Pickup Styx (Easy Bake Coven)

by Liz Schulte

  Beleg pursed his lips but blushed under his coarse beard all the way to the tips of his ears.

  “I agree with Master Turin,” Adan said. “Let her show the world what we have all seen. Heritage matters little when led by the heart. The populous will settle when they feel there is someone on their side. Both you and Selene are new to ruling, and they do not yet know you. How can they trust you?”

  “What about her protection?” Sy asked. “There have been threats against her life. Taking her on a campaign trail seems like a good way to get her killed. Selene is not a puppet for political advantage.”

  Sy also had a point. Painting a bigger target on her back was risky. Even if someone didn’t try to kill her, they might be tempted to dig more into her past, and Selene had enough skeletons to fill a cemetery. I had doubts that even I knew them all. On the other hand, charming her way out of messes was what she did best. She knew how to use her beauty to her full advantage and had no qualms about doing so, but that would only win over half of the population.

  “If she can’t handle a few death threats, she shouldn’t be in politics.” Alanna waved a dismissive hand. “I personally don’t see whatever you guys see in her.”

  Sebastian was being too quiet. He had an opinion. He always had an opinion. He had been my most trusted advisor at one point, but now I wasn’t sure what to do with him. “Sebastian? Care to weigh in?” I asked.

  He took his time answering. “There is a lot to consider. Truthfully though, we can make all the plans we want about turning her into a figurehead or ruler or branding her as the savior of us all, but unless Selene accepts and believes that our plan will work, we will fail. I think it would be best to shelve this discussion until we have a chance to speak with her. Selene will tell us what she wants to do.”

  He was right, of course. Once again, though, his concern was for her and not the kingdom. It was one thing for me to be focused on her. It was another for my advisor to be. I needed someone neutral—what I used to think Sebastian was. “I agree.”

  The meeting went on, making very little progress about any particular concerns. After we disbanded, I went to my study. Selene should have been back by now. How long did it take to find out what she had to do? I poured myself a drink and paced in front of the windows, watching for her. A knock sounded on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Sebastian and Sy entered, shutting the door behind them. “Any word?” Sy asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “There has been an attack in the forest at Southbend,” Sebastian said, folding his arms behind his back as if waiting for orders.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. “What happened?”

  “Gemini twins, both dead.”

  Great. Just what I need. “What were Geminis doing at Southbend?”

  “That is a good question.”

  I couldn’t leave the castle tonight. Selene would need me when she got back, and we would have to start working on whatever the spirits requested from her. The twins would have to wait. “We’ll go look tomorrow and see if we need to place a bounty.”

  Sebastian looked at the ground.

  “Spit it out, Sebastian.” My temper was shaky every time I looked at him, and on top of worrying about Selene, I was in no mood formality.

  “I think this is a problem you need to handle and not contract out. The people need to know you care for them.”

  “Of course I care for them.”

  He nodded but didn’t look convinced. I looked back out the window. I did care for my people, but I cared more for Selene. That was never going to change.

  “Selene won’t do well in politics,” Sy said, joining me in staring out the window. “She’s terrible at hiding what she feels. Once, when we were kids, we stayed out too late and I concocted an entire story to tell Mom. I made Selene practice it on the way back. She recited it word for word, but as soon as Mom looked at her, she broke. I got in trouble and Selene got off completely unscathed.”

  I smiled, but the years she misled me couldn’t be ignored. “She’s become a much better at withholding the truth.”

  “If Cheney wants Selene to win over the people, she will do it,” Sebastian said with finality.

  Selene would do whatever I said? That was news to me. I raised an eyebrow. Selene had a history of never doing anything I wanted. “What makes you think so?”

  “She loves you. Haven’t you noticed?” He sat in a chair and crossed his legs.

  “Then why didn’t you vote for this plan in the meeting?” I asked.

  “Because I don’t think you’re willing to activate it.”

