CHAPTER 216

Mike stood outside of the master bedroom of the Underworld home. Inside, Emily was wailing in agony, a sound that raised goosebumps all along his arms.

However, his attention was on Yuki, who stood across from him drying her eyes for the fourth time in ten minutes. Cecilia hovered alongside them, her hands clasped together over the soul fragment that Sulyvahn had given her. If not for the dullahan's quick thinking, it would have been snatched up by the demons that now roamed around the Underworld in packs. After the tower had been taken down, the souls that had been trapped there by the shadow had essentially created a feeding ground for the demons. Apparently word had gotten out, and if not for Cerberus, the Underworld would be impossible for them to traverse.

"I'm sorry." Yuki apologized for what must have been the hundredth time. Her eyes were red from crying, and she kept wiping the tears away with the edges of her robe. "I'm trying really hard to hold it together."

"I know. We've got plenty of time." Though Mike wasn't sure what would happen when they went in there, Cecilia was fairly certain that Emily would completely cross over almost right away. He knew Yuki wanted to be present, but it had taken the kitsune almost a week to mentally prepare herself.

Yuki took several deep breaths, and her complexion smoothed itself out. She put both hands on her stomach and then let out the breath she had been holding. The hallway frosted over.

"Sorry. I'm ready."

Mike took her hand and pushed the door open. Emily stood against the far wall, her fingernails pressed into the wallpaper hard enough to tear it. Upon their entry, she became static and teleported about, then loomed in front of them, her body lifting off the ground as she opened her mouth and howled.

"That's enough of that." Cecilia held up her hands, and blinding light could be seen slipping through the gaps in her fingers. Emily paused, her head twitching as if stuck in a replay loop. When the banshee opened up her hands, the fluttering bit of light danced about before landing in the gaping hole in Emily's face.

Once whole, the static faded, and Emily sank to the ground. Dark clouds poured out of her body as her newly restored face glowed like a tiny star, the light chasing away the dark. There was a burst of light, and she now hovered in the middle of the room, her eyes closed as if asleep. She was in a white gown, and her hands were clasped over her chest.

"Yuki." When Emily spoke, Mike felt the warmth of her words in the middle of his chest, and her magic briefly touched his own, causing a surge inside of him.

"Emily." Yuki took a step toward her, releasing Mike's hand in the process.

Emily opened her eyes and smiled, then held her arms out.

"Let me know if you need me," Mike told Cecilia.

"It won't be long, a runsearc." Cecilia beamed at him. "When she's ready, I'll take her the rest of the way."

"I know you will." He touched her cheek, then walked out of the room. Yuki and Emily deserved privacy for their final moments, and he didn't want the kitsune to hold back on his account.

He made his way through the house and out into the backyard where Amymone waited, her back pressed against the fountain.

"Finally." She put the book she had been reading down. "This last batch wasn't the best, and you guys have been up there for almost an hour."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I probably should have come to you first." He took the bag off his shoulders and set it down next to her. In fact, the plan had been to see the dryad right away, but Yuki had been unable to move past the stairs once they arrived. Whatever torments had been brought onto Emily's soul were about to finally come to an end, and he didn't feel like telling Yuki that Emily could wait five more minutes.

"Nah, it's okay." Amymone was already digging through the bag. "She's been awful all day. What did you do to calm her down?"

"Brought her the missing piece of her soul."

"Oh." Amymone pulled a book out but didn't open it. "I guess if she moves on, then that means I'm alone now."

"I guess so. But you won't have to listen to her wailing anymore."

"True." The dryad chuckled dryly. "I've gotten so used to her presence that now I fear the silence will be maddening. She's been my cellmate in this hellish place, and it sounds like she's getting out early for good behavior."

"I've got the centaurs looking everywhere." He didn't know how to tell Amymone that there had been zero leads. He and Zel had visited the spot where the Mandragora had been and searched everywhere. There was even talk about mounting an expedition to track its offspring through the jungle, but they hadn't even found tracks to follow. "And once Ratu gets better, she said she'll help."

"She still stuck as a...you know." Amymone twisted up her limbs and fell on her back.

"No, she's getting better." Ratu was still under the care of the centaurs. When they had found her, she had been little more than a mass of flesh, scales, and stone. Over time, the naga was slowly regaining her ability to shapeshift, and had managed to make fingerless hands just the night before. "Might be able to walk in another week."

"Good." Amymone picked up her book and then set it back down with a sigh. "You're still going to come visit me, right?"

"Of course." He had reached into his bag again and pulled out another letter from Naia. "Every day, if I can help it. Naia said she'll drown me if I don't."

"I bet she did." Amymone took the letter with a smile.

Up above, the sound of sobbing penetrated the window, and Mike felt his own breath hitch up in his chest when the unmistakable song of the banshee began. He knew that she would be able to come home but was now filled with terror at the idea that she may vanish again.

"Looks like they'll be done soon. I better get Yuki home, she's gonna need time to heal." He pulled several more books out of his bag. "I brought as many as I could find today, didn't know how long I'd be here."