Wars of the Underworld

by Olivia Ash

  So far, everything looked good. She hadn’t come across any weaker areas that needed refortification. Her hounds also kept looking to her for something to do, seemingly bored and itching for a job.

  Pausing in her trek around the barrier, she decided to do some of the training she planned for and used the vines to create walls, forming a small labyrinth, keeping herself in the middle. Next, she used her mental connection with the creatures, sending them an image of where to stand and wait until her signal, having each of them start at different entrances.

  She shot a ball of fire into the air, signaling to the hounds to find her as quickly as possible.

  Growls and snapping teeth filled the night air as she waited for her hounds to sniff her out. Burning iron and sulfur filled the air mixed with the sounds of screeching metal and scratches. And quicker than she expected, they showed up, each meeting her at the same time as the others.

  “Wow. That was quick.” She gave each of them a pet and went to figure out how they solved her labyrinth in such a quick amount of time.

  All she did was turn the first corner and it became clear to her. They burned holes through the walls…

  Little cheaters.

  In retrospect, she never clarified to them how to get through the maze. Just to get to her with haste.

  She shrugged and smiled at her hounds for their ingenuity and ability to get around obstacles by any means possible.

  “Well I guess I’ll just have to be much more specific in my orders from now on, huh?” she said and laughed as they each barked at her and wiggled their butts. She shook her head.

  She had an idea. And the hounds seemed willing to do more, which encouraged the idea further.

  She dismissed what remained of the walls then focused on creating an individual wall in front of each hellhound. Conjuring the vines, she wanted the wall to be thicker than before. It took some effort, and beads of sweat covered her forehead, but she had four of them up. She mentally instructed the hounds to stand in front of each.

  They moved, making little growls that came out excited but raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

  Next, she whispered, “Burn.”

  The hounds began to glow, turning almost white with the intensity of the heat. Sadie smiled.

  Cool.

  She then mentally told them to go through the wall. They barked in response and dove through the wall as if it were nothing. Gaping at their speed and the holes burned through the metal vine walls, she walked around to the other side and saw them shaking with happy excitement.

  They deserved a treat, and she mentally sent Hobson an order of whatever suited a hellhounds pallet for as much.

  But she wasn’t done. She wanted to see how well their magic worked together. The remainder of the walls toppled to the ground, disappearing into ash and dirt. She conjured a single tower, as wide as she could muster and taller than her by a couple feet.

  She slapped her thighs. The hellhounds rushed to her and sat, panting, at her feet. She mentally ordered them to face the tower, and on her mark, she shot a beam of fire into the vines. They heated to a red-orange glow, the smell of metal burning filled her nose.

  She noted that they could burn through the vines faster than she could, which was something to be proud of. But what she really wanted to know was how much more powerful their magic could be combined. So, she mentally told the hounds to burn again. And she turned her fire to them, merging everything together, turning them blue.

  The hounds charged. The tower fell, and they jumped over the smoking mass back to her side, eager for more.

  The hellhounds instantly sat at attention, looking behind Sadie. She pursed her eyebrows and turned to see Mordecai approaching. He held his hands up in defense. “I know your time alone is important to you. I only wanted to see if I may join you.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Sure. I would love that.” Maybe she should rethink her rule regarding her private time. But then again, he was very polite in his approach. Respect. That’s what it was about.

  He nodded and joined her side. “So, how is the training going?”

  “Good. Have a little tweaking to do, though. I haven’t found any weaknesses in the barrier so far,” she said.

  He slipped his hands in his pants and remained quiet. A small crease appeared in the center of his forehead. Sadie wanted to ask what concerned him, but she knew he would tell her when he felt the time was right. So, she slapped her legs and her hounds rushed to her side. She started to walk around the barrier again.

  Mordecai kept up with her, still silent as ever. It wasn’t like him to be so serious and less jovial. By now, he would have her pinned to a tree, side of the fortress, the ground, anything, and have his mouth on hers. Though she was uncomfortable with this unusual side of Mordecai, she decided to keep her mouth shut and wait for him.

  The light in the underworld faded little by little in their walk.

  Once they finished walking the perimeter of the barrier, Mordecai pulled on Sadie’s arm to stop her and face him. His eyes were intense as they stared into hers. Her heart skipped a beat and forced back the urge to gulp.

  “I belong to you. I belong to you alone. Whatever it takes—whatever I can do—to protect you and keep you safe. I will do without thought. You will never have to worry about my standing with you.”

  She opened her mouth to respond to his words, but he stopped her by pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was different. Deeper. Full of promise. Everything she had yet to feel with him, and everything she had felt before. But most of all, she felt loved, craved, wanted.

  Before she completely melted into him, he pulled away and brushed her hair from her face. “We should go in before the shadows get darker and longer.”

  She looked around them and noticed that nightfall neared and agreed. It was getting late and dinner would be soon. Besides, the fortifications were strong and the wards active. They would be safe for the rest of the night.

  “Lead the way,” she said and smiled.

  He took her hand and they walked back into the fortress together.

  After putting her hounds in their stalls, she turned to Mordecai and said, “I need to get ready for dinner. I’ll meet you there, okay?”

