by M. R. Polish
Hades laughed. “Yes, I’m well aware that you were exiled, but I also know that your world still considers you their queen, and that you’ve returned to reclaim the thrown. Have you not?”
She met his icy stare, glaring back into his cognac brown eyes. “It seems you are well informed down here. Wherever here is.”
He grinned. “So it’s true.”
Karis glanced around the office, looking for a way out, but with no windows, she didn’t know what to expect beyond the door. Was there a guard there? How far could she get? As weak as she was, would she be fast enough?
“I’ll be blunt. I want your necklace.” He smashed the cigar into the glass ashtray.
That got her attention. “What do you want with my necklace?” Her palms got clammy and she rubbed them on her thighs.
His mouth curved into an evil smile. “Power. What else would I want from a piece of jewelry?”
She gulped, but her mouth was dry, making it hard to swallow. The only thing that gave her the upper hand was knowing that he obviously didn’t know her necklace was stolen. But, how much time could she buy before he found out the truth? What would happen to her then?
He leaned forward with his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers together. “So where is it, my dear? I checked while you were out, and it’s not around your neck.”
The thought of him invading her privacy and his fingers touching her skin while she had no way to protest or defend herself, made her stomach roll. With each twist in her gut, she fought the burning acid from leaving her throat.
Karis needed time to think about what to say so she didn’t condemn herself to a fate worse than what she had. She shrugged. “I don’t see why a man such as you would need a woman’s necklace to gain power.” Maybe, just maybe, if she played stupid she could gain answers to finding her freedom.
Hades chuckled. “Ah, there it is. That’s the type of response I was expecting from you.”
Karis held her chin high, not budging. “I’m sure I don’t understand.”
He smiled, showing off his perfectly white teeth. “I knew I was gonna like you. Except, I’m much better at the game you’re playing. So, while you might be trying to buy time, I know that you’ll have nothing left but to tell me what I want.”
“So, you kidnap me and think I’ll just hand over the one thing that you think would give you power? If you know me, then you’ll know that I don’t bend so easily.” Glancing away, she couldn’t help but wonder again, what was on the other side of the door.
“By all means, you can leave anytime you want.” He gestured to the door.
Karis cocked her head. It was too easy. There had to be more to it than that. There was no way Hades would just let her leave. She started for the door.
“Oh.” He stopped her, with only three steps away from her escape. “But, you won’t get far unless I get the necklace.”
And there it was. How long can she let him believe that she had the pendent until she could find a way to escape? “Well, then I guess we’re going to have to learn to get along, seeing as I’ll be here awhile.”
Hades stood up and walked to her. He lightly ran the back of his hand up and down her bare arm. She shrugged him off and took a step back.
“What do you want in return for your necklace? I’ve been known to make a few women happy in my life.” His voice was low and raspy—hungry.
Ugh. Disgust built up in her like vomit. “I’d rather die.”
His nostrils flared and he tensed up. “Well then, I guess you should come with me. Because I’m not letting you out of my sight until I get what I want.”
Karis’s heart raced. He was going to let her out of the room. She’d get to see where she was and maybe be able to make a plan to get away. She was careful not to get too close to him as she inched to the door.
He opened the door wide with a wicked smile. “Welcome to the circuit.”
Chapter Eleven
The noise was near deafening now that the door was open. It was a huge brawl beyond the office. Hades stood off to the side, allowing her to get by without touching him, but it wasn’t enough for her to be happy about it. She hesitated, not knowing if she should walk out into the masses. Of course she could. She was the future Queen of Shamike, and she needed to remember that if she wanted to be respected as such.
With her head held high, she swept past Hades. Smoke hovered in the barely ventilated area. She coughed and waved her hand to try to clear the air around her so she could breathe.
Hades’ hand slipped to her lower back and led her deeper into the room. Karis cringed at his touch and wiggled free. “What is this place?” She coughed again.
He laughed and spread his arms out wide. “This, my dear, is an underground fight club. One of the best in the country, I might add. And, one of many that I own.”
A chill coursed down Karis’s spine, despite the warm stale air. “And what is Hades, God of the Underworld, doing running a fight club?”
“Oh, but I thought that was obvious. An underground circuit is just like being the keeper of the underworld. I say who comes and who goes. No one is here without an invitation.” He nodded toward the crowd of men. A few women, dressed in far from modest clothing, skirted the outside of the room.
“Except for me,” Karis said as she scanned faces.
Hades leaned down to whisper in her ear, “But you’re special.” He straightened.
He looked out over the group. “I don’t think Brady ever wondered why he loved fighting so much, or why he was attracted to the underground circuits.”
The mention of Brady’s name made Karis tense. “Because it’s in his blood,” she whispered, more for herself than Hades. Brady was an Aridam warrior, of course he would be lured into the seduction of the secret world. But, she wasn’t about to tell Hades that. She didn’t know what he knew, and the less the better. She’d be damned if she divulged information that could hurt Brady, or anyone else she loved.
A voice yelled louder than the rest. Karis strained to hear what the man said, but with all the other voices hollering it was too hard. She left Hades side and walked closer to the crowd, pushing her way through to see what was going on. She needed to see exactly what she up against, if she was going to get out.
