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“And he didn’t tell you why he had to go back to the Underworld?” Tyr asked, leading the rest of the Guardians to join them.
Orrin shook his head. “He seemed to be in a hurry, and he said he didn’t have time to explain. He did say it was dangerous, though.” Damn it, he didn’t have time for this. “I have to go.” He jerked free of Sindri’s hold and started marching toward the elevators. “I have to help him.”
“Where are you going?” Rune called as he and the others hurried after him.
“I don’t know!”
“Perhaps you should stop shouting now, Your Highness.”
Orrin froze, and a huge smile stretched across his face as he spun around to face the newcomer. “Pepper, you came.”
“Yes, well, you did sound quite insistent.”
“You could hear him?” Sindri asked.
“I am connected to Erus. Now that they are bonded, it would seem that I have a connection to the young prince as well.”
“That’s how you always know where he is.” Orrin beamed, and hope blossomed when Pepper nodded. “Do you know where he is now?”
The familiar pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. “Yes.”
Orrin inhaled deeply through his nose and prayed for patience. “Can you tell me?”
“In the Silent Valley.”
“Is that in California?”
Everyone turned to stare at Sindri, who clearly didn’t realize he had said anything wrong. The guy might be a ferocious Berserker who shifted into a bear the size of an armored tank, but in many ways, he reminded Orrin of a golden retriever.
“It is a realm of the Underworld. Similar to Limbo. The souls who reside there are neither righteous nor corrupted.” Pepper spoke as if he was describing the menu at the local diner. “It’s where most people go after death.”
Okay, that didn’t sound so bad. “Why is it called the Silent Valley?”
Pepper shrugged. “Because the souls there don’t speak.”
While obviously not important at the moment, Orrin had a lot of questions about the place once he had his mate back. “Do you know what Erus is doing there?”
“Fighting a flock of Keres.” His tone implied Orrin was kind of stupid for not knowing this already.
“What is a Keres?” Rune asked.
“Winged beasts with nasty temperaments and zero impulse control.”
And Erus was fighting them. “How many?”
Pepper sighed, visibly bored with the conversation. “Maybe a thousand.”
“What?” Orrin yelped. “He’s fighting a thousand of these beasts?”
The familiar arched an eyebrow at his outburst. “Not at the same time.”
Right. Of course. Because that would be ridiculous.
Orrin took another deep breath and reminded himself not to lose his temper. “Can you please take me to him?”
“No.”
“What the fuck do you mean no?” Well, so much for remaining calm.
