by H. M. Ward
My face scrunched tightly as I was about to spew out words. When I realized there would be no convincing him, I turned my head away and said nothing.
Lorren finally spoke, “The ending is the same for him, Ivy, whether you do it now or later. Collin’s a Valefar. Stay away from him.”
I stood, and looked at Lorren. “Al trusted him. Why can’t you?”
“Al was human and prone to making mistakes. That is a luxury that you no longer have. Stay away from him Ivy.” When I didn’t answer, he added, “I’ve made it so that you cannot kiss him again—not without taking your soul back.”
“What?” I shouted at him, rounding on him. Every muscle in my body tensed.
He rose and walked towards me. Lorren towered over me, and crouched slightly so we were eye to eye. The gesture made me want to punch him. “I’m forcing you to do what you must to survive. One of the gems I healed you with will seek out to repair you fully. You cannot stop it. You have to defeat Kreturus. And you can’t do it half healed. Every second your soul is in that boy is another second that gives Kreturus the opportunity to defeat all of us—without a fight.” He stood and looked down at me, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I removed the traces of demon scales and burning snakes. Do not allow them to return. I don’t want to see you again until you have your soul back.”
CHAPTER SIX
Lorren was difficult, but I had very few allies left. Apparently psychotic Eric was an ally, which was hard to swallow. If an angel hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have believed it. As it was, I didn’t want to believe it. It was much easier to hate Eric for killing Al than it was to try and understand what was happening around me. Angels and demons didn’t think like people. They did things, things that I didn’t understand. And instead of trying to fathom it, I forced myself to accept Lorren’s words as truth. Although that didn’t mean I’d forgiven Eric.
Once again, I found myself moving through the Underworld alone. Lorren sucked me down here with his fancy angel magic, but he couldn’t put me back. I had to walk out. Maybe he knew it would allow my anger to burn off by the time I reached the portal. As I walked, I wondered why Lorren was trapped down here. It was something I couldn’t accept if it happened to me. To never have the sunlight on my face again—the thought was unbearable. This place was filled with shadows so thick they seemed to breathe. A lacy shadow covered my body in a blink and was gone. When I looked around, nothing was there. A tingle ran up my back, and I kept looking over my shoulder. It felt like someone was watching me. I quickened my pace. My feet bled leaving a trail of stained stones behind me. The screech of grackles lingered in the distance. When I turned back to see how far away the demon birds were, I slipped and came crashing down. The knee of my jeans tore open. Cursing, I rose and looked for the birds. But there was no sight of them. I walked faster.
Staring at the Underworld made it easy to think. This is where I was supposed to rule. This ungodly portion of land was what Kreturus ruled for eons. Shaking my head, I realized that it was time. It was time to stop playing—time to step up and accept who and what I was. I am the Prophecy One—the Demon Queen. The thought made me uneasy. It was like admitting that I failed, but part of me longed for the peace it would bring. Accepting the prophecy meant that I’d accepted myself. I once knew who I was. I was a sister, and a daughter. I was kind and smart. But now, I had no idea. Accepting my role and accepting the fact that I’d defeat an ancient demon scared the hell out of me. But I no longer thought of it as someone else’s life. This was my life. I was surrounded by Valefar, Martis, demons, and angels. And I was getting used to it.
Sitting down on a large stone, I grabbed my bare foot and rubbed it. Although my skin healed fast, walking through the rocky ground barefoot was ripping my feet apart. Sitting for a second would allow them to heal enough to keep moving. I glanced around me. Rust colored stone surrounded me. The sound of water dripping was louder than the screech of birds. I swallowed. Without realizing it, I was sitting on the stone where I saw Collin when he thought I was dead. I remembered the slump of his shoulders and the void in his eyes. Pressing my eyes closed, I shook my head and stood. I couldn’t ever see him again. I didn’t know how I’d keep him away, but I had to. I had to buy enough time to find Satan’s Stone. If I could find it, I could use it to heal me, and then I wouldn’t need my soul back. Collin would survive with his scrap of soul and mine. I hadn’t forgiven him for using his blood on me, and didn’t know if I could, but I couldn’t give him a demon kiss. It didn’t matter what Lorren did to me. I couldn’t.
