low. âThis ferry has been here since before even vampires can remember. Youâve always had to pay its driver to get into the true Underworld. Vampires take this kind of stuff pretty seriously.â
The ferry reached the edge of the river. The driver, a tall, skeleton-thin old woman in a black gown, laid down her pole. One by one, the vampires approached her. She opened her large mouth, and the first passenger bowed his head and placed a myna coin on her tongue. She swallowed the coin and opened her mouth for the next payment. When it was the Nocturnesâ turns, Sebastian handed them each a coin.
Oliver could see no eyes beneath the driverâs hood. He reached gingerly into her mouth, between long, ancient brown teeth, and placed the coin, trying not to make any contact, but his finger just grazed her tongue. It was scalding hot. He had barely removed his fingers when her teeth snapped shut and she swallowed.
Dean stepped up behind him. As he reached toward the mouth, he muttered, âWielders of chaos, guide my handâ¦â He placed the coin in and yanked his hand out.
Oliver looked at him oddly. âWhat are you talking about?â he asked.
âHuh?â Dean asked. âOh, nothing. Just nervous.â
The vampires stood silent as the ferry slowly crossed the black river. The only sounds were the regular plunks of the driverâs pole and the faint gurgle of the water. Oliver found himself wondering where Acheron began, and where it ended. Heâd never thought about that before, and never heard anyone talk about it. Like the ferry, the river just was.
Oliver wondered why heâd even had the thought. Maybe it was because of his brief moment in The Shoals back in February, when Jenette had hid him from the Brotherhood. (The Shoals were areas on the edges of the worlds, where spirits like wraiths lived.) Or maybe it was because of their time in The Yomi, the underground market that was built on a border between many worlds.
After being in such places, Oliver had found himself considering how things were connected, how the realities seemed to flow through one another and how, even though a vampire could sense these things so much better than a human, there still seemed to be some larger purpose to it all that he couldnât quite see.
The ferry reached the far side. Everyone disembarked and passed under a large archway carved into the cavern wall. Enormous Corinthian columns towered on either side. A hall lined with torches sloped steadily downward. Vampires always preferred it very warm, and down here it was not only warm but also sticky, almost tropical.
âWhereâs the magmalight?â Dean asked, squinting in the flickering gloom.
âThey donât use it in the Old World. Itâs too modern.â
The tunnel ended on a wide terrace, at the top of a grand staircase. Below, in a cavern beyond measure, stood the ancient Underworld city of Morosia.
Chapter 5
Old vs. New
IT WAS A WORLD of red light and stone. Oliverâs eye was immediately drawn to Phlegethon, the molten river of magma flowing through the center of the city, crossed by black iron bridges. On either side of the canal loomed enormous stone buildings: temples, spires and towers, all intricately lit by torches, and in the exact center, largest of all, a colossal Mayan pyramid, with a black cauldron of fire burning at its peak. It looked as if someone had been collecting signature buildings from the great civilizations of human history, and that was somewhat true, as Morosia had existed through all of ancient times.
âKinda looks like Las Vegas,â Dean remarked.
Cobblestone streets led away from the giant structures along the river, back into a twisting labyrinth of low buildings. The cavern walls were covered with apartment buildings, in the style of ancient pueblos, which rose to dizzying heights in the murky, smoky dark.
âCan we go downtown first?â Bane asked, sounding as
The ferry reached the edge of the river. The driver, a tall, skeleton-thin old woman in a black gown, laid down her pole. One by one, the vampires approached her. She opened her large mouth, and the first passenger bowed his head and placed a myna coin on her tongue. She swallowed the coin and opened her mouth for the next payment. When it was the Nocturnesâ turns, Sebastian handed them each a coin.
Oliver could see no eyes beneath the driverâs hood. He reached gingerly into her mouth, between long, ancient brown teeth, and placed the coin, trying not to make any contact, but his finger just grazed her tongue. It was scalding hot. He had barely removed his fingers when her teeth snapped shut and she swallowed.
Dean stepped up behind him. As he reached toward the mouth, he muttered, âWielders of chaos, guide my handâ¦â He placed the coin in and yanked his hand out.
Oliver looked at him oddly. âWhat are you talking about?â he asked.
âHuh?â Dean asked. âOh, nothing. Just nervous.â
The vampires stood silent as the ferry slowly crossed the black river. The only sounds were the regular plunks of the driverâs pole and the faint gurgle of the water. Oliver found himself wondering where Acheron began, and where it ended. Heâd never thought about that before, and never heard anyone talk about it. Like the ferry, the river just was.
Oliver wondered why heâd even had the thought. Maybe it was because of his brief moment in The Shoals back in February, when Jenette had hid him from the Brotherhood. (The Shoals were areas on the edges of the worlds, where spirits like wraiths lived.) Or maybe it was because of their time in The Yomi, the underground market that was built on a border between many worlds.
After being in such places, Oliver had found himself considering how things were connected, how the realities seemed to flow through one another and how, even though a vampire could sense these things so much better than a human, there still seemed to be some larger purpose to it all that he couldnât quite see.
The ferry reached the far side. Everyone disembarked and passed under a large archway carved into the cavern wall. Enormous Corinthian columns towered on either side. A hall lined with torches sloped steadily downward. Vampires always preferred it very warm, and down here it was not only warm but also sticky, almost tropical.
âWhereâs the magmalight?â Dean asked, squinting in the flickering gloom.
âThey donât use it in the Old World. Itâs too modern.â
The tunnel ended on a wide terrace, at the top of a grand staircase. Below, in a cavern beyond measure, stood the ancient Underworld city of Morosia.
Chapter 5
Old vs. New
IT WAS A WORLD of red light and stone. Oliverâs eye was immediately drawn to Phlegethon, the molten river of magma flowing through the center of the city, crossed by black iron bridges. On either side of the canal loomed enormous stone buildings: temples, spires and towers, all intricately lit by torches, and in the exact center, largest of all, a colossal Mayan pyramid, with a black cauldron of fire burning at its peak. It looked as if someone had been collecting signature buildings from the great civilizations of human history, and that was somewhat true, as Morosia had existed through all of ancient times.
âKinda looks like Las Vegas,â Dean remarked.
Cobblestone streets led away from the giant structures along the river, back into a twisting labyrinth of low buildings. The cavern walls were covered with apartment buildings, in the style of ancient pueblos, which rose to dizzying heights in the murky, smoky dark.
âCan we go downtown first?â Bane asked, sounding as
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