Chapter 55

Idon't remember falling to the floor or crying. Only Paesha's blurry figure grabbing my shoulder, tears dried to my cheeks, as she stared at me with so much fear and yet so much love.

"He's gone?" she asked so quietly, the echo of her words was louder than the ones she'd spoken aloud.

I nodded, my nose stinging until the tears threatened to return.

"Come on." She shoved a hand under my arm and hauled me to my feet. "You can mourn in your bed. Not on the cold floor of a shitty temple built for a piece of shit god that never did a damn thing for this world."

"No." I planted my feet. "He's not dead."

"What do you mean?" She drew back, loosening her grip.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all, burying my sadness for something far more vengeful. "What do you know about Orin's father?"

"Nothing. I assumed he was killed by Hollis's sister, to be honest, or maybe Elowen just had a one-night stand and that was all there was to it. He's never brought it up, and I've never asked."

"Well, I think it's time we start asking Elowen questions because Death called him his son and then they vanished. Together. And Orin didn't even fight it. The second Death touched him, he was… lost." If a heart was made of a thousand pieces of emotion, all of mine shattered with those words. "I was supposed to save him. And I did. And it didn't matter."

"I'm coming with you." Paesha's cold stare was final. "If you need help searching, I'm going. Whatever you're after, Maiden, whatever you need."

Her eyes searched mine for a fight, but I simply plucked a flower from the ground and pulled her out of the temple, hoping I'd never have to step foot in that place again.

"Not dead?"Elowen asked, skin turning pale as she fell into a chair at the kitchen table.

"I don't know if it's permanent. If there's a way… If I can get to him. He didn't die, Elowen."

"But you're the Life Maiden?" Thea asked, gripping Elowen's shoulders to give her comfort. "And your other power is what? Gone? How could you get to Death's court without…"

"Dying?" I lowered my voice so Quill wouldn't hear me. "I don't know. Orin told me his world didn't exist without me, but mine doesn't exist without him, either. We are bonded. I have to find a path to him. And I think it starts at the beginning." We faced Orin's mother in solidarity.

"He was so handsome," Elowen said, her eyes glossed over as she lived through a memory. "My brother introduced us. He'd given me the night off from the show and let me go with this… stranger. I'd always wanted to fall in love, and I thought I had, in one night. He'd spoken of a future together. He'd promised to help me find a way out of Drexel's new magic. He was so dark but so light, and we drank and danced, and he laughed. Gods, the way that man laughed. I can still hear it, even after all these years. And the next morning, I woke up naked. And alone. And I didn't even care. Not when I'd got that one night of happiness. My belly swelled, and I knew Orin was a blessing from a god. A baby I might have never had, otherwise."

I swallowed my shock. "I'm so sorry you were left alone."

"I'm not," she said, forcing a smile. "Because I was never truly alone."

I paced the floor, Elowen's story lingering in the stagnant air.

"What's your plan?" Althea asked, eventually.

"I think I have to start with Ro. She was helping him. She knew about his power."

"Or you start with Drexel. He seems to have Death's ear," Thea said.

Paesha shook her head. "I think the Maestro died when Orin cast his magic to save you. No one has seen him."

"Pity." I stared down into Elowen's blank face. "I would have loved to see him fall."

I'd seen a small bit of the destruction on the journey to and from the temple, but we'd stuck close to the Hallowed River both times we'd gone. Still, the Maestro's death, if that's truly what happened, felt like a robbery in the grand scheme of things, with all the heartache he'd caused. Not just to me, of course, but the pained look on Elowen's face had nothing to do with a fallen brother. She'd lost her son. And Drexel, her own flesh and blood, had played a part in that.

I knelt before Quill,rubbing my hands through Boo's soft hair one final time before pulling the child into a hug. "You are brave, and you are strong. Never stop fighting for what you believe in, Quilly. Do you hear me? Dreams are worth chasing, and family is worth trusting."

She nodded, a sob escaping as she buried her face in the crook of my neck. "You'll try to come back though, won't you?"

I pulled away, looking deep into those stunning blue eyes. "I will do everything I can to come back to you, but I can't promise it."

"Orin won't be alone, and he needs family, too," she said, swiping a tear. "But I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, kid."

I closed my eyes the second she wailed and flew into Paesha's waiting arms.

"Hey, Quilly," Paesha said gently. "Don't worry. Things have a way of working out, right?"

Quill nodded, still staring at Paesha as if she'd never see her again. I thought Paesha would argue the point, reassure her she'd be back by nightfall, whether I was there or not, but she didn't. Whatever goodbye the two of them shared, it wouldn't come with promises from Paesha. Maybe she worried about what was to come and didn't want to leave Quill feeling abandoned if neither of us made it back.

Paesha had taken Quill in when she'd been taken from her mother's incapable hands and placed into Drexel's. And though she'd still have Thea and Elowen, the child had already experienced more loss than she ever should have. It was hard to say goodbye to her, but for me, it would have been harder to stay here if there was any chance I could get to Orin. To save him from whatever Death had planned. I only hoped my path forward brought Paesha back to that child's arms.

Death was hunting something, and if he'd taken Orin the second he learned of his power, who knew whether this realm would survive or if it would fall if someone didn't stand in the way. I knew leaving was the right choice for me. And I knew Quill would have the others to watch over her as I chased my husband's captor.

"I'll see the library fixed. And maybe we can move through the cities and rebuild," Thea said, her voice shaky as she held Elowen's hand, who'd lost all sense of the world the second she'd remembered her night with Death. As if a spell had fallen over her and she couldn't wake from it.

