“Can I help her?” I asked instead.
“Hecate gave your mother the ability to channel her.” Dad turned toward us, finally taking in our ragged appearance. “You look terrible, sweetheart.”
I laughed, a wet, snotty, hysterical sound. “You should see the other guy.”
“Your daughter has quite the right hook,” Discord said. “And her magic is unparalleled.”
Dad smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re so proud of them all. I only wish you didn’t follow us here.”
“You didn’t leave me much of a choice. What were you thinking, summoning Lucifer himself?” I led Discord to the grand table and gestured for him to sit in a chair. He didn’t argue, which meant he was teetering on the brink of collapse.
“We didn’t mean to,” Dad said. “Your mother wrote the incantation to summon any demon who could deliver the princes to us.”
“Lucifer was the only one with the power to free us from the dark prison.” Discord leaned his elbows on the table, pressing two fingers to each of his temples. “Until your daughters came along.”
Dad’s eyes widened. “The other two are free as well?”
I sank into a chair next to my demon and gently rubbed his back. “Ash and Em released them. As soon as they find the amulet, they’ll summon Discord again. Then, we can all go home and end this.”
My stomach turned at my words. Ending “this” meant ending my bond with Discord…a feat I wasn’t sure I would survive.
I pushed the morbid thoughts aside and rose to my feet. “He needs rest. Is there somewhere we can lie down for a few minutes?”
“Follow me.” Dad gestured toward an arch carved into the cave wall, and Discord stood, taking my hand again.
The plush rug squished beneath my boots as I padded behind him, and I glanced at my mom before I crossed the threshold. Her eyes were glazed with white, her expression pained. She wouldn’t make it much longer in this state. Honestly, I was surprised she had any vim left at all.
The arched tunnel jutted right, then left, snaking deeper into the cave until it opened into another massive chamber. A giant four-poster bed with dozens of pillows and a thick, black duvet stood against a glittering purple wall. Across from it, a set of three stone steps led downward into a pool of sparkling blue.
A waterfall poured in from a fissure in the ceiling, churning the pool and causing sparks of magic to dance across the surface like fireflies on a lake.
“Holy Hecate.” I stopped at the entrance.
“The goddess is amazing,” Dad said. “This is a sort of vacation home she lets her followers use when they help her.”
“Like a HellBnB?” I asked.
Dad chuckled. “Something like that. I never imagined the Underworld would mimic our realm so closely.”
Discord sank onto a carved-wood feinting couch, his spine rigid, though it was obvious he was ready to collapse.
“How much longer can Mom hold the veil?” I swiped my hand down a bedpost, and magic tingled on my fingertips.
“I don’t know.” Dad’s expression turned solemn. “She’s been in a trance since Hecate sent us here, and I have no idea how long ago that was. Sometimes it feels like it’s been months. Other times only hours.”
He sucked in a breath. “Right. Let’s get you both healed. Hecate enchanted the waterfall. It will heal injuries and help restore your vim. I’ve been wiping down your mother with the water and giving it to her to drink.”
Discord stood, bowing his head. “Thank you.”
“I’ll give you some privacy to get cleaned up.” Dad walked toward the tunnel and turned to me. “Do you have a plan for what comes next?”
“Right now, all we can do is wait.” I shrugged. “Without the amulet, we’re all screwed.”
He nodded solemnly and strode out of the room.
“Let’s get you…” I turned around and found Discord wading into the pool.
He stripped, rinsing his clothes and laying them on a hot stone to dry before backing toward the waterfall, letting it cascade around him. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as the color returned to his ashen complexion. When he opened them, they glinted with newfound resilience…and a hint of mischievousness.