  I took a seat too, across from him, curious about his reasoning. Sebastian had a knack for looking at problems from different angles, and sometimes, from actions, he gleaned personal motives the person wasn’t even aware they had.

  “You will never knowingly put her in danger, even if it is in the best interest of the kingdom. You have proven that time and time again. Selene comes first and everyone and everything else comes second. That is no way to rule a kingdom.”

  “And you would do differently?”

  Sebastian met my eyes but didn’t respond. He obviously believed he would, but I knew Sebastian better than that. He’d been willing to betray me, my father, and the kingdom to help Selene before. Someone who would do that wouldn’t sacrifice her in the next heartbeat.

  I nodded. “Do you think sending her out with a political agenda is the right choice?”

  “Yes. If you want people to accept a half-elf queen, they need to get to know her. You can’t hide the protests from her forever.”

  Selene had really only gone two places in the past few weeks—here and her cousin’s bar. So long as I could keep the protests pushed back far enough from the castle, I could hide them indefinitely. She was just settling in as Queen and getting her memories back. I didn’t want to tell her that half the kingdom hated her.

  “But you do agree she will be in danger?” Sy asked.

  Sebastian sighed. “Less physical danger, more scandal.”

  “More scandal? Where do I sign up?” Selene said from the doorway.

  Tension melted from my muscles and suddenly nothing was as irritating it had been before. She was back and she was fine. Whatever they wanted couldn’t be that bad. She didn’t look too stressed. She took the drink from my hand and sat on the arm of my chair. After her third sip, the tightness around her eyes softened.

  “What’s this about scandal? How was the meeting?” she asked.

  “Who cares about that? What did they want?” Sy asked.

  The tightness returned, and she frowned. I took her free hand and kissed it. Whatever the new trouble was, we’d figure it out.

  She went into detail about the cemetery and walking through the souls who’d come before her. “They’re giving me five moons to find and deliver the Pole of Charon. I figure we can look through the archives, see if there’s any mention of it, and track it down. I might be able to dig up a spell that will help. ”

  “That’s not possible,” I said immediately. Sebastian and Sy could only stare at her.

  Her thin eyebrows pulled together. “I didn’t say it would be easy, but surely with all of our resources we can find it.”

  “Oh, I know where it is. That’s not the problem.”

  Selene took a larger drink. “What’s the problem?”

  “It’s impossible for you to get. Don’t you know what the Pole of Charon is?”

  “Should I?”

  “Charon is the ferryman who carries souls across the River Styx in the Underworld. Only the dead can enter that realm.”

  A thoughtful look crossed Sebastian’s face as he considered the problem.

  All the color drained from Selene’s face. “They’re cheating,” she whispered. “If I can’t deliver this, I’ll be one of their trapped souls.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” I squeezed her leg. I would give up everything, would move Heaven and Earth to keep h
er.

  Sy was the only one who didn’t look disturbed. “They are always exceptions. I’ll ask around. Surely someone knows how to get to the Underworld. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Getting her to the Underworld is the least of our concerns,” Sebastian said.

  The corner of Selene’s eye twitched.

  “It’s getting her back that will be tricky.”

  “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” I stood and pulled her up with me.

  Sy kissed her cheek. “We’ll figure it out, coz.”

  Sebastian gave a single nod and left with Sy. Selene wrapped her arms around me, and I kissed the top of her head. “Sy is right, you know. There is a way. We just have to find it.”

  “I have no doubt.” She pressed her cheek to my chest, her breath whistling over my collar. “You can’t go with me this time, can you?”

  The thought of not going with her was almost as impossible as the thought of going—almost. We had a responsibility to the kingdom. If we both abandoned it now, we would lose everything. As much as I hated it, this was a journey she would have to take on her own.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s about time I cleaned up my own messes.”

  The thought of losing my mother and then my sister filled my mind. Could I stand by and let another person I loved be taken away from me? I brushed a strand of dark hair from her smooth, golden cheek. “Do you honestly think I would abandon you? We’re in this together. ‘Til death do us part.”