"Just take care of yourself and the others." I chanced a glance at Elowen so Thea understood. "No spotlights. Stay under the radar. The clock tower, should you need it, has some jewels. There's more in my father's castle. I'd make that my first stop in case the others get the same idea, now that there is no king and no law. Call in the rest of the Syndicate members and build a stronghold here, Thea. When Paesha gets back, recruit where you can. Don't worry about the outside world until you have yours well in hand."

She nodded. "I've got this. I promise. I'm stronger than I look."

Paesha moved to my side. "You're looking pretty fucking strong from where I'm standing, sister."

With a final hug, Paesha and I disappeared into her room and stood before the mirror I knew Ro was watching. There was just no way she didn't have eyes on this house and ears on Orin and his deadly power.

When the mirror did not ripple, I ran a hand over the glistening filigree to the side. Still nothing.

"What if she doesn't let us in?"

I slammed my hand against the glass, watching it crack into a spiderweb. "She's more than meets the eye, and she's got secrets. If she doesn't want to share… then I'll break every mirror in this godsdamned realm, and we'll see how she fares from there."

"Guess we better bring more weapons."

"On it," Thea called from the hallway.

Strapped downwith Thea's armory, Paesha and I stood on the front step of the Syndicate house for only a moment, each finding our own resolve to walk away without looking back. But the second that pup barked, we both looked over our shoulder to see all three of them standing in the door, waving, each motion full of sadness and finality.

"Are you sure about Visha?" Paesha asked, using her power to hunt down the brothel owner.

"The last time Ro showed up unexpectedly, it was in the Scarlet District. I've caught her there twice, once with Orin and once at Lady Visha's. I'm sure."

"There's a huge risk even stepping foot into that building."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I have nothing to lose. You don't have to come if you don't want to. You shouldn't go where I'm going anyway."

"I'll go as far as I can before I have to get back to the others. This is a fight I can handle, and Orin would never want you to do this alone."

The destruction was vast. Far more than I'd known. It seemed as if a quarter of Silbath had fallen to rubble in the aftermath of Orin's wrath. And each step I'd taken over the rubble was laden with guilt. The stones slipped beneath our feet as we wove between the buildings, finding reprieve once we reached the bridge to Perth, the city that remained untouched. And likely where the majority of survivors had run.

"I bet Beggar's Alley is full of people right now," Paesha said, adjusting the sword on her back as we crossed over the Hallowed River. "All those people…"

"We can't think about them. If we do, we'll never leave."

She pinned me with a stare. "Are you sure the Life Maiden should leave the world like this?"

"There's no part of me that wants to be without him, Paesha. I can't imagine a pining, sad Life Maiden is worth a thing to this world. I know what it's like to be with him; I can't possibly accept life without him. He broke the world for my freedom, and I'll burn down Death's court for his." I stepped off the bridge, turning toward the Scarlet District. "The night I met Orin, he said we could choose each other before the world forced us. I chose him then, when I shouldn't have, and I choose him now because there is no other way for me."

"They say Visha is more cunning than the Maestro. Her petals are more devoted to her. Makes her more dangerous."

I pulled Chaos from my thigh, missing the weight of Serenity on the other, accepting that the blade had been lost to the vagrants the second I'd dropped it. "She is dangerous, Paesha, but so are we."

The massive black man standing at the back door of Visha's brothel didn't so much as flinch when we approached. Nor did he bother to look at us at all. He simply pushed the door open, releasing a growl as we stepped inside the dimly lit space.

A soft murmur of conversation and laughter floated through the air. I knew the layout by heart, each room discreetly tucked away from prying eyes. As we made our way deeper into the establishment, our steps fell into a rhythm that felt almost automatic. The lush red velvet curtains framed each doorway like a promise of escape, a brief respite from the world outside. But that's exactly what Lady Visha's brothel always had been. She'd constructed a private world within these walls. Her own kingdom nestled into the heart of another.

The sound of a piano drifted towards us, the haunting melody tugging at memories I wasn't sure I was ready for. Of Orin playing on stage and the audience melting like liquid in his hands. He'd always been a spectacle. A haunted mystery.

Paesha followed behind me, her fingers trailing over the curtains and eyes lingering on the suggestive artwork down the hall until we entered the open room of velvet couches. Cordelia made eye contact with a gasp and hustled away.

A burly man sat opposite the room, gazing over the top of a newspaper. His eyes snapped away from me the moment recognition lit his face, but they landed easily on Paesha, drinking her in.

"I've got a nice place for you to sit over here, pet," he said, patting the cushion beside him.

She scowled. "I'd rather sit on the business end of my own sword."

"I'd love to watch," he breathed.

"Honestly, where do men get the audacity?"

I nudged her with my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in that wrinkly ball sac skin."

She grinned. "That explains so much."

The man, clearly offended, tossed his paper to the side with a snarl, attempting to stand.

I whipped a tiny blade from my bandolier, and it landed right between his legs. "I fucking dare you."

He cleared his throat and plopped right back down, spreading his legs for the blade embedded into the couch. Paesha sauntered forward, gripped the knife, and pulled it free, just as the man gulped. "Waste not, want not," she said with a smirk.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming into my sanctuary, Huntress." Visha's words were sharp and full of venom.

Paesha brushed golden brown hair over her shoulder. "I do, in fact, have a lot of nerve. Thanks for noticing, Lady V. Always a pleasure."

Impressed as I was with her snark, Paesha's smart mouth was surely going to get us in trouble if we weren't careful. We didn't have time to fall into Lady Visha's debt.