“But?”
“… But, if your quest was to right the balance of power… to return certain… objects or treasures that are still lost to the realms of the Gods, stolen when the Lords fell, treasures which by right belong to the children of the heavens—well, I could hardly stand in the way of such a noble adventure.”
Mom does not do subtle.
“Okay, so, does that mean you’re officially going to help me, but you’re just going to give this… adventure another title so it sits better with you?”
“Yes, Kathra. I am going to help you.” She says it like she’s pleading guilty to a murder.
“Great, good. Fantastic. Just checking.”
“Now comes the important part,” she says as she eyes me narrowly. “Pay attention.”
“All eyes on you, mom. And ears.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “You will only have thirty days to make it to the Ninth Hell and free the human’s soul from Gaul.”
“Um, what?” Surely I’m going to need more than a single fucking month to get through every level of Hell?
“Rules are rules,” she answers and I decide not to argue.
“After that the thirty days expire?” I ask.
“There will be nothing you or anyone can do to get the human’s soul back. He will be too distant from this world to resurrect. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think so. Thirty days, then no dice.”
Mom nods. “Thirty days and no dice.”
“Great. So... Where are the Hells?”
“I can take you there—rather, I have a friend who can take you there—but remember there is nothing I can do to help you once you are there. Being found as a living person in Hell is one kind of disaster; but being known as my daughter is something else entirely. You must not let anyone know to whom you belong.”
“Okay, I follow, but I don’t belong to you or to anyone.”
She gives me a withering look. “You know what I mean. Gaul is after me. Therefore, if he catches you and realizes who you are, he will do terrible things to you.”
I chew on that for a second. “… He has to know I’m coming,” I say. “Right? Why bother taking Hunter if he didn’t think it would lure me into Hell? I mean, we have to assume Gaul took Hunter for a reason, right?”
Mom doesn’t answer for a little while. She looks at the ground. “Yes,” she says. “You are right. He must know.”
“Then shouldn’t it follow that he’ll be ready for me?”
“To an extent. But he will not know when you will arrive, or how you will approach. And perhaps he will not know what you look like.”
I look at her and frown. We’re almost identical in our looks. Only I’m the dumbed-down, half human rendition of her.
“So how do I hide from him?”
“Gaul has no way to sense you inherently,” she says. “If you do not give yourself away, you will remain unseen.”
“What constitutes giving myself away?”
“It could be anything. It could be the magic that is particular to us. It could be as simple as knowing your name.”
“So just, what, don’t use magic?”
“You will have to use magic, eventually, I’m sure. Just use it sparingly, and suppress your glow wherever you can. While your glow is not an issue in the mortal world, it will be in the land of the Hells.”
“Suppress my glow?”
She nods. “I taught you this, did I not?”
“You never taught me anything.” The words come out like acid.
Mom looks wounded. Which makes sense, because in spite of myself, I was trying to wound her.
“Sorry,” I say.
“No,” she says, “You are…”
I’m right, but she trails off. She can’t get herself to say it. Whatever. That’s fine, it doesn’t matter.
“How do I suppress the glow?” I ask.
By glow she means my “magical aura”. Using magic is like fucking with the dimmer on an ultraviolet lightbulb. Hardly anyone can see it go up, but if they can, it’s blinding—or can be, depending on how strong you need the spell to be. If I glamour myself into looking like a different girl, it’s like a normal lightbulb; if I try to become a dude, it’s a fucking searchlight.
I didn’t think suppressing my aura was something I could do. Not that I ever sat down and thought about it and decided it wasn’t possible, it just… never came up, I guess.
“You breathe,” she says.
“… That’s it?”
She nods. “Slowly. Imagine pulling the light back into yourself.”
“That sounds simple.”
“It’s not!” she barks at me. “It is incredibly taxing, but if you must employ a spell—and you will have to, eventually—dampening your glow is critical. There are things in the Hells that can see such a light. You must remain hidden from these things, do you understand?”
“Yes. I need to be sneaky.”
“Not just sneaky. Your survival depends on your invisibility, Kathra. You are no match for what will find you if you slip.”
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ALSO BY PLUM PASCAL
Reverse Harem Romance Series:
The Sacred Oath Series
The Happily Never After Series
The 9 Hells Series
The Dungeon Raider Series
The Masked Lords Series
The F My Life Series
The Keys Series
Paranormal Romance Series:
(Writing as HP Mallory)
The Lily Harper Series
The Dulcie O'Neil Series:
(Over 1 million downloads of the series!)
The Jolie Wilkins Series:
(New York Times Bestselling Series!)
The Sinjin Sinclair Series
The Peyton Clark Series
About the Author:
Plum
