Page 49 of Mortal Desires

I huffed. “It comes with the territory.”

It wasn’t a joke. The cloak, the lore…he fit the image perfectly.

“Tell me about the underworld. I know we have the circles of hell.”

I nodded. “Nine circles of hell.”

“Which one are we now?”

“All of them.”

She stopped, shook her head, and resumed walking. “Literally nothing in this place makes sense.”

“That happens when everything makes sense at the same time.”

“I thought I was going to be able to walk around?” she asked, her eyes scanning the place.

Right now, outside my palace, it was just a wasteland. No one hung around, the court barely had permission to come to official ceremonies.

“It’s not hard,” I told her, bringing her to a more populated area. “The spirits are confined in their circle but I live in all of them.”

“So it’s like your palace is the center of everything?”

“Yes and no. It’s just happening at all times.”

“Like my house?”

“A little bit. Everything with too much power echoes in all territories.”

“What do you mean by territories?”

I wasn’t used to telling the truth. I didn’t trust anyone and I believed people were only loyal when it was convenient. Still, my tongue uncurled.

“All beliefs created something. Worlds, gods.”

“Like you.”

I nodded. “Like me. We’re all bound to our territories and their rules. But we are manifestations of human geniality. Everything happens at the same time.”

“It’s not linear. Not time and space,” she said slower.

“It’s like a thought, Pilar. When you’re thinking about not spilling the milk as you pour it into the coffee, but you know you need to hurry to get to work, and at the same time, you know better than to touch the kettle. It’s hot. It all happened together even though humans can only see one thing at a time.”

“Do you see differently than me?”

“Yes.” The settlement grew close and I whispered, “Stay close to me.”

“Is it dangerous?” she asked but her arm glued to mine.

“Do you know what happens when you die?”

She shook her head. “I know if souls stay too long up there a hole opens up and…” she trailed off.

I knew it wasn’t pretty. A hole opened below their feet and they fell straight to hell. That was what happened.

My hand found the small of her back, my eyes under the hood trained on any movement. For what it was worth, the spirits dwelling this close were usually respectful. They would see us coming and bow their heads.

“It looks like a market,” she whispered.

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