Hades (19 page)

Gabriel sighed and replied as patiently as he could.

“There are laws that govern Heaven and Hel that have

existed since the beginning of time.”

“What is that even supposed to mean?”

“I think what Gabe is trying to say is that we don’t make

the rules. We have to wait for instructions,” Ivy said.

“Wait?” echoed Xavier, growing more frustrated at their

lack of resolve. “You can wait til doomsday if you like, but I

don’t plan to just sit around.”

“We don’t have a choice,” said Gabriel sternly. They

could not have been more different, angel and mortal,

polarized by their opposing views of the universe. Gabriel, I

could see, was losing patience. Xavier’s incessant

questions were draining him. He longed for solitude in

order to commune with the powers above. Xavier on the

other hand was not going to feel better until he was offered

a plan of action. He was applying the rules of logic that

state for every problem a solution can be found. Ivy, who

was much more aware of Xavier’s emotional state than

Gabriel, gave my brother a look that suggested he should

tread careful y.

“Rest assured, if there’s a way, we wil find it,” she said

more encouragingly.

“It won’t be easy,” Gabriel qualified.

“But not impossible, right?” I could sense that Xavier was

clutching desperately to any hope, however slim.

“No, not impossible,” my sister said with a smal smile.

“I want to help,” said Xavier.

“And you can, but right now we need to consider our next

move very careful y.”

“Rushing in without thinking could make things worse for

Bethany,” Gabriel warned.

“How could it get any worse?” Xavier demanded.

The more I listened to their deliberations the more

frustrated I became. I wanted to be part of their discussions

and I wanted to help them. It was strange being talked

about in the third person when I was right there in the room.

If only I could share with them what I knew, it might help

them devise a more effective plan. Being both present and

utterly useless grew so maddening that I thought I’d

explode. There must be some way to make my presence

known to them. How could they not sense my proximity?

Those I loved most were a hand’s breadth away and yet

total y inaccessible.

“We can’t act independently of instruction,” Ivy tried to

placate.

“And how long is that gonna take?’

“The Covenant is aware of the crisis. They wil contact us

when they see fit.” Gabriel refused to disclose more.

“What do we do til then?”

“I suggest we pray.”

Suddenly I was worried. It was obvious they couldn’t act

without first seeking counsel. It was not only standard

practice but also the wisest thing to do. I could see that. But

what would the Covenant advise? Gabriel had sounded so

confident moments ago, but even he did not have the

power to contravene their decisions. What if in their infinite

wisdom they decided to cut their losses? After al , I hadn’t

been much of an asset when I was aboveground. I was

forever stirring up trouble and creating conflicts for them to

solve rather than fol owing instructions. Obedience was not

my strong point and while rebel ion was expected in a

human, in an angel it was inexcusable. Would this trait that

had set me apart from my own kind now spel the end of my

value in Heaven?

Even if the Covenant was feeling charitable and deemed

me worthy of rescue, breaking into Hel would be the

greatest chal enge my siblings had ever had to face. It was

quite likely they themselves might perish in the attempt.

Was that risk worth taking? I didn’t want to jeopardize their

safety, but at the same time my longing to be reunited with

them was enormous. As for Xavier, I couldn’t bear the

thought of any harm coming to him on my account. I’d rather

endure the torments of the pit before I’d al ow that to

happen. I looked at his smooth, tanned arms resting on the

tabletop, the familiar cord of soft plaited leather twined

around his wrist, and the silver ring I’d given him shining on

his index finger. I strained toward him, my fingers seeking

his.

“Xavier!” I cried. “Xavier, I’m here!”

To my surprise I heard a faint echo of my own words in

the room. Gabriel, Ivy, and Xavier al snapped their heads

in my direction like satel ites seeking radio signals. An

expression of disbelief crossed Xavier’s face, as if his

sanity had just been cast into doubt.

“Am I losing it or did you guys hear that too?”

My brother and sister looked at each other, uncertainty

on their faces.

“We heard it,” said Gabriel, his mind already whirring as

he contemplated possible explanations for what’d just

happened. I hoped he didn’t assume it was a demon

playing tricks on them.

Ivy closed her eyes and I felt her energy in the room,

searching for me. But when she reached the place where I

hovered, she passed right through me and I realized that

any connection I’d made had lasted only seconds and then

shattered.

“There’s nothing here,” my sister said, but I could see she

was unsettled.

Xavier was unconvinced. “No, I heard her voice … she

was here.”

“Perhaps Bethany is closer than we realize,” said

Gabriel.

Xavier’s eyes darted around the room, searching the air.

I focused hard and tried desperately to transmit my

thoughts to him. Instead the opposite happened and my

presence in the room became diluted. I felt my

consciousnesses pul ing away from the familiar kitchen at

Byron. I fought hard against leaving and even tried

wrapping myself around the back of a chair, but the room

only dissolved around me.

Everything went black, and when the blackness cleared, I

saw my body lying by the Lake of Dreams, just as I’d left it.

