Page 48 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘We can’t leave her behind,’ Kage protested.
‘Her soul is tethered to this place,’ Mal explained, voice strained. ‘I don’t know what would happen if I dragged her into my shadow realm. It was never meant for her. It’s made for shadows and she’s… not that.’
‘I can keep her,’ Zagreus offered lightly. His tone was indifferent, but Mal saw something dangerously close to hope in his mismatched eyes. She felt the urge to snuff it out.
Before she could speak, Kage exhaled and nodded. He turned to the wolf and rested a hand against her side. ‘Be careful, old friend,’ he murmured. ‘And take care of Zagreus.’
Mal frowned, one brow lifting. Wren padded over to the throne and settled beside Zagreus, her posture easing, her blue eyes calm once more.
Mal tightened her grip on Kage’s arm and turned away. He looked at her then, dark eyes bright with unmistakable relief that she had come for him, that she was taking him away.
She did not look back at Zagreus or the wolf.
She focused only on Kage.
The world folded in on itself, and within seconds they were gone, slipping seamlessly into her shadow realm. Kage inhaled sharply, eyes widening as he looked down at himself, at the way his body was no longer flesh and bone, but smoke and darkness shaped into form.
‘It is done,’ Mal said, returning to her seat. She gestured for Kage to sit beside her, and the instant he did, she reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. She needed the reassurance of his presence, so familiar, and so real.
Vera frowned. ‘Your brother should remain here.’
Thanatos shook his head. ‘He cannot. Souls tethered to the Underworld cannot linger in this realm for long.’
‘Then why can we?’ Vera demanded.
‘Because you are bound to Hell, not the Underworld,’ Thanatos replied evenly. ‘That is an entirely different reckoning, one we will face when the Kings of Hell decide to come knocking.’
Mal turned to Allegra. ‘What about magic?’
Allegra nodded slowly, her expression distant as she sifted through unseen possibilities. At last, she sighed and leaned forward. ‘There is a way, but…’
‘But what?’ Mal pressed.
‘But it would require a magic,’ Allegra said carefully, ‘that is forbidden among witches.’ She paused, weighing the words. ‘It would allow him to walk both the land of the dead and the land of the living.’
Mal straightened at once.
‘However,’ Allegra continued, ‘it would mean cursing him.’
‘Cursing him?’ Mal’s brow furrowed. ‘I will not curse my own brother.’
‘It is the only way,’ Allegra said softly. ‘With the curse, he would spend his nights in the mortal world and his days in the Underworld. Bound to both, yet claimed by neither. Even if Persephone finds him, she would not be able to touch him, could not harm him, could not drag him to Hell or anywhere else. The curse would shield him. He would be untouchable.’
‘Andcursed,’ Mal hissed.
‘And cursed,’ Allegra agreed. ‘Condemned to live that way for eternity.’
All eyes turned to Kage. He sat as he always did, quietly and thoughtfully, bearing the weight of their words without outward reaction. Mal kept hold of him, refusing to let go. Her grip tightened without her noticing, yet he did not react at all. She wondered whether it was because he was dead, or because his body was made of shadow now, or because his thoughts were so faraway that nothing could reach him.
‘What do you think?’ Kage asked, turning to Thanatos.
Thanatos blinked, clearly surprised to be consulted. He considered the question carefully before nodding. ‘It is a good solution. You could even spy for us while in the Underworld. Persephone would have no true claim over you. She would not be able to command you. The curse would bind your soul to both the living and the dead. Not to her.’
‘This isn’t—’ Mal began, but Kage leaned forward, cutting her off.
‘I want to help,’ he said simply. ‘If cursing me allows me to spy for you in the Underworld, then so be it. And when I’m not there, I can help on mortal lands as well.’
‘Kage, no…’ Mal’s eyes widened, stunned by how readily he accepted such a fate. ‘You would be cursed. For eternity.’
