Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,24

place is massive.” Hades continued searching for a moment more, climbing onto a massive pile of fallen stones to my right. “I don’t see it either.”

Though we’d followed the path to the proper part of the city, it was still far too big. We would be here until sunset if we had to cover the entire area on foot.

Hades climbed down from the pile of stones and strode toward me. He wrapped a powerful arm around my waist, and his wings flared from his back. I felt the flash of light inside him and caught the grimace on his face. Effortlessly, he swept me up into his arms.

“We’ll search from the air,” he said.

Before I could protest, he shot into the sky, his wings carrying us effortlessly toward the clouds. Once we were high enough to see a good portion of the town, he stopped.

“Do you feel very conflicted when you use your wings?” I asked, remembering the slight grimace that had faded so quickly.

“Not as much as I used to.”

“Why?”

His gaze met mine, his dark blue eyes seeming to devour me. “You.”

“Me?”

He nodded but didn’t seem inclined to explain. “Now search.”

My gaze lingered on his face a moment, then I turned away and looked down at the ruins, searching for the cauldron.

“Why do I make the conflict go away?” I asked, unable to keep from prodding.

“The pain,” he said, and I looked at him. “Though I still feel the conflict, the worst of the pain is gone.”

It wasn’t a full answer, but from the tight set of his jaw, it was all he would tell me. I looked back at the ground, searching for the massive cauldron.

I spotted it a few moments later, sitting in the middle of a large open square. I pointed. “There.”

He nodded and flew down, moving swiftly. The wind tore at my hair, and I clung to him, liking the feel of being in his arms despite my best judgment. He landed gracefully and set me down.

My knees wobbled slightly as I got my feet under me, then I stepped way, my skin still burning from my contact with him.

The cauldron was taller than I was and at least fifteen feet across. It was carved with ornate swirls that rose to form stalks of wheat.

“Demeter,” I murmured.

“It seems that part of the myth may be correct,” Hades said.

“But what do we do here?” I spun around, taking in the decayed city. Columns had once surrounded an open square, but most of them had fallen over. Buildings too, and they were little more than rubble.

“I do not know.” Hades stalked around the square, searching for clues.

I walked up to the cauldron, drawn by the beautiful carvings. Had my mother commissioned these? Or created them with magic?

I pressed my hand to one of the stalks of wheat. Magic flared at my palm, and I gasped. Understanding hit me. “I need to make a sacrifice. Make it clear who I am.”

Hades joined me, worry in his eyes. “What kind of sacrifice?”

“Blood. Not a lot.”

He nodded. “Into the cauldron, I presume.”

“Yes.”

“All right.” He strode to an enormous block of stone and picked it up. Though the thing had to weight hundreds, maybe thousands, of pounds, he treated it like it was Styrofoam.

In minutes, he had a stone stairway built to reach the top of the cauldron.

“Thank you.” I ascended the makeshift stairs until I could see into the cauldron.

It was deep yet dry, as if the rain were not able to collect inside. Even stranger, there was a silver dagger sitting on the wide stone rim, right in front of me.

“She expected you,” Hades said from behind me.

I turned back, realizing that he stood only inches behind me. His proximity made my heart thud, and I turned away, doing my best to ignore him.

Quickly, I picked up the dagger and held it to my forearm.

“Be careful,” Hades said. “Not too much.”

“I’ll be fine.” I drew the dagger in a line down my forearm, letting red blood spill free. Pain flared, and I grimaced, watching the blood drip into the cauldron.

As soon as it hit the stone bottom, smoke curled upward. It had the faintest green tinge and smelled of wild growing things. I drew it deeply into my lungs, comforted by the smell. A smile spread across my face.

Quickly, the smoke spread through the air, curling tendrils that wrapped around the fallen columns and stone blocks. As I watched, the city rebuilt itself, the columns rising upward and the