Stephen’s eyes lit up. “So, her mother’s soul…”
Elias nodded. “Bethani was never able to find it,” he said.
Stephen’s face soured into a sullen expression. “This is dumb,” he said.
“I see you’re not used to feeling so sympathetic towards another creature,” Elias remarked. “We’re all experiencing new feelings right now.”
Stephen didn’t say a word; instead, he walked briskly to try to catch up with Bethani. Elias shook his head and gave Daniel a nod. “He’ll be alright.”
Daniel laughed. “Maybe feeling something other than being an asshole will be good for him.”
Elias chuckled right along with him. “Alright, we should get going.”
Ctephanyi tried to hide the smile that had begun to form on her face. “You two…”
“Shall we see if we can go save a couple of souls?” Jeremiah asked.
“If we’re all in agreement, and you understand the risks involved, then yes,” Ctephanyi said.
Jeremiah’s face lit up with excitement. “These Keepers of the Underworld have no idea what they’re dealing with.”
Ctephanyi gave him a tight-lipped smile as she walked past him slowly. “Jeremiah, dear, it’s you that has no idea what you’re going to be dealing with,” she uttered quietly.
Together, as a group, they followed Ctephanyi to an unknown place.
Stephen suddenly slowed his pace. “So, the only way to do this is through the Underworld?”
“Are you scared?” Daniel joked.
Bethani giggled. “Yeah, what happened to that strong, cocky vampire we’ve all come to enjoy so much?”
“I’ve just heard some stories…that’s all.”
Daniel stopped, an amused expression on his face. “You really are scared?”
“Listen, all I’m saying is, many of my vampire brethren have adventured to this terrible place only to never return.”
“Well, we’re not vampires,” Daniel replied. “Now come on, let’s get going.”
Together, with Stephen a short distance behind, they followed Ctephanyi to this dangerous, unknown place.
Chapter 45
The Beginning of the End
The breeze kissed Tristan with Angelina’s message and he smiled. His plan had worked. She was coming for him. The time had come for him to open the Gateway to the Underworld, so he could pull her in and claim her soul. Together they would rule both the surface world and the Underworld. His father was going to be very pleased by this.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter-sized gold coin. He ran his long fingers over the interlocking triangles on the face of it. An upside-down scythe graced the bottom of each of the triangles. His father had given it to him as a gift the day he decided to rule the world of the living. The coin held immense power and was his most prized possession—except for Angelina, who he couldn’t quite call his yet.
The coin was passed down to every first-born son in his bloodline. Those who inherited were given extreme power but had to follow very strict rules. One of the most important rules being that it could never leave your side. Without it, you were trapped in the Underworld for all eternity.
The coin was also a key to opening a portal from the realm of the living to that of the dead. This allowed Tristan to pass freely between the two as he wished. However, another important rule was he had to keep his trips to the surface as short as possible. The coin was made to reap souls and take away all that is living. Every time his feet touched the surface, the coin would extract life out of the Earth—killing it slowly.
Tristan was surprised when his father had passed the coin on to him. With thoughts of Angelina in mind, he had begged his father to give him the coin. There had been so much anger and animosity between them because his father had refused every single time. Then, one day out of the blue, his father had handed him the coin. No hesitation, no argument, not even so much as a word. Tristan never asked why, he just closed his hand around it and smiled.
He rubbed the coin between his thumb and index finger. A soft glow surrounded it and he set it down in the cluster of dead leaves. The breeze grew still and dark, swirly clouds formed in front of him. The Earth shuddered, and the portal between the World and the Underworld opened. Tristan smiled. He knew Angelina would follow him and risk her soul for love.
Tristan picked up a handful of dead leaves and crushed them in his hands. “Tell them I’ll be waiting for them,” he whispered.
He threw the pieces into the air. The breeze caught them and carried them off. Trap after trap. He knew the other adventurers would follow Angelina to the Underworld. They would be a present for his father, who would appreciate some new, healthy souls for his collection. That would be a fair gift for allowing him to pursue his heart’s desire.
He looked around the crimson-colored forest and breathed in its earthy scent. It was hard to believe that this was all going to be his. Once he won over Angelina’s soul, he would work on her heart and together they would rule the world. He knew the great power she possessed. He had seen it in her soul the first time he had met her in the forest with her mother and brother. It was at that very moment he knew she was meant for him. Together they were going to be unstoppable.
Smiling, he breathed out slowly. This was a good place to wait for them. They would find the portal and go through it, assuming he was already inside. Once they were all through it, he would shut the portal, locking them all in the Underworld forever. This was his playground, and they would have to play by his rules.
His smile grew bigger and he chuckled to himself. “Soon Angelina, you’ll be mine.”
Chapter 46
All That Matters
The air grew stagnant, and the earth around me seemed to be dying at an alarming rate. I sensed Tristan nearby, and a feeling of dread crept into my heart. I was sure he had opened a rift between the two worlds.
Shuddering at the feeling, I pushed away memories of my own death. A light breeze ruffled my hair carelessly. Fragments of dried leaves grazed my cheek softly as they flew by.
