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Shadow folded his arms suspiciously. “A confession?”
“When I first arrived here, I learned there was something special about the Underworld. That it held a secret treasure, with a power like no other. And I... I...” Zoe cursed as her words tumbled out of her. “I should have been honest with you right from the start. But everything was such a blur, what with Spooks getting the wrong idea, and Swindleton stealing my work from beneath me. And now I worry it’s too late...”
Zoe drew a startled breath as Shadow placed a finger to her lips. Despite her tears, he smiled reassuringly.
“Do you know what makes the Underworld so magical?”
Zoe blinked back her tears. “I guess it’s not Spooks’ desire to have jelly parties with the Titans?”
Shadow chuckled softly, and shook his head.
“The Underworld Motel opens its doors to any lost soul in need. We’ve hosted beggars and billionaires, pirates and priests, scoundrels and saints, and treated them all the same. Because that’s the true power of our magic. To give people a chance to make up for their past mistakes. To ease any regrets they may have. To wipe the slate clean, and help them move on.” A gentle breeze swept through the clearing, as Shadow wiped Zoe’s tears from her cheeks. “And it’s why you don’t need to explain yourself to me, Zoe.”
Zoe looked at him in surprise. “I don’t?”
“We’ve both kept our secrets from one another.” Zoe looked at Shadow uncertainly as his eyes darkened. “But Persephone’s magic teaches us the importance of moving on. Of making our peace with the past, and focusing on the present. Because it doesn’t matter who you were before you came here. What matters is the here and now.”
Zoe held Shadow’s gaze. In the darkness of his eyes, the reflection of the moon sank lower on the horizon, counting down what little time they had left together. At seeing her uncertainty, Shadow drew her closer once more.
“Life is short, Zoe. For some of us, more than others.” He looked at his hand pointedly, where the mortality of his flesh waned. “All we have is this moment. A moment with no barriers, no secrets. A moment with nothing, but ourselves.”
A shiver ran down Zoe’s spine as Shadow held her closer, and his breath caressed her skin. She gazed at this man, this god, in the ethereal light of the moon, knowing he’d given her the greatest gift of all. Forgiveness. And yet, despite the flicker of hope that ignited in her heart, she looked at him uncertainly once more.
“But then what?” She gazed at his hand worriedly, as his fingertips returned to their shadow-form. “What happens after Persephone’s magic fades?”
Shadow drew a long breath, while hesitation lingered in his eyes.
“Zoe, you’ve helped me rediscover the magic in the Underworld. And tonight has been one of the most magical nights of my life…”
Zoe raised her eyebrow in suspicion. “Why do I get the feeling there’s a but coming?”
Shadow smiled sadly, and gazed at the snow-covered landscape as it sparkled in the moonlight.
“I promised to help every lost soul in the Underworld rediscover what it means to live again. To help them experience life’s rich tapestry of magic, so that they can move on with no regrets.” Shadow turned to Zoe, regret shining in his eyes. “And it’s why I can’t let you stay here. We’re from two different worlds, Zoe. Worlds that can never be truly united.”
Zoe followed Shadow’s gaze, until she studied his hands. Darkness rippled along his skin as the power of Persephone’s magic waned, until his fingertips passed through hers. But despite his warning, Zoe fixed him with a defiant look.
“And don’t I get a say in the matter? It’s my life, Shadow, which means it’s my choice, too.” Zoe studied the buds on the pomegranate tree, each of them gleaming in the fading starlight. “Besides, with Persephone’s magic, we can be together again.”
“That would have been the case, once before. But since Charon’s betrayal, Persephone’s Tree now blooms just once a year.” Shadow’s eyes hardened as he gazed at the buds, forever frozen in time. “Think about it, Zoe. Is that really the life you want? To spend all year waiting for just one night for us to be together?”
“But there must be a way.”
“There’s only one way. The Underworld Motel must save a lost soul. That’s the only way magic will return to these lands, and we can truly be together.” Shadow conjured the motel guest book, and gazed mournfully at the empty pages. “But without Charon, it could take years, decades even, for a lost soul to find us. And I can’t let you stay here in this ghost town, waiting for a day that might never come. It would be no life for you.”
Silence fell between the pair, broken only by the soft harmonies of the will-ó-wisps above. Zoe’s mind swam as she remained torn with her indecision. All her life, she’d followed the path set out for her. She’d run along the treadmill of her corporate career, mindlessly chasing her next promotion, letting nothing get in her way. But deep down, she knew that this magical night had changed everything. And she wasn’t ready to let it go.
“Well, then. I guess I have some work to do.”
Shadow looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Zoe felt an idea form in her mind as she studied the blank pages of the motel guest book. For so many years, she’d been told that listening to her heart got in the way of business. That seeing the beauty in the world was her greatest weakness. But as her heart stirred, giving her the guidance she needed, she realized perhaps it was her greatest strength.
“Without a ferryman of the Underworld, lost souls will never find their way here. So maybe I can help…”
“I can’t expect you to shoulder the Underworld’s burdens, Zoe.” Shadow’s eyes darkened, and he shook his head. “I’m the King of the Underworld. Its protector. And it’s my responsibility to save these lands.”
“Perhaps that’s your problem. You’ve always been so solitary, so guarded. But you can’t go through your whole life being alone.” Zoe laced her fingers between Shadow’s, and held his gaze. “Sooner or later, you need to let someone else in.”
