That was one thing about Cernunnos—he didn’t stand on ceremony. If there was work to do, he got it done. If there was something to find out, he went in search of it. And he didn’t abide shirkers in his court.
Morgana gave me a weary smile. She actually looked tired and I wondered what could make a goddess tired. She accepted the chair that Cernunnos pulled out for her, sitting to my right. The Lord of the Forest then sat beside her, barely fitting in the average-sized chair.
“Viktor was abducted by Gyell, a shadow dragon who’s been stirring up trouble with the vrykos,” Herne said.
An idea suddenly struck me. “I know! We need to call Ashera. If anybody would have an idea of where Gyell took Viktor, it would be her.” I jumped out of my seat. “I’m going to call her now.”
“Good thought,” Herne said, waving me on.
I moved to the sofa, putting in a call to Ashera.
She answered on the first ring. “Ember, what’s up?” She had picked up on English faster than I ever thought anyone could, but then again, dragons were incredibly intelligent.
“Gyell captured Viktor. Do you know where he might have taken him? He grabbed hold of him and they disappeared.” The words tumbled out of my mouth.
She gasped. “Oh no. Tell me what happened.”
I ran down the attack at the nursing home and how Gyell had been there. “We couldn’t do anything. They just vanished. We had to fight off the vrykos, and then, when we finished, there was still no sign of either one so we came back to the office and now we’re trying to figure out how to locate him. Do you think Gyell killed him outright?” I added, dreading the answer.
She paused for a moment, then said, “No, I don’t. Viktor’s a good bargaining chip. My guess is that he’ll try to use him to lure all of you in. You—the Wild Hunt—are a direct threat to Typhon, so it makes sense for Gyell to do his best to bring down the entire agency. He’ll know enough to realize that he can’t kill Herne, but he can destroy the rest of you. No matter whether he offers you a deal or not, you can’t trust him. Shadow dragons are treacherous. All of the Luminous Warriors are. They beguile and charm and say whatever you want to hear in order to get what they want.”
“Where do you think he took Viktor?”
“Into the Underworld,” Ashera said. “That’s where Gyell will be strongest.”
My heart sank. “But…can Viktor survive there? He’s alive. Can the living exist in the lands of the dead?”
Ashera cleared her throat. “Yes, for a while. Stay too long and you’ll fade and become a wight. The Underworld is filled with wights and creatures that were once alive but haven’t yet died. They live in the Between, the space between life and death. It’s a shadowy world of fire and smoke, and endless twilight.”
I closed my eyes, swaying. The Between… I had never heard of the realm before and now that I had, I wished I hadn’t. It sounded like a horrible place.
“Limbo,” I whispered.
“Yes, it’s very much like limbo. But Ember…if Viktor does fade into the Between, then you’ll never be able to bring him back. You have to rescue him before then, or he’ll be lost for good. Even ghosts can be freed from their state, but once you’re caught in the Between, you’ll never escape.” Ashera paused, then added, “I’d offer to help you, but I cannot go there—the only dragons who can enter the Underworld are shadow dragons.”
I thought for a moment. “What happens when you die? When dragons die, I mean. Where do they go, if not to the Underworld?”
“Our spirits travel to the Summerlands—some of us. Others actually end up in Valhalla, and still others, in darker realms. Like mortals, it varies depending on who we are and what we’ve done in our lives and the gods we may be connected to.” She sighed. “I wish I could go with you, but I can’t. However, you cannot enter the Underworld if you’re still alive, not without a guide. And stay with that guide at all times. You might want to contact your friend Raven—she can guide you, given she’s pledged to a god of death.”
After asking me to let her know what we were going to do, Ashera signed off.
I returned to the table, feeling grim. “So, Gyell most