by Linsey Hall
My interest piqued and my heart rate sped up. “Oh, really?”
“Really.”
“If it’s quick.” Though I didn’t want it to be quick, that was for sure. But this really wasn’t the place for any long-lasting canoodling.
Maximus leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. They were firm and soft at the same time, warm and amazing. I moaned, leaning into him.
He gave my bottom lip one quick nip—just enough to get my heart really going—then pulled back.
“See?” He raised his hands. “Quick, like I promised.”
“Too quick.” I grinned, reaching into my pocket. “Not just because it was a great kiss, but because now we have to eat one of these gross hairs.”
Maximus grimaced and nodded, reaching into his pocket for his own little cluster of hair. My stomach lurched slightly as I stared at it, but I shook it away.
Has to be done.
I grabbed the tiny vial of potion from my belt and handed it to Maximus. Then I took another and uncorked it, raising it to him. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” He popped the hair in his mouth, then threw back the potion.
I did the same, grimacing as I swallowed. Pain shot through my limbs as I shifted, and my jeans and leather jacket transformed into the robe that Aeacus had worn. There was something dangling between my legs, and it was weird.
I grimaced. Ew. Balls.
They were just dandy on men, but I’d never coveted a pair for myself, and now that I had them, it was definitely weird. I’d used this potion before, but I’d always transformed into a guy who wasn’t freeballing it, apparently. This was way more…obvious.
I turned my mind from the juvenile thoughts and studied Maximus, who suddenly looked like a grizzled old judge. “Gotta say, I prefer the original you.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and it was weird because I could almost see him beneath the facade. “Likewise. Ready to go?”
“Let’s get this over with. The potion won’t last more than thirty minutes, I don’t think. Hour at most.”
He nodded, and we began to climb. Once again, my heart rate started going and my thighs began to burn. Near the top, it began to level out, and we were able to chuck our equipment. I had a feeling that the judges didn’t use modern ice-climbing gear.
I tried to make my stride confident as I walked toward the gates, but my new masculine accessories made it weird. Maximus didn’t have any trouble with that, of course. It felt different to be a dude, though. I’d never had a ladylike walk, but I tried to give this one some extra testosterone.
The gates loomed ahead of us, carved of solid black wood with decorative elements that looked a lot like skulls, all piled on top of each other. Writing was carved over the gate, and I squinted at it, translating.
“Beware all who enter the domain of Hecate,” I read.
“Fantastic. Sounds like fun.”
“Judges!” The masculine voice sounded from the top of the gate, and I looked up.
A guard stood there, dressed in black metal armor with a feather sticking out of his helmet that looked like it’d come from a possessed demon ostrich.
Fancy.
I raised my hand in a half-hearted acknowledgment, pretending that I was very important and busy. That had to be how the judges acted normally, right?
Made sense to me, at least.
“Where is your carriage?” the guard shouted.
Carriage. So that’s how they got up here.
“Broken,” Maximus shouted up. “We decided to walk.”
“Walk?” The confusion was clear in the guard’s face. If I’d been able to see him clearly, he’d probably look like a golden retriever trying to understand English.
“Yes, walk.” Maximus made his voice hard.
I strode toward the door, digging the key out of my pocket. We definitely needed to get away from the curious and dumb guard.
The lock was a heavy metal affair that quickly swallowed the key. I cranked it right, and magic sparked around the lock.
Please open.
Finally, it snicked.
I removed the key and stepped back as the gate began to rise, magic hauling it upward. There wasn’t a single rope or pulley that I could see, but the thing rose all the same.
Maximus joined me, and as the gate lifted, dark magic rolled out of Hecate’s realm. It reeked of dead bodies and crawled across my skin like bugs.
Holy fates, what are we walking into?
Chapter Nine
Hecate’s realm spread out before us, and I blinked.
Was that a road made of lava?
Holy fates, it was.
It wound down the mountain, a bright red path that bubbled and swirled. I could only tell it was a road because a black carriage sat upon it, pulled by two skeletal horses. They were nothing but bleached white bones with fire for eyes, and they stomped their hooves impatiently, clearly waiting.
For us?
The area on either side of the road was covered in sharp black glass. Obsidian.
Maximus nodded toward it. “No way we can walk on that.”
“No.” I looked up at the guard, who watched us expectantly.
If the judges normally brought a carriage up here, would they get in this one?
Yes. Because Elysium wasn’t the kind of place to have demon skeleton horses that could walk on lava. It was more of a real horse and happy afterlife sort of place. I’d bet money that the judges left their Elysium ride on that side of the gate and hopped onto the hell carriage on this side.
“Let’s get in,” I said.
Maximus started forward, walking only on the section of flat ground that wouldn’t tear our shoes and feet to pieces.
The horses sidled closer to the flat ground, and he climbed up into the carriage without touching the lava.
I followed, the heat from below billowing up to warm my legs. Sweat broke out on my back at the idea of falling into the molten rock, and I made sure to get a good grip on the carriage. Maximus reached for me, drawing back when he saw that I had it. Probably didn’t want to give the guard a show.
