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A smaller man in silver-gray robes with feathers in his hair appeared beside Hades. Hades said something to him and the man disappeared.

I stared at Hades for a moment and whispered, “She’s been traumatized. You have to give her time.”

Across the huge hall and through scores of people, he turned to me. “She’s free.”

I nodded, happy no one else was paying attention to our conversation. “She is, but the fae king disguised himself as you when he abducted her.”

His face darkened in rage.

“All this time, she’s thought you were the one who imprisoned her, not understanding what she could have done to anger you. She knows now, but that’s not the sort of thing that just snaps off in your brain. She’ll need time to readjust her thinking and her heartbreak.”

“Understood,” he said.

“Also, time runs differently in Faerie. She was horrified to learn she’d been missing for thousands of years. I don’t know how long it was for her, but it was nowhere near as long as it was for you.”

He nodded. “Good.”

“My companions want to know if we can go now.”

He nodded.

“Great. The thing is, though, I don’t have my obol or the food for the journey. Can you bend the obol rule for me?”

Persephone looked over her mother’s shoulder and saw me. She cut through the crowd, crossing the long hall to me, Hades at her side.

“There you are,” she said, reaching out and taking my hands in hers. “I can never thank you enough. Anything—and I do mean anything—you need, please come to me first.”

I looked between Persephone and Hades. “Um, well, there is one thing.”

“Oh!” She dropped my hands and went into a tiny pocket at her waist. She pulled out an obol and placed it in my hand, folding my fingers over it. “I heard you lost yours in a fight to get to me.” She pulled me toward her and went on tiptoe to kiss my cheek. “We’ve kept you from your loved ones long enough.” She turned back to Hades. “Send them home the easy way.”

He wrapped an arm around Persephone. “Of course.” He took in the four of us. “We wish you all well.” His gaze locked on me and then he tipped his head.

My stomach dropped, like I was falling from a great height, and then we were standing in a different part of the Underworld. We all spun around, trying to locate any sort of landmark to tell us where we were.

Chapter 26.5

THE FERRYMAN’S REST, HOUR 67

Meanwhile, it was approaching midnight, and the Drakes were getting ready to return to their rooms. Spirits were low this evening. Sam, Coco, Stheno, and Bracken had been gone almost three full days now. The longer this dragged on, the more on edge everyone was.

Clive and Vlad sat by the front window. Owen, George, Fyr, and Alec were playing cards in the center of the barroom, while Benvair looked on. Clive felt a breeze across his ring finger. He looked down and saw his hand was bare. His wedding ring had disappeared.

Clive jumped to his feet, his chair falling to the floor. Vlad stood as well, watching Clive warily. The card players all turned in their seats.

“What is it?” Vlad asked.

Clive held up his left hand. “What does this mean? She’s not—” He couldn’t finish. Sam couldn’t be dead. That couldn’t be what this meant.

Vlad shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“What happened?” Owen whispered.

“His wedding ring disappeared,” Benvair replied.

Owen gasped. “No.”

“I’m done waiting for word,” Clive told Vlad before flying out the front door. He raced over the cliff and down the stairs. He was rounding the outcropping of rocks before the entrance to the Underworld when Vlad dropped from the cliff above to block him.