A lacy shadow spread over my body, slowly sliding across me like a blanket. I looked up. My heart constricted and rose into my throat, until I realized it was the dragon-stalker that’d been following me last time I was down here. She landed next to me like a giant cat.
“Why are you following me?” I gazed at her, but her ruby eyes held no answer. She gazed at me, as if she wanted something, but I didn’t know what.
I looked at my bare feet and then back at her ruby-colored eyes. Riding would be far less painful. And she kept the demons and grackles away. I still didn’t understand why she followed me, but it didn’t matter right then.
I stood and walked over to her, running my hand along her scaly face. “Why are you here? You seem to show up at strange times, and I have no idea if I’m supposed to talk to you or what…” It felt like she should be the equivalent of a cat—a really smart one—but still an animal. But something about her made me feel like she wasn’t an animal at all.
The dragon lowered her head, and slowly pushed at me with her maw until I climbed on her back. When I was in place, I dug my fingers around a scale to keep from falling off. It didn’t seem to hurt her. Taking a step forward, she lurched rather gracelessly and took off, much like a flying cow. “Where are you taking me?” I asked as she turned the wrong way. But she kept flying, ignoring my tugs to turn around.
We flew past the jagged rocks below and over the unforgiving terrain. The wind rushed by, pulling at my hair like giant fingers. She slowed and landed in a part of the Underworld I’d yet to see. Darkness clung to every corner, and the rust colored rocks seemed to hum with a life of their own. Small sounds shifted through the shadows, but when I looked nothing was there.
She took me to a different set of catacombs—a different portal out of the Underworld. When I slid off her back, I moved slowly toward the portal wondering why she took me to this exit. I asked her over my shoulder, “Why’d you take me here?” But when I turned around, she was already gone.
The sound of sand skittering across rock made me pause. Twisting on my foot, I touched my comb to my mark and extended the deadly blades. The silver tines grew in my hand as I peered through the darkness at my attacker. Dull green eyes started at me. The sound of my racing heart pounded in my ears. I stared at her wondering if she still recognized me. Her black blade was drawn and her body was half crouching as if she was ready to attack, but she hesitated. The look of confusion that lined her face held me in place.
Apryl.
Her eyes narrowed as she studied my face. Finally she asked, “Ivy?” At the moment she asked my name, the rigidness in her spine melted, and her weapon slid to her side. Her brow pinched together as she looked behind me and then back at my face. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to get… ,” I paused realizing that I shouldn’t tell her about Lorren. An angel in Hell—well he was already in a precarious situation. I didn’t want to do anything to make it worse. “I needed something from the Lorren.” She didn’t detect the lie. “Then the dragon dumped me here. I didn’t have much of a choice.” After a moment, I asked, “What are you doing here? I thought you were bound to the Pool of Lost Souls? It’s not nearby, is it?” I turned my head, glancing around, still trying to figure out where we were.
Her hair seemed more brown than red in the darkness. She wore the same outfit I saw her in last time, a nondescript pair of jeans and a tee shirt that had once been white. She would
have traded them in for a dress, before she was turned Valefar. Now, I wondered if she would don a skirt over pants. I wondered how much of my sister remained behind those eyes. Either way, it was good to see her, even if she didn’t remember our past. It saved her from experiencing the pain of our mother’s death, the loss of our childhood home… and the realization that her sister was the antichrist.
Apryl’s wide green eyes gazed at the stone walls like she didn’t know where she was. After watching her mannerisms for a moment it seemed like she was dazed. The longer I watched her, the more certain I became. Apryl was acting like a person who was hit by a car and kept on walking, unable to deal with the trauma.
She bit her lower lip, “We’re not by the Pool of Lost Souls.” She blinked hard, as if trying to remember something that was just out of reach. When she looked at me she said, “I was. I am bound to the Pool. But, something happened, and now I’m here. He carried me here…” The fingers of her right hand pressed to her temples.
