When I glanced around, the road seemed pretty self-explanatory. There was only one direction to go in. To my right, it extended out into the distance, and to my left a couple hundred yards away, the road dead-ended into a sheer rock face. The walls all glowed molten red, and further away, I heard torturous cries. But beyond that…is that classical music? The path seemed clear to me. It just rolled over barren hill after hill. Plus, I did not trust this guy. The last time we interacted with a Greek, the whole crew nearly drowned and froze to death. “I’m sure we can walk a dirty path on our own.”
Just then, a loud screeching pierced the air. Puffs of dust rose up from the ground that rolled and moved like there was something underneath it. The pretty pink pillow that Grayson had just tossed away was sucked down into the dirt. A moment later, cotton exploded from the hole like a geyser and an angry roar sounded.
Hades turned toward our group. “Excuse me for a moment, would you?”
He stomped his way out toward the middle of the barren hill. His long legs ate up the distance in four large strides. As he walked away from us, I noticed the small holes in his tight-knit V-neck sweater. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, then brushed his hands down his leather pants.
When he glanced over his shoulder at us, he held up his finger. “Just a sec.”
He stood over the hole with his hands on his hips. A large serpent-like creature with arms too short for its twenty-foot-long body opened its mouth and flew at Hades’ face. Fangs of a cobra flipped down from the roof of its mouth, dripping venom. It tilted its head to the side and was about to bite his face when Hades’ hand shot up and grabbed it by the neck just behind its wide-open jaw.
“Oh, you bad demon.” He shook it violently. “Bad, bad, bad.”
The demon hissed at him. Its body rolled and twisted like a snake. That’s when I noticed its hind legs dangling down. Each of its feet had three long talons for toes. The serpent struggled against Hades’ grip, then swung its leg out, aiming straight for his side.
I screamed, “Look out.”
But Hades had already seen the move coming. He tossed the serpent high into the air, and when it came back down toward him, he pivoted on his heels and lifted his leg in a perfect roundhouse kick that connected with the creature’s head and sent him flying into the great abyss. When he turned around to march back toward us, a large smile played in his lips and he dusted off his hands.
I took a step closer to Tuck. “What was that?”
Hades tilted his head back and laughed. “Demon. There are hundreds of thousands of them down here hunting for their next meal. You can see why Taliam would want me to help you navigate the underworld. It’s no stroll in the park. But if you’re content to go it alone, then I won’t stop you.”
When he turned to walk away, Tucker stepped up behind him. “I think we’d be grateful if you would take us to the Furies. We only have four days to fix this mess, and if what you say is right about time being different down here, then I suspect that time is almost up.” He glanced around at the rest of us. “Wouldn’t we be grateful if he helped us?”
Without hesitation, I nodded. “Yes, very.”
Hades rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll take you, but I am not going in. Once you get there, you all are on your own. Those three don’t like me very much.”
I couldn’t imagine why...cocky much?
Chapter 25
Tucker
Never in my life did I think I’d be standing outside the den of Furies with two witch queens, a vampire, and an elf. It sounded like a bad joke waiting to happen. The steep rock face held two large metal double doors, each with depictions of three beautiful women carrying out acts of judgement. Sometimes they sat on thrones while people begged at their feet; other times they carried out different forms of torture—or judgements, as they were called. Either way, we were about to walk into a den and a price would be paid…by whom, I didn’t know.
Hades clapped me on the shoulder. “Good luck with them.”
“Seriously? That’s all you’ve got to say? Way to help out there.” Frustration ran through me, and I didn’t know which way to direct it. I’d almost died twice in one day, was put to sleep against my will, and I knew I couldn’t keep up hiding things from Zin for much longer. She was my soulmate. I needed her, and she needed me…whether or not she knew it.
“Like I said, I was only told to get you here, not do it for you.” He shrugged and took a step back.
The smell of delicious vanilla hit me a moment before Zinnia stepped up on my side. “We faced the other challenges. We can do this too.”
