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“We don’t know what that means yet,” Vlad said.

“We know enough,” Clive countered. “She’s been gone almost three days. It was supposed to be a quick trip to help Meg.” Eyes vamp black, he growled, “When I get my hands on Meg…”

Clive dove for the entrance, but Vlad snatched him out of the air and tossed him into the ocean. Clive scrambled up the rocks easily and went for Vlad, who was more than happy to beat his friend. Clearly, a distraction was needed. The men were equally matched, though Clive was taller and had a longer reach, which gave him a slight advantage.

They’d been beating the crap out of one another for quite a while when they both stopped and turned to the man who had appeared beside them. He wore gray robes and had feathers for hair.

“Excuse me,” the man said. “I am Hermes. Hades asked me to tell you that the quest is complete. Your loved ones will be returning soon.”

“Sam is alive?” Clive asked.

Hermes paused, his head tilted to the side as though listening to something. Finally, he nodded. “She is. They are all well and will be returning soon. You should go to The Ferryman’s Rest.”

“I want to be here when she comes out,” Clive told him.

Hermes paused again. “They won’t traverse the Underworld this time. Hades will deliver them to The Ferryman’s Rest.”

Clive raced away. Vlad bowed his head in thanks to Hermes. “Please excuse my friend. Young love and all that.”

Hermes raised his feathery eyebrows. “He’s not young.”

“No, indeed, he is not,” Vlad replied. “You’re correct. The poor man had to wait a thousand years and cross the world to find an all-encompassing, all-consuming love. He’s quite besotted and beside himself without her.”

Hermes tucked a feather behind his ear. “I’d like a love like that.”

“Wouldn’t we all,” Vlad replied wistfully.

Hermes disappeared and Vlad made his way back to the bar. When he saw Clive standing alone inside, he turned to the guest rooms and said, “Dragons, they’re returning now. Come back to the bar.” He didn’t bother raising his voice. He knew he didn’t have to.

As he opened the door to The Ferryman’s Rest, the dragons came running from their rooms. He held the door as they rushed past him. The questions began, but Clive ignored them, staring hard at the door they’d seen Charon go through.

“Sit,” Vlad told them. “We have no idea if this will take a few minutes or a few hours.”

“What happened?” Benvair demanded. “How do you know they’re on their way back? And what happened to you two? You look like you fell off the cliff.”

Vlad looked down at his ripped and dirty clothes. He knew any injuries to their persons had healed by now. Unfortunately, not so their clothes. “We went for a jog.”

Owen laughed.

“We were visited by Hermes,” Vlad explained. “He told us that Hades had sent him, that they were all alive, and that they were on their way back.”

Fyr stood and made for the front door, but Vlad stepped in his path and held up a hand.

“Not that way.” Vlad pointed in the direction Clive was looking. “He told us Hades wasn’t making them walk back through the Underworld, that he was delivering them here.” Vlad glanced over at Benvair. “As to when, I have no idea how long it takes gods to transport people.”

Chapter 27

SERIOUSLY? NO ONE WANTS ME DEAD RIGHT NOW? THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED!

When I turned around in the dark, I came face to chest with a huge shadow. I eeped embarrassingly while Stheno threw herself at it. “Mio! I asked, but he didn’t respond. I didn’t think he was going to let you go.”

He picked her up and spun her around. “I knew it. The minute I saw you, I knew you’d get me out.” He let her down and she squeezed him hard around the middle.

“You can thank the squeaky one over there,” she said, gesturing to me. “She rescued Persephone, so Hades was agreeable to just about anything.”

Mio looked over the top of Stheno’s head. “Where are we?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “Anyone have any ideas?”