Page 68 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
I chewed on my lip. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what I believed about Hyrax. He had lied to me and he had been kind to me all at the same time.
“And if you’re not ready to admit it about Hyrax,” Caldrius continued, “are you at least ready to admit it about me?”
My stomach somersaulted and I met his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I know what your realm thinks of me. I know what you thought about me when we met. But now? After all the time we’ve spent together, do you still agree with them? Or is part of you now questioning those stories? Do you wonder what could have driven me to the choices that led to my death?”
The wind tousled my hair, and this time he reached out, tucking the unruly strands behind my ear. The gesture sent a strange warmth rushing through me and he let his hands linger on the base of my throat before pulling away slowly.
“So what was it, then?" I asked, imploring him with my eyes to finally cease being vague and actually let me in. “You want me to trust that you’re not a monster? Prove it to me then. Tell me what happened to you.”
He looked away, his eyes unfocused for a moment and I was just about to stand, frustrated at his avoidance when he finally spoke.
And it all poured out.
“I was Zion’s favorite—his grandson, his chosen heir, his most trusted confidant. He’d been in my life since I was a child. When he came to me with his plan to stealthe Bident, I didn’t question him. He was a God, after all. Who was I to question his judgement? I should have, though. In all those years that he had been with me, he watched me fall in love with Isidore. When my father nearly disowned me for rejecting my marriage, Zion was the one who told him to show me mercy.”
Caldrius’ lip pulled back from his teeth in disgust and he leaned back heavily onto his hand. He seemed entirely lost in his memories until a shudder rushed through me from the chill in the air, suddenly pulling his focus back to me. Without stopping his story, he shrugged off his jacket and passed it to me.
“Before my father died, Zion told him to not pass into the Underworld with anger in his heart. He said that Isidore was far too beautiful to stay away from. I had thought he was defending me. I thought he loved me. Turns out, he just wanted her. And when a God wants something, there is no asking. No denying. He saw her, he decided she was his, and by the time I realized what had happened, she was already gone. While I was stealing Hyrax’s Bident, Zion was stealingher.The next day, the Veil rose, and I lost her forever.”
A memory scratched at the back of my mind, but it slipped away before I could grasp it.
“I was out of my mind with grief,” Caldrius continued, his voice thick with emotion. “And as the closest relation to Zion, my power was unmatched in the Mortal Realm, especially with the Bident in my possession. My brother thought that made me dangerous. Truthfully, I think deep down, he just wanted a crown of his own. So, after Zion became the first of my blood to betray me, Ennoss became the second. He stole the Bident, fled to Athenia, and left me to the assassins he hired. They killed me simply because my magic was stronger than theirs.”
A chill swept through me, my thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind. I wanted to speak, to respond, but no words came.
“You don’t believe me,” he murmured,turning his gaze back to me. His voice was calmer now, but his dark eyes burned with conviction. “But deep down, you know I’m right. You’ve seen how quick they are to fear anyone more powerful than themselves. You know they look at you with that same fear.”
A shiver crept down my spine, unbidden. He wasn’t wrong. I had seen it. That day in the ballroom, when I’d brought an entire room of assassins to their deaths with a simple thought, those that were left standing had stared at me with terror etched on their faces.
“Even your prince,” Caldrius added, his tone softening to something almost coaxing. “Do you think he’d be willing to accept what he doesn’t understand? Imagine how he’d react if he knew you were here... if he knew you were with me.”
His hand found mine, his fingers curling around my own in a gentle squeeze.
Numbly, I stared at our intertwined hands, my mind drifting to Clay. What would he think if he knew where I was? Who I was with? Would he even listen long enough for me to explain? And even if he did, what could I say to justify any of this?
My fingers twitched in Caldrius’s grasp, but I didn’t pull away.
“You know I’m right,” he pressed, his voice a whisper now.
I lifted my gaze to meet his, the weight of his dark eyes pressing into me. For a long moment, I couldn’t find the words to respond.
And maybe that was answer enough.
Chapter Eighteen
Iwoke suddenly, my blood still rushing from the memory of it all.
I sat up and finger-combed through my hair while a small grin played at the edges of my lips.
Despite the ominous conversation with Caldrius that ended my visit, this might have been my most enjoyable trip to the Underworld yet. I never could have imagined the world that existed beyond the cold, imposing walls of Hyrax’s castle. Even now, I doubted anyone would believe me if I tried to tell them about it.
Although, I supposed that simply proved Caldrius’ very point. Hyrax was a villain by all Mortal accounts, so naturally we would expect his realm to be nothing more than a nightmare given form.
And yet, it wasn’t.
For those who had earned eternal happiness, he had created a paradise. The Underworld was a place where everyone could live and work together peacefully, where every soul was accepted and celebrated. Hyrax ensured that while all souls came to the Underworld, not all had to suffer.