Her words sounded so confident, but deep down I felt her emotions, and I knew she was shaken. She’d barely had a week as a witch queen and here she was standing next to me about to walk into a den of Furies. Pride didn’t even begin to describe what I was feeling for her, but it was the one emotion shining through the most right now. “Yeah you’re right, we can.”
When I met her sapphire gaze, I felt her confidence in me, I didn’t know what to do with that. All I knew was that I was here to get something we needed to save the ice dragon and hopefully Zinnia’s mother. I wanted to lean into her, press my lips to hers and tell her we’ve got this. I was tired of hiding, tired of lying to her. Inside, it was slowly killing me to keep this from my soulmate.
Just when I was about to say screw it and kiss her, Grayson walked up beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “That’s right, love. We’ve got this.”
I fought the urge to rip his hand off. He’s on my team, he’s on my team, he’s on my team. Jealousy seemed to be an emotion I was feeling every other second. It was foreign to me. I’d never felt this way before, but now standing here next to my soulmate, who was under another guys arm, I couldn’t even see straight. Gray lifted his other hand and knocked on the doors. Each rap of his knuckles sounded as though he were beating a drum in an empty cavern. The door creaked open only a sliver. When I peeked inside, I saw nothing but darkness.
Nova sighed. “Is anyone else thinking yay let’s just step into the cave full of Furies and just see what happens?”
Ashryn actually chuckled. I’d never heard her laugh before, but there it was. In the middle of the underworld, about to enter a den full of Furies, and her tinkering laugh pierced the eerie silence.
She pressed her hand to her mouth. “Excuse me.”
I felt my lips pull up into a smile, and then a chuckle burst past my lips. There wasn’t anything funny about what we were going to do. Perhaps we were cracking up because of the mission, the pressure and nearly dying. Or perhaps we were long overdue for a break in the tension. Then Zinnia ducked out from under Gray’s arm and hunched over and started laughing too.
“You’re all bloody daft in the head, you are.” Gray shoved his shoulder into the door and forced it open wider. “Come on then. Why are we standing here laughing when we’ve got things to do?”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh anymore, even though my shoulders still shook. The tension had to be broken somehow, but who would’ve thought it would be the Queen of Death and the somber elf? “Okay Gray, you’re right. Let’s get going.”
When Zinnia stepped behind him and in front of me, I almost chuckled again. She was stuck between two guys but didn’t even know it. I summoned my swords back to my hands and lit them up. “Weapons at the ready,” I warned the others. I heard Zinnia groan and immediately knew she was thinking about how she’d cut down the punching bags with her blades.
“Pst, Zin.”
“Yeah?” she whispered back without turning around.
“Did you bring your blades?” As we passed through the door, I moved up beside her. When she shook her head, her wild hair fell around her heart-shaped face.
“Open your hand.” I’d never manifested a blade for anyone else before or tried to put one in someone else’s hand. But I didn’t want her to be unarmed in this situation. We didn’t know what we were walking into. I closed my eyes for
a second, visualizing the round blade that was connected by a handle on each side, with a phoenix on one side and the queen’s half-moon mark on the other. The half-moon matched the one on her shoulder, the one that was burned into my memory since the first night I’d met her.
When she gasped, I opened my eyes and held my sword up to light her palms. There sat the two perfect blades I’d envisioned just for her. “Use them well.”
A smile tugged at her lips as she wrapped her fingers around the leather-bound hilts. “Oh, I will.”
The flapping of wings drew my attention upward. In the darkness, I couldn’t see anything, but gusts of wind brushed against my face, sending my hair flying back. When I lived among the phoenix, I’d grown used to this kind of interaction with others. But standing here about to face a Fury, I wasn’t so comfortable knowing they were flying over us waiting to swoop down at any moment.
A high-pitched cackling broke the silence. “Oh, phoenix, how you interest me.”