Once I was settled, I murmured, “How the hell do we drive this thing?”
Fortunately, the horses picked up the pace right away, knowing just where to go. They clomped away over the lava, their hooves sending up little sprays of it.
How the hell were they walking on it without being swallowed up and burned? And the carriage?
I’d seen a lot of cool magic in my day, but this topped it.
“Could this be more over the top?” Maximus asked.
I surveyed the jagged black glass and the lava river, my gaze landing on the horses’ skulls. “No. Or yeah, maybe. But only if Satan were the butler.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
I grinned. “Me neither.”
The heat from below was making me sweat, though I had a feeling it wasn’t quite as hot as normal lava.
We were halfway down the mountain when I saw the city in the distance. The buildings were all black, blending so perfectly with the night that it was almost difficult to see them. A full moon glowed overhead, and I got the feeling that it was always full here. Maybe always night, too.
After all, Hecate was a goddess of night and the moon. Different from Artemis in a big way, though.
The buildings of the city rose high into the sky, ancient structures made of black marble that had sat here for thousands of years. A fiery river passed in front of the city. At first I thought it was also made of lava, but the flames flickered high.
“The Phlegethon,” Maximus said. “One of the five rivers in hell, and the one that leads to Tartarus.”
I swallowed hard. “Perfect, I love being close to those monsters.”
Oh fates, I hoped we wouldn’t run into any Titans. The ones on earth were enough to deal with.
We were still at least a mile from the city when I began to hear the baying of hounds. I shivered.
“They don’t sound h
appy,” Maximus said.
“No, they sound pissed.” I imagined Cerberus.
Please don’t be a bunch of Cerberuses.
I’d seen those dogs in the symbol of Hecate though. They must be a big deal to her. The carriage rolled ever forward, and my skin began to prickle as we neared. The dark magic that had nearly bowled me over earlier hit me even harder.
“Ugh, Hecate has some ugly magic,” I muttered.
Maximus grimaced. “Smells like rotten flesh.”
I didn’t ask how he knew what that smelled like. I knew. Enough time with the wounded at the Colosseum and he probably had a real good idea.
The gate to the city was smaller than the one at the top of the mountain, but it was still an impressive affair. It was built of dark black wood and decorated with iron spikes that looked suspiciously rusty. Almost like blood coated them.
I shuddered. Would my key work on that? Because I really didn’t want to climb that gate.
Movement at the top caught my eye. Two guards stood there, each dressed identically to the first ones we’d seen on the mountaintop. They, too, wore demon ostrich feathers, a fancy topping to their deadly armor and weapons.
I raised my hand in a half-hearted “I’m here” greeting that I figured busy, important people favored.
The guards seemed to like it, because the gates to the city rolled open.
“Nicely done,” Maximus said.
“I think I’m getting used to this.” Except I had to look like an old man to get these privileges, and that really wasn’t worth it.
The horses carried us through the gates and onto a black cobblestone road that twisted between the tall stone buildings. The buildings were constructed with dozens of columns, each with flaming black rose vines twining around the marble.
The horses took us to a main square in town where a fountain shot fire into the air. Four huge buildings bordered the square, and all had the empty, daunting look of ancient office buildings.
What needed administration in hell, though? Torture? Black magic?
The horses stopped abruptly, and I shifted forward in my seat.
I threw out my hands to catch myself, then looked at Maximus. “Ride’s over, I think.”
He nodded and jumped down gracefully. I followed, nearly getting caught up in my robes.
As soon as we were out of the carriage, the horses picked up their hooves and moved on, clip-clopping around the fountain and off up the street.
Maximus grabbed my hand. “Let’s find a place for recon.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” We were going to lose this glamour soon, and I didn’t want to be hanging around in the open as I shifted back into my normal self.
Together, we hurried toward the corner of the square. We tucked ourselves back into the entrance of an alley and surveyed the square we’d left behind. It was nearly empty, with only a few faded souls wandering through. They were as ghostly as the figures in Elysium had been, but there were two that were more solid. Whether they were dead or alive, I had no idea.
“This place is huge,” I said.
“We’ll just follow the most disgusting magic. Since Hecate rules this place, she’ll probably be at the end of it.”
It’d work, I bet.
Except for the fact that I was feeling good magic right now. “Do you feel that? The light magic?”
Maximus frowned. “A bit. What’s it doing here though?”
“Don’t get me wrong, this place feels like a collision of dark magic fireworks. But I’m definitely getting a hint of light magic.” I spun in a circle, searching for it. “It’s so out of place.”
“It’s not us?”
“No. But we should be careful to control our signatures. It’s different. And almost familiar.” I blinked, squinting at an alley about fifteen yards away. A cloaked figure watched us.
“Come on.” I grabbed Maximus’s hand and pulled him down the street.
We passed a shadowy person who looked down at our joined hands.
Shit.
We looked like the two old judges still. And I’d bet big bucks they didn’t hold hands. Too grouchy to hold hands with anyone.
