“Do you hear that?” I cup my ear and pretend to listen. “I think I hear the tortured souls of Tenth Hell calling for you.”
“Not funny.” A corner of his mouth tics up. “But I do need to get back. Are you ready?”
“To meet the King of Underworld?” I gulp. “Heck yeah.”
“He’s a nice guy.” Gyun wraps his hand around my arm. “You’ll like him.”
Then something tries to vacuum my soul out of my body—or at least, it feels that way—and we’re standing inside a sleek black lobby on the top floor of what I’m guessing is the Jeoseung Palace. A female with a pinched face sits behind a black reception desk in a trim black skirt suit.
So much black.I might like this kingdom.
“We need an audience with the king,” Gyun tells her without preamble.
The female’s eyes widen, but she gathers herself. “Do you have an appointment, Your Honor?”
“No.” He shakes his head once. “Regardless, please inform the king that I need to speak with him urgently.”
“Will your ... guest wait outside for you?” Her nose crinkles ever so slightly.
“No, she will accompany me.” An eyebrow arches above his sunglasses. “Have no doubt. He will see us.”
“Of course, Your Honor.” The female rises to her feet and rushes to a tall double door, guarded by two grim reapers, then she murmurs, “Your Majesty?”
“Yes,” a voice answers from behind the doors, and the floor vibrates beneath me.
Holy shit.
I have never heard a single more intimidating sound. I’m not sure if I want to meet the King of Underworld anymore. I am literally quaking in my combat boots. I might want to gouge my eyes out, magicgigoggles and all, if the king looks as scary as he sounds.
“Forgive me for disturbing you. But the Judge of Tenth Hell has an urgent matter to discuss with you.” She glances over her shoulder at me. “And he has brought a guest.”
I roll my eyes. I’m not suppressing my magic. She knows I’m agumiho, and she obviously doesn’t approve of my existence.I change my mind.I don’t like this kingdom any better than the other three.
“Send them in.” The whole lobby rumbles at the king’s voice.
I gulp as anxiety washes over me, but I pull my shoulders back. How hard can it be to convince the King of Underworld to send troops to aid the Kingdom of Mountains, then bend his knee to Ethan?
Hard. It will probably be very hard.
Chapter Nineteen
Sunny
I refrain from sticking my tongue out at the snooty receptionist as Gyun and I walk past her into the breathtaking throne room of the Jeoseung Palace.
Three of its walls are floor-to-ceiling glass with a spectacular view of the glittering city below. An onyx throne with an impossibly high back—edgy, both figuratively and literally—stands on a dais at the opposite end of a black carpeted path. But no king sits on the throne.
“This way,” Gyun says close to my ear.
We find the King of Underworld working over a cluttered desk strewn with glittering cogs and gears, nuts and bolts, and a thousand other bits and pieces I don’t recognize. He’s wearing a rumpled black T-shirt and loose black jeans, muttering at an intricate contraption in his hands. His onyx crown rests atop a riot of shiny, black curls, tipping precariously to the side.
The King of Underworld isnothinglike I expected. The male standing before me can only be described as a hot nerd, both endearing and weirdly sexy. Not intimidating at all.
“Your Majesty.” When the king doesn’t respond, Gyun smiles with indulgent affection and repeats, “Your Majesty.”
“Gyun.” The King of Underworld looks up with a wide smile and trips in his hurry to give the Judge of Ten Hells a hug. “It’s been too long. You have to look at this calculator I’m working on ...”
“The calculator might have to wait,” Gyun interjects when the king takes a breath. “This is Sunny, Your Majesty. She has something to tell you.”