Tucker was there, shaking me by the shoulders.

“Come back, Beth. It’s time to come back.” I returned to

my body with a jolt. Al of Byron’s warmth was gone,

replaced with the cold and damp of the canal.

“Why did you do that?” I protested loudly. “I wanted more

time.”

“We can’t be missing any longer. It’s too risky. But don’t

worry, the magic wil stay with you now.”

“Are you saying I can project anytime I want to?”

“Yep,” Tucker said proudly. “Once a person drinks from

the Lake of Dreams, it flows inside you. It shares its power.

You can only reverse it by drinking from the river Lethe.”

“That real y exists?” I asked curiously.

“Sure does,” Tucker said. “It literal y means ‘oblivion.’

Some people cal it the River of Forgetfulness. It makes you

forget who you are.”

“That sounds awful. Is it cursed?”

“Not necessarily,” Tucker said. “Some people have done

things in their lives they don’t want to remember. When you

drink from the river Lethe, al your bad memories sink to the

bottom.”

I peered at him closely. “You sound pretty sure of

yourself. Do you know someone who’s done it?”

“Yeah.” Tucker looked at his shoes. “That’d be me.”

“What were you trying to escape?” I asked without

thinking and Tucker laughed.

“Not much point asking me that now, is there?”

“I guess not,” I said, taking his arm. “I’m glad the river

made things easier for you.”

Tucker squeezed my hand, but he didn’t look convinced.

We made our way back to the hotel at twice the speed at

which we’d set out, fearful of being discovered. Al I could

think about was Xavier’s hands, not tense as I’d just seen

them but stroking my face the way he used to when we felt

that al the darkness in the world could not dampen our

happiness.

How naive we were to think as we did then. I knew now

how lethal darkness could be. It would take every ounce of

courage we possessed to fight it. Even then I didn’t like our

chances.

12

Hanna’s Story

AFTER my first try at what Tucker cal ed projection, it was

hard to think about anything else. Now that I’d had a taste of

home, Hotel Ambrosia seemed emptier than ever. As the

days passed I found myself going through the motions

without complaint, eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to

return to Venus Cove and keep up with what was

happening there. So when Hanna was brushing my hair or

fussing over me my mind was conspiring to achieve my

only goal: seeing Xavier again. When Tucker was keeping

vigil I was counting down the minutes until he final y went to

bed and I was free to roam again the place where I

belonged, even if it was only as an unseen entity.

Tucker was better at reading my thoughts than I realized.

“It’s addictive, ain’t it?” he said. “At first you can’t get

enough.” I couldn’t deny it. Being transported back to Byron

had given me a rush greater than any I’d experienced.

“It felt so real. I was so close I could smel them.”

Tucker watched me closely. “You should see your face. It

lights up when you talk about them.”

“That’s because they’re everything to me.”

“I know, but there’s somethin’ you need to keep in mind.

Every time you go back they’ve moved on a little with their

lives. In time their pain dul s and you become a fond

memory. In the end you feel like nothin’ but a ghost visiting

strangers.”

“It would never be like that for me.” I glared at Tucker. The

thought of Xavier moving on was unbearable and I refused

to so much as entertain the idea. “Besides, aren’t you

forgetting something? I’m not a ghost. I happen to be alive.

See?” I gave my arm a decent pinch and watched a blotch

of red appear on the white skin. “Ouch!”

Tucker smiled a little at my demonstration. “You want to

go again right now, don’t you?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t you?”

“Have you always been this impatient?”

“No,” I replied tartly. “Only as long as I’ve been human.”

Tucker frowned and I wondered whether he doubted my

ability to use this new gift responsibly. I decided to try and

ease his mind.

“Thanks again for showing me, Tuck. I needed something

to help me survive in this place and seeing my family again

meant so much.”

Tucker, who was unaccustomed to praise, looked

abashed and shuffled his feet on the carpet.

“You’re welcome,” he mumbled. Then his face clouded.

“Please be careful. I don’t know what Jake would do if he

ever found out.”

“I’l be careful,” I agreed. “But I’m going to find a way to

get us out.”

“Us?” he repeated.

“Of course. We’re a team now.”

TUCKER had figured right. I did plan to go back that very

night. The taste of home I’d been given had only whet my

appetite, not satisfied it. I wasn’t lying when I told him I was

going to try and get us out, but it wasn’t uppermost on my

mind at that moment. My impulse was far more self-

indulgent than that. I just wanted to see Xavier again and

pretend that nothing had changed. Whatever he was doing,

I wanted to be there beside him. I wanted to absorb as

much of his presence as I could and take it back with me. It

would act like a talisman to get me through the interminably

long days and nights ahead.

So when Hanna appeared in the doorway carrying my

supper on a tray, my first impulse was to send her away. I

was anxious to climb into my oversize bed and start the

process that would send me home again. Hanna looked at

me the way she always did, like she wished there was

more she could do to help. Even though she was younger