When we get inside, Galen looks smug as he leans against the doorway of the dining room, sipping his coffee.“Look at this little surprise. Someone is losing his touch.”
Sybil emerges from the hallway and freezes as they catch sight of a mortal in the foyer.
“Brother, now is not the time,” Essos says curtly. He is seething, his anger palpable. None of us have seen him like this, but I’m sure Sybil and Galen have. Essos strikes me as the type of man to keep his anger and rage carefully bottled away until the right—or wrong—moment undoes it. After existing for thousands of years, I’m sure he’s unleashed it once or twice before.
Some of the remaining girls who were not on the group date wander in, looking curious.
“Daphne, Catalina and Zara, if you would please come along.” Essos might say the wordpleasebut his tone leaves no room for argument. For whatever reason, he wants us there, and I’m not going to argue. Maybe it will satisfy at least some of my aching curiosity.
Essos leads Tiffany and Steve down a different set of stairs, carefully keeping himself between them, and I wonder if the house is actually a labyrinth. I’ve never seen this staircase before, but as Essos approached it, the stairs appeared. How many other elements of his home are hidden away, only to be revealed when the time is fitting?
Only Cat, Zara and I are permitted to follow. I stick close to Cat, and a flicker of surprise hits me when Zara slides her hand into mine as we descend the stairs. They’re long but wide, meaning we have space to walk three abreast. When Essos ushered Steve down the stairs with Tiffany hot on his heels, it was like she momentarily forgot Zara. We might not get along well, but if this were happening to Cat, I would be terrified. So, I grip Zara’s hand tight, vowing to be her lifeline if she lets me.
We enter a room that we have not been in, but its purpose is obvious.Roomis such a mundane word for the space around us. If I thought the ballroom above was opulent, then this is on a whole other level. It’s not as bright as the upstairs rooms. The walls are a solid matte black, giving the illusion that the space is wide open while also giving the sense that the walls are closing in. It is an impressive and terrifying feat. I don’t want to be in this space any longer than necessary. My steps stall as I look around, and Zara releases my hand to quickly catch up to Tiffany.
Opposite the entrance are two thrones, each equal in size, clearly intended for Essos and his queen. The walls seem to stretch up endlessly, making the room feel more like a cavern than an actual room, though I can just see a beautiful vaulted ceiling high above. Hanging from no discernable point are heavy metal chandeliers with candles that have black wax dripped down their sides. The room is larger than the ballroom.
Thisis what I would expect for the King of the Underworld.
I feel dizzy crossing the room, not because of the size, but because I have a disorienting sense of déjà vu. At some point, I must have been in this room. I grab Cat’s arm to steady myself, unsure if I’ll have a vision. But instead of a flash, I have this overwhelming sense of pressure. I squeeze her arm as the sensation continues to assault me and my emotions swing like a pendulum with no real direction. First, I’m burning red hot, wanting to tear the space around me down to the studs, but that’s preferable to the sensation of my chest trying to cave in on my lungs, forcing tears to my eyes. With each emotion, I feel the urge to pull my hair out to make some sense of what is happening. Mostly, I want to flee the room to escape them.
While our presence is likely not necessary, all of us are eager to find out what will happen. I choose to focus on that emotion rather than my fight or flight instinct, which wants to send me far from here.
Essos takes his seat on his throne, sparing a glance at the empty seat beside him. The thrones are large and solid and seem to have grown out of the same obsidian slab as the floor. They look uncomfortable, but I notice that they have the same moon and flower symbol as Essos’s necklace. It feels achingly familiar, but maybe that’s because I’ve seen the symbol. I wonder if this is the room where Essos usually conducts his business.
Essos gestures for Cat, Tiffany, Zara and I to stand behind him, off to the side behind the empty throne. I’m not sure what urges me to do it, but as I pass him, I drop my hand onto his shoulder and give him a comforting squeeze. His fingertips brush the inside of my wrist just as I pull my hand away.
Galen and Sybil follow the congregation into the room as well and stand behind Steve. Dave, Shadow and Spot take their stance guarding the door. Essos levels them with a scolding look, and they tuck their tails between their legs, as if ashamed for letting a living human into the Underworld.
Before Essos can demand an answer as to how he managed this trip, Steve pulls his guitar around and starts to strum it. Essos leans on one armrest and rests his chin in his hand as he rubs his temple. I think his head might actually explode from stress.
Steve is a passable guitar player at best, and when he starts to sing, his vocals could use some work. But what he wrote is beautiful, and it transcends the wrong notes and offkey singing. He plays a song he wrote for Tiffany, about how he missed her and loves her with his whole heart and that he’ll do anything he can to love her for eternity. He sings about her accepting his hand in marriage, and he ends the song there, getting down on one knee.
Tiffany is crying beside Essos, and she goes to run for Steve again. Essos has to physically restrain her. Zara and Cat step in, grabbing her to hold her back. Essos looks bewildered by all of this.
“What exactly are you asking?” Essos demands.
Steve rises and walks toward Essos. “I thought that was obvious. I want her to marry me.”
Tiffany starts to struggle against Zara and Cat to get to him.
“I love you, baby!” Tiffany shouts, breaking free. Essos grabs her wrist, preventing her from going farther. She starts to yank away from Essos, trying to break his grasp, but he’s a god, there isn’t much she can do.
“ENOUGH,” Essos booms, his gaze swinging from Tiffany to Steve and back again. “Yes, I understood that much. However, she is no longer part of the land of the living the way that you are. How do you plan to carry forward with this request?”
“I want you to give her back.” Steve squares his shoulders and puffs out his chest. He looks like he’s ready to fight Essos for Tiffany, as if a physical altercation will do the trick. His hands even tighten into fists and he raises them slightly so they’re around his midsection. Steve looks like he doesn’t want to fight, but rather to convey to Essos that, if it comes down to it, he’ll let them fly. From the back of the room, all three dogs stand and growl, looking ready to jump in. Essos just seems exhausted and releases his grip on Tiffany so she can finally embrace Steve.
Essos steps back up on the dais and sits heavily on his throne. As Tiffany and Steve reunite, all eyes are on them, but I watch Essos. His thumb rubs the length of his lower lip then back again as he studies the young lovers.
“Very well. Under one condition.” His voice is soft and quiet when he says this. Tiffany and Steve separate, shock making them still. Tiffany is the first to come to her senses, and she turns to face Essos, her eyes brimming with tears. He speaks directly to Steve. “You will leave, and she will follow you, but you cannot touch her or look upon her until you are back in the mortal world. If you do, I will reclaim her, and she will pass forward into her afterlife. There will be no second chance. I am understood?”
What is it about Tiffany and Steve that has the King of the Dead releasing one of his own back into the mortal realm? Is this king of darkness a romantic at heart? The task he lays at Steve’s feet is not an easy one, considering that he has hardly taken his eyes off Tiffany the entire time. The man has found a way into the Underworld, but there could be talking animals around us, and he would still have eyes only for her.
Steve has to give Essos a level of trust that he will uphold his end of the bargain. I realize I have no doubt that, if Steve succeeds, Essos will follow through.
He is trustworthy. At least in this.
Steve looks elated, like he could jump through the sky right now.He actually fist pumps and jumps in the air, unable to take his eyes off Tiffany.