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With Thanatos gone, Devon lingered just before the gate’s reformed veil. Hands on his hips, he took a deep breath, and watched Charon float closer to the shore. The boat scratched as it hit the rocks and scraped over the beach’s small pebbles. Charon eyed Devon with confusion and waved his skeletal hand in dismissal.
“Go on. No need of you anymore,” Charon’s gravelly voice stated sternly, but not unkindly.
He waved a goodbye to the guide as Devon decided he did not have enough energy to deal with anyone else today. He did what Persephone called a shadow jump to the castle, disappearing in a flash of green light and swirling wind.
When he entered the castle foyer, he saw shadows moving across the walls. If he was still his mortal self, the sight of ghostly, dark forms flying around the castle would have terrified him. But now, he understood the sight as the Reevkas’ true, pure nature. Nothing frightening or menacing, just thoughtful servants fully comfortable moving about in his presence. He watched as one shifted into physical form to greet him.
Devon waved the Reevka off. “No need but thank you. I’ll just be heading to my room.”
“Of course, sir,” the Reevka responded, and it took its shadowy form once more, darting along
the walls to exit the room.
Devon took the stairs two at a time until he hit the landing where their rooms were. He glanced
down the hall and noted the light was off in Persephone’s room.
He doubted she had returned from taking the souls to the judges, but he really wanted to see her. He needed to talk to her about the chaos at the gates, and to be honest with himself, where they went from here now that emotions were out in the open. He knew she wouldn’t be back anytime soon. He’d get a shower in and a drink before he looked for her.
Or, perhaps tomorrow, he thought as he realized his entire body and soul felt drained. As if walking through the door had stripped him of the last remaining strength he had, he struggled to make it to his bedroom.
He had never had such an emotionally exhausting evening as this one.
As he moved through his room, he thought about how nice it would be if he could just summon his clothes away. The sudden chill he felt had him looking down to see he was standing completely naked in the doorway of the bathroom. He quickly moved to the mirror.
“I am really glad I figured this out when I was without an audience,” he muttered to himself in
disbelief, a laugh bubbling up from his chest. He had thought his clothes away.
What else could he do?
He went to the shower and thought of the warm water. He stared hard at the knobs and waited, stepping forward just as the water came on full blast. Faltering and almost falling backwards to the ground, he stared at the water before he lost himself to laughter, and stuck his hand out to feel the warm shower water run through his fingers.
“I don’t suppose I could just will myself clean?” he asked himself aloud, half-afraid someone would answer. He knew this was his power, but a seed of disbelief kept him from fully accepting it.
He stepped under the warm spray and let the water relax his muscles as another wave of exhaustion rolled over him. He tried not to think as his brain had become taxed, but it was no use. His thoughts were all over the place with everything that had happened in the past few hours.
Thanatos’ and Minthe’s words were going around and around in his brain. He thought of how
he could corner West and where he stood with Persephone.
Groaning, he let his head fall forward gently against the shower tile. The spray ran down his back as he tried to quiet his mind. He was far too tired to make any sound decisions.
He finally accepted he needed to just get in bed and hope his errant thoughts would wear him down enough to let him get the sleep he knew he desperately needed.
As he was dried off, he thought again about checking in on Persephone but figured with everything she had to deal with today, she might want some space to think.
If she needed him, she knew where to find him, he justified in his head.
He slipped in between the soft sheets as he rested his arms behind his head. He tried to meditate to keep his head clear of any errant thoughts. He knew nights when he was fatigued it was more of an effort to keep the nightmares at bay. Something he learned long ago after too many nights waking up in panic, sweating, and near tears.
Sadly, this was not how it was going to work for him tonight. He was too wound up, which was prime territory for the nightmares to take hold.
He sat up with a growl. He didn’t want to drink tonight, something he had done in the past to numb the pain. A way to bring himself to the point of dreamless oblivion. It never helped really, just a quick band aid that leant itself to a horrible morning.
He threw himself back on the bed as he punched his pillow under his head and shut his eyes.
Any stray thought that slipped into his brain was kicked out. His only focus was clearing his mind. Only clouds. Pure, white clouds. Nothing else around him.
