***
Warren watched with relief as Esha and Diana disappeared. Damn, it had been a long month. The last two weeks of fighting with Esha on top of everything else hadn’t done him any good.
He looked up at the woman standing in the corner. She didn’t look nearly as goddess-like as Aerten. Her clothes were less ethereal and more like those of a field soldier from long ago. Her breastplate was leather rather than metal. He was relatively young compared to others in this world. This woman looked like she had been around a lot longer, despite the fact that she physically looked to be in her mid-twenties.
Since it didn’t seem like she had plans to disappear anytime soon and she was looking vaguely ill, he figured he’d better offer her something.
“Can I get you a cup of tea?”
She nodded eagerly. “Absolutely. I love tea. We don’t have it in Otherworld.”
“Vivienne?” he asked.
“Sure,” Vivienne said. She walked over to the couch and sat.
“Where is the boy?” Andrasta asked.
“Maximus? He’s at the orphanage.” Warren handed her a cup of tea and gave another to Vivienne.
“Not a mortal one?” Andrasta said, aghast.
“Nay, he would no’ do well there.” They still had no idea what the kid could do, if anything. “We have a small one here at the university that will raise the children of Mytheans who are killed.” There were a couple dozen kids in all, but he never really went over to that side of campus.
“Is he doing all right?” Andrasta asked.
“Hasn’t spoken. They think he may be in shock.”
“Well, he’s been in hell for millennia. He also just lost his father.”
Warren grimaced. That had been the downside of Diana’s plan, though he’d agreed that she had to kill that bastard Paulinus. And bringing the boy back had been the right thing to do.
“Do you have any idea what he might be now that he’s out of hell? Mortal? Mythean?” He hadn’t really had time to ask around much, but anybody he’d spoken to hadn’t known. Hell, she was a goddess, so maybe she had an idea.
“No, I’m sorry,” Andrasta said. “My powers are really only limited to the Celtic faith. I don’t know much outside of that.”
Her fingers whitened where she gripped the arm of the chair. Her pallor was more pronounced than it had been just moments ago.
“Hey, are you sure I can’t get you something? You’re not looking very well.” He reached out.
“No, I—” She gasped. “Camulos.” She swayed, then disappeared.
Well, hell. That couldn’t be good.
Chapter 41
Diana squinted as her eyes adjusted to the gloom of the chamber below the city. It was as dank and dark as ever, with water dripping from the ceiling in disconsolate drops. She shuddered. The chill crept not only over her skin, but inside her as well. The smear of evil left behind by the portal seemed to linger.
There. She spotted Cadan at the far end of the chamber where the portal had been. He sat on a ragged outcropping of stone, his head in his hands. She could swear there was more stone scattered around the chamber. More giant holes in the walls, as if he’d torn at them.
“He’s been like this,” Esha whispered. “We can’t get him to leave. It’s the last place he saw you and he’s convinced that this is where you’ll return.”
“Can you keep your phone on you? If we need to get out of here quick, I’ll call you. Otherwise, we’ll get ourselves out.”
“Soulceress taxi, at your service.” Esha saluted before she disappeared.
Diana might have smiled if the situation hadn’t been so miserable. She walked toward Cadan.
“Cadan? It’s me, Diana. Are you all right?”
His head whipped up and her heart broke at the sight of his gaunt face. He’d clearly neither eaten nor drank anything since she’d seen him last. Being immortal might keep him alive, but it didn’t necessarily keep him healthy. Her heart clutched at the sight of his bloodied hands. He had been clawing at the walls.
“Diana.” His voice was hoarse from disuse.
He stood slowly, as if unable to believe his eyes, and she couldn’t stop herself from running to him. He caught her up in his arms. His hand fisted in her hair as she clung to him.
“Are you real?” His gaze burned into her.
“Yes.”
“You’re no’ a ghost.” He shook his head as though he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“No, I’m me.”
He held her face and looked into her eyes. “Then I’ve died as well?”
“No, Cadan. I’m alive, you’re alive. We’re still in Edinburgh.”
He shook his head, clearly still disbelieving. “Nay.” His voice was hoarse. “Nay, it’s been weeks since I left you in Erebus. You’re just another vision.”
He’d had visions of her?
“I left you. A mortal couldn’t survive in Erebus that long.” Guilt was etched into his face and his arms tightened.
“You didn’t leave me. You had no choice.”