Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos #4)

Chapter 62

C HAPTER 62

LOR

W hen I wake up, the world is a bright flash of white. My head pounds to the drone of voices and the rhythmic thumping of . . . music? My hip aches from lying on the hard floor. It takes a moment to summon the strength to lift myself up. Still wearing my red dress, I shiver from a chill that skates down the back of my neck.

As my vision clears, the sight that greets me makes absolutely no sense. I’m in the biggest cavern I’ve ever seen. The rough stone walls shimmer with iridescence like they’ve been coated with fairy dust.

And the people—the people . Hundreds of them mill about on a field of shiny black, silver, and white tiles, drinking, eating, and chatting. They wear the most outlandish costumes, also in black and white and in patterns like stripes and checks, their heads and shoulders adorned with feathers and silver-plated armor and their faces painted with colorful makeup.

Some wear heads or masks that render them into animals like lions, elephants, or serpents. Dread pools in my stomach, burning like a puddle of acid. It’s both beautiful and horrific. It’s also a sign that wherever I am, I’m totally fucked.

As if the sight before me weren’t alarming enough, the fact that I appear to be locked in some kind of swinging cage churns bile up the back of my throat. I try not to hyperventilate as it pitches back and forth, making the world spin.

Suddenly, the music cuts off, and everything below me grinds to an abrupt halt. The silence sends a shiver down my back as I cling to the bars, sucking in deep breaths, trying to prevent myself from passing out.

That’s when I hear footsteps. Click . . . Click . . . Click.

A male High Fae approaches me. He wears fitted leather from head to toe, everything of the deepest black. His long dark hair falls past his shoulders, and his dark eyes are ringed with smudges of black.

He’s familiar in a way that feels distant but also much too close.

Fucking fuck. This is not good. I lurch up onto my knees, causing my cage to sway and jerk with enough force that I nearly tip over. I peer down as the man draws closer. I note his pointed ears and his devious smile that has my blood running cold. I know that face .

“Welcome,” he says as he comes to a stop below me. “I’m so glad you could join us in the Underworld Court.”

I almost choke on my tongue at that announcement, but why should I be surprised by anything anymore? I’ve met Zerra, killed my mate, and been to the Evanescence, where I’m being groomed to become a god.

Why shouldn’t I now find myself in the literal pits of hell?

“How did I get here?” I ask, trying to drag up the last thing I remember. The bonding with Nadir, searching for Willow, finding Rion in the tunnel, his dark magic, and then everything going black.

“Willow,” I shout. “Where is my sister?”

Herric’s face twists into disdain, and he gestures across the room. “You might have to ask him.”

My hands tighten on the bars as I look across the space. Rion sits at the bottom of a cage matching mine, his legs up and his arms wrapped around them. That fucking bastard took Willow. He brought me here. Our gazes meet, and I don’t understand what I read in his expression. If he did anything to my sister, there is no limit to the suffering I will visit upon him.

But I see no anger or hate.

None of that cold, brutal arrogance I remember every time I close my eyes.

There is nothing left as if he’s become only a brittle shell of the Aurora King.

“Then why am I here?” I demand, turning back to Herric.

“Ah, that is the right question, isn’t it?”

He strolls a few paces before he spins and walks back slowly, every step deliberate.

Heel. Toe. Heel. Toe .

“You’re here because of this.” He reaches into an invisible pocket and draws out the ark of Heart. Oh gods. No . I think back to the notes we found in Rion’s study. I was right.

All this time, we’ve been so focused on Rion’s plans when it was actually the Lord of Hell who we should have been worrying about.

He stops and faces me, twisting the object between his fingers.

“I want you to destroy it,” he says.

“Why?” I ask, stalling for time because I know why.

He wants to kill Zerra and take her place.

His mouth twists up at the corner. “Because I’ve been trapped down here for thousands of years, and I’m tired of it. I have waited a very long time to take my rightful place as a god, and you’re going to help me.”

I blink, cursing my utter stupidity. In my desire to save myself, have I opened the door to something so much worse?

“How does that work? How will it free you?”

Herric grins and tosses the ark in the air before he catches it. He paces a few steps and then pivots around with his hands behind his back. “While everyone believes the Artefacts to be the most powerful objects in Ouranos, this ark is imbibed with years of Heart magic. Mined from the lowest pit of the mountains, it contains multitudes.”

He spins the end on the tip of his finger, the sparkles flashing in the light.

“I’ve spent many years learning how I might break the tether that keeps me bound here, and this is the key. Zerra grows weaker and the barrier between this world and yours grows thinner with each passing century. That’s how I managed to contact the perfect, gullible little pawn to aid in my schemes. The fact that he has absolutely no conscience ensured my plans went off without a hitch.”

His attention drifts to Rion, whose face stirs into the slightest hint of emotion as his brows draw together. Herric tricked Rion into delivering both me and the ark. I had no idea the Aurora King was this big a fool. Clearly, I’ve been giving him way too much credit.

“After I earned his trust by explaining how to steal his father’s crown, all I had to do was wait for the Primary of Heart to appear and the ark to be found. When it’s destroyed, it will generate an immense amount of power,” Herric continues. “It will last for only a few seconds, but it will be enough to harness and break myself out of this place.” He tips his head and mock pouts. “As you see, we are both caged in our own way.

“And once Zerra is dead, I will be able to take her place, right where I have always belonged.” He flips the ark again and smiles. “And you’ve been so generous in helping me with that, haven’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I answer, hoping he can’t detect my lie. Does he know all but two arks remain? Or has Tyr completed the task yet? Is the ark of Heart all that’s left?

