Chapter Eighteen
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."