Chapter26:

“Welcome to the Darklands, my dear.”  The voice echoed in the large room coldly, as if its owner was devoid of all emotion. The room was dark, lit with only a single candle which sputtered on a desk as if it was about to die. The desk itself stood in - what I could only presume - the centre of the room and looked as if it belonged to an elite royal family in its antique finery. I found my eyes darting around the room, searching for the source of the cold voice which had greeted me.  “I trust that Dareios has behaved himself? He didn’t try to kill you this time, did he?”  I saw the shadow of a figure move slightly on the opposite end of the room and it occurred to me that Icelus may look so hideous that he preferred to stick to the shadows. He was probably gruesomely disfigured, or had horns, rotting teeth, burn scars or something equally atrocious.  “No. Not this time.” I heard myself reply with a sarcastic edge to my voice. A throaty chuckle echoed through the room and made me shiver.