The Immortal Throne

by Bree Despain

  “Shady!” I shout even though I have no voice.

  Shady and Tobin brought the Shades to save us.

  “Kore, youuu safe,” he says, holding out his arms.

  I run to him and throw my arms around his chest. He grips me tight in his leathery gray arms.

  Haden starts to yell out a warning, but then stops. “Um . . . Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is Daphne hugging a Shade?” he says.

  “I had the same reaction earlier today,” Tobin says.

  “Tobin!” I let go of Shady and practically tackle Tobin to the ground.

  He laughs and pretends to push me off of him. “You trying to make Haden jealous?”

  I laugh too. I can’t help it. It’s a strange sensation—considering my laughter makes no sound. I am so relieved to see him.

  “What happened to your voice?” Tobin asks.

  I point to the sky, indicating the song that flutters through the air.

  “Okaaay?” Tobin says.

  “Long story,” Haden says.

  “How?” I ask, mouthing my words. I point to Tobin and throw out my arms and slash my hands about as if I were a Keres clawing at him. Something I noticed from tackling him is that his skin is unmarked. All the burns, and bruises, and even the melted handprint on his chest, are gone. Faded away without leaving any scars behind. I had expected to see more marks on him after his getting left to fend for himself with the Keres, not . . . none.

  “What now?” Tobin smirks at my terrible attempt at communicating via charades.

  “I think she’s asking how you survived the Keres after you two were separated at Persephone’s Gate. Granted, we’re grateful you’re not, but honestly we all thought you’d be dead.”

  “Me too,” Tobin says, placing his hat back on his head. He digs into the pocket of his toga. “Turns out you dropped something,” he says, holding up a glittering antique key in front of me. “Did you know this thing can make you immortal? The Keres couldn’t hurt me—though they certainly tried. I had five Keres cocooned around me at one point. Your friend here, Shady, he came to my rescue.”

  I beam up at Shady. “How?” I mouth, pantomiming pushing through a swarm of Keres.

  “How did he get through the Keres to rescue me?” Tobin asks, trying to interpret my gestures.

  I nod.

  “Keres suck life force.” Shady shrugs. “Shady already dead.”

  The Shades—they were the ultimate weapon against the Keres. They can’t die because they’re already dead. It’s a good thing they’re on our side.

  But why are they on our side?

  “Shady got me out of there, thinking I was about to die. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had the Key. It must have fallen from your pocket into my shoe or something, because that’s where I found it. Shady was the one who gathered the Shades. He’s like a Shade whisperer or something. He told them what he wanted and they went from being all, ‘Let me eat your face’ to ‘Sure thing, Boss’ almost instantly. We figured we’d fight our way back to the gate and lock it to keep the Keres from getting out. We were headed there now when we saw your group in trouble.”

  “Thank goodness you did!” I shout, grabbing both Shady and Tobin into a group hug. “Thank you, Shady, for saving my friend. Thank you for saving us.”

  “Daphne,” Haden says, approaching. I wave to him to join our group hug. He refrains. “Daphne, if you haven’t noticed yet, you’re speaking to a Shade.”

  “I know, we can understand each other.”

  “I gathered that . . . But the point is, you can speak.”

  “Of course I can speak . . .” I let go of Shady and Tobin. “Oh! I can speak!”

  My voice has returned—the others can hear me! I let out a little trill of notes, testing it out. I have never been so grateful to hear the sound of my own voice inside my head. It’s something I’ll never take for granted again.

  “What do you think it means?” Haden says, pointing up at the sky.

  I listen, and realize the song has stopped. My voice no longer echoes along the beach.

  “Jonathan?” I say. “Do you think something happened to him?”

  Haden shakes his head. “I don’t know. Maybe he stopped because the Keres retreated. Maybe they’ve retreated from the gate also?”

  “Or maybe he’s hurt.”

  “Either way, if you’re feeling well enough, we should get these people to the gate as quickly and possible and find out what’s going on.”

  Before I turn away, Shady places his gangly hand over my shoulder. “Persephone?” he asks. “Was youuur friend able to find Persephone? Has she been returned tooo this realm?”

