Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,40
the same side. So damned close. And yet still so far away.
He strode to the edge of the pit and looked down into its depths. I joined him, gazing into the blackness. As I watched, bright lights began to circle, glittering in the abyss of space.
“Stars,” I murmured.
“Precisely.” He looked at me. “If a person falls into the pit without a destination or a way to get there, they will reach a portal that leads to Tartarus. To death and torture. But if one knows how to navigate, it is possible to visit the stars and those who can read them.”
“Wait, what do you mean, the stars? Not outer space, right?” That was just too crazy.
“No, not in the way your human astronauts visit outer space. It is another portal that will lead us to the Astra Planeta. If I fly, that is.” His wings flared behind his back, bringing with them a rush of magic that made me dizzy.
“So you mean we have to choose the correct portal? The one that goes to the Astra Planeta, not the one that goes to Tartarus? One wrong turn and we’re tortured for eternity?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. The portal to Tartarus is at the very bottom. Extremely far away.”
I breathed deeply of his firelight scent, meeting his gaze. “Okay. If you’re sure this will work.”
“Yes. I would never put you at risk.” With a powerful motion, he swept me up into his arms. “Are you ready?”
I drew a shuddery breath and nodded. I believed him when he said he’d never risk me. The first time I’d fallen into this pit had been terrifying. This would be better. Hopefully.
He rose into the air, his wings carrying us easily until we hovered over the pit. Then he descended, flying into the darkness. It no longer felt evil the way it had, but it was still pitch black. My heart thundered as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, clinging close.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
As we flew, I began to see the bright lights of stars swirling around us. Wind whipped past my hair, and the emptiness echoed through me, making me hold tighter to Hades.
“We’re nearly to the portal.”
“Good. This is creepy.”
The ether sucked us in and spun us through space. A few moments later, the ether ejected us onto the side of a massive mountain made of pale stone. It gleamed under the moonlight, and millions of stars danced overhead. A massive white marble palace sat on the side of the mountain, columns rising high.
Hades landed gracefully in a courtyard, folding his wings into his back. Gently, he lowered me to the ground, but he stayed close.
I turned in a circle to take in the huge palace. “Is this Mount Olympus?”
He nodded. “Part of it. We are on the eastern side, where the Astra Planeta live.”
“Wow.” I could feel the magic in the air, so thick and powerful that it made me shiver. “I can’t believe we’re really here.”
“The Astra Planeta chose to make their home here because it is closest to the stars. It’s the easiest place to reach them, so they can read the history written there.” He held out a hand to me. “Now come, we will go to meet them.”
I joined him, holding his hand as we walked. It wasn’t a casual gesture of friendship or closeness, but rather a bond between us. I felt stronger when I touched him, as if I really were connected to the other half of myself.
“Have you met them before?” I asked.
“I have not.”
“Are they like seers?”
“Not quite. Seers can see pieces of the past and the future, but the Astra Planeta can see all of it.”
As we neared the main entrance of the palace, we slowed. Two huge, pale wooden doors barred our way, and I felt a buzz of magic as we approached.
The doors swung open silently to reveal four female attendants. Each wore robes of pure white trimmed in black, their hair piled on top of their heads and pinned up with golden ornaments.
The tallest one stepped forward. “You seek an audience with the Astra Planeta?”
“We do,” Hades said.
“If you will please follow me.” She turned and gestured for us to follow.
We climbed the stairs and entered a yawning domed hall. After the darkness outside, it was so brilliantly white that it nearly blinded me, and the large empty waiting room that they led us to was no different. The whole palace seemed to be built of pure white marble.
The