Page 38 of The Unseen Hour

“Your father is lucky to have a daughter this dedicated to him. My brothers and I were that close as well.”

“I’m sure they were wonderful. Did you have a lot in common? Did they also get involved in a lot of experiences and mishaps, as you put it?”

He laughed.

“Not the same as me. I was the heir, and later the duke. I had to be a little more composed, earlier than my younger brothers. They had more opportunities to travel just for the joy of it, but somehow they managed to do a better job avoiding trouble. Or at least avoiding the consequences. I stepped in to help with that.”

“You were protective of them,” I observed.

“Very. When I ended up here and realized they weren’t also … that they’d died …”

“They were very lucky to have a brother who cared about them so much.”

Definitely the right call not to ruin things by blathering that I had fallen half in love with his dead brother’s words on a page, while reminding him of the fact that a bunch of papers stuffed in a rarely used section of a library were all that remained of the people he loved.

Orion cleared his throat, adjusting the neckline of his shirt.

“So, the Shades.”

“Right. With any luck, I’ll find my father today, and then we can discuss the trip home.”

For a moment Orion froze, then he tilted his head at me.

“Today? We’re not finding anyone today. Oh no, Starlight, we are merely observing, so I can show you what goes on in this realm.”

I wanted an answer regarding the nickname, but not more than I wanted answers about my father and the Shades.

“Why not today? Why drag me back to the Meadow if we couldn’t look?”

He sobered.

“I wanted you to see this realm, and the part housing the Shades is one of the most important. I doubted you had much of a chance to observe yesterday, still acclimating to the realm. The only area with more meaning than the Meadow is Charon’s home, and we aren’t even going to get close to that. I’ll tell you which areas of the Ether are safe, and which to avoid. For now, though, let’s focus on the Shades.”

In the distance, I could see the crowd of Shades, swaying in the still air.

“Can we get closer?” I asked.

Orion shook his head, and for a brief moment I wondered whether Pellix might have been a better partner for this endeavor. Unlike humans, the stallion never argued. He’d have gone cantering into the field of Shades without a second thought.

Orion sighed.

“I’m not trying to frustrate you.”

“You’re very good at reading people, aren’t you?” Or I was very easy to read.

He shrugged.

“The Shades are my only neighbors, and they’re not exactly expressive. In comparison, you’re positively theatrical.”

His blue-flecked gaze lingered on me again; then he cleared his throat.

“This is the first day after the Unseen Hour. At some point, Charon will be patrolling, checking the count I provided of his newest recruits. He’s likely to summon me as well.”

“To ask you about the Shades?”

“And rant and rave about his issues with the other gods and his ultimate plan for his centennial hour.”

“What is his plan?”