Page 90 of Guided by the Stars
Once again we are on the move, but this time we are going right into the water. We’re standing in a circle and I look across to Nora as she watches Daemyn.
The water starts to spin slowly at first. I flash back to our first night in the water. Jax grabs my hand and I reach forward and take Nora’s hand. The water begins to cyclone faster andfaster and it’s as if the water is being drained to the bottom of the ocean. I know what this is, It’s a portal. My mouth drops.
“In you go ladies.” Jax winks. I see Daemyn grab Nora and we jump in.
We land in more water. I look around and I’m at a loss for words. The most beautiful island I have ever seen is in front of my eyes. The water is so clear you can see everything, It’s so blue. There are little huts all together in clusters on a pier stretching out to the water.
The sound of hands clapping behind me draws my attention. I turn around. My breath leaves my body as if I have just been punched in the stomach. Bill and Jane are standing on the beach and my hands start to shake. My heart is pounding so hard I fear everyone can hear it. The woman with the purple eyes that I saw in the Underworld stands next to them.
For fuck sakes, we have been caught.
Kelsey
Epilogue
Finding the palace of Hades might be difficult for some, but being a nature nymph has its perks. As long as there were trees, I could go anywhere. I’ve been the go-between for Jax and Daemyn for years, and each time I came here I’d pop out in Persephone’s garden. There’s a tree hidden deep within that’s been our meeting spot.
The visits are quick for the most part, handing a note over to either brother before heading back with a reply or waiting for the next time they need me. I’ve avoided getting caught so far, but being alone this time makes me anxious.
This visit isn’t like the others, though. There’s a very special item in my possession, one that’s been stolen from under the King’s nose. If he finds me carrying it, my fate will be worse than death. An example will be made of me to let everyone know what happens to those that steal from the Giver of Wealth.
Jax had to stay with Adriane in case shit hit the fan, so he sent me here with a note for Kai, expressing to me how important it was not to get caught. The livelihood of so many rested on delivering this message, and I wasn’t going to let him down.
I wasn’t in the habit of reading the notes I passed for them. I trusted them enough to know they’d give up whatever details were necessary, otherwise I didn’t need to know. The look Jax gave me was clear, Adriane’s safety was on the line and it was imperative that Kai receive this message.
It was clear that the descendant girls were well liked, by all except for Rose anyway. For years she followed the princes, desperate to be wanted, and for a time it seemed as if Kai might be interested too. But her desperation turned into something else. She became volatile, manipulating anyone who got in her way. And after she walked in on Kai with another girl, the mad look in her eyes had sharpened until even I didn’t recognize her. Everything spiralled out of control after that, but it wasn’t until she attacked Nora that I knew she was beyond reach.
With doom floating like a cloud around me, I exit the tree. My feet sink into the soft earth as I kneel down to press my palms in the ground and close my eyes. Dirt crumbles beneath the pressure of my fingers, and I use the roots buried deep to find his location.
I scan the area for his presence but don’t find him, and my worry rises. I hope I’m not too late. My fingers dig deeper, and I clear my mind, blocking out all sound. Recognition sparks inside me, but as quick as the smile spreads across my face, it falls. Dread fills me as I feel the faint echo of his normally powerful aura.
With the path I need to take memorized, I rush in his direction on silent feet. It’s only when I get closer that I noticehe’s in direct view of the palace. If Persephone hasn’t gone back to visit her mother, there’s no way I’ll avoid being caught.
As I peer around a large stone pillar, my heart drops. Kai stands in the clearing before me, tied up and unmoving. His face is in shadow, but his body is secured to thick roots by chains that circle his limbs and torso, the metal glinting green from the fog that surrounds this place.
The balcony is empty, no lights shining from inside the room beyond, but I stay put. I can’t get caught here, from what Jax said, too many lives depend on me delivering this message. I check again for another presence. Kai’s is still dim, but he’s the only one I sense nearby and I inch closer to him.
The roots are thick and strong, created with an impressive amount of control that can only be the work of Hades. Blood drips down them, staining the ground a vivid red. It’s smeared on Kai’s skin, barely an inch left untouched, and there’s a gritty looking substance mixed there too.
The chains that secure him touch most of his body, starting from his wrists and trailing up each arm to wrap around his chest and waist before moving down each thigh to his feet. His head is tilted back against the root, eyes closed, but I glimpse the pained expression etched into his features.
“Kai,” I gasp.
“Adriane?” he whispers, his voice raw. His eyes open slowly, but they’re glassy and unfocused.
“It’s Kelsey. Jax sent me, but there’s no way I can leave you here like this. What did they do to you?” Without waiting for an answer, I move to free him.
A deep groan leaves his lips, his chest heaving with each breath. “No…don’t,” he rasps out. “It’s a…special…chain.”
I inspect it more closely, and what I see turns the blood in my veins to ice. Each link has a triangular metal barb andthey’re all embedded into his skin. Blood oozes from the raw wounds coating his body, and the sight makes me want to gag.
I can’t just leave him to suffer at the hands of his father. But if I stay, it’s not just my life that’s forfeit. Jax warned me about what I might see here, that Kai has suffered these punishments for centuries and had the scars to prove it. What stands before me though is brutal, sadistic, and I couldn’t imagine leaving him like that.
The sound of laughter reaches me, shrill and cold, and I realize it doesn’t matter what I want to do. It doesn’t matter that I want to remove every piece of metal from his flesh and take him to safety. Time is running out and if I get caught, it’s game over.
I can’t save him.
I ready myself for the pain of walking away, reaching down and retrieving the note from my pocket. “Kai,” I whisper. “You need to listen closely. Can you do that?”