Torches burst to life one by one in sequence down the side walls. At the back of the room, a line of fire sparked to life and surrounded a stage high up off ground. Large stone steps lead up to the stage where three thrones sat empty. The thrones were made of ornate gold, and red velvet cushions lay on the seat of each of them. The flames surrounding the stage were so bright the heat licked at my face.
A woman with large black bat-like wings dropped down from the ceiling. Scraps of red gauzy material crisscrossed over her chest, leaving her flat stomach completely exposed. The skirt, if you could call it that, was made of strips of the same red gauzy material. It hung low on her waist and had long slits that ran up each of her thighs. Dark brown hair was piled high on top of her head in a mess of curls. She made a show of looking me over with her heavily lined cat-like eyes. “What brings you here, phoenix?”
She climbed over the armrest of the throne in the center of the three. Her bat wings hung over the sides and scratched against the floor. Two other women landed just beside their thrones. They were dressed similar to the first one who’d landed, except one had long straight red hair, and the other had long blond hair that was braided down the side of her body. Each of them moved like wild creatures. They tilted their heads the way birds did but moved like felines. Each time the one in the middle gazed at me, I felt like someone was poking me from the inside out.
I stepped forward. How did one address a Fury? “Madam Fury, I have come—”
She tilted her head back and cackled. “I am Megaera. You may call me Megaera.” She pointed to the redhead on her left. “This is my sister Alecto.” Then pointed to the blond on her right. “And this is my other sister Tisiphone. Why have you come to see us, phoenix? It’s not often that we host witch queens.” She inclined her head toward Zinnia and Nova. “Or Vampires.” She spat the word vampire as though it were a curse. “Or children of the earth, or even shifters. Your presence here intrigues me.”
Zinnia stepped forward and bowed. “Megaera, we come on urgent business. Alataris—”
Tisiphone turned her head away and started to scream while ripping at her blond braid. When she shot to her feet, I wanted to raise my swords to ward her off. But she changed directions so quickly and walked over to a large metal candelabra that stood six feet tall. She plucked it up off the ground, then bent the stand like a pretzel. She hoisted it over her head and threw it against one of the cave walls. It dented the hard rock and fell to the ground. She sucked in a huffed breath, then marched back to her throne, where she resumed her seat as if nothing had happened. “You were saying?”
Zinnia stared at her with wide eyes, and her mouth dropped open. I gently elbowed her side, getting her attention. When she snapped her mouth shut, she paused for a moment. “Yes, he seems to have that effect on people.”
Tisiphone nodded and examined her nails. “Indeed, he does.”
I swallowed down my nerves. “We believe Alataris…” Tisiphone tensed and opened her mouth to scream again. I rushed my words out before she could. “Left something of great value in your keeping, and we need it.”
Megaera sat forward and rested her chin on the back of her hand. “Interesting, and pray tell me why we should give you what you want. That is, if we even have it.”
Back at the library, Niche was sure they had the map that would lead us to Alataris’ safe where we believed the dragon heart scale was kept. Now standing here before the Furies, I knew they had it. In my gut, I felt it was here. “Our research shows this will be the best possible place he would’ve hidden it.”
Megaera tilted her head to the side. “What is it you seek, exactly?”
“A map, leading to Al—” Zinnia cut off his name at the killing look Tisiphone gave her. “His hiding place. A vault to be exact.”
“And what would you give for this map?” Megaera smiled down at us, and I saw a gleam in her eyes. The gleam of mischief…
Zinnia pursed her lips. “What are you asking for?”
Megaera crossed her legs and sat back in her throne. “Come now, Zinnia, Siphon Queen, if we are to enter into a negotiation, you must name your terms.”
When Zin turned and looked to me for help, I sighed, knowing this would not go well. “We would owe you a debt to be paid at any time in the future.”
“Did you really just offer us an I.O.U?” Megaera’s shoulders bounced as she chuckled and glanced around at her sisters. “Oh, Tucker Brand, Prince of the Phoenix Clan, I think we can do better than that, don’t you?”