Up ahead, a dark cloud swirled between two large oak trees. As I got closer, I noticed everything around the vortex had died. The crimson moss that had been wrapped around the trunks of the trees was black and ashy. The ruby-red and yellow autumn leaves were brown and broken. The wildlife had scattered, which left an eerie silence. It sent a shiver up my spine. Life did not like Death, but Death sure did love Life. It held onto life, taking in its breath and desiring to once again live amongst all that walked the world.
The dark cloud swirled in front of me. This portal would take me to Nicolai. There were going to be many risks, especially because my soul had crossed through the portal before. The Keeper had seen that my soul was special, and I was sure he would love to add it to his collection. The only thing that could potentially stop him was my mother. She had been the Goddess that had sentenced him to the Underworld for his crimes. There were still rules he had to follow. Even though I was born human, my real mother’s power ran through me, and he would know that.
The portal whispered my name and promised me no harm. It lied to me and told me there was nothing to be afraid of. My heart raced and I slowly started to talk myself out of it.
What good would come of me going there? Would I even survive? What if I lost my soul? What if I couldn’t bring Nicolai back?
Suddenly, I felt little flutter inside my stomach and smiled. A vision of Nicolai as a father entered my mind. What a great dad he would be. A tear slid down my cheek. I couldn’t give up on him. I needed him, and so did my unborn children.
Taking a step inside, I was immediately sucked into the darkness. It felt cold and unforgiving. The darkness closed in around me, and for a brief moment, I thought I’d gone blind. Thankfully, my eyes adjusted quickly. The hallway in front of me was dim, but somewhat illuminated by the soft glow of rusty and old iron lanterns. The portal was still open, and though I wanted to turn around, I couldn’t. Nicola
i was down here somewhere, and I hoped Tristan was down here too.
Chapter 47
Irony
I followed the hallway as far as it would take me until I came to two doors. One was red and the other was black. “Choices?” I muttered to myself. “How ironic.”
“But is it?” a deep voice asked.
Suddenly, I found myself staring into a set of deep, emerald-green eyes.
“It is,” I replied.
His jet-black hair fell into his eyes slightly. “Then perhaps you should see what is on the other side of these doors.” He smiled.
“What’s on the other side?” I asked, raising my brow.
“One door is your deepest desire.”
“And the other?”
“Is your deepest regret.”
I shook my head, confused. “Well, that doesn’t make sense.”
“Oh, but it does, my dear,” he replied.
“Desire and regret? I mean, wouldn’t someone automatically choose what they desire over what they regret?” I questioned.
“Most do,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“What about those who don’t?”
“Maybe you should find out,” he said.
Staring at him, I debated on which door to choose. “What if what I desire and what I regret are the same thing?”
He looked at me, surprised. “Well, I am not quite certain I have experienced that dilemma before.”
I returned his surprise. “Really?”
He nodded. “Most of the souls that come here are already damned. Either way you look at it, they are going to face something terrible. Whether it be the thing they desire the most that they can never have, or the one regret they will have to live repeatedly.”
I shuddered. “Well, when you put it that way, they both sound terrible.”
“It’s different for each person. The people that belong here, they experience their own personal hell regardless of which door they choose; however, the people that don’t belong here”—he smiled again—“their outcome sometimes differs.”
I smiled back. “I understand.”
He bowed before me. “Choose a door and choose it wisely.”
Which door to choose? I could choose what I desired and gamble that everything would turn out exactly as I’d hoped, or I could choose regret and go back to fix things.
“May I give you one piece of advice?” he asked, his green eyes beckoning me to say yes.
I nodded. “Sure. A little advice never hurt anybody, right?”
He nodded in return, a slight smile on his face. “Love is worth fighting for. If you give up on it, it will eat you alive and you’ll end up here. You’ll end up alone and soulless. Fight for love, fight for it until your soul has no other reason but to cross the boundaries of life and death to win.” He pointed towards the doors in front of me adding. “Only true love can do that, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Cross the boundaries of both worlds without the coin.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked quietly.
“Of course.”
I looked up at him, hesitation in my voice. “Do you know who I am?”
He stared at me intently.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“No,” he replied calmly. “It’s just, you look so much like her.”
“Who?”
“Your mother, Hecate.”
I felt myself begin to tense up. “So, you do know who I am.”
“There’s no need to be on the defense, my dear. There are rules here that I must follow per the Gods.”
“So, you aren’t going to try and take my soul?”
He laughed. “I couldn’t take it from you if you tried to give it to me.”
Feeling somewhat rejected, I asked, “Why not?”
He laughed again and pointed to the doors in front of us. “Choose wisely.” With a wink, he disappeared, leaving me utterly confused. First, why couldn’t he touch my soul? Second, why was he trying to help me? Lastly, why feel rejected that he couldn’t take my soul?
Whatever, I thought, throwing my hands up.
Choose wisely, choose wisely, that’s all I’d heard lately. Everything I did was a choice. Regret or Desire. One choice. I could go back and fix things, but what if I couldn’t fix them? If I chose desire, I could have it all. There was no having to fix things, no having to wonder if it was going to be worth it.
