A Crown of Shadows and Secrets

by Sloane Murphy

  “Oh she'll be fine. She knows she has nothing to worry about. She might be the jealous type, but you're an Angel. You're not exactly the corrupting kind are you? Plus, you’re kind of the reason we’re together so it’s fine.” His smirk makes my heart race, but he's not wrong. Even if I wasn't already in love, jumping into bed with a Demon isn't on my to do list. Not that Morganna's guys are bad, but how she managed to tame the Four Horsemen still baffles me. Even if I did encourage her to take the risk on them.

  “Well then, as long as you’re sure. Lead the way. Where exactly are we anyway?” I ask.

  “This is the hall of damnation. Where the fun, corrupt little souls come to be assigned. First thing you should know. There are eight levels of the Shadow Realm. Morganna holds the main level in the depths of the realm. We stay there with her, but we help oversee the other seven too. Each other level is run by a higher Demon. They each have their own minions by the thousands, but everyone still bows to Morganna.”

  “Oh wow. How many different types of Demon are there?” I ask, because unfettered knowledge of the Shadow Realm isn’t something you get every day.

  “Far too many to list. Anyway, as I said, each level is run by a higher Demon. Strong, though nothing compared to us, which is exactly how it should be. Those seven are our deadly sins—it’s how we assign the souls that end up here for eternity. Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust. I mean, they have names, but they’re not important. What is important, is for you to know not to trust any of them. Everyone wants a step up, and having the ear of the queen is something people will use. Bryce, Killian, Malik, and I are the exception. We obviously don’t need you to get to Morganna.” He waggles his eyebrows at me and I can’t help but laugh at his devilishness. If only the humans really knew that what they called Hell was ran by a woman with four lovers, rather than the evil man they perceive as the Devil, I wonder what they’d think. If their patriarchy could even handle it.

  “Okay, wow, that’s a lot to take in. Is there a way to pass the other levels to get straight to Morganna’s level? Or will I always have to go through all of the levels? And is there a safe way for me to pass through?”

  “Hmmmm, and what would you give me for that information I wonder?” He grins and I shake my head.

  Demons.

  “What would the cost be?” I ask cautiously, because making a deal with a Demon really isn’t something I want to do. I already made one with Morganna, but that was for a greater purpose. Sealing the Shadow Realm, so that the insanity that is the Demon overspill that’s happening back on Earth doesn’t happen again is beneficial to us both. She hates sending the Horsemen to Earth to help try and retrieve the unruly Demons who battle not only us, but her, in their efforts for power. And fates only knows how much we don’t want the Horsemen over there. Their power bleeds out of them, whether they mean to or not. Sending War, Famine, Plague, or Conquest to the Earth Realm isn’t something we want to deal with. Hence the deal.

  Bringing that to the Archangel council was really fun. Not.

  “Hmmm, I’ll think on it.” He winks at me. “Anyway, let’s go, I’ll introduce you to some people, just remember, do not trust them if I’m not around, well, me or one of the guys, people wouldn’t dare harm you in our presence, but without us, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  “Okay, I get it. Is there a way to contact you guys, for when I get here?”

  “Remy, fuck!” Levi’s voice filters in as I groan, and open my eyes. The back of my head throbs, so I sit up slowly, wiping at my nose and realizing what I felt was blood.

  Shit.

  “Holy fuck, Remy what was that?” Creek asks as he kneels beside me. They’re all looking at me, terrified.

  “I’m okay,” I sigh.

  “Okay? Remy, you were seizing on the floor and fucking bleeding. We couldn’t do a thing to stop it!” Roman roars.

  “What happened, mon amour?” Kain says softly, taking my hand, and checking my pulse.

  “It was a memory. Of here. From Amantara,” I tell them softly. I realize my ears feel wet too, and when I bring my fingers back, they’re also covered in red. Well shit, apparently memories from Amantara are a bitch. I groan again as I stand, Kain on one side, Creek on my other.

