Page 44 of The Unseen Hour

For all my restlessness, the book was a nice distraction. Once I finished the final chapter, I sighed, leaning back against the dirt wall. For a few moments, I closed my eyes, warmed by the fire, and let the story linger in my veins, as good books tend to do.

“Napping on the job?”

I jumped up to see Orion striding through the doorway. There were circles under his eyes, in spite of his statements about not aging here, and the blue sparks dancing within the grey were dimmed.

What must it be like, assisting Charon? Since Emrys didn’t worship him, I had nothing on which to base a guess at his personality. I had recalled his name from texts, but I couldn’t claim to be overly familiar with the religions in any of the other countries.

I had already decided that Charon must be the cruelest of the gods, having stolen so many lives and subjected the Shades to the torture of preying on their loved ones.

Orion practically fell into the single wooden chair before the fire.

“You found something to your liking?” He gestured toward the book.

I held it up, showing him my choice.

“I read another book first, and then finished this entire story,” I admitted.

“You’re a fast reader.”

“I couldn’t help it. I was engrossed. The way the main pirate character describes the world. The way the two of them looked out for each other, and appreciated each other. The exploration and hunger for new experiences. I’ve always felt like that’s what love should be. A breathtaking adventure.”Orion was smiling at me, eyes brightening.

I bit my bottom lip.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said.

“You have good taste in books.”

His cheeks went ever so slightly pink, and it drew my attention back to the circles under his eyes.

“How did your meeting with a god go?”

Perhaps the most ludicrous question ever to escape my lips. After learning about the Shade song, I could not have cared less whether Charon was happy, but I found I did already care about Orion’s well-being.

It made sense. After all, he was my only real companion here. That probably accounted for the closeness I felt toward him.

Orion ran a hand over his face.

“Charon was pleased. We ended up with the largest number of souls this decade. He smiled when recounting the grand total. As if all these lives we’re ending are a good thing.”

“Is it the Shades that do the actual killing? You mentioned the song, but does that just draw people in? Is Charon not the one who deals the final blow?”

“I promised you answers, Starlight, and you’ll have them. Just for now, though, could I answer one of your other questions? I also swore I’d give you a proper tour. You should learn your way around the woods. I can tell you what’s safe and what to avoid. After we get the basics down, I’ll explain where I got the items in the cottage that you asked about.”

“And Charon? The Shade song?”

He nodded.

“I’ll answer that as well, but being around him is draining. I typically come here and rest for days. Truth be told, I’m quite happy to not be returning to an empty house, but I’d prefer it if we could avoid Charon, just for now.”

Once the color faded from them, even his cheeks looked a bit sunken. Just a couple of days with the deity had left him looking ill.

And I did need to know about my surroundings. After all, it was likely I would remain in the Ether for a year, and I wanted to be able to look after myself when Orion was stuck performing his duties as Head Shade.

I could wait until he recovered. There were plenty of other things I wanted to learn about aside from Charon.

“Yes, let’s go take a walk.”

Orion smiled, still looking tired but much more relaxed as the tension fell from his shoulders and he stood up.