further. “With Casey,” she replied, turning away. “I will take you to them now.”
“Hurry,” I urged as we ran through the stony halls of my former home. I could not bring myself to ask her anything about what had happened to them—what evil had sent them to their fate. My guilt choked off my voice every time I tried.
I recognized Hecate’s room as we approached, and I pushed past Aery to throw the door open unannounced. Casey, Hecate’s son and heir, was on his feet in an instant, blades drawn—a habit that would not die easily, even in the Underworld. I searched the room to find Kierson, Pierson, and Drew sitting at a table in the corner, each with a look of surprise on his face.
I felt a tear slide down my cheek.
“I am so sorry,” I said, my voice cracking on the apology; then I realized it was for naught. They, like Drew when he had first arrived in my father’s realm, would not know who I was.
“What’s going on?” Casey asked as he rushed toward me, blade still in hand. My sad gaze drifted to the three who were also headed toward us.
I fought to find the words to explain.
“I…I found…”
“Khara?” Kierson said, reaching for my hand. “Why are you here? What happened?”
Every cell in my body went still at the sound of my name on his tongue.
“You remember who I am?” I asked, stepping closer.
His brow furrowed and he reached for my forehead, pressing the back of his hand to it. “Did they fuck with you up there?” he asked. “The Light Ones...did they do something to you?”
I choked on a laugh, the joy I felt in that moment spilling past my dread and sorrow. I did not bother to respond, but instead threw my arms around his waist and held him tight as I buried my face in his chest. He smelled as he always had—felt as he had always felt.
“Is she tripping on something?” Casey asked, pulling me away from our brother.
“I saw your bones,” I said, looking over at Pierson and Drew. “All three of yours…”
“Have her sit,” Pierson ordered. He led the way to the table, and the others ushered me into a chair.
“Should we get Hades?” Kierson asked, but Casey waved him off.
“Just let her talk—even if it’s nonsense.”
“I saw your remains,” I said, working hard to contain the barrage of emotions coursing through me. “At the Victorian…I flew there as soon as I fled the Hallowed Gates—”
“Fled?” Casey growled.
“Yes. Fled.”
“Why would you have to flee the Hallowed Gates?”
When I did not respond right away, they put the pieces together.
“Are you saying that the fear god somehow got to you there?”
“Yes. He attacked my mother’s home. By the time I was able to escape my room, all I could see was smoke and ash, and I heard him calling me.”
“Holy shit,” Kierson muttered under his breath. “Wait! Where’s your mother?”
I dropped my gaze to my hands. “My mother took me to my room upon our arrival and stated that she had a matter to attend to and would be back later—that she would not miss her chance to sit with me and catch up on everything that she had missed. But she never returned.”
“Do you think she’s…?”
“Dead?” I said on his behalf. “Though it is possible, I do not believe she is. I searched for her before I left and found nothing. She had left long before the fear god’s attack, so unless she went to meet him or he intercepted her during her journey, I do not think he is responsible for her disappearance.”
“Khara,” Drew said softly, “do you think that maybe you just want to believe that?”
“Of course I do, but that does not mean it is untrue.” I pinned him in place with a harsh stare. “She is my mother. I would know if she were dead.” I turned to Kierson and Pierson respectively. “And would you two not have foreseen her death?”
They shared a silent look before Pierson spoke. “Given her importance and her connection to you, I feel that is likely.”
“Then until I learn otherwise, she is missing.”
My brothers nodded in unison. “We’ll find her,” Kierson assured me, “one way or another…”
The ferocity in my tone evaporated. “As I found you.”
“Can we get back to the part about the bodies at the Victorian?” Casey asked.
“Yeah, I’m kinda spiraling about that one.” Kierson looked more befuddled than ever. The way his features scrunched with confusion brought a faint,