"Very well. Let us make the rules to govern them then." She felt his thoughts drift back toward Ias.
He pitied the poor Greek soldier who loved his wife. Pity, mercy, and compassion would always be his downfall.
"Number one is that they must die to reclaim their souls."
"Why?" he asked.
"A soul can only be released from a body at the moment of death. Likewise, it can only return to a body that is no longer functioning. So long as they 'live' as a Dark-Hunter, they can never have their souls again. That's not my rule, Acheron, that is simply the nature of souls."
He frowned at that. "How do you kill an immortal Dark-Hunter?"
"Well, we could cut off their heads or expose them to daylight, but since that damages their body beyond repair, it rather defeats the purpose."
"You're not funny."
And neither was he. She didn't want to release them from her service.
Most of all, she didn't want to release him.
"You have to drain out their Dark-Hunter powers," she told him. "Make their immortal bodies vulnerable to attack, then stop their hearts from beating. Only then do they die in a manner that will enable them to return to life."
"Fine, I can do that."
"Actually, you can't."
"What do you mean?"
She fought the urge to smile. Here was where she had him.
"There are a few laws you need to know about souls, Acheron. One is that the owner must freely give it up. Since I own their souls…"
Acheron cursed. "I will have to barter with you for every soul."
She nodded.
He looked less than pleased by the knowledge. But he would come around in time.
Yes, he would definitely come around…
"What else?" he asked.
Now for her one rule that would bind him to her forever. "Only a true, pure heart can release the soul back into a body. The one who returns the soul must be the one person who loves the Dark-Hunter above all others. A person they love and trust in return."
"Why?"
"Because the soul needs something to motivate it to movement, otherwise it stays where it is. I use vengeance to motivate the soul into my possession. Only an equal and as powerful an emotion will motivate the soul back into its body. Since I can choose that emotion, I choose it to be love. The most beautiful and noble of all emotions. The only one worth returning for."
Acheron stared at the marble floor as her words whispered around him.
Love.
Trust.
Such simple words to say. Such powerful words to feel. He envied those who knew their true meaning.
He had never really known either one. Betrayal, pain, degradation, suspicion, contempt, hatred. That was his existence. That was all he'd ever been shown.
Part of him wanted to turn about and leave Artemis forever.
"Return my beloved to me. Please, I will do anything to have him home…" Liora's words rang in his head. He could hear her tears even now. Feel her pain.
Feel the pain of Ias as he thought of his children and wife. His worry over their welfare.
Acheron had never known that kind of unselfish Jove. Neither before nor after his death.
"Give me Ias's soul."
Artemis gave him an arch look. "Are you willing to pay the price I ask for it, and to the terms for their release?"
His heart shrank at her words. He remembered the youth he had been long ago. The way he'd been forced to live his mortal life.
Everything has a price, boy. Nothing ever comes to anyone for free. No, you paid for it with everything you had… even with your soul. His uncle had taught him well the price for survival.
Acheron had paid dearly for everything he'd ever had or wanted. Food. Shelter. Clothes.
Paid with flesh and blood.
Some things never changed.
"Yes," he said. "I agree. I'll pay."
Artemis smiled. "Don't look so unhappy, Acheron. I promise you, you'll enjoy it."
His stomach tightened even more. He'd heard those words before too. And he'd lived and died to regret them.
It was dusk when Acheron returned to the cave.
He wasn't alone as he walked up the small rise. He led two men and four horses behind him.
"What is all this?" Callabrax asked as they left their cave and saw his procession.
"These are to be the shield-bearers for you and Kyros. They've come to show you both to the villas where you will live while you hunt the Daimons. They will see to anything you need and I will come by later to finish your training."
"What of me?" Ias asked.
"You're coming with me."
Kyros paused as he realized they would be separated. "Tell me where he goes. I will not allow anyone to harm him."
"I will take care of him," Acheron said. "I promise." Still, he saw the reluctance on Kyros's face.
Kyros turned to Ias. "I shall miss you, adelfos. If you ever need me, just call."
They embraced as brothers, before Ias stepped back. "No matter what happens, we are friends."
Kyros nodded.
Acheron waited until Kyros and Brax had mounted their horses and left before he turned back to Ias. "Are you ready to go home?" Ias looked surprised. "But you said—"
"I was wrong. You can go back."
"What of my oath to Artemis?"
"It's been taken care of." Ias embraced him like a brother.
Acheron cringed at the contact, especially since it aggravated the deep welts on his back. The even deeper welts that resided in his soul.
He'd always hated for anyone to touch him.
Gently, he pushed Ias away. "Come, let us see you home."
Acheron flashed them back to Ias's small farm where his wife had just sent their two children to bed. Her beautiful face paled as she saw them by her hearth.
He blocked both Ias's and her thoughts from his hearing since he didn't want to intrude on the privacy of their reunion.
"Ias?" She blinked. "They told me this morning that you were dead." Ias shook his head, his eyes bright. "Nay, my love. I am here. I've come home to you."
Acheron took a deep breath as Ias rushed to her and hugged her close. It went a long way toward ebbing the pain of his back from the beating that Artemis had given him in exchange for Ias's soul. He had made a good bargain with Artemis after all. He could never have real happiness, but they…
They could feel everything that had been denied him.
He would take his joy from knowing he had done right by his men.
"There's still a couple of things, Ias," Acheron said quietly.
Ias pulled back with a frown.
"Your wife will have to release your soul back into your body so that you can be human again."
Liora scowled. "What?"
"I swore myself to serve Artemis," Ias explained, "but she's going to let me go so that I can come back to you."
She looked baffled by his words.
"What must we do?" Ias asked.
"You'll have to die again."
He paled a bit. "Are you sure?"
Acheron nodded, then handed his stone dagger to Liora. "You'll have to stab him through the heart."
She looked horrified and appalled by his suggestion. "I can't do such a thing."
"It's the only way."
She continued to shake her head in denial. "It's murder. I'll be stoned to death for it."
Acheron reassured her. "No, I swear it."
"Do it, Liora," Ias urged. "I want to be with you again. Forever."
Her face skeptical, she took the dagger in her hand and tried to press it into his chest.
It didn't work.
All the stone blade did was prick the skin.
Acheron grimaced as he remembered what Artemis had said about Dark-Hunter powers. An average human wouldn't be able to hurt a Dark-Hunter with a dagger.
But he could.
Taking the dagger from Liora, he drove it straight through Ias's heart.
Ias stumbled back, panting.