  “I’m fine, guys I swear. I can’t imagine what that was like for you, I’m sorry.” I wince as I stand and go lightheaded again. Creek keeps me standing, and much as I hate needing help, I’m grateful he’s got me. “On the upside, I found out a few things.”

  I tell them what I learned from my memory, and they remain silent the entire time. When I finish there’s a round of cursing, and I smile. That’s my guys, only focusing on the information I didn’t get, useful as it would be.

  “At least we learned some things, it might make navigating through this place a bit easier,” Kain says softly and Creek nods.

  “Who would’ve thought that this is where the seven deadly sins thing came from.” He chuckles and I smile at him, thankful for the break in the heaviness that’s settled on us since we got here. We’ve not been here long and already I hate the feeling churning inside of me.

  “They’re right,” Levi says, coming to stand in front of me, he places a hand on the nape of my neck and pulls me towards him, out of Creek’s hold, and kisses me, the kiss is so desperate, as if he thought he might lose me. I grip the front of his t-shirt in my fists, and hold on as he kisses me breathless.

  “Holy shit that was hot,” Creek groans as Levi slows the kiss and I manage to suck in a lungful of air.

  “Yes, yes it was,” I pant. Levi steps back, a smirk on his face.

  “Okay, so is this the hall of damnation you saw in your memory?” Roman asks, trying to bring us back to the task at hand. Fate only knows how I’m going to juggle all four of these guys together for however long we’re down here. I’ve tried to keep everyone separate back home, so as not to rub it in each other’s faces, but I have a feeling that it’s not going to be that easy here.

  “Yes,” I tell Roman. “This is the hall. I guess we follow it and we’ll find some sort of system to send souls to each level, I just don’t know what to expect from here.

  “Well, we won’t find out if we just stand here,” Roman huffs and I take his hand. His eyes are glowing, I guess his wolf isn’t liking the enclosed space, especially after seeing me seizing like that.

  “Hey, I’m okay,” I tell him softly and hug him. “I’m fine, I swear.”

  His chest rumbles as he hugs me back, and buries his nose in my hair, taking in my scent. “You better be.”

  “Roman’s right, we should get moving. Caleb told you not to trust anyone, so we should probably try and steer clear of Demons and the souls here as much as we can,” Levi says, taking charge as is his way.

  “That might not be that easy,” Creek says, pointing further down the cave like hall. I look where he’s pointing when I see what he means. The almost transparent souls, hovering in the hall.

  “Who’d have thought you’d have to get in line in this place,” Roman snorts, and I shake my head.

  “Well, I guess we better get in line then.”

  Chapter Seven

  Remy

  “We can’t just get in line,” Roman rolls his eyes at me, and I shrug.

  “What else do you expect us to do?” I ask.

  “There has to be another way to reach the levels.” He looks at me pointedly.

  “There really isn’t,” a voice says from behind us, and I spin finding a pixie looking woman, her long flowing red hair falls down to her ass, and she tucks it behind her ears, which I notice are pointed.

  Well shit. Fae?

  Her blood red eyes match her hair and she takes us all in. “Where are you trying to go?” She asks, and I fidget. My memory told me not to trust anyone down here, but we need some sort of idea where to start.

  “We’re trying to reach the queen.” I tell her, leaving out any of the other details, but I figure if we find Morganna, we’ll fin
d Fallon. Even if she’s not the one working with Archer, maybe she’ll have an idea of who is.

  The red headed woman barks out a laugh. “Good luck with that. I can get you from here to the first level of the realm, but beyond that, you’re on your own. I’m not bringing a bunch of unknowns to the queen.”

  “Who are you?” Levi asks, taking in the sight of her, trying to assess her I’d guess from the look on his face.

  “My name is Ferry. I’m the one who creates the bridges from here into the Shadow Realm,” she tells him, checking her nails as if she’s already bored by our presence here, not caring who we are. “Now do you want across or not?”

  “And you can’t get us any closer than the first level?” Roman asks, his voice almost a growl.