  Her mouth pressed to mine, tasting of urgency. Sebastian had suggested Selene meant more to me than being Erlking. It was true. I didn’t need power. I didn’t need money. But I couldn’t live without her.

  Maybe Beleg was onto something with having an election.

  The next morning, my future didn’t look any brighter. Sure the sun was shining and I was home, but dark clouds of failure and my ultimate demise were hanging over my head. I sat across from Cheney at breakfast, pushing my food around my plate. Anxiety about what would happen to me in the Underworld corroded my insides. How was any of this fair? Also, there was no way Cheney could come with me, no matter what he said. It wasn’t feasible. One of us had to be here. I wasn’t blind to that. Cheney had a kingdom to run, and it was his kingdom. I was still on the metaphorical fence as far as the population and, if I was being honest, myself were concerned. I’d never felt any sort of connection to the fae, and perhaps that wasn’t something I could force. I wanted change, not power. However, Cheney would never agree to let me go on my own so I needed to find a companion—preferably a non-living one if we had to die to get there.

  “Not hungry?”

  I laid the fork across my plate. “I guess not.”

  He started to say something, but Katrina burst through the door. “I can’t believe we’re going to the Underworld and you didn’t tell me.” She plopped down in the chair next to me with a completely serious expression. “So what are we thinking, packing-wise? Cold or hot? Cute shoes or practical?”

  I laughed and Cheney smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I love you, but you aren’t going. I’m doing this alone.”

  “Like hell you are.” She clapped her hand over her mouth at the mention of the word hell. “All I mean is, if you go, we all go.” She twirled her finger in the air.

  I shook my head. “It’s very sweet of you both.” I glanced at Cheney. “But both of you need to stay here.”

  Cheney’s hand paused as he was about to pick up his water glass. “You aren’t going alone.” His tone left little room for argument, and his gold eyes hardened as they gazed at me.

  I expected as much, but this wasn’t a point I was willing to negotiate on. “Kat, you’re human, and honestly, keeping you alive would make the whole journey harder.” Her face fell and I immediately felt bad. “But I can use your help. I need to figure out everything I can about the Underworld and how I can get there without dying. Would you mind doing some research?”

  She sighed. “Okay, but if you don’t come back, just know I’m climbing into my handbag and coming to get your ass.”

  I squeezed her hand, grinning. “I’d expect nothing less of you and your crazy, magical designer handbag.”

  Cheney was still scowling and he’d forgotten his half-finished food, too.

  “Cheney, you know why you can’t come. Don’t pretend like you don’t.” I’d seen it in his eyes the night before. He knew leaving the kingdom would be a mistake, and this relationship really only had room for one of us to make mistakes. So far, I had that pretty well covered.

  He gave me a steady look. “You aren’t going alone,” he repeated more quietly and more intensely.

  “Fine. I’ll wait out my five days with you guys and then turn myself over.”

  The fork he was holding bent in his hand. He set the ruined utensil on the table. “That isn’t an acceptable option either, and you know it.”

  “Neither is expecting someone else to come with me, especially if we have to die to get there.”

  Wheels were practically turning behind his eyes as he searched for the next leg of his argument. “Making any decisions now is preemptive. We don’t know how you’re getting there, what you’ll encounter, or what needs may arise. When we have more information, we’ll decide who’s going.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  “And notice, my dear, that I said we. As in you and me, not just you.”

  I shook my head. “I’m going to see if Sy has anything yet. I’ll meet you guys at the archive.”

  Outside the castle, I transported to my cousin’s bar, The Office. He was in his usual position, leaning over the counter, reading a newspaper. The Office was open 24/7 and Sy was almost always there, even when he was also someplace else. I wasn’t sure exactly how he did it, and he refused to tell me, but someday, if I lived long enough, I’d figure it out.