  He nodded, kissed her once more, and left her to her lightheaded walk to her room.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kaiser

  While Sadie got ready for dinner, Kaiser took the opportunity he had alone with his brothers to have a few words with them regarding Sadie’s safety from their father.

  He found them all sitting in the library, gathered around the chess board. Mordecai and Steele attempted a match while Damien stood off to the side, watching with his legs crossed, leaning against the bookshelf and his arms folded over his chest. His lips were turned down at the corners, and his eyes seemed glazed over.

  Once Kaiser entered the room, Damien lifted his gaze to him. “Come to watch the slowest match of a lifetime?”

  Kaiser shook his head.

  Steele said, “You’re just jealous you didn’t win the bet. Care to join in on the wager, Kaiser?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not here for games. I needed a moment with you to discuss Sadie.”

  That got their attention. Mordecai and Steele abandoned their game and all three turned toward him.

  He nodded. Good. “What is the plan to keep Sadie safe from our father?”

  Mordecai snorted. “This again.”

  “You may have an issue with the general topic of our father,” Damien said, “but keeping Sadie safe from all of his sneaky little advances should be of top priority. I myself have wondered the same thing.”

  “It’s obvious,” Steele said. “Kill him, duh.”

  “Yes, but how?” Kaiser asked. “We have each tried a number of times over the years. We have to find a different approach.”

  He thought about the time when his brother Cedric was killed at the behest of their father. How it had separated them, divided them, a
nd set each of them against one another. That was the last thing Kaiser wanted. He had just gotten his brothers back. They were a unit again. Sadie had brought them together and made them all family once more.

  Kaiser had suspected for some time that his father killed Cedric to separate him and his brothers. He was never a man that enjoyed family, love, or closeness. He was a hardened asshole who saw love as an unnecessary emotion and weakness.

  Now, he was after the woman he loved. Though he knew it would be for the sake of gaining her power, just another pawn in his father’s game of war, it would also break the brothers apart.

  He would be damned if Zagan so much as split a hair on Sadie’s head.

  “Though I agree on killing Zagan, what exactly are you thinking? Babysitting?” Damien asked. “She’ll never agree to that.”

  Kaiser shook his head. “She doesn’t have to know exactly what is going on. She’s too stubborn to go along with it. But she’s smart too, so we have to be careful.”

  Silence settled between them for a few long moments. Finally, Mordecai asked, “What did you have in mind, exactly?”

  Kaiser shrugged. “We can’t let her go anywhere alone. That’s too prime of an opportunity for any of Father’s scouts to pass up.”

  “What about her demand for private time?” Mordecai asked. “We can’t just show up each and every single moment she demands to be alone, can we?”

  “No. Of course not,” Kaiser said.

  “Then we need to plan a way for her to get her time alone without our presence being known at the same point in time.” Damien removed himself from the bookshelf and took a seat in a plush chair not far from the chess board.

  Kaiser walked farther into the room and took a seat by an end table. “I agree.”

  Mordecai and Steele agreed as well.

  “So, I suggest taking shifts,” Steele said. “I’ll go first.”

  “You’re jumping ahead, brother,” Kaiser said. “We need to take this slow and make the plan solid, then give out shifts.” He turned to Damien, “When do you plan to take her topside?”

  “Tomorrow evening.”

  Kaiser nodded. “Mordecai, you go with him. She’ll need the both of you if anything goes down.”

  They nodded.

  “That means you,” he looked to Steele, “and I will stay behind. We’ll welcome the first set of allies that are set to arrive while they are gone.”

  “And if she disagrees?” Mordecai asked.

  “We’ll reason with her until she sees that keeping someone behind to welcome the allies will be for the best,” Damien said. “She’ll see things as we do.”

  “What about the most important thing of all?” Steele asked. Once everyone looked to him, he continued, “Killing dear old dad.”

  “It’s not like we haven’t all known this day was going to come eventually,” Damien said. “It’s time we handle him once and for all.”

  All the brothers agreed.

  “He won’t give up until he has what he wants,” Kaiser said.

  “He’ll die when he comes again. We’ll make sure he won’t be a danger to Sadie anymore,” Mordecai said, a dark promise sounded clear in his voice.

  “Yes, but how is the question,” Damien said.

  The brothers stood around quiet and staring at each other, each one seemed to be waiting on the other to speak first.

  “Sneak into his bedroom and slit his throat,” Steele said. “Mordecai could do it with his shadow magic.”

  Mordecai shook his head. “If I thought it was going to be that easy, I would’ve already done it. And we wouldn’t be standing here today.”

  “Steele, you could use your magic to create an illusion to distract father while Mordecai does the shadow thing,” Kaiser said.

  Damien stepped to the center of the room. “Ideally, we would all need to take part in it. Using all our skills together. Even then, it may not be enough. He has his sentinels standing guard at his doors. Taking them out would be difficult as they detect magic and will behead any one approaching without Zagan’s word.”

  Hobson entered the room. “Dinner is ready.”

  Each of the princes thanked the gargoyle. Kaiser gave his brothers a pointed look, a silent promise that they would figure out a solution to dealing with their father.