  “Oh I can, but I won’t,” she tells him with an evil grin. Her eyes practically sparkle. “I don’t know you, but the fact that you’re here means something, so I’ll get you across, but after that you’re on your own.”

  “Have you seen any other humans come through here?” I ask and she laughs.

  “Only all day every day.” She rolls her eyes at me and I grit my teeth.

  “She meant ones who aren’t dead,” Creek interjects.

  “You should be more careful with your words, especially down here,” she tells us, and looks back to me. “I haven’t, but it’s no secret that tears have been appearing between this realm and Earth recently. It’s caused quite a stir. So not everyone has been coming and going through here.” She shrugs and turns on her heel, walking down the hall towards the floating souls.

  “You coming?” She calls back over her shoulder. I look to the guys, but it’s Kain who takes the first step down the hall after her, and the rest of us follow.

  “So level one is Phoenix’s realm. You probably know him as Pride, most from Earth do. He’s a dick, so avoid him if you can,” she tells us, her voice echoing down the hall.

  “How do we move between levels?” I ask her, trying not to brush up against any of the very many souls waiting to pass. They don’t even look at us, as if they can’t even see us.

  “That is something you’re going to have to work out, Hunter. I’m not your personal guide.” She stops when we reach the end of the hall and come to a ledge. I look over, and I gasp, taking a step back.

  Holy shit that’s a long way down.

  The river of lava below fills me with dread. I guess the human visions of this place had to come from somewhere.

  “Now then, let’s get you out of my hair, shall we?” She says, and with the wave of her hand a boat appears out of thin air on the edge of the ledge. “Climb aboard. This will take you to the first level.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her. Yes it’s not where we need to go, but it’s a step in the right direction, and from the looks of this place, we never would’ve managed to get any further without her help.

  “Second tip of the day, don’t thank anyone down here. I’ll let it go, but that’s a sure-fire way to sell your soul. I like you though, you remind me of someone I used to know, so I’ll give you a chance.” She winks at me before motioning for us to get on the boat. “Now don’t think you can just stay on this after its first stop. It will just disappear, and you’ll fall into the river down there, understand?”

  I gulp but nod and follow the guys on to the floating boat. Each of them looks tense, stiff, and I don’t blame them. We don’t know Ferry, and my own memory told me not to trust anyone here, but what choice do we have? My instincts tell me we can trust her, and I’ve always followed them.

  “Good luck,” she says with a finger wave and the boat starts to move away from the ledge, moving forward into a mist I hadn’t paid attention to before.

  “Well, hopefully this isn’t a trap,” Levi grinds out before walking away from us.

  “I know this isn’t ideal, but we don’t have any other options,” I call out after him, trying to placate him, but I can tell it isn’t really helping.

  “What is our next move, once we get where we’re going?” Kain asks me, with a small smile. At least he seems to be on board with trusting me.

  “Honestly, I have no idea.” I palm Fallon’s talisman that Marie gave to me. “I’m hoping this thing will help me know when Fallon is close by, but I guess, just working through the levels to reach Morganna. Unless we manage to find Fallon first. All while avoiding as many Demons as we can?” I let out a deep breath, trying not to freak out. In all of my lives, with all of the challenges I’ve faced, none have been quite like this, at least not that I remember. I wish I’d gotten more information from that memory earlier, something that could help us.

  “It’ll all work out. You’ll see,” Creek says, soothing me as he squeezes my hand. I look to Roman and Levi, who are definitely not as relaxed as Creek and Kain right now. Levi is at the very front of the boat, looking into the distance, while Roman paces in front of us.

  The boat slows and the mist starts to clear when I realize we’re moving downwards. It comes to a stop beside another ledge, when a woman who looks just like Ferry, but with green hair and eyes greets us. “Welcome to the Shadow Realm.”

  Welcome to the Shadow Realm indeed. I move to get off of the boat, but Levi appears in front of me, stopping me.

  “Who are you?” He asks gruffly. Ah, apparently mister grumpy is back. Awesome. It’s been a while since he came out to play.

