CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Winter

As we approach the dock, I can see a small wooden boat tied up to it and a figure standing on the decaying boards.

It's a man, dressed in a cloak, with a hood covering his face. He holds a long pole that he uses to guide the ferry across the river.

I gulp. Will the man just give us a ride across the river if we ask?

I doubt it’s that simple. He’ll probably want a toll of some kind.

Alec slows the hellhound to a stop as we reach the dock. The man looks up, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, we stare at each other.

"Are you the ferryman?" I ask, breaking the silence.

The man nods. "I am."

"We need to get back to the other side," I tell him.

He studies us--still sitting on the hellhound--for a long moment. "Many come here asking to go to the other side. It does not work that way, though. I ferry souls from Earth to here. This is the underworld, children. Once you arrive here you do not leave until you are ready to ascend."

My heart sinks at his words. I don't want t