Hell - The Afterlife Series II by Mur Lafferty

Author:Mur Lafferty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: heaven mythology greek mythology egyptian mythology hell end of world fiction
Published: 2020-05-04T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

I could have sworn Daniel was behind me. I really thought he was. When you’re running through a dark cave and the only light is coming from you, echoes and shadows can wreak havoc on your perception.

Kazuko had told us to run, and everything in my body had told me to obey her. I figured Daniel had obeyed her, too.

And so I ran down that first corridor, heading through twists and turns, too dark to figure out where I was headed. When I finally slowed to a stop, I was quite frightened to find I was alone-in hell. The dog’s anguished sounds had ceased, but the buzzing noise continued.

“Daniel?”

My voice died in the cave. The air had become wet and dank; water leaked from the walls in little droplets. I took a tentative step and slipped, sliding for several feet. Once I’d gained my footing again, I realized that my sword was not the only thing glowing. Ahead, the rocks themselves glowed.

I peered into the gems and saw to my great shock that each hunk of emerald, sapphire, or diamond ensconced in the wall imprisoned a living, glowing soul. “What the hell?” I muttered.

I reached my hand out to touch a gem and heard Daniel call out to me.

“Kate, stop!”

Relief washed over me as he ran up, coming from the hall in front of me.

“Where did you come from?” I asked him, giving him a brief hug.

He stiffened in surprise, but carefully hugged me back. “I went down the middle corridor.”

“And that loops back around this way?”

“Not exactly. There’s really no time to explain, Kazuko is buying us all the time she can, but we need more help if we’re going to do this.”

I held up my hand. “Wait. I have no idea what’s going on. Where is she, and what did she do back there?”

He clamped his hand on my shoulder. “Kazuko and I talked about this while you were asleep. The other souls we got in cat hell were just abandoned; it’s likely some god would have run across them and taken them. The lost souls here aren’t unclaimed; we’re on Hades’s turf. He doesn’t like outsiders, and he certainly doesn’t like outsiders taking his shit. We are about to steal from a god, Kate. A stern, easily angered god. And we’ve lost our bodyguard.”

I sighed, forcing the tension and annoyance out of my shoulders. “What do you suggest we do?”

Daniel held out his right hand, which glowed with a bluish light. A single blue orb floated gently above his palm.

“That’s… not a soul.”

“Not a human soul, no. He followed me in the other corridor, showed me the shortcut here. But he needs you, Kate. Don’t ask me why, I’m not sure.”

I held out my hand and the orb floated to me. I carried it closer to my face and knew immediately, even as it spoke to me in a weakened voice in my head.

Hello, lover.

“Hermes,” I said, forcing my voice steady.

You need help, but first you have to help me.

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