“Leonardo, can you change where a realm gate goes?” Mordred asked. “Can you change it so that the realm gates we already have go to Tartarus? We can start sending people there straight away.”
“I’ve suggested that it’s possible, in theory. Never tested that theory, though. People don’t like me playing with the realm gates.”
“Well, now you get to,” Hades said. “Go check.”
“So, what happens now?” Mordred asked.
“I need to leave the realm,” Hades said. “I need to be ready for news about Nate, and I don’t want someone to have to come find me. Anyone who wants to leave with me, come now.”
“I’m with you,” Selene said. “I can’t leave Nate in Merlin’s hands.”
“Same here,” Diana said.
“Me, too,” Mordred replied. “We’ll talk to the others and meet you at the realm gate.”
Mordred, Diana, Leonardo, and Selene met up with the rest of the group and filled them in on the plan.
“I’m staying,” Zamek said. “As much as Nate needs help, so do these people. And if anyone can figure out how to change the destination settings on a realm gate, it’s me.”
“I’ll be staying, too,” Nabu said. “This attack wasn’t designed to kill everyone. There are a million people in this city, and it only attacked the easternmost area. The affluent area close to the palace. This was designed to make people afraid. The people who live here deserve to feel safe, and I’d like to make that happen.”
“I’m with you guys,” Remy told Selene. “Nate killed me, thus saving me, so I sort of owe him one.”
“I don’t owe anyone anything,” Wei said. “But everywhere my small fox friend goes, it seems to coincide with lots of killing. I’m quite interested in seeing how this pans out.”
Remy stared at Wei for several seconds. “I am actually at a loss for words. I guess we could always use more cannon fodder.”
Wei stared back at Remy before smiling. “I would miss these moments if I left.”
“I’m really not sure if you’re just trying to wind me up, or you’re a few bricks short of a wall.”
Wei leaned close to Remy. “Can’t it be both?”
Diana stifled a laugh as the rest of the group decided where their paths lay. Antonio, Fiona, and Alan decided to stay in Shadow Falls, while Morgan, Mac, and Elaine opted to join Hades and wait for word about Nate.
“Has anyone seen Lucifer?” Selene asked.
There was a short conversation about who Lucifer was, and why he was someone they were looking for, but no one seemed to know where he’d gone or what he was doing.
The group split up, with the half helping Hades making their way to the realm gate, where Caitlin, Harrison, and a tired-looking Lucifer greeted them.
“Find Nate,” Caitlin said. “We’ll hold the fort here. My father wouldn’t want Nate to become Merlin’s puppet.”
“We’ll do our damnedest,” Morgan assured her. “You coming with us, Lucifer?”
Lucifer nodded. “I’ve been helping get people out of the realm gate. Some wanted to go to America rather than wait for Tartarus, which is understandable considering most consider Tartarus a prison realm.”
“I really hadn’t considered that,” Selene said. “We should have considered it.”
“It’ll be fine,” Caitlin said. “We’ve been spreading the word that Tartarus isn’t a prison. Once we’re ready to go, this place is going to see a mass evacuation.”
“You sure you all have to go now?” Remy asked. “Abaddon played her hand by coming here.”
“She’ll be back,” Harrison said. “Too many people here know the truth about what happened, about the blood elves, about Avalon’s corruption. Merlin will want to silence that. We have a million people to hide. It won’t be easy, but we’ll manage it. Somehow.”
“We’ll see you soon enough,” Selene said, hugging Caitlin. “We’re going to need to work together to stop Merlin.”
“I know,” Caitlin said. “And we will.”
The group went through the realm gate and was greeted by a tired-looking Rebecca Dean. “There’s been no Avalon turning up to try and find Arthur. Maybe Avalon has bigger problems. Either way, Hades is outside. We’ll finish up here, and then who knows what. I guess the dream of Shadow Falls is done.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Elaine said. “Maybe it just needs to be changed slightly.”
“I hope so,” Rebecca said.
Everyone found Hades outside next to one of six black SUVs while a dozen of his people looked on. “We have a long drive ahead of us,” he told Elaine.
“I don’t plan on resting until I find Nate,” Selene said, climbing into the back of the nearest car.
“I plan on getting some sleep until we need to stop,” Mordred said. “It’s going to be in short supply after we get wherever Hades is taking us.” He closed his eyes and, once the vehicle was moving, drifted off. He dreamed of himself as a young man with Galahad, Morgan, and Nate beside him, while the specter of death hovered unsuspected over them.
CHAPTER 32
Nate Garrett
Avalon’s Wisconsin compound
After being dragged from Shadow Falls into the elven ruins, where a bracelet was placed onto my wrist, I was forced to clasp my other hand over it. I vanished from that realm and ended up on the frozen ground of somewhere else. Someone placed a sorcerer’s band on my wrist, and my magic vanished. Apart from the fact that it was cold and I was in some sort of courtyard, I saw nothing before being dragged away again.
I blacked out at some point. I have no idea for how long, or what happened during that time, although I thought I heard voices around me. Eventually I opened my eyes. My arms hurt. That was the first thing that came to mind, and I looked up to see that someone had put shackles on my wrists, forcing me to hang from them. A two-foot-long chain connected the two metal shackles. There was no bracelet on either wrist that I could see, although I was still unable to access my magic. I could feel it, just out of reach, but never touch it.
Someone threw freezing water in my face, causing me to splutter and cough, but it made sure I was awake. My ribs ached, and I looked down, remembering where Deimos had stabbed me, but saw no wound. I knew I healed fast, but either I’d been out for the better part of a day, or someone had healed me.
“You’re awake.”
I turned my head to see Abaddon leaning against the nearby wall. She winked at me.
“You expected me to be dead?” I asked. My feet hovered three feet above the concrete floor, and they weren’t shackled to anything. That was at least a little good news. I looked up at the shackles to get a more accurate impression of my predicament and found that the chain had been wrapped around a hook suspended from the ceiling. If I could get the hook, I might be able to climb it—it looked sturdy enough—releasing the chain and possibly getting down. I looked back at Abaddon. Although that wasn’t going to be possible with her there.