Hades stayed right behind her. His lurking presence did nothing to calm her nerves. She wasn’t sure how she would shake him from her shadow, but somehow there had to be a way. A man flung his arms in the air as he hollered to the fighters in the middle of the crowd, barely missing Karis’s face. He backed up, knocking Karis over.
Her tailbone smacked the cement floor hard and knocked the wind from her chest. She fought the tears that instantly flooded her eyes, but she refused to cry. Hades jumped to the man and grabbed him by the collar, swinging him around so he could face him. Karis gasped as she recognized the man.
Hades shoved him back. “Watch it,” he growled.
It took all the strength Karis had to stand up. She winced as a pain shot up her back. Brushing past Hades, she placed the tips of her fingers on King’s arm, stopping him from leaving. “King? What are you doing here?”
The man’s dark skin hid the looming shadow of Hades. “Karis?” He scrunched his brow and tipped his head. “Whatcha doing here, girl? Where’s Brady?” He left her stare and searched the crowd for his old friend.
Hades glowered at the two. “So you know our guest?” He tensed and waited for King to answer.
King ignored Hades and looked right into Karis’s eyes. “Where is he?”
Karis shook her head. “He’s not here.” But she wished he were. Desperately.
His eyes went red. Karis backed up slightly as she watched the tiny flames flicker in his irises. He glared at Hades. “Why’s she here?”
“I don’t answer to you.” Hades grinned, as if King posed no threat.
King clenched his jaw shut, his nostrils flared. “He ain’t gonna be happy with you, man. Not with you takin’ his girl and all.” He stood ta
ller, his muscles taut.
Hades scoffed as he waved him off. “You think I’m afraid of Brady?”
The aura of the crowd shifted and the hollering died down. “What happened?” Karis asked, looking around at all the minglers.
“Fights over.” King fisted his hands, clenching and unclenching.
“Don’t worry, my dear. There will be another in just a moment.” Hades pushed her shoulder, urging her to move closer to the center.
King didn’t leave Karis’s side. “Damn it,” he cursed under his breath. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear so Hades couldn’t over hear. “Brady’ll kill me if I let anything happen to you. I don’t know what’s goin’ on, but Hades is in some deep shit. Messin’ around with him ain’t somethin’ that’s good for you.”
Karis smiled and leaned toward him. “It wasn’t my idea to be here. He kidnapped me.” She pushed back, away from King. Hades’ glaring stare made a chill roll through her body.
King tensed and wrapped an arm around Karis’s shoulders. “Well, Hades, it looks like you did yourself in this time.”
Hades eyed King’s arm and scoffed. “On the contrary, I’ve only begun.”
“Alright, place your bets!” A red headed young man hollered as he sprinted around the inside ring. “We’ve got Hammish and Taylor to duke it out.”
King’s protectiveness fled with the talk of a new fight. “Alright, alright. Come on boys, show ‘em how it’s done.” He leaned to Karis. “My bet’s on Hammish. He’s older and has more experience. Taylor’s gonna find out what a real man hits like.”
Karis scooted closer to the edge of the inner circle. A tall man who had to be pushing middle age walked out. That had to be Hammish. His beard was nicely trimmed, but she could still see the patches of grey beginning to show through. His shirt was off, and he flexed for the crowd.
Another man, much younger, came out to join him. Karis could already feel that this fight was going to be different. Taylor’s stance had more energy than Hammish’s. With a simple buzz cut, and a clean-shaven face, he didn’t look to be more than in his early twenties. He still donned his t-shirt and didn’t play to the crowd like his opponent. He rolled his shoulders and neck, loosening up.
Watching Brady the other night made her stomach churn, so she wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to see before having to leave. But, there was something magnetic about the two men. She needed to watch.
It didn’t take long before all the bets were placed and the first punch thrown. Karis watched, intrigued. Each jab was harder than the previous one, as if each man tested the others stamina. Taylor pulled his arm back and let it fly into Hammish’s jaw, sending him backwards. Not just a few inches, but across the room, where he landed into the waiting arms of those watching. They pushed him back into the circle and the fight was on.
The power behind each strike fascinated Karis. The blows the men were taking should have done serious damage or at the very least knocked them out, but they both stood, circling each other, waiting for the next opening. Harder. Another blow to the head, harder yet. Karis cringed, yet was unable to look away.
Her breathing picked up as she watched with wide eyes. “Why are they not going down?”
King didn’t even glance her way. “Man, Taylor got another hit in. What did you say?”
She couldn’t take her eyes away from the fight either. “They’ve been throwing everything they have into each hit, yet no one has gone down.”
Hades leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Because they aren’t from here.”
With those words, her focus shattered. “What do you mean?”
“I think it’s time we left. We can come back later.” Hades nodded to a couple of men who looked familiar standing in the corner. One of them left through a door and the other nodded back.
Hades gripped Karis’s arm. “Come on, I think there is something you’ll want to know. Something that might make you change your mind about keeping the necklace from me.”
King didn’t register what was happening. He was absorbed in the fight, never even seeing Karis leave the makeshift arena.
