size, half of them looked dead, and the other half seemed like they were almost there.
“Have they always looked like this?” I asked as Sally and Horse stopped about forty feet away.
“Yes.” Hades surveyed them with an impassive gaze. “But it’s the strongest, biggest forest we have.”
I studied the sturdy trunks and twisted branches, the leaves that decorated only half the trees. Even those were falling at an alarming rate. Some scrubby grasses and a few bushes grew on the forest floor between the trees, but it was relatively barren.
The entire place made me sad.
I shoved away the thought and turned to Hades. “Now what?”
“We go in. We’ll practice. You’ll feel your power unlock when you’ve gained control. It will be very distinct. You won’t miss it.”
I nodded, my gaze on the trees. I could feel animal life as well, now that I focused on it. Like I had a sixth sense for the heartbeats of smaller creatures.
“What else lives in this forest?” I asked.
“Rabbits, wolves, rodents. Not many, but they are there.”
“Was the underworld always so miserable and dark?”
He looked at me sharply, but it wasn’t offense I saw in his gaze. He wasn’t the sort to become offended—he was too confident, and he didn’t actually care what anyone else thought, from what I could tell. Instead, he looked curious, as if I’d asked a question whose answer he should know, but realized he didn’t.
“I’m not sure,” he said, confirming my suspicions. His jaw set, and his gaze closed down. “Come. We’ll practice.”
He directed Horse toward the middle of the forest, and I followed, Sally picking her way between the trees. We reached a clearing, and Hades dismounted gracefully.
I tried to mimic his movements, but my foot got tangled up in the stirrup. My stomach pitched, and I was about to lose my grip when his strong hands gripped my waist.
Embarrassment burned through me as he helped me down. I vowed to learn to do this better.
After he set me on the ground, I turned. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah. But I don’t know what for.”
“Come.” He gestured for me to follow him deeper into the forest. After a moment’s walk, he stopped in the middle of a circular clearing surrounded by huge oaks. They soared overhead, their twisted branches reaching toward the sky, forming a cage around us.
I stopped in front of him and looked up, trying not to be caught in his gaze. There was something about looking right at him that made my mind go a bit fuzzy. But I couldn’t afford to lose my focus, especially if he was going to touch me.
Hades
Seraphia looked up at me, her gaze set and determined. She was tiny but fierce. I’d known it ever since I’d first started watching her.
But she’d grown even stronger in her time away from me. Even more determined.
I liked it. I liked when she showed her spine of steel and refused to back down.
It was odd to admit to liking anything. As with emotion, liking things or finding pleasure in them was entirely strange.
And she seemed to ignite the most emotion of all. Even my people had been able to see what she was. They’d been bowing to her as much as to me, and the sight had filled me with a strong sense of satisfaction.
“So?” she asked. “How are you supposed to teach me my magic?”
“It’s not dissimilar to what we did before. But I’m not teaching so much as I’m helping you access it.”
“What do you mean, exactly?”
“I become a conduit for you to access your power. By touching another god, it helps you more effectively find and use your own power.”
She nodded. “All right. That’s kind of what it felt like before. You’ll touch my shoulder?”
“Yes, but you’re trying to control more than a small plant this time. You’re trying to control the forest.” I reached for her shoulder, moving slowly so that she’d see me coming.
She stiffened, watching warily, and I gently gripped her left shoulder. Her body burned under my gloved palm, sending a shiver up my arm. I swallowed hard as I turned her around to face away from me. I rested my hands on each shoulder, standing so close to her that it made my entire body vibrate.
“See what you can do,” I said.
She nodded, staring out at the trees. Her hair gleamed in the low light, twisted into a braid that fell down her back. The smell of it seeped into me, making my breath