Hecate's Spell (Monsters and Gargoyles #7) - Lacey Carter Andersen Page 0,16

gruff.

Then she points to a different sort of path near it. Instead of a nearly straight path down, it’s a twisty path that leads to various small chambers. “This is the quickest path back out. And what’s more, Hades’s men do not know about it, and even if they did, they couldn’t go in. I don’t know much about it beyond that, except that it has tests to ensure that the wrong sorts of people aren’t using it.”

“What does that mean?” Because we’re usually the wrong sorts of people for everything.

She shrugs. “I’m not really sure, but it’ll be important to keep your wits about you if you use it.”

Orion begins to run his fingers over it, as if memorizing it.

Her gaze meets mine, and she smiles. “You can take the map with you, as long as you promise to use it to cause as much trouble to Hades as possible.”

Orion’s head jerks toward her, and he doesn’t even hide his surprise. “You would give this...to us.”

She shrugs. “Call me a bleeding heart, but I’m rooting for you to save your brother.”

“Thank you,” he says, and the words hold so much emotion that it hurts me to hear.

“Another thing.” Her gaze is intense. “If you find his soul, get him to follow you, but you have to know the rules of returning a soul to the world of the living.”

“Which are?” I ask, holding my breath.

“Do you know the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice?” she asks.

I say no at the same moment Orion says yes.

She sighs. “Orphesus was a man whose wife died. The story goes that he was allowed to bring her back from the Underworld, as long as he never looked back on the long journey to the surface. It is said that he was nearly to the surface when he became convinced his wife wasn’t there and that he was being tricked, so he turned around and saw her spirit drift away, then lost her forever. The tale is mostly true, except that it’s actually explaining the one loophole to the Underworld. Anyone can come and take a spirit with them, as long as they never look back to see if the person is following them. So if you find your brother, you can lead him out, and his spirit will return to his body. But if you look back to ensure he’s there, not only will his spirit return to Hades, you’ll never be able to get him out again. You have one chance.”

“Fuck,” Orion whispers, then looks down at the map.

I force a smile. “It’s okay. We weren’t planning multiple trips down anyway.”

Ryane returns my smile. “Well, I wish you the best of luck.” Then she goes and gets something the same relative size and shape as the map. She rolls the map up, ties the leather binding around it, and puts it safely into the little case, securing the top. “One more thing: bring a lot of food with you. If you eat a single piece of food in the Underworld, you’ll never be able to leave.”

Wow. The more we learn, the more dangerous the place seems, in new and unexpected ways.

“Thank you,” I say.

Orion takes the map and meets her gaze. “Sincerely, Ryane. I owe you a life debt.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t owe me anything. Just save the person you love. That’s how you can repay me.” And again, there’s a sad note to her words that makes my chest tighten. Has she lost someone she loved?

I want to ask, but I know I can’t. Lost loves aren’t exactly appropriate conversations for strangers.

We head for the door and she opens it. I glance out, looking for whatever horrible little bastard reptiles might be waiting for us, but I don’t see anything.

“Oh, and your brother’s body is somewhere safe?”

Orion frowns and looks back at her. “Yes, why?”

She gets the strangest look on her face. “Because if he should lose his head before you can save him, you won’t be able to return his spirit to his body.”

Orion’s entire body stiffens. “He’s safe.”

But I know he’s thinking the same thing I am. His body might be hidden, but there’s no one guarding him. No way to guarantee he remains safe while we’re gone.

There’s also nothing we can do about it.

“Be careful,” she says with a little wave.

We nod. My wings unravel and I make them glow, lighting the dark swamp. Orion doesn’t turn to stone, but he lets his stone wings grow from