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Another set of boots approached.
"We can take this off now," Luther undid the blindfold and tugged it down. He slipped it into his pocket, a smile gracing the corners of his mouth. For some reason, the look gave me chills.
I glanced around, partly to look for Knox and partly to take in my surroundings. I saw no sign of the spy now.
The escort, with the help of a handful of kids, led the horses into stables which looked like they'd been around since the birth of Hades. Worn down in places, the stone was covered in moss here or showed the path of water there. Most of the blocks were stained.
I touched the side of a stable doorway with my fingertips. It was smooth as though hundreds of people had brushed past it over the last thousand years. They probably had, and horses too.
Another doorway, this one wide enough for four or five people to step through at the same time, led to an enormous room.
"Where the hells are we?" I kept my voice low, reverent. The place was ancient. Shouting here would be like sacrilege somehow, maybe to a deity older than Hades or his contemporaries.
"It's the Citadel of Comus, in the old city of Jintaro. When Jintaro was the capital of the Vault," Helene said, her tone brusque. "Now it's merely a relic of the past, and a beacon for the future." She bustled by me without a backward glance.
I took my bag from the boy who offered it and hurried after Helene.
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" I demanded. The bond tugged, but Luther's long strides caught up and eased the sensation.Even here, I'm bound, I thought bitterly.
"Don't tell me I'll find out soon enough. I want to know what's going on.Now."
Helene stopped and turned so quickly I almost took a step back. At the last moment, I stood my ground.
"According to the tales, Comus is one of the younger gods," Helene said as though speaking to a kid. "Hecate gave birth to him, but later incarcerated him so she could gain his power."
I frowned. "So what? What the gods do is none of our business."
"Foolish girl, there are no gods," Helene snapped.
My frown deepened. "You say according to the tales… You mean they—" I shook my head. "Even if Comus was a man, he'd be long dead by now. Hades and Hecate too."
Silence fell.
Luther filled it. "Assuming they didn't find a way to cheat death."
Helene snorted. "That is just as foolish. The Great One was taken aside from death. Frozen, if you will. Come." She turned and bustled on, leaving me to catch up.
We passed through the huge room, which might once have been a greeting hall for the supplicants of a past ruler.
The ceiling had holes where the stone had crumbled. Trees and vines had climbed over the building and filled some of them, almost to the point that little rain would enter. It gave the place an eerie look and feel. The air in the chamber was cool and damp, a pleasant change to the climate of the city, or Sydney in summer. I would miss the sunshine if I was here too long though.
At the rear of the chamber, a jagged opening might once have been a small doorway. Parts had crumbled in and the stone removed, so it looked more like a gaping mouth, leading into a cavern.
The closer we came, the more I wondered if the doorway had once been closed in, and later forced to reopen. I eyed Helene and Luther, but neither of their expressions revealed anything.
Helene stepped through the opening and walked into the increasing darkness with deliberate pace.
"Are you sure this is—" I followed, only to find that gaps here and there in the stone walls gave enough light to penetrate the gloom. Enough, thank fuck, that I didn't trip when the floor became uneven.
"It's perfectly safe," Luther assured me. "Nothing can harm us here."
"Except me?" I asked. "Do I really need to be bound now? It's not as though I'm gonna hurt you." Yet. "You're both stronger and better trained than I am." I was guessing that about Luther, but it seemed a safe bet.
Luther glanced toward Helene, who looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded.
"Very well. As you say, we are stronger and you cannot run."
I might have imagined feeling the bond slip off, but I was immediately able to touch the power again. I drew in a few drops to reassure myself I could.