“Prince?” Zinnia whispered, almost to herself.
“You didn’t know?” Megaera stood and began walking down from the stage. Her hips swayed with each step she took. Her hair bounced and glistened in the firelight. The gauzy material of her dress floated around her as though a fan were blowing. The spark in her eyes made me want to take a step back. She clicked her tongue at me and shook her head. “Such secrets and lies, phoenix. I do wonder—”
“A favor from the witch court should not be taken lightly,” I interrupted her. But how could I not? My heart raced in my chest. There were so many things I wanted to tell Zinnia but hadn’t. If everything I’d been keeping from her came out now, would she forgive me? Or even better yet, would she trust me ever again? No, it couldn’t come out now. I would tell her at the right time. A time when we were alone, and I could explain myself. But not here and not now.
The flames all around the room shot high and flared. Megaera raised her eyebrows at me. “You dare interrupt me? You, who is but a mere blip in my extensive lifetime.” She waved her hand in my direction. “Be off with you. I’ve grown bored with this.”
Zinnia stepped up past me to meet Megaera halfway up the stairs. “Too bad we didn’t come here to entertain you.”
“Zinnia.” When she glanced at me over her shoulder, I motioned for her to come off the stairs. “Don’t.”
She turned back to face Megaera. “In case you haven’t noticed, Alataris…” She narrowed her eyes at Tisiphone. “Save your screaming. You’re clearly the one he nailed and bailed. Which makes me wonder, why is she deciding who you give the map to?” Then she turned back toward Megaera and met the Fury’s eyes head-on. “You haven’t even named your terms, and you’re dismissing us while he is freezing half of America? And what happens to you when Karroust is released? Hmm, have you thought of that? What would a giant of the seas do to three Furies responsible for punishing people? I mean, who even put him in there as his punishment to begin with?”
Megaera lifted her chin high into the air. “Who told you it was us who chose his punishment? It could’ve been the fates.”
“It could have. But when Karroust gets free—and if you don’t give us that map, I know he will—I’ll be sure to let him know my opinion on who it was who decided to encase him in ice for all eternity. I guess he’ll be more than understanding. I mean, with those red scars all over his body and that sword that’s the size of, well, a tree.” Zinnia made a fake gagging sound. “He definitely won’t have anything to do with
you guys at all.”
Megaera bent down low, getting very close to Zinnia’s face. I squeezed the swords in my hands, ready to take action if I need to. Zinnia twisted the blades in her palms as well. The Fury spoke through thinned lips. “Are you threatening me?”
“I wouldn’t dream of threatening you. Ever.” Zinnia leaned in a little closer. “I’m only asking what your price is for that map.”
“Little witch is a tricky bit—”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you.” I stepped up next to Zinnia ready to fight.
Megaera shot her wings out wide and launched herself backwards to land on her throne. “The arrogance you both have shown is utterly distasteful to me.” She waved her hand away as though bored with the two of us.
I grabbed Zinnia’s arm and turned her away. “Come on, they’re not going to help us.”
As we began stomping down the stairs, Megaera called out, “There is one thing…”
“Name it.” I looked at her over my shoulder.
“I desire a glimpse.”
I spun on my heels to face her. “A glimpse of what, exactly?”
A wide smile spread across her lips. “A glimpse into your mind, young prince. A glimpse of the present will tell me much of the future.”
Grayson tisked. “You can’t be serious. A map to look into his mind? Seems a steep price to pay, love.”
“I’ll do it.” We didn’t have time to sit here and play games or wait for them to be gracious. We needed the map now. We needed to find the dragon scale and free the ice dragon before the giant broke free, before Alataris turned the whole eastern seaboard into the next Antarctica. All because he wanted vengeance against us for protecting Hexia.
“Wise decision.” She rose up from her throne and expanded her bat wings to their full length. With one flick of her wings, she was shooting at me. Her sisters followed close behind her, all three of them swooping in.
Wicked Magic (The Royals: Witch Court Book 2) Page 13