  He looked up.

  “Cheney can’t come with me to the Underworld,” I said, plunking down in front of him.

  Sy nodded slowly. “Is that what he said?”

  “No. He said he’s coming because I can’t go alone. But he can’t just abandon his people. He has to stay. How do I make him do that?”

  He nodded again.

  “Sy!” I said when the silence had gone on too long.

  “What? I agree with him. You shouldn’t go alone, but I also agree with you. Both of you shouldn’t go.”

  “So what am I going to do?”

  “Seems pretty obvious to me. Just find someone else.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t ask that of someone. ‘Hey, excuse me, would you mind dying to help me out of a jam I should’ve known better than to get myself into?’”

  “Sure you can. I wouldn’t word it exactly like that, but you know people who would not only be willing to help you but would make the whole journey a lot less painful. I would volunteer, but ideally you need someone who’s been there before. Someone who can lead you through.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Like I would ask you. Aunt Lorelei would never recover if she lost you.”

  “If she lost either of us,” Sy said.

  It was sweet of him, but she’d already lost me once and recovered just fine. “What if I just send Charon an email and request he overnight the pole to me? I’ll attach a picture of myself and sign it ‘xoxoxo.’ What do you think?”

  “I think it’s been too long since I reminded you that you’re ugly.”

  I stuck out my tongue.

  Sy leaned back with a cocky grin. “But lucky for you, I’m exceptionally handsome and smart and funny and an all-around good guy.”

  “And delusional,” I added.

  “But what is most lucky for you is that you’re related to me.”

  “And therefore immune to your charm.”

  He poured himself a cup of coffee. “And therefore I care what happens to you. I made some calls last night.”

  I was no longer in the mood to joke around. I leaned closer. “And?” I was scared to let myself hope
too much.

  “I found someone I think will help you. You just need to ask him.”

  “I’m not asking Holden.” The jinni was naturally the first person to come to my mind because surely someone who worked with demons would know his way around the Underworld. However, Holden scared me a little. Plus, if something happened to him, I couldn’t live with what it would do to Olivia. “He and Olivia have done enough for me.”

  “Not Holden. He wouldn’t go to the Underworld no matter how cute you are, and if he did, he’d attract more trouble than he would help. Paolo said Corbin is the only person he knows who has traveled to the Underworld and made it back out. If I’m not mistaken, he also has a soft spot for you.”

  Cheney would hate it, but he also couldn’t argue with the fact that if this was all true, Corbin was the best person to come with me. He was a vampire, thus already dead, and he might actually know where to go. It was almost too good to be true. “Cheney won’t like it.”

  Sy smiled. “Corbin’s expecting you tonight.”

  For the first time since leaving the cemetery, I felt hopeful. “Have I told you lately that you’re kind of great?”

  “Just come back or Mom will never forgive me. Also, don’t trust the vampire. He’s your best bet for getting out of there, but if he agrees, it’s for his own reasons—reasons that have nothing to do with helping you.”

  “That hardly seems fair, Sy,”

  “What about this world made you think it would be fair?”

  I brushed off his cynicism. Vampires weren’t known for being self-sacrificing, true, but Paolo and Corbin had always been nice to me with nothing to gain. I owed them at least the benefit of a doubt. I headed back to the castle, resolved not to bring this up to Cheney until I knew whether or not Corbin would even agree to come. A soft spot was one thing. Going on a pilgrimage through hell was quite another.

  A table longer than two spans of my arms sat in front of me, covered with everything from books to scrolls to pieces of tanned hide. Yet, none of the ancient literature contained anything about how to get into hell without dying first. After reading about the trials I’d probably have to endure once I got there, I wished I could go in spirit form. It would be best to not take my body along for the ride. Burning rivers, ice, snakes, tests, torture, and I didn’t want to know what else—definitely stuff that would leave scars. I stretched and threw a crumpled up piece of paper at Cheney across the room.