Page 79 of The Unseen Hour

“A conductor’s baton. My brother must tie his ability to his Shades. So we all must, with those who serve us. To share his song with the Shades, he needs a means to control the ability. That is the baton. He sees himself as the grand conductor of this scheme.”

She snorted out a laugh, a shocking sound coming from an immortal being.

It made sense, with music being Charon’s most dangerous weapon.

“You mentioned a second item. What is it? Will they both be kept together?” I asked.

“They will not. I’d wager he’s kept them separated as an extra means of security. It’s what I would do.”

“And do you have another item, in addition to your scythe?”

She grinned, perfect teeth more menacing then dazzling that time.

“That is another secret I think I’ll keep to myself for the time being.”

Orion frowned.

“Would Charon not keep the baton or this second item with him? He is meticulous. Surely he would⁠—”

“He is also paranoid and growing more and more suspicious of me and the rest of the deities by the day. My brother is closing in on the date of his attempted coup, and he has no desire for me to locate the item on his person. I am somewhat familiar with this realm. I know of a few locations close to his heart. All of us were close, before we weren’t,” Death admitted.

“You called him brother. Are the gods siblings, then?”

Death shook her head, her hair glinting in the changing light.

“No. None of us, in fact. Although we were just as close, once. We’re more like ‘brothers-in-arms’ than real family. We squabble like family, but we’re not related in any way. In fact”—she waved an arm—“never mind. But no, we are in no way truly related.”

“Why did you grow apart?” I asked, still curious at the bit she’d chosen to leave out.

Whatever had come between them, I wanted to avoid getting more involved with the issues of deities than we already were. Fetch the items, end the hour. That was all I wanted. They could settle the rest themselves.

“It was rather more intense than merely growing apart. Don’t worry, the squabbles of the gods should not interfere with your lives. I’m stepping in now because that’s exactly what Charon’s actions are doing. This will not end well for him.”

“And the baton?” Orion asked, taking a step closer to me.

“There are two places he might keep it. One is in a cave at the bottom of a canyon, deep in his forest. It has crystals inside that glitter and glow just as bright as the lights in his night sky here. He used to go there to be alone, away from his creatures and even us. It is a sanctuary to him. That’s where you’ll find help for your leg. The waters within the cave can also be a place of healing.”

I had difficulty picturing gods with their own sanctuaries. Who would they worship?

And why would Charon need something that could heal? Unless the gods were more vulnerable than we’d believed.

“They can be wounded, then, the other gods?”

“They can be vanquished,” Death answered, hedging. “Gods can stand against gods. Can you find the canyon?”

Orion dipped his chin.

“We know where it is. I got my leg injury near that location.”

“Good. I don’t envy you the climb down, but I’d suggest starting there. Then, even if it’s not where he’s keeping the baton, you’ll be working with both legs.”

I tensed. From what I remembered of the canyon, it was a steep drop. Any pathways down the sides would probably be narrow and treacherous. I wasn’t looking forward to the trip.

We’d have to be careful, and playing it safe would mean moving slowly as well.

At least we’d be taking care of two tasks at once. We’d been planning to go back to the forest soon anyway to expand our search for Father. We could look for him and the baton at the same time.

“And the other possible location for this baton?” Orion asked.