  I lower my eyes and shake my head. “Not yet.”

  It takes only seven trips to get everyone to the docks near Persephone’s Gate, instead of the ten it took to transport everyone out of the palace. That’s how many men, women, and children we lost during the Keres attack. All the back and forth takes less than a minute, but I am so exhausted by the time I bring the last group—me, Shady, Tobin, and Haden—that I let Haden scoop me up in his arms again and carry me up the riverbank. The sky is clear here, no dark clouds, no flocks of Keres in the air, but I hum my song as Haden carries me, just in case.

  The sandy beach is strewn with evidence of battle. I am glad I do not have to pick my way through the remnants of Keres and the bodies of both our allies and the fallen Underlords. I bury my face into Haden’s shoulder when I see the body of a man lying face down in the sand with a familiar battle-ax clutched in his blood caked hand. Aris, one of Ethan’s men.

  We enter the ravine, our band of Underrealm refugees trailing behind us. The air is smoky from small, smoldering fires that must have been set by lightning, so it takes a moment before I can see our friends. I hold my breath all the while. They’re gathered at the far end of the ravine, still protecting the glowing green gate. I recognize Jessica, Dax, and Abbie right away, as well as Ren, with a few of the Skylord soldiers, but I don’t see Jonathan, Ethan, Psyche . . . or Joe.

  Abbie comes running from the group when she sees us, her arms stretched out and her red curls bouncing around her head. “Tobin!” she shouts.

  “Abbie?” Tobin breaks into a run, meeting his sister halfway through the ravine. They hug like two siblings who haven’t seen each other in years—which is exactly what they are.

  “You’ve gotten so tall!” Abbie says, which is funny because she’s at least three inches taller than he is. He must have been pretty darn short six years ago.

  Dax follows Abbie. He’s got a terrible gash on one of his arms. He gives us a welcoming wave with his other one but there’s a deep look of concern in his eyes.

  “What happened here?” I ask as Haden sets me down. “Is everyone okay?”

  “Things got pretty hairy. Terresa and many of her Skylords bailed on us and retreated back through the gate. Joe was injured . . .

  “Joe?” Panic rises in my voice. “What’s wrong? Where is he?”

  “Don’t worry, Daphne. He’ll live and that’s what matters . . . I sent him back into the mortal world. Crux is making sure he gets to the hospital. Like I said, things got pretty hairy and our numbers were dwindling. Just when I thought all hope was lost, the strangest thing happened. Hundreds of Shades came and started attacking the Keres. With their help, we were able to kill most of them. The rest retreated and the Shades chased after them.”

  “Your doing?” I ask, turning to Shady, who stands a few feet behind us.

  He nods.

  “Whoa,” Dax says, taking a step back. “That’s the biggest Shade I’ve ever seen.”

  “Don’t worry, he’s a friend,” I say. “He’s the one who sent the others to help you.”

  “Then thank you, friend,” Dax says, nodding to Shady. “We were able to keep the gate secure, but we’re glad you’re back, Daphne. The Keres may return now that the song has stopped. Jonathan . . .” Dax’s voice trails off and he and Abbie exchange a mournful look before Dax glances
back over his shoulder. “Jonathan is . . .”

  “What?” I ask. “Is Jonathan okay? Is he hurt?”

  I don’t wait for Dax’s answer and push past him to where I see Ethan standing behind the wall of shields. Jessica stands beside him. Both their heads are bowed. Dax and Haden follow me. The soldiers break rank in order to let us through their defensive formation. Jonathan sits on the ground, his back to us. His head slumps over his chest.

  “It isn’t Jonathan, it’s Psyche,” Dax says.

  I realize then that Jonathan is holding Psyche cradled in his arms. He rocks slightly, clutching her to his chest. Her arm hangs limply out from her side. It takes me a moment to realize she isn’t sleeping—she has passed away.

  “She saved me,” Ethan says in a reverent whisper. “I would have died if she hadn’t intervened.”

  “Then perhaps she can still be saved,” Haden says to Jonathan. “Surely her soul went to Elysium. Perhaps you can call her back—with true love’s kiss—as she did with you.”

