Page 64 of To Dwell in Shadows
“It’s just the way it is. I’m not a royal offspring like you.”
Sam ignored the jab. “What did your mother think of your betrothal to Drath?”
“I don’t know. I never met her.”
“Truly?”
“She’s dead. After I was born, ‘someone’ threw her into one of the lakes of fire. I’m fairly certain it was my father.”
Sam inhaled sharply. “Why is he allowed to walk free? He should be in the Vaults of Eternal Torment.”
Vanthee shrugged. “He claimed it was an accident, that she tripped. Or at least, that’s what I was told. I was just a baby.”
“That’s unacceptable. Was there even an investigation?”
She scoffed. “Do you think we’re in Gaia or something? No one cared.”
There weren’t many ways for a demon to truly die, but being consumed by the flames of a lake of fire was one of them. Sam knew what it felt like to be separated from his parents, but never knowing one at all? And worse, knowing one had likely killed the other? That was a different kind of devastation.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It happened just after you were taken,” Vanthee replied, somewhat apologetically. “I’m sure the king and queen had more pressing concerns.”
“Still, an act like that should’ve been punished.”
“Perhaps it would have been once. Elders have told me that after you vanished, the king and queen began to neglect their duties. The realm started to decay. Laws went unenforced, the land was left untended, and more souls were lost. A lot of them, actually.”
This caught Sam off guard. He’d noticed parts of the Underworld were in disrepair, but he hadn’t realized the neglect stretched across the entire realm.
“Is that why there are so many lost souls roving about?”
“It’s not my fault!” Vanthee protested. “There were Guides before me, nine of them. But one by one, they grew tired of Underworld politics and left for Gaia. I was only an apprentice when I was forced to take over and guide all the souls alone. I begged for help from my father—from the king and queen—but no one listened. They’ve desecrated what this realm was meant to be. It was created to judge the dead and guide them to their next journey—not serve as a playground where demons indulge their every whim.”
Before Sam could respond, Vanthee rose to her feet. “I’ve had enough of this,” she muttered, tossing the sponge back into the bucket. “If you ever get tired of your human, come see me. Otherwise, clean this room yourself.”
Chapter 32
Iwant to go home.
The words echoed through Selene’s mind, sudden and loud. She whipped around so fast that several books tumbled from her arms, hitting the library floor with athud. It barely mattered, given the dozens already scattered across the room.
There was Ruth, hovering over a chair behind a desk, poised like someone ready to strike a bargain. Her face held a blend of fear and yearning, but she seemed more determined than the last time Selene had seen her.
Selene set down the remaining books she held and wiped her dusty hands on her dress.
“Are you sure?” It had been three weeks since she first made contact with Ruth, and she wasn’t sure if that was considered a long or short time to decide to stop being a ghost.
Yes, miss. I’m ready.
“All right,” Selene said firmly. “Then I’m going to help you. First, I have to figure out who we can talk to.”
Ruth nodded as Selene ran through the short list of demons she’d met. The sound of Zetta gnawing on a hunk of brimstone nearbymade her briefly consider Ogrin—but she dismissed the idea. Ogrin had little patience and even less sympathy for lost souls. Empusa was probably too busy, Blight and Mammon were too creepy, and as for Queen Lamia… Selene would rather become a ghost herself than ask her for help.
A knot of dread tightened in Selene’s throat as realization dawned. Vanthee was the only one who could probably help her.
“Right,” Selene said to herself. Then, in a coaxing tone so as not to shatter Ruth’s resolve, she asked, “Ruth, can you follow me, or do you want to stay here while I see what needs to be done?”
The spirit’s eyes flickered toward the dim corridor outside the library, then back to Selene.