Whatever Hades had to tell her, scared her. Where were the guys in the ring from? But, each step to the door brought her new hope.
Chapter Twelve
Karis didn’t want to leave the fight, or rather, the protection King offered. Not that he offered much, but it was more the security of having someone she knew. Hades led her out of the room and into a long grey hallway. Dim, yellow lights flickered overhead, illuminating the small space. The man who left before them waited at the end of the hall, in front of an elevator. He pressed the up button and returned to his tense stance with his hands folded together behind his back.
“Where are we?” Karis waited for the doors to open, tapping her foot impatiently. She wanted out of there. She wanted to see where she was and if she had a chance at escaping. The doors to her freedom couldn’t open fast enough.
Hades stepped into the elevator. “This is a training center for fighters, and sometimes they fight each other down here, but they all fight for me in a circuit fight. And, sometimes this is where the fights happen.”
Karis hated the little box of mirrors. Being closed in wasn’t something she was fond of.
The man stepped inside with them and the door closed. She glanced at the panel of buttons and noticed that wherever they were wasn’t too big. Only three levels, basement, ground floor and second. Being in the basement, they only had one level to jump before getting out.
The doors opened and UV lights blinded Karis. She hadn’t realized how dark it was in the basement until she had to squint to see. Rain pelted against the floor to ceiling windows and the glass door. A way to escape. With each guy flanking her, she wasn’t sure how far she’d get before being caught. At that moment, she wished she had Brady’s supernatural speed. But, she was so weak she didn’t know if she could use her own powers, let alone Brady’s. The last portal she made for Diana really took a toll on her. She wasn’t sure why it was taking so much out of her, but she hoped her powers and energy would return—soon.
She was led to another office, where the man closed the door behind her, leaving her and Hades alone. He walked to the polished, cherry wood desk, and standing beside the high back-winged, leather chair, he took his jacket off and draped it across the top. Taking a seat, he gestured to Karis to do the same in the chairs across from him.
She sat down, not because he wanted her to, but because she could feel that her energy was quickly depleting, and she needed to conserve whatever minute bursts she had left to escape.
The desk was clear of any paperwork or messes, with only a silver, swinging pendulum that ticked as it swayed back and forth on the corner. The far wall had the same windows as the room they just came from, but her view was obscured by the thickness of trees and green foliage. There was no way to know where she was, even with a window to the outside showing her. Wherever they were, Hades wasn’t worried because he wasn’t hiding her presence.
Hades sat at the desk, leering across at Karis. Neither of them spoke, making Karis anxious. She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, looking everywhere but at him directly. She watched the pendulum swing back and forth until she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“So, you said that we need to talk,” Karis broke the silence.
Hades watched her intently. Pulling out another cigar, he lit it and pulled a glass ashtray out from a desk drawer. Puffing on it, he stuck it in between his teeth and twirled it around with his tongue. “I did.”
She sucked in a long breath and held it, while trying to keep her irritation from being seen. “You also said that the fighters aren’t from here. What did you mean? Why am I really here?”
He grinned. “I told you. I want your necklace.”
Karis felt the cold tingly hands of anger gripping her insides. “I want answers.”
Knocking off the ashes from his stogie, he situated himself so he was more comfortable, leaning b
ack in his seat with his ankle resting on his knee. “Fine. Which answer do you want first? But be warned, choose wisely.”
Was he kidding? “Okay, you said the fighters weren’t from here. Will you explain?”
“Tricky aren’t you. Not asking a direct question was smart.” He puffed on the cigar some more. “You saw for yourself that the men were different. Just like Brady, they aren’t from here. Many worlds are at stake in this war. And, you already know how each world sacrificed one to two children to save their world. If, they got out in time, that is. So those men downstairs, they each have some sort of warrior blood running through their veins, drawing them to me—to this.” He held his arms out. “They are a few of those children.”
“They aren’t children though. Not anymore. Do they even know why they’re here, or why they like to fight?” She knew the answer. Brady hadn’t a clue about his background, why would these men?
“If I told them, it would go to their heads, and they wouldn’t fight for me anymore.” He dropped his foot to the floor and leaned forward, with his arms on the desk.
She sat up straighter, matching his glower. “What do you get out of them fighting?”
Hades sneered. “Money. Power. I own half of the circuit, why would I want to give that up? I’ll need these guys when I get your necklace. Speaking of, I told you, now you tell me what I want. Where is it?”
“I don’t have anything to tell you.” She folded her arms and looked away.
“I won’t always be so nice to you. You should remember that.” He stood and at the same time, the door opened. The same man from earlier walked in. “You can take the queen to her room. Don’t let her leave.”
Karis stood and brushed past the man, not giving Hades the satisfaction of her arguing with his orders. She was led to a room on the second floor. The man who escorted her never spoke a word but silently closed the door. She tried to open it once she was alone but it was locked. Of course it would be locked from the outside.
While this room didn’t have floor to ceiling windows, it still had large planes of glass that filled the far wall, letting her see out over the forest. A slight fog hovered lower than the treetops. The rain hadn’t let up and showered the window.