  Jonathan shakes his head. “I already tried. It’s no use. I heard the Oracle’s voice. She said Psyche’s journey is over. Her thread has been cut. It’s time for her to rest . . .” His voice falters into a sob. I kneel by his side, and wrap my arms around his shoulder.

  He leans his head against mine, and I hold a god while he cries.

  chapter forty-eight

  haden

  Daphne holds Jonathan while he sobs. His pain is almost palpable. I know the agony of being torn from a loved one. Daphne and I had only been separated for a few days and it almost killed me—yet, I still can’t fully fathom how Jonathan feels, having been kept from Psyche for centuries only to be reunited and then lose her again in one day’s time.

  After a while, Ethan takes Daphne’s place holding his father, and she and I remove ourselves from their small huddle around Psyche, giving them time to mourn in relative privacy. I call the rest of our comrades together. We need to regroup. The Keres have retreated for now, but they will surely return.

  “Do you still have the Key?” I ask Tobin.

  He holds it up. “Nifty little thing. Saved my life. Think I might hang on to it for a while.”

  “What I do not understand,” I say, “is why the Key protected you. I am happy it did, but I was under the impression that a Kronolithe will only work in the hands of a proper heir.”

  “What do you mean?” Tobin asks.

  “Because of the vow Ren made saying that the heir to the Underrealm would be whoever brought the Cypher to him, that made Garrick the rightful heir. But he’s dead,” I say. “And there was no successor in place, so the authority would have fallen to the queen, I suppose.”

  “As in me?” Daphne says. “Did I become the new heir?”

  “Possibly,” Dax says.

  “But then I dropped it—essentially handing it off to Tobin,” Daphne says. “So perhaps that’s why it worked for him. I’d passed on the mantle, so to speak. Or maybe it just sees something in Tobin. Shady told me the pomegranate Kronolithe only works for me because it recognizes me as a suitable replacement for Persephone—so if the Key saved Tobin’s life, does that mean he’s the new—” Daphne exchanges a look with me. I know what she’s thinking. We both look at Tobin. He doesn’t seem particularly godly with his rumpled fedora and torn toga—but there does seem to be a strange glow about him. And all of his wounds have been healed . . .

  “Wait, why are you staring at me like that?” Tobin asks.

  “All of your bruises and burns are gone,” Daphne says.

  “Yeah, so?”

  “I think what Daphne is saying,” I interject, “is that the Key has chosen you to be the new ruler of the Underrealm.”

  “Wait, what?” Tobin says, staring at the Key. “Ruler? No way.”

  “Not just a ruler . . . The new Hades.”

  Tobin gapes at us.

  “Look at you, little bro,” Abbie says, clapping him on the back. “New god of the Underrealm.”

  “No, seriously, what?” Tobin holds the small Key out in front of him as if it were something distasteful to touch. “I don’t think I want this anymore. I mean, my goal for this year was to get a lead in the school play and have a date for prom. I did not sign up for godhood. Who’s going to take this thing from me?”

  The group falls silent, looking from one to another.

  “Seriously, guys,” Tobin says, his voice growing high-pitched with panic. “I am not qualified to run an entire realm. Somebody take this thing from me.”

  After a moment, Ren steps forward from the soldiers’ phalanx. “You wish to pass on the mantle of Hades?” he asks.

  “Um, yeah. Like with all my heart,” Tobin says.

  “Then as the former king of the Underrealm, I think it is my duty.” Ren takes the Key from Tobin, who does not protest, and I find myself holding my breath. For several months I have worried what would happen if my father ever got his hands on the Key. What he would be like with the power of immortality. I didn’t imagine I would stand motionless at the time, allowing him to take it in his hand.

  Ren holds the small Key on the flat of his palm, almost as if trying to judge its weight. He looks up at me with a small smile on his lips. It is such an unfamiliar expression for his face that it catches me completely off-guard. “It is my duty and my honor to hand this to you, Haden,” he says. He falls to one knee and holds the Key out to me. He bows his head and shoves his other fist against the ground—the ultimate sign of respect in my realm. “My son. My king. My god.”

