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NATALIE
Istepped out of the portal behind the others and found myself in a circular room. On the walls, small square cubes framed a skull inside them. And those cubes covered every inch of the walls. Torches lit the room, and although I wasn't cold, I shivered.
“What is this place?” I asked Hydum.
He’d pulled his hood low over his face. “We’re beneath the White Tower,” he answered. “These skulls belong to some of those who died during the war with Tedara.”
Some, I thought to myself. There were thousands.
“Every White Tower in the three cities had a room like this. This one was the only one recovered.” He pointed across the room to twenty-foot double doors. “That’s the entrance to the ruins.”
The door was made of bones. Skulls, arms, legs, and spines covered the surface of the door, all paper-white without a speck of dust. The rest of the room, however, was covered in dirt and cobwebs.
There was no pattern as to how the bones had been placed. They’d simply been bundled together and framed, with large fangs on either side of the doors that were used as handles.
Tedara had said she'd made many mistakes. Perhaps the regret I felt coming from her was because of this. After all, she’d had more than enough time to consider her actions. Even though she’d wanted to help, her methods had caused many to lose their lives. And more would have been lost if she hadn’t been locked away. I felt for her, but I couldn't ignore the truth of what she'd done.
“Where is this god we’re to meet?” Rumir asked impatiently.
I shared his anxiousness. I was itching to get out of here.
Sure, I’d asked Elinor to keep an eye on Ruby and Axel, and she no doubt would try. But she also had her pack to take care of. I only hoped she, Brian, and her husband Will were okay. Between the three of them, they'd protect their people.
Suddenly, dust began to swirl on the other side of the room, and a man, a god, appeared.
He looked at each of us before his hazel eyes, almost golden, landed on me. Then he released the breath he’d appeared to be holding.
"I can see her in you," he said. His black hair was streaked with white, but he looked a little older than his late twenties. "So it's true. Tedara has a mortal vessel in this realm.”
"She's not to be blamed for any of this," I said.
He frowned. "You might have granted the infected an easy death, but it wouldn't have been necessary if this virus hadn’t been created.” He spoke with conviction, his dislike of me—or perhaps just Tedara—evident.
Hydum took a step toward the god. “She speaks the truth, Nathos. Tedara isn't causing this, and the Imperium has already been told. The information just hasn’t been passed on yet.”
Nathos, as Hydum had called the god, appeared as confused as Zeus had been.
“Enough time has been wasted," I said. "Despite what you think of me or the Mother of Chaos who’s given me her divinity, we need to get back to The City of Souls. Can you help us?"
Nathos nodded. “Yes.” He walked by us and moved closer to the wall. Moving his hand up, across, and then down, he outlined a door. "I didn’t create the spell alone, so I can't undo it. But I can lessen its effects, so you can get to the door on the other side."
The door moaned and creaked as it opened, and I glimpsed impenetrable darkness on the other side.
“Stay close together,” Nathos instructed. "And move quickly. Whatever you hear or see, ignore it. It's not real. And whatever you do, don't speak."
As the door opened completely, the torches lit themselves inside. Rehema folded her lips and wrapped her arms around herself.
Hydum laid a hand on my shoulder. “This is where we part ways,” he said softly.
I frowned. "I thought you were coming with us."
He gave me a tight lip smile, his eyes glowing beneath his hood. "No, this is as far as I can go. We don’t know how long Urgron City will remain safe, so it’s best if I stay here.”
I sighed. "I hope we meet again, Hydum.”
He smiled sadly, and I turned to walk away and then stopped. "You weren't wrong to make the choice you did back then. Don't beat yourself up about it,” I said. “You didn’t betray Tedara. You stood by what was right, even if it meant not siding with her. Be well, Hydum, and find peace. I’ll do everything I can to help her.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice low, and I smiled over my shoulder before stepping through the door to catch up with the others.