Closing my eyes, I tried to clear my mind. Any other normal eighteen-year-old girl wouldn’t have such complicated problems. I mean, what I wouldn’t give for my worst worry to be which dress I was going to wear on a hot date—but I wasn’t normal. A memory of Cole flashed through my mind. I thought about how animals were made of pure love and held no regrets. They simply gave to the world around them, asking for nothing in return. Cole had given up his life for my happiness and maybe that’s exactly what I needed to do. Give up my happiness for his life. That was it.
I turned towards the black door and, without hesitation, opened it, whispering to anything that would listen. “Nicolai, I’m coming.”
Chapter 48
Boundaries
“We all need to be on the same page,” Daniel stated.
“So, then we’re in agreement?” Jeremiah nodded. “You’ll stay here while I go into the portal.”
Daniel crossed his arms. “Absolutely not, that’s my sister. I’m going.”
“Someone has to stay here,” Jeremiah demanded angrily. “What if the portal closes? Who is going to reopen it?”
“Well, then I should stay behind,” Ctephanyi interjected.
“How is it that you’re the only one that can open it anyways?” Jeremiah asked.
She pulled a gold coin from the leather wristlet on around her wrist. “With this.”
Daniel had heard about the coin that could open the portal between the two worlds. “Where did you get that coin?” he asked. “I thought the coin was in the hands of the Keeper.”
“There are, in fact, two gold coins, Daniel; however, that’s a story for another time,” she replied.
Elias put a protective arm around his wife’s waist. “I will stay here with you, my love.”
“Now wait a minute,” Daniel frowned. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
Bethani put her hand on his shoulder. “We have no choice but to trust them.”
“You have nothing to fear, Daniel. We love her just as much as you do,” Ctephanyi confirmed.
He shrugged Bethani’s arm off him. “I highly doubt that.”
“Daniel, wait,” Elias said.
“I’m not waiting for anything.” With that, he was gone.
Bethani sighed and went after him.
Jeremiah stood quietly by.
“Jeremiah, you are linked to our kind,” Elias said. “You know we are being honest.”
“You’re sure Ctephanyi can reopen the portal?” he asked.
“If she has the coin, then yes, I’m certain,” Elias replied.
“Then Daniel, Bethani, Stephen, and I will go,” Jeremiah said.
“Oh, you just wait one minute,” Stephen called out, irritated. “Don’t you go making choices for me, got it, boy?”
Jeremiah puffed out his chest and flexed his muscles. “Who are you calling a boy?”
“Do you see me looking at anyone else right now?”
“Why don’t you show us the ugly face you got hidden underneath that human mask?” Jeremiah suggested.
Stephen laughed. “You better watch yourself there, boy. You may make me actually experience what you would call ‘anger.’”
Bethani jumped in between them. “You two cannot do this right now!”
They both stopped and stood quietly in front of her.
She pointed to the black swirling vortex ahead of them. “My best friend is in there.”
“Wait,” Jeremiah interjected. “Is that it?”
“It’s already open!” Daniel exclaimed.
C
tephanyi eyed the area cautiously. “That means Tristan is either here, or inside it.”
“I’m ready for him,” Daniel said, walking toward it.
“Stop,” Ctephanyi commanded. “Bethani is right, no more fighting. The darkness will play with your soul. It’s easier for the Keeper to reap your soul if you’re surrounded by negative thoughts.”
Stephen shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down. “Ctephanyi knows what she’s talking about. I’ve heard the stories of the Underworld. They’re not of the pleasant kind.”
“Aren’t vampires supposed to be soulless?” Jeremiah asked.
“Nobody knows the answer to that question, Jeremiah,” Stephen replied. “Not even me.”
“Maybe we’ll find out,” he said.
For a moment, Stephen didn’t say anything. Finally, he looked up and smiled. “I don’t think I even want to know. Souls get you into all kinds of trouble. Hell, Angelina certainly knows that.”
His words hit Jeremiah like a hot pan to the face. “That’s not funny one bit. At least she knows what ‘real’ emotions feel like,” he said. “Could you imagine a world without love? No pain, no fear, no nothing? Oh, that’s your life every day. Sorry, bro.”
Stephen looked at the portal. “Those are the emotions I blame for what’s wrong with the world today. Those are the key drivers to why there are wars, famine, and worse.”
“No, Stephen, it’s you who are wrong,” Bethani said, a serious tone in her voice. “It’s choices that are to blame for what goes on in the world around us, not feelings or emotions.”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “Emotionally-driven choices.”
Daniel shook his head. “This conversation is getting us nowhere. We need to get in there and get Angelina.”
Jeremiah pointed to Daniel, Bethani, and Stephen. “Then it’s decided, you three are coming with me. Ctephanyi and Elias will stay here with Snow and keep the portal open.”
They all nodded in agreement. Snow barked to show her enthusiasm. The four of them stood arm in arm in front of the portal.
Crimson Moon: The Crimson Chronicles Book 2 Page 16
