Page 24 of Darkening Truth
He shouldn’t exist, and he shouldn’t be coherent. At least that’s the way he appears to be. All of the dead go to the Underworld. They can’t stick around, and on the rare occasion that they do manage to stick around, it causes massive problems that have to be dealt with swiftly. The fact that he is here, and not trying to eat us or behaving like he is crazy, is completely baffling.
“It must be part of the dream, right?” I say to Zev. “He can’t really be a ghost, that’s impossible.”
Zev nods, “It’s the only thing that makes sense, I suppose. It doesn’t sit quite right though, like I said, this isn’t a normal dream.”
Before we can discuss the improbability of it any further, the boy continues to speak.
He grins cheekily, “It’s good to see you, miss. They’re this way.”
The kid takes off through the halls.
I share a look with Zev, who is only just lowering his sword.
“I guess we follow the kid?” He asks, sounding unsure.
I shrug, “It can’t hurt. We might actually find out what happened here, although that depends on the kind of ghost that he is. Of the very few that have actually managed to stick around, I have heard that there are a couple of different kinds. He might just be an echo of the past, reliving the same moment over and over again. He said that it was good to see me, which suggests some kind of familiarity, but I’ve never been here, in my dreams or real life. We could have just been standing in the right place at the right time. He might always greet someone here, regardless of whether anyone is actually standing there.”
Zev nods, “Yeah, that’s a pretty good theory, although it doesn’t explain how he’s a sane ghost.”
I nod in agreement, “Yeah, I’m not sure we’re going to get an answer to that. I’m not convinced that it isn’t just part of my mind adding to the dream.”
“Well, I guess there’s one way to find out.”
“It would be really handy if we had Hades with us now,” I comment as we jog after the kid, who is rapidly disappearing from our sight. “Maybe he could tell us what’s going on, and how it’s possible that he’s here and hasn’t deteriorated.”
“It shouldn’t be possible,” Zev says. “But I don’t think that it’s just you creating it in the dream. I’ve just got a feeling.”
I nod, “Okay then. Maybe we can look into it when we get out of here? One of Hades’ books or even Hades himself should know if it’s possible or not.”
Zev frowns, “In theory, that’s true.” Looking around distractedly, he adds, “Where’s he gone?”
We stop in the hallway. There are doors spread out really far apart on either side of us, stretching as far as I can see in the limited light provided by the candles that the castle has lit. It makes sense, the castle is huge, so it’s unlikely to have small rooms.
“Do we call for him?” I ask. “Or just wait until he pops back up and scares the shit out of me again?”
Zev smirks, and I raise my eyebrow at him.
He holds his hands up, still holding his sword.
“Alright, he may have made me jump as well,” Zev admits, and I smile triumphantly. He shrugs, “You don’t expect it. Ghosts don’t exist, at least they aren’t supposed to because of the whole balance thing, and the fact that the few that have managed to stick around for whatever reason are known to go fucking crazy and become incredibly dangerous if they’re out of the Underworld.” He looks around, “This definitely isn’t the Underworld. Yet he seems to be pretty coherent, even if he is just reliving a memory repeatedly.”
“Rival is going to fucking love looking into this,” I say with a grin.
Zev nods, “Oh yeah. I don’t think we’re going to get him out of Hades’ library for as long as we’re there. He’s got the Dragons to look into, Oryn and now this place. Plus some other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten.”
Chapter Nine
Farren
“Yep. He’s going to be in his element,” I smile and then sigh as I look around. “Maybe we should just start checking the rooms around here? The kid could have gone into one of them?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Zev agrees. “I think we should do it together though. I don’t want to split up. I know that this place seems abandoned, apart from the kid that shouldn’t exist, but it may not be. Plus, I don’t plan to let you out of my sight ever again.”
I shrug, my heart warming at the fierce protective edge his voice holds and reply, “I’m good with that.”
He nods, like that’s settled and then nods to the door closest to him, “Shall we try this one first?”
I grin and hold my sword up. I'm not going in there unarmed, nor am I going in unprepared to attack anything that may be in there that wants to attack me.