I lowered my comb, but didn’t retract the silver blades. Something was wrong. I’d never seen a disoriented Valefar. It didn’t seem to bother them in the slightest if they didn’t know where they were, as long as there were souls nearby to feed from. Cautiously, I stepped toward her, asking, “What happened? What happened at the Pool?”
She lowered her hand and glanced around. It was as if she were afraid something had followed her. I peered through the shadows surrounding us, but saw nothing. However I had the haunting suspicion that we were being watched. It made a chill rake my spine and I shivered. Her green eyes looked back at me, “I don’t know. One moment we were both there, and the next, we weren’t."
She wasn’t making any sense. “Who?” Apryl didn’t answer. She seemed to not realize I was standing in front of her. I took a step closer, and when she didn’t respond, I put my hands on her shoulders. Unblinking green eyes peered into mine. I asked again, “Who’s we, Apryl?”
She pressed her lips together. “Me and the Guardian.”
My hands dropped from her shoulders, as my eyes widened. Alarm shot through me as I took a step away from her. “But… ” I shook my head trying to get through the torrent of thoughts sloshing through my mind. “But, that can’t be. The Guardian couldn’t leave. He was the one guarding the portal. He’s the one who keeps the Underworld, under the world, and separate.” I squeaked the last part, but Apryl’s daze didn’t fade. She gazed around the room, seemingly seeing things of interest that didn’t exist. I placed my hands on her shoulders again to get her attention. Her dull eyes met mine. “Is he dead?” The thought frightened me more than anything else. I was unable to kill the thing, so whoever did this was more powerful than me by far. When she didn’t answer, I pressed my fingers tighter into her shoulder, “Apryl. Is he dead?”
Apryl twisted her shoulders and I released my grasp on her. Her hands moved frantically, as she shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember a thing. I can’t… Remember.” She looked up at me with vacant eyes, eyes that had seen too much.
I glanced over her shoulder. The feeling that we were being watched didn’t subside. There was still someone there, listening. Waiting. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and began to usher her towards the portal. “You’re coming with me.”
Apryl followed me until I spoke, at which point her feet came to an abrupt stop. She shook her head from side to side. “I can’t leave. I can’t! Ivy, don’t make me.” She bent over screaming, pressing her fingers to the sides of her head. Something behind her moved. I didn’t need any more reasons to run. I wrapped my fingers around her arm and pulled her to the portal. I placed my pendant in the tiny slot and the tomb slid opened. Shoving a shivering Apryl ahead of me, we stepped over the threshold and the stone tomb slid shut behind us.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Gazing into the darkness, I couldn’t tell what I was looking at. Above us was a massive slab of white marble veined with pewter. And nothing else. The door to the Underworld was at my back. Apryl was squashed next to me. We were trapped inside a tomb, encased in marble. My heart began to race as the tight space seemed to shrink. Apryl was half hysterical already and muttering to herself words that I couldn’t understand. I told her it would be alright and began to try and slide my fingers around the edges of the marble, but there was no way I could lift it. Normally, I would have effonated away from this point, but I couldn’t. Cold fear began to pool in my stomach as I stared at the stone. I couldn’t get out of the tomb.
Apryl’s mutterings soon stopped when she seemed to realize that we were stuck. She sniffled and said, “Portos Uglamaya.” When she touched the stone with her hand, her arm passed through the solid rock. It was if the marble had turned to milk. She retracted her hand and looked at me. “You’re a shitty Valefar.” A smirk crossed her lips as she shook off the rest of the somber haze. The marble rippled as my breath crossed the surface of the stone. “You’re right. It’s time to get out of here.” And without another word, she shoved me into the stone.
Panic shot through me as the cold stone surrounded me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t scream. Silken liquid stone flowed around me as I moved through the space. The rapid beat of my heart echoed in my ears, as I frantically moved forward, half walking, half swimming, trying to get out. The cool stone slid over my skin without pause, always moving, always flowing. Just when I didn’t think I could stand it for another moment, a hand grabbed my shoulder and jerked me out of the milky stone. I fell on the dark slate floor inside the mausoleum. The marble tomb we were trapped in moments ago was at my side. Apryl stood next to me and I was on my butt at her feet.