He smiles in a way that tells me he knows.

A thousand thoughts churn through my head.

He wants to free himself and, in the process, kill Zerra with the ark.

I also want to kill Zerra with the ark.

He wants to take over Zerra’s position .

I do not want that, despite what the Empyrium want. Speaking of which, where the fuck are they? Do they not realize what’s happening?

But I can’t let Herric take over.

If I get the ark and destroy it, I can’t do it in his presence.

I press a hand to my forehead, feeling a headache build behind my eyes.

Herric tips his head. “Is she not trying to kill you?” he asks.

“So let her kill me,” I snarl. “It would be a better fate than allowing you to terrorize Ouranos. I’d rather die than help you.”

The Empyrium refused him last time, claiming his heart was too dark. I carry little hope that he’s changed during all his years trapped down here.

Heart might be lost if I fail, but everyone is lost if he escapes this world.

“I thought you might say that,” Herric says. “So perhaps we can make this interesting.”

I frown, knowing that whatever he’s about to reveal will turn my world upside down.

“A test, perhaps?”

“Test?”

“Or maybe a trial? You’re good at those, aren’t you?”

The crowd behind Herric breaks out into a series of excited twitters, and I shake my head at the sick sense of déjà vu threatening to drown me.

“Trial.” I keep repeating his words because I’m not sure what else to do. What is he asking of me?

“Yes. I’ve devised a challenge just for you. If you pass, I’ll hand you the ark and let you walk out of here. ”

“And if I don’t?”

“And if you don’t, then you’ll destroy this in my presence, and because I’m such a good sport, I’ll still let you walk out of here. I’ll even let you have your crown, and you can rule over your broken queendom, under my guidance of course.”

His face stretches into a cat-like smile, and I clutch my stomach, about to throw up.

“How do I know you’ll keep your word about any of this?”

“Good question, Heart Queen.”

He stretches out his arm and opens his palm. A moment later, pain sears my hand. I clutch at my wrist, groaning as I sink to my knees. I writhe as my arm burns like I’ve been shot with flaming arrows. A few seconds later, the worst of it recedes, and I pull my hand away to find a glowing silver mark branded on the inside of my palm.

“A promise,” Herric says. “Now I am bound to keep up my end of our bargain.”

My vision swims before my eyes as I will myself not to pass out.

“How do you know I’ll keep my word if I lose?”

“Oh,” Herric says. “I know you will.”

He waves a hand again, and a third cage materializes as my breath turns to rust in my lungs.

“Lor!” Nadir shouts, and we lurch towards each other, our cages swinging. We stretch through the bars, our fingertips an inch from touching, but we can’t quite reach.

I whip around to face Herric, rage boiling in my blood.

“He just walked right in here,” Herric says with a shrug. “I presume to save you? How very noble.”

“You let him go,” I scream, shaking the bars, and everyone erupts into laughter. Gods, why does it feel like I’m right back in Aphelion? Herric ignores my outburst as he continues speaking.

“Should you double-cross me, then your little prince remains here with me,” Herric says. “I’ll toss you back into the world, where you’ll have to live knowing he’s down here suffering because you refused to keep up your end of our deal.”

I snarl as I lurch at my bars, the cage pitching dangerously. “I’ll kill you!”

“You cannot kill the Lord of the Underworld,” he says, all confidence and swagger. “The good news is that I can’t kill you, either, until I get what I want. So your life isn’t on the line during the challenge . . .”

His gaze swings to Nadir. “But I can’t say the same for his.”

My hands grip the bars so tight that my knuckles turn white.

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll let him help you,” he says as though he’s being generous.

“If he dies, then I’ll never help you,” I snarl.

“I could kill him right now if you like. Shall I send our mutual friend here to retrieve another family member to motivate you, perhaps?” He gestures to Rion, who still sits in his cage, glaring at everyone.

Anger swells up my throat. “If you touch m—”

“Shh,” he says, flinging a hand at me. My voice cuts off, and I try to speak, but no sound comes out. My jaw works uselessly, searching for the syllables. “Just for fun, let’s say that if you want me to return the ark, then he must also survive. So . . . you know, good luck with that.”

My mouth opens to silence when I scream, so I settle for uselessly rattling the bars .

“These are my conditions. Do we have an agreement? Nod to say yes.”

I stare around the cavern as my magic sparks. I stare at thousands of faces of the dead, who sneer up at me with teeth and claws sharpened with malice. How far will we get if we try to fight our way out? Tears burn in my eyes.

“Lor!” Nadir shouts, and my gaze darts to him.

Herric rolls his eyes. “Not you too.” With another flick of his hand, Nadir’s voice slices off as he flies back, slamming into the wall of his cage, which swings with an ominous squeak. I try to leap for him, but of course it’s no use.

“And just to show you what a truly fine gentleman I am, I’ll even do this.”

He waves his hand, and I’m engulfed in smoke. When it clears, I’m no longer wearing my tattered red dress but rather a leather suit much like Herric’s, with a fitted jacket and pants that conform to my skin. The long sleeves go past my wrists, and the collar covers my throat. Black boots finish the ensemble. Nadir is now clothed in a similar fashion as well.

“That’s better,” Herric says. “I do like it when everyone looks the part when visiting my court.”

Then he gives me a wicked smile before he spins around.

“Enjoy your stay in the Underworld, Heart Queen.”

A black cape materializes on his back, and he runs across the dais before swinging around and tossing it with a flourish. Then he spreads his arms and declares, “Let the game begin!”