I dropped Maximus’s grip, but I didn’t look away from the figure. Who the hell was it?
As we neared, I felt the magic of the glamour potion begin to wear off. I shivered as it went, wanting to see the person before I revealed myself.
“Judge.” The voice rasped like a phone sex operator with a pack-a-day habit.
I blinked. “Mordaca?”
Now that I looked at the figure, the hood rose unnaturally high on the head. Her magic burned at the back of my throat, the taste of good whiskey.
I couldn’t see the figure’s eyes, but I could feel her confusion. “Rowan?”
“Yes. You can sense my magic?”
“I’m good at sensing magic, even suppressed magic.” She dropped her hood, blinking at us from behind her mask of dark eye makeup. Her blood red lips parted on a confused smile, and I realized this was the first time I’d ever seen her without fifty percent of her tits on display. The robe covered her from head to foot, and she was clearly on some kind of secret mission.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Why do you look like that?” She squinted at us.
“I won’t look like this for long.” The glamour was really starting to tingle now. “Let’s get back into the alley.”
Mordaca stepped back without asking questions. We followed her into the alley, making it into the shadows just as the glamour fell away entirely. Maximus returned to his normal self, and I almost sighed with pleasure. Damn, he looked good.
I peeked down at myself, pleased to see that I looked normal, then up at Maximus. “How’s my face.”
“Beautiful as ever.”
“Quit flirting and tell me why you’re in this godsforsaken hellhole.”
I turned toward Mordaca. “Tell me why you’re here.”
“Okay, we’ll trade. But you go first.”
“Promise to reciprocate?”
She scowled. “Promise.”
“We’re looking for Hecate. It has to do with—”
“Saving the world?” she cut in.
“Well, basically, yeah.”
“You’re in the right place, then.” She pointed to something over my head. “Follow those symbols to the crossroads, then take the stairs down.”
I turned to look up at a symbol of two dogs and two torches. The torches were crossed, and the dogs stood on either side.
“It’s her crest,” Mordaca said. “You’ll find her if you follow it. And once you’re in her underground lair, your transport charm won’t work. I assume that’s how you plan to get out of here?”
I patted my pocket, where the stone was tucked away. “Yes.”
“Get out of there before you use it. They’ll only work on the surface.” Her eyes turned shadowed, as if she’d learned the hard way.
“Thank you.” That little bit of info would probably save our lives. “So, why are you here?”
“That’s my business.”
“You promised to share.”
She scowled and her eyes shot daggers. “Fine. I’m looking for Aerdeca.”
“Why is she here?”
“I never promised to reveal her secrets.”
“Wiley,” Maximus said.
“Very.” She grinned, her teeth glinting white in the shadows.
“What do you want us to do if we happen to find her?” I asked.
“You won’t.” She sounded so confident that I let it lie there.
“Good luck, then.”
She nodded. “You as well.”
I turned to go back to the street. As much as I wanted to grill her, this was the boundary of our friendship. She was clearly in some deep shit, but so was I. We’d help each other when we could, but right now, we each needed to help ourselves.
We were a few steps away when her voice echoed through the alley. “Rowan?”
/> I turned back.
“If you meet her, be tough. She respects that.”
“I’m always tough.”
“I know. And her pride is her weakness. Get her there.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Let me know if you need any help with Aerdeca.”
Her face softened, just briefly, and she looked like an entirely different person.
For the briefest moment, I realized that Mordaca wore a mask. Not just the thick sweep of black around her eyes or the crazy hair or blood red lipstick. But her.
I didn’t know Mordaca at all, I realized. Probably no one did. No one except Aerdeca.
I turned away, leaving her to it. But when I was back on earth, and they were, too, I’d figure out who the heck she was. Not just to sate my curiosity, but because I had a feeling I’d really like her.
“That was odd,” Maximus said as we stepped back into the main square.
“No kidding.” I searched for the symbol, my gaze finally landing on a stone carving on the side of a building. “There.”
We went to it, almost immediately spotting another one a little farther down.
“This won’t be so hard,” Maximus said.
“Famous last words.” I grinned as we continued through the square, following the symbols onto a busy road.
There were more skeletal carriages there, and the black buildings looked like they were shops. Horrible things were for sale, of course, and it reminded me of The Vaults back in Edinburgh.
Dark magic reeked in this place, and I couldn’t wait to get out of here. We passed by shadowy wraiths who looked downright miserable, as well as others who wore evil smiles. There were demons, too, and the flickering fires in the streetlights glinted off fangs and scales. I stuck close to Maximus, hoping that our semitransparent forms helped us blend in. Our modern clothes weren’t doing us any favors.
Two demons spilled out of a pub that blasted with the sound of drums and some kind of screeching that made my hair stand on end. The demons went for each other like rabid dogs, swinging broken bottles and going for the neck.
Maximus and I darted out of the way and kept going, narrowly avoiding a fight. Those two had the look of drunks who would brawl with anyone, and I wasn’t going to volunteer.