“You can’t stay in there. What’s the matter with you?” she asked. She looked down at me like I was an idiot.
Sliding my legs under me, I rose and brushed off my jeans. “I’ve never done that before. What did you do?”
She arched an eyebrow at me in disbelief. The corner of her mouth twitched into a smile. “You are a Valefar, aren’t you? I mean, you smell weird, but you don’t smell human either. And you aren’t Martis?” I shook my head and sneered as she said Martis. “Then what are you? Because if you were a Valefar, you could do basic things. Even with my brain half drugged, I could do it.”
“You were drugged? That’s why you were so despondent?” My brows bunched together as I stared at her. She seemed normal again, well normal for the Valefar version of Apryl.
She nodded, “Yeah, something like that. I can’t remember what cut me loose from the Pool, but I remember that the Guardian and I were both there, and then we weren’t. After that I wandered around unaware of dangers around me or where I was going. It felt like something was following me—herding me towards that portal. My mental abilities were,” she paused, searching for the correct word, “addled. I couldn’t think. It felt like my mind was wrapped in a sheet of plastic and suffocating. When you pulled me through the portal, it lifted and I slowly realized what was happening. Which brings us back to you… ” She cocked her hip and tilted her head at me. “Why couldn’t you drag us through the stone?”
I folded my arms over my chest and gazed around the large tomb. There was another stone door that we had to pass through to get outside. My eyes cut back toward Apryl. “I’m not a Valefar. I’m half. Half Valefar. Half Martis. The Valefar are trying to trap me. The Martis are trying to kill me. I have a Seeker after me, who used to be my best friend. And I accidentally turned a good Martis into a psychotic Valefar. He also wants to kill me, but it seems he’d rather torture me first.” Apryl’s jaw slowly dropped as I spoke. Her brows sliding further up her face as the list of crazy people following me got longer and longer. “I’m not good company. Not unless you have a death wish, but I couldn’t leave you there either. Not like that.”
She nodded towards the exterior marble door. It towered above us and hung on hinges the size of my head. “Take us through the door.”
I grumbled at her, “I can’t. I’m only half Valefar. I can’t do that stuff.”
> She snorted, “Yes, you can. Who told you that you couldn’t?” She sighed. “You’re such a dope sometimes, Ivy. Think about it. You have demon blood flowing through you—why couldn’t you command it the same way the Valefar do? You’d have to pay the same price, but other than that—why couldn’t you?”
Looking at the massive door, I unfolded my arms and walked towards it. I’d never thought about it really. Collin had forbidden me from using anything other than the two things he taught me. He’d said the price was too high. Turning back to Apryl I asked, “What’s the price for turning the door to milk?”
She laughed, “There is no set price. It’s more of a sliding scale, based on ability and age. You’re too new for it to cost more than you have.” She studied me for a moment, and then walked toward the door. “Dark magic is always paid for in pain. Pain and power.” Her fingers pressed against the cold stone. She spoke as she traced the pattern carved into the marble. “It’s the way of things. Every ability has a pain price. It’s usually close to the person’s pain threshold. He made it that way—so that the person wielding the magic feels every ounce of pain and doesn’t have the luxury of passing out.” She turned to me. Her hair fell over her shoulder. “The power price is different. I have no power, so it cost me nothing. I’m the lowest of the slaves. You can’t get lower.” She started to speak and then stopped. She pressed her fingers once more to the stone, and then withdrew her hand. When she turned back to me she said, “How can he take a power price from you, if he has no control over you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Apryl walked around the room. The white marble appeared gray in the darkness. She stood in front of the ornate stone, slowly walking the perimeter of the room thinking. She didn’t seem like the old Apryl and I wasn’t foolish enough to think I could trust her, but she was telling me things that no one else had. And I could speak to her without the mental haze of blood lust. Damn, Eric. I still wanted to hurt him, even if I couldn’t kill him.