  I feel the breath I had been holding rush out of my lungs. I stare at my bowing father and the Key he holds out in his hand. This moment, this thing he offers, it’s everything I always wanted from him—and more. The honor alone, not to mention the trust he is putting in me. I merely dreamed of being his heir, the crown prince. His son. Now he is offering me so much more—godhood. Immortality. An entire realm at my command . . .

  Daphne places her hand on my back. Her touch reminds me to breathe again. Reminds me of what I truly want . . .

  “I cannot take it,” I say.

  “Yes, you can,” Ren says. “You deserve it. Much more than I ever could. You saved the last of our people. They will forever be loyal to you. You are the one who can lead them into a new era . . . Besides, it is high time I accept my forced retirement. The Key is yours.”

  “I thank you for the honor, Father,” I say. “Alas, I do not want it, and I cannot accept it.”

  I do not want to be immortal. I do not want to be a ruler. I want to be human—or at least embrace my human half. When the battle is over, I want to return to the mortal realm. I want to be with Daphne.

  I look at her. She stands beside me, but her focus is set on the edge of the ravine, where her Shade friend stands like a sentinel. I can hear the screeching cry of the Keres in the distance. They are returning.

  “Then to whom shall I bestow it?” Ren says. “This realm may be in shambles, but that is exactly why we need a leader. Someone who can bring us out of the dark.”

  Daphne steps forward. “Give it to me,” she says, outstretching her hand.

  chapter forty-nine

  daphne

  Since I was a young girl, I’ve known exactly what I wanted out of life. To be a singer. To use my music to become a star and have an impact on the world around me. But it isn’t until this very moment, as I take the Key in my hand, that I truly realize what my life has been destined for.

  I see it now—that every step in my life has brought me to this place at this very moment. If I had not inherited Orpheus’s voice, making me the Cypher. If Joe hadn’t brought me to Olympus Hills. If Haden himself had not been chosen to find me. If we hadn’t joined forces to find the Key. If I had not fallen in love with him and followed him into the Underrealm after he was kidnapped by Rowan. If I had not traded myself for Haden and bound myself to Garrick, receiving his gift of Persephone’s pomegranate necklace. If I had not escaped. If Shady hadn’t saved me and I di
scovered that he and I could communicate. If I hadn’t experienced the plight of the people here firsthand and found compassion for the dead, and realized how badly the original rulers of this realm are sorely needed. If Shady hadn’t become my friend and brought the Shades to save us. If Haden had not told me the Oracle's prophesy that I would restore something that had been lost from the Underrealm centuries ago. If all of that hadn’t happened, then I would not know what I am supposed to do—what I am destined to do with the Key now.

  I take the small key and whisper the word megalo to it. It elongates into a two-pronged bident in my hand. Hades’s golden staff. I leave Haden and the others behind—I know they don’t understand what I need to do, but there isn’t time to explain. I walk to the end of the ravine where Shady waits, preparing for the Keres’s return.

  “They’rrre coming,” Shady moans.

  “I know,” I say. “I can hear them, and they’re angry. They cry for retribution. For blood.”

  “Can youuu stop them, Kore?” Shady asks, turning his featureless face toward me. He takes in a quick breath when he sees the Key. He steps back with a bowed head as if showing it reverence.

  I think about how large he is—at least twice the size of any other Shade I’ve ever seen. He’s more cognizant, too. Smart and full of feeling. I think of his devotion to Persephone even in death—as if he were bound to her somehow. I think of the way the other Shades followed his lead. The way he could command them.

  “No. I can’t stop the Keres, but I think you can.” I hold the Key out to him. “I think this belongs to you.”

  Shady shakes his head and takes another step back in protest. “I cannnnot touch such a thing. I am merely a Shade. I ammm not worthy . . .”

  The screeching wail of the Keres cuts off his protest. Black shadowy clouds—masses of the remaining Keres—have infiltrated the beach, and they’re headed this way. They’ll overtake the ravine in seconds.

  “Daphne, sing!” Haden shouts from the barricade, but I know that’s not what is needed from me now.