“Godly magic can be found here, right? Like the eather in the bones of the deities,” I said, and a hot pulse of anger radiated from Casteel.

“Not just in the bones of a deity, but also in the blood of a god.” Jasper stopped pacing, coming to stand near the terrace doors of the living area. He took a deep drink, finishing off the whiskey. “Of course, it’s easier to visit a crypt and remove the bones of the deities than to attempt to get one’s hands on the blood of a god.”

I shuddered at the thought of how disruptive that act would be to the dead. It wasn’t something I had really considered while in the crypts.

Casteel’s fingers continued moving along the back of my neck, working out the knots in the tight muscles there. “What I don’t understand, though, is how anyone would get soil from Iliseeum. How would they know where it was located and how to get there?” Casteel stated. “Especially when only those with godly blood can travel between the realms.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Jasper said.

Casteel’s and Kieran’s heads jerked in his direction. “Come again?” his son said.

“Iliseeum doesn’t exist in a realm that only the gods can enter,” he said, setting his empty glass on the table by the doors. “And a few do know where Iliseeum is.” He looked at the Prince. “What do you think exists beyond the Mountains of Nyktos?”

Casteel’s hand stilled on my neck. “There’s nothing but mountains and land unsuitable for building or supporting life.”

“For thousands of years, that was repeated over and over until it simply became something known and never questioned. But it was a lie to sway those who were too curious,” Jasper responded. “Iliseeum lies beyond the Mountains of Nyktos.”

Chapter 21

Casteel’s hand slipped from my neck as shock rippled through him. For a moment, I thought he might drop his glass of whiskey. “Are you for real?”

Kieran closed the thick book. “He can’t be.”

“It’s true,” Jasper confirmed.

The room was thick with tangy confusion. “How is it possible that no one figured that out?” I asked. “That no one attempted to cross the mountain or take to the sea in a ship?”

“More than just words have hidden Iliseeum’s location.” Jasper tilted forward, resting his arms on his bent knees. “Iliseeum is well-protected by land and sea.”

“The eather—like the mist in the Skotos Mountains?” I guessed.

Jasper nodded. “As both my son and Cas know, the sea is too rough to travel on once any ship nears Iliseeum’s coast.”

“It’s not just rough waters.” Casteel’s hand returned to the base of my neck. His fingers moved in a slow, steady slide as he said, “Sea stacks around the coast can tear a ship apart in minutes if one gets close enough to even see through the mist that obscures the coastline. Just like the mist from the Skotos protects the shores of Atlantia from both the Stroud Sea and Seas of Saion.”