  “I am Delia, but I can be whoever you want me to be handsome.” She winks at him and I hear Creek trying not to laugh. “What brings you to the home of Pride?”

  “We’re looking for someone,” I start, but Roman and Levi both level me with a stare. I roll my eyes because, please. I’m not letting these guys walk all over me. “We’re trying to get to the queen.”

  The green haired girl laughs at us, practically crying with laughter. “Oh, you’re funny. Come on, let’s get you off of the boat before it disappears.” Her reminder jolts the guys into action and we get off quickly.

  “Tha...” I start and then stop talking.

  “Ahhhh good you remembered. Ferry always tries to warn the kindhearted ones, just in case. But most people that come here end up trapped anyway.” Her eyes sparkle with laughter, and I smile at her.

  “Yeah, that’s not on my to do list today.”

  “Or ever,” Creek adds.

  “Or that.” I nod.

  “So, you’re really looking for the queen?” Delia asks and I nod.

  “We really are. Don’t suppose you know a super quick and helpful way to find her?” I ask as Levi and Roman both cross their arms. I roll my eyes at them. Got it. They’re not happy. Shocker.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I like my head on my shoulders thanks. Her Horsemen aren’t guys I want to be on the bad side of, and pure as you seem, I’m not risking it. You understand. What I can do, is let you in here, and then, well, you can stumble around until you find someone stupid enough to help, or you stumble across the right path.” She shrugs, and raises her hands. Roman almost growls at her, but I put my hand on his chest.

  “That would be great. Where do we go?” I ask her. With a wave of her hand a doorway appears.

  “This will take you in to the first level. Just try not to stumble across Phoenix. Prideful asshole is the biggest dick you’ll come across, and not in a good way.”

  I nod at her again, thinning my lips so as not to say thank you. That shit is hard. The door opens and I step towards it. The black frame glimmers as I wrap my hand around the gold door handle and push it open.

  Nothing but a white mist is visible from this side of the door. I look back to the guys, who are all right behind me. Delia waves and I smile back at her before walking into the mist.

  The mist clears and I find myself staring out over what looks like a city on the surface. A mix of skyscrapers, and other tall buildings, which get smaller as the city works outwards.

  “Well, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting,” Levi says, eyebrows raised.

  “You can say
that again,” Creek says, stepping forward, trying to look closer.

  “This seems suspicious to everyone else as well right?” Roman asks and I nod.

  “I mean, it kind of makes sense. They said this level was Pride, right?” Kain asks. “Well, there’s a lot of different types of pride. It’s seen as the root of all evil in certain circles, so I’m surprised this is the first level, but, it is what it is. Anyway, this is the perfect breeding ground for pride, and for its punishment. I imagine, Phoenix, they said it was, would enjoy this setting quite a lot if he is the embodiment of pride. Imagine a city full of souls begging at your feet. I bet he stays in the top of the highest tower, so he can lord over everyone else.”

  “That makes a weird amount of sense.” Creek nods and I smile. Look at them all getting on.

  “Okay, so avoid the high tower, but who wants to bet that getting from here to the next level down means we need to be in the high tower?” I sigh.

  “Maybe,” Levi smiles softly at me. “I suppose we better head into the midst of things, because we’re not going to get far waiting up here.”

  I nod and wave for him to lead the way, because we all know that’s where he’s going to end up anyway. He heads into the forest that seems to circle the city, without a backwards glance.

  We follow his lead for what feels like hours, and it doesn’t look like we’re much closer than we were when we started. If it wasn’t for the expanse of forest behind us, I’d find it hard to believe we’d moved much at all, despite time passing.

  “Does anyone else feel like we’re not getting anywhere?” Kain’s voice filters into my thoughts, and Levi stops in front of me. I still, so as not to walk into the back of him, and he spins to face us. His eyes form slits, and his brow furrows. I’ve not seen him this angry, maybe ever. He takes a step forward, but then falters, shaking his head.