As Darkness Falls by Riley Storm
Chapter Forty-Two
As we approached Hades, the tapestries on the wall seemed to come alive at our passing. Scenes of battles played out on some, while images of various beings greeting Hades could be seen on others. On one of them, I swear I saw an image of Vir.
The walls around the tapestries were lined with shelves holding all sorts of items that I didn’t recognize but figured must be important.
“Hades,” Aaron said respectfully, stealing my attention. “What happened? What is going on here?”
The god on the throne smiled, and I stared, stunned by just how weak he looked.
“It is good to see you, old friend,” Hades said, his voice just as tired and weak as the rest of him.
“And you,” Aaron replied. “Though I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“As do I,” Hades replied. His head, resting heavily on the back of his throne, turned slightly. “And you, Champion. It has been many years. I have missed our sparring matches. Though I don’t think, in our present capabilities, that I would be much of a match for you anymore.”
“Perhaps not,” Vir admitted respectfully.
“Ha!” Hades chuckled, the laughter dried and rusty. “So polite.”
We all stood around, unsure of what to say.
“As I said, I apologize for bringing you to this place, but things, as you can see, have changed. I must be closer to the seat of my power,” Hades explained.
Did a god just admit weakness?
“How long have you been like this?” Aaron asked. “I saw you but a few weeks ago. You were okay then.”
“A charade,” Hades said, his eyes flickering darkly. “An act that I am sorry to have pulled over you. Though it cost me much, it was necessary.”
I listened to what Hades was saying, but I still wasn’t anywhere closer to figuring out what the hell he was talking about.
“What are you saying?” Aaron asked quietly.
“Your payment,” Hades said, “of your debt to me. It allowed me to defeat them. Momentarily, at least.”
As he spoke, his eyes darted to the left. I glanced, working carefully not to give away my surprise or any reaction at all to what I saw. Sitting there on a shelf, amid a number of other items, was the Idol of Amunlea. The entire reason we were here. And it was just sitting on a shelf.
I swallowed my nervousness, yanking my gaze away before I gave anything away. I hoped.
“They’ll be back,” Hades said with a tired sigh, continuing as though we had spoken.
I wondered how lucid he was.
“They always are. They’re never gone for long. A century, maybe two, at best, is all I’ve bought myself. I will have to ensure it is enough.”
Enough for what, I almost asked.
“What happened?” Vir asked, voicing the question all of us were wondering. “Who did this to you, my brother?”
Hades stared at Vir for a long time. I braced myself, thinking that perhaps the god was angry at the way Vir had addressed him. Yet, they were both gods. It wasn’t that outlandish.
But then, Hades surprised us all. He didn’t lash out. Instead, his head rolled back, and he began to laugh. And laugh.
The four of us standing audience to the god of the Underworld exchanged uneasy glances as the laughter went on and on. I’m pretty sure that answered my earlier question about how lucid and sane Hades was.
“I’m sorry,” the god said, raising one hand weakly. “You must think me out of my mind from that response. I promise you, the brain works just fine. It is simply the innocent irony of your question, that is all.”
Vir shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Of course not,” Hades said. “He has deceived every one of you, I believe.”
“Who?” Vir pressed.
“Your brother.”
I blinked. “What? Which one?” I asked, my mouth moving before my brain could catch up. “He has a couple, you see.”
It wasn’t Hades who responded. The god of the Underworld didn’t even look my way, not bothering to acknowledge that I’d spoken.
“Irr,” Vir said quietly. “You mean Irr.”
The shifter god of death, and Hades? At war? I didn’t understand.
Hades simply stared at Vir.
“But Irr is dead,” Vir said. “I watched him die in battle.”
“If only that were the case,” Hades said tiredly.
“I’m confused,” I said out loud, interrupting the two gods. “Anyone else?”
Five sets of eyes turned in my direction.
Hades, a powerful demon, a shifter god, Aaron, and whatever the fuck Fred was. All of them stared at me.
“Uh, sorry,” I said, trying not to crumple under the combined power of those looks. “Ignorant mortal here. Just ignore me.”
“No,” Vir said. “Do not. I don’t understand either. Irr died. Along with the others. I was there. I saw him fall beneath the invaders of my realm. It’s not possible.”
“Then he fooled you,” Hades said, his eyes burning red as he sat straighter in his throne. “He started this.”
“Started what?” Vir asked, his voice taut with pain and confusion.
“Stealing from me,” Hades growled, sitting forward.
I looked around. Was it just me, or was the room growing hotter?
“Stealing? Your gold?” Aaron asked.
“No,” Hades snarled, and this time the room definitely increased in temperature until sweat was beading at my temples. “My SOULS!”
The final word bellowed out from the angry god, washing over us, nearly bowling me over with the power behind it.
“Your Souls?” Vir whispered, stunned.
“It was small at first,” Hades said, subsiding again into his slump, though the room did not cool. “A thousand here. A thousand there. Then more and more. It took me decades to notice.”
“Soul stealing,” I whispered, trying to understand.
“By the time I figured out that someone was stealing them, he had taken millions from me. But he wasn’t done. His strength only grew.”
My mind was racing, trying to keep up with what Hades was telling us. Irr. Missing souls by the millions.
“The wasteland,” I said. “That’s why it’s empty out there, isn’t it? Irr is stealing all the souls from you.”
Hades fixed me with a gaze, but he didn’t respond. He didn’t have to.
“But why would Irr need all those souls? What would he–” I stopped abruptly, turning to stare at Vir.
He was looking at me, but I could tell he hadn’t made the connection yet.
“The Invaders,” I whispered. “Of the Direen.”
Vir’s jaw dropped.
“They aren’t creatures from another realm,” I said. “They’re souls. Stolen from here and funneled to the Direen somehow. But why? What was his plan?”
“I don’t know,” Vir said quietly. “But if he’s alive, we’re going to find out. And stop him. Somehow.”
The room descended into silence. Then, Hades spoke.
I looked at him, and something in my stomach did a backflip. The fire in his eyes was back, and his eyes were narrowing suspiciously.
“Something occurs to me, brother,” Hades rumbled as he sat forward, eyes blazing as he stared at Vir. “If you did not know about your brother’s transgressions, then why are you here?”
Uh-oh.
