knelt beside the throne with her head down and her hands folded in her lap. A dark tumble of hair fell over her face, but Rion would have known her anywhere.