“You cannot kill the Lord of the Underworld,” he says, all confidence and swagger. “The good news is that I can’t kill you, either, until I get what I want. So your life isn’t on the line during the challenge . . .”

His gaze swings to Nadir. “But I can’t say the same for his.”

My hands grip the bars so tight that my knuckles turn white.

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll let him help you,” he says as though he’s being generous.

“If he dies, then I’ll never help you,” I snarl.

“I could kill him right now if you like. Shall I send our mutual friend here to retrieve another family member to motivate you, perhaps?” He gestures to Rion, who still sits in his cage, glaring at everyone.

Anger swells up my throat. “If you touch m—”

“Shh,” he says, flinging a hand at me. My voice cuts off, and I try to speak, but no sound comes out. My jaw works uselessly, searching for the syllables. “Just for fun, let’s say that if you want me to return the ark, then he must also survive. So . . . you know, good luck with that.”

My mouth opens to silence when I scream, so I settle for uselessly rattling the bars.

“These are my conditions. Do we have an agreement? Nod to say yes.”

I stare around the cavern as my magic sparks. I stare at thousands of faces of the dead, who sneer up at me with teeth and claws sharpened with malice. How far will we get if we try to fight our way out? Tears burn in my eyes.

“Lor!” Nadir shouts, and my gaze darts to him.

Herric rolls his eyes. “Not you too.” With another flick of his hand, Nadir’s voice slices off as he flies back, slamming into the wall of his cage, which swings with an ominous squeak. I try to leap for him, but of course it’s no use.

“And just to show you what a truly fine gentleman I am, I’ll even do this.”

He waves his hand, and I’m engulfed in smoke. When it clears, I’m no longer wearing my tattered red dress but rather a leather suit much like Herric’s, with a fitted jacket and pants that conform to my skin. The long sleeves go past my wrists, and the collar covers my throat. Black boots finish the ensemble. Nadir is now clothed in a similar fashion as well.

“That’s better,” Herric says. “I do like it when everyone looks the part when visiting my court.”

Then he gives me a wicked smile before he spins around.

“Enjoy your stay in the Underworld, Heart Queen.”

A black cape materializes on his back, and he runs across the dais before swinging around and tossing it with a flourish. Then he spreads his arms and declares, “Let the game begin!”

CHAPTER 63

GABRIEL

APHELION—THE SUN PALACE