“Anything else?” Fiona asked.
“Yeah, I really think having all the weapons out in the open gives us a better handle on how much we have and what we can use. And it’s going to be damn funny when Viktor comes home, if he comes home, and finds his vault empty.” That part was at least true.
When they were about halfway through clearing out Viktor’s vault, Polina and her LOA agents entered the house. After a brief explanation of what was going on, they helped with the relocation effort. Polina in particular seemed to find the whole idea incredibly therapeutic.
It took a while to move everything out of the vault, up two flights of stairs, and into one of the living rooms, but when it was done, the room was almost completely full of enough riches and weapons to take over a small nation. Mordred had spent the time at the computer waiting for the files to decrypt. He didn’t want to leave the USB drive running while they were away just in case, so despite his better judgment, he removed the drive and placed it in his pocket. Hopefully he’d get a chance to look through it again.
“So, now we need to go to the club,” Remy said.
“Take Viktor’s guns,” Polina said. “No magic can be used in the public parts of the club.”
“So, we need to stop their rune work,” Fiona said.
“And you’re going to have to fight your way through a lot of bad people,” Polina said.
“Good,” Mordred said, picking up a silver dagger and placing it in his belt. “I could use the stress relief.”
CHAPTER 12
Nate Garrett
Tartarus wasn’t exactly all fire and brimstone. It was somewhat dark and foreboding when you first entered, as a thick mist rolled over the nearby lake, blocking out a lot of the sunlight. After the mists, and the lake, the realm was quite beautiful, with rolling hills and stunning mountains. Some called it paradise, and some called it a prison—it very much depended on your point of view.
The inhabitants of Tartarus were guarded by griffins, who walk around on two feet, not the four of the stories, although the top half is still an eagle, and the bottom a lion. They’re one of the few species I’d ever met that could fly, with their wingspan easily the size of two grown men. They’re the top of the food chain in Tartarus, and few things—including the prisoners here—are stupid enough to try and fight them. Not the least because magic has exactly zero effect on them.
“Shouldn’t there be a guard here?” I asked Sky as she walked through the realm gate.
“Yes, there should be,” she said. “Let’s go see if we can find Charon.”
The four of us walked down toward the pier nearby, where Charon would hopefully be waiting with his boat. Unfortunately there was no one there.
“Okay, this is weird,” I said. “There are a few empty boats there. How many does Charon have?”
“A few,” Sky said. “We thought keeping one at both ends would be a good idea just in case we needed to get across in a hurry again.”
“He’s probably on the other side,” Selene said. “Should we just take a boat and row over?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Zamek said, rushing forward, but I put my arm out to stop him.
“Don’t drink the water. Not even a mouthful—it ages you in seconds.”
Zamek looked down at the black stillness of the waters all around us. “Don’t drink the water. Got it.”
“If you go for a swim in there, you’re probably not coming out,” Sky said.
“Water bad, boat good,” Zamek said, eyeing the water with mistrust. “Poisonous water . . . This place isn’t exactly the beautiful realm Sky said it would be.”
“We’re getting there,” Sky assured him.
We climbed into one of several moored boats, which were easily big enough to seat us all comfortably. Selene took up the oars and began rowing. It didn’t take long for the pier to become a distant blob on the horizon, and for the mists to begin to thin out, revealing the land.
“I don’t see Charon,” I said. I’d been quiet for most of the journey, as Tartarus takes some getting used to. The entire realm is a natural dampener, meaning that whatever my level of power back on the Earth realm, it was maybe a tenth of that here. On top of that, the longer you stayed, the longer it took for your power level to return to normal. So for those who have lived here thousands of years, it could be months or even years before they’d be back to normal. Even after a visit lasting only a day, it could be a few hours before you were back to full strength. Hopefully we wouldn’t need to be in Tartarus for that long.
We soon reached the pier on the opposite side of the lake, where Selene secured the boat.
I walked toward Charon’s two-story home. “Charon!” I shouted. “You about?” When there was no reply, I knocked on the door. Still no reply. I tried the door but found it locked.
“Maybe he’s gone into town?” Sky suggested.
“Maybe,” I said, not really sure I was convinced by that particular suggestion. I walked around the house and, after opening the wooden gate, found a sizeable garden at the rear of the property. Someone certainly loved their gardening, and it was full of flowers and vegetables, but no Charon.
“Nate!” Selene shouted, and I rushed back to the front of the house. “I smell blood inside.”
Zamek unbuckled one of the battle-axes strapped to his back and prepared himself.
“Does he go everywhere with that axe?” Sky asked me.
“To the best of my knowledge, yes. I’m beginning to wish I’d brought something myself.”
“We made an exception for Zamek, but I’m not sure the Titans would have been happy to see Hellequin turn up brandishing weapons.”
The use of my old name stung. I’d pushed the terrorist out of my head for the last few hours, and now all those thoughts and anger rushed back in.
“Shit, Nate, I’m sorry,” Sky said, placing her hand on my forearm. “You okay? I heard about the broadcast. I forgot.”
“It’s okay,” I told her. “It’s just one more thing I’m going to hurt the people behind this for.”
“If you need to talk, you know I’m here.”
I turned to look at Sky. There had been a point, over a century ago, where we might have been more than just friends, but that time had long since passed. “Thank you.”
“You should talk to my dad, too. If there’s anyone who knows about the power of people using your name for evil means, it’s Hades.”
Selene kicked the door to Charon’s house, and it disintegrated from the impact. Dragon-kin were strong enough that even werecreatures thought twice about fighting one hand to hand. The fact that she’d managed to turn a door into a million pieces while the realm limited her power showed just how strong she really was.
She stepped inside the house, with Zamek close by. Sky and I followed soon after and stared at the chaos we found inside.
“Fucking hell,” Sky whispered.
“How many bodies?” Zamek asked.
“Six,” Selene said. “I can smell the blood.”
“There looks like more,” I said.