  At least, for now, they had a plan. Kaiser walked out of the room feeling more at ease with the direction they were headed in. With the charm he placed on Sadie’s lower back, and at least two of his brothers with her at all times, they would be able to make sure Sadie wouldn’t get hurt and remained safe from their father.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sadie

  Later that evening, after dinner, Sadie sat in her room staring at her clothing. Damien told her they were going topside tomorrow to meet the witch, Astrid. And she was so nervous. She had no idea what she wanted to wear or what she should wear. She went back and forth between keeping things casual and really spicing things up with some of her sexier outfits. She definitely didn’t want to go in a fancy dress. That would be too much, and Damien had already warned her that they needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

  Finally, she decided on a simple outfit of jeans, a t-shirt, and sweater with knee-high boots.

  She sat on her bed, getting ready to crawl in for the evening, when a knock came on her door.

  “Yes?” she said.

  Hobson entered. “Sorry to bother you at such a late hour. I would have waited for a more appropriate time, but you have been so busy with preparations and training.”

  She shook her head and waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. The hour is fine. What can I do for you?”

  He sighed. “I’m worried about you.”

  “Why?” A pinch formed between her eyebrows.

  “I have been around for quite some time. And I’ve learned things over the years. For one, the numerous stories regarding witches and warlocks being tricky creatures. Determining their loyalties, and whether they are good or evil, is difficult.”

  Sadie slowly nodded. She was touched that her butler cared for her in such a way. She loved him for that and wanted to reassure him that the course she was taking was the best one. One that only she could take.

  “Okay. I understand your worry, but the princes would never suggest anything that could put me into danger. I’ll be fine.”

  “Sadie, please,” he said, hands folding in front of him as if in prayer. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I wish there was another way for you to learn about them.”

  She stood and approached her gargoyle butler, taking his hands into hers. “What can I do to reassure you that I will be fine?”

  He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Not meet them.”

  Wow. He didn’t mince words. Rarely had the gargoyle ever requested anything of her, and he seemed adamant that she avoid meeting witches and warlocks.

  “You know I can’t do that,” she said with a twinge of guilt at denying his plea.

  His shoulders slumped, his gaze shifted to the floor, and he nodded. In a quieter, resigned voice, he said, “Please, remember you have inherited many enemies from Hecate. Many of whom have arsenals of witches and warlocks at their command. I urge you to be cautious and extremely careful in dealing with them.”

  “I will.” She let go of his hands. “Besides, what sort of queen would I be if I sent everyone else to do my dirty work and never left the fortress, much less avoid fights that could get me hurt? The fights are mine to take care of, and I need to protect my home… and you.”

  His cheeks darkened in the way that stone did when wet. He grinned and nodded.

  “I really appreciate your worry, and your help. I wouldn’t know how to run this fortress if it weren’t for you and your amazing knowledge and assistance.”

  “My pleasure, Your Majesty.” He bowed his head.

  “Is there anything else I can do for you? Anything else you needed?”

  He shook his head. “I do w
ish you would reconsider the visit topside. However, I also understand your reasoning and stand behind your decision.”

  She nodded. “Well, thank you for coming and talking to me about your concerns. I want to encourage you to do so anytime. Regardless of what I’m doing.”

  “As you wish,” he said.

  “If you don’t mind, I would like to get some rest now.” She smiled.

  His eyes grew wide and he seemed to have forgotten what he was doing or where he was. He quickly looked from side to side then back to her, and dropping his gaze, nodded. “Of course. Goodnight, Your Majesty.”

  “Goodnight, Hobson.” She opened the door and saw him out. Once he left, she closed the door, leaned against it, and stared at the ceiling with a sigh. She was dizzy with the rotating information in her head.

  She understood where Hobson was coming from, and she appreciated his concern. But she couldn’t just be kept hidden away and let everyone she was charged with do everything for her. She refused to be that person. That was what she imagined Hecate must have been like—letting everyone do her dirty work while sitting on her throne with a cruel hand. No wonder the former demon queen was a lonely ghost haunting the south wing.

  That wouldn’t be her. No. She needed to fight her own battles, and that meant the grunt work involved too. There was no other way. She had to see the witches and warlocks for herself. She trusted Damien not to place her in danger, and Astrid wasn’t aligned with any demon. Which meant she couldn’t be all that evil, right?

  Either way, she needed to find a way to defeat Zagan, rally forces in her favor, and fast.

  Luckily, they were heading for what would be a promising meeting with a witch tomorrow. Sadie had high hopes for this meeting and would do whatever it took to prove to Astrid she could trust Sadie and fight by her side. Even if only to defeat Zagan.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sadie

  Sadie was nervous. But it was nervous excitement. She wasn’t sure if she ever had stumbled upon a witch or warlock before, but she was about to be introduced to some tonight. The men were going in human form, with hoodies covering their features so no one would recognize them. Hopefully, they would avoid any issues from arising as there was some sort of talk about mingling covens. Sadie wasn’t sure. She had been too caught up in her excitement to clearly hear Damien explaining everything to Mordecai.