The Fires of Tartarus

by Emma V. Leech

  Inés snorted. “No, child. You are not the same, and you know it.”

  I felt my jaw clench and the stubborn desire to tell her she was wrong swept over me, but she didn't give me the chance. She took my hand, a surprisingly gentle gesture from Inés.

  “Things change, Jéhenne,” she said, her voice soft.

  “I don't want them to though,” I replied, hearing the ache in my voice. Her smile was a sad one as she squeezed my hand.

  “Cain says Corvus remembers nothing.”

  I shook my head, not able to reply.

  “Don't give up, Nina. You have time.”

  I nodded and forced a smile, composing myself as I heard Cain's voice approaching us. Dragon was with him. He was still pale, and his hand rested over his side where the wound had been, but he was up and about, which was a miracle considering how close he'd been to death when we'd found him.

  He paused as his eyes fell on us and turned, looking first at me and Inés and then Cain. “Quite a family,” he said with a crooked smile.

  I snorted. “You have no idea.”

  He leaned back against the wall of the Château with a sigh of relief and raised one eyebrow. “Oh, I've heard the stories.”

  “Believe them,” Inés murmured, giving him an appraising once over. “You're looking better,” she said. “And you're even bigger standing up,” she observed, her lips twitching a little. To my amusement, despite the fact he was half mountain and towered over Inés by at least two foot, Dragon looked more than a little discomforted. Going on the hungry gleam in her eyes, I didn't blame him. It was an incredibly brave, desperate or stupid man that played with Inés. Dragon looked like he could take on a small army single-handed, but he wasn't stupid.

  “Dragon was just leaving,” Cain said, giving Inés a hard look that made her pout.

  “Where are you staying?” she asked him, a considering glint in her eyes.

  “Away from here,” I replied, giving her the evil eye. Whoever was after Dragon I didn't want them following him here.

  He shrugged. “I'll think of something.”

  “He could stay with Heloïse,” Inés suggested. “She's miles from anyone, and she hardly ever comes here. The place is well warded.”

  I sighed and glared at Dragon who doing his best to look pitiful now there was no risk of ending up in Inés' hands. I glanced at Cain and could see he didn't approve but ... I had a sudden memory torn from my dream of my own callous laughter. I didn't want to be that person. I didn't want to not care.

  “OK,” I said, knowing I sounded reluctant. “If Heloïse is alright with it.”

  Dragon grinned at me. “Thanks!'

  I snorted and shook my head. “Don't thank me yet. She's Inés' sister.”

  He blanched and suddenly looked a lot less smug. Served him right. It took him a moment before he could give me that crooked smile again. “Don't like me much do you?”

  I shrugged. “You kept your word. I like you well enough.” Not as much as Inés, I didn't say. “Thank you for everything you did. I'm grateful.”

  He nodded and patted the hefty bag slung over his shoulder. “I know, I counted it,” he said with a deep chuckle, watching me closely. “Those cuffs do the job then?” he asked, curiosity in his eyes.

  “Don't ask questions, Dragon,” I said with a tight smile. “You'll live longer.”

  I turned my back on him and went inside, heading to the kitchen. I was relieved to just find Rodney.

  “Tell me that pot's full,” I demanded and received an eye roll in return. Rodney grabbed my mug and filled it before adding a slosh of milk and a heaped teaspoon of sugar. He looked at me, pursed his lips and then added another spoonful of sugar, which wasn't entirely reassuring. I practically snatched it from him and put it to my lips, eyes closed in bliss. The sugary dose of milky caffeine made me feel like there was some small shred of normality left in the world, and I sighed in relief. I opened my eyes and frowned as I saw the drawings scattered over the kitchen table.

  “Oh, are these the designs for Hekatê's temple?” I asked, pulling one towards me and then choking on my tea. Rodney scurried around and thumped me on the back, rattling my teeth until I waved my hand, appealing for mercy. “What ... the ... fuck ...” I spluttered.

  “Now, luv,” Rodney said, looking anxious. “Jus' ... calm down,” he said sounding anything but calm himself. “Bleedin' 'ell, Cain was supposed to explain this to you.”

  “Explain!” I demanded, snatching up a design for a marble temple to a goddess. A goddess who looked remarkably like me.

  Chapter 23

  I wondered if Cain was avoiding me. I'd returned to the front step but there was no sign of him. Almost an hour later and I'd finally tracked him down in the gym.

  He was stripped to the waist, bench pressing the equivalent weight of a small car. The sweat poured off him, every muscle taut with effort, and he ignored me and my scowl until he'd got to the end of his reps.

  “Come to work out?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. He knew damn well I hadn't. I only came in here if he nagged me until he was blue in the face. I picked up a towel and threw it at him before waving the design in his face.

  “What the bloody hell is this?” I demanded.

  He wiped his face and hands and walked over to me to look at the paper I was waving and sighed.

  “It looks like a temple to a goddess,” he said, his expression bland.

  “No shit, Sherlock!” I held the drawing out, tapping the figure with one finger. “And this looks remarkably like me.”

  He shrugged. “You're a goddess, Jéhenne,” he said and then his lips quirked. “That wasn't a compliment.”

  I huffed at him. “Funny man.”

  He snagged a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down on a bench at the side of the room before looking back at me. “Jéhenne, if you actually expect this half-arsed plan to usurp Dis Pater and rule the Underworld with Hekatê to work then you need to be as powerful as she is. That means you need all the same advantages as she has.” He downed half the bottle of water in one go, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “You're a goddess too. You'll get stronger if the vampires sacrifice to you. For the love of the gods, don't expect Hekatê to treat you with any affection or loyalty because she's your mother. You'll be disappointed.”

  “I wouldn't dream of it,” I muttered. “It's not like I got it from my human mother,” I said, adding, “In this lifetime I mean.” I looked at him, wondering. “What was our mother like?”

  “A cold bitch,” he said, screwing the top back on the empty water bottle.

  I nodded and sat down beside him with a sigh. “Figures.” I sat in silence, thinking, and he turned his head and narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Don't do it, Jéhenne.”

  “What?”

  “Go asking me any more stupid questions.”

  I glowered at him. “Oh come on, Cain. Just because I want to know more about your life. I really can't believe this hard man crap is all there is to you.” He snorted at that, leaning back against the wall. “You must care about something,” I pressed. “There must be something that makes you smile, makes you happy?” I really hoped so anyway. “Don't you have a hobby at least?”

  He sat in silence, ignoring me. He was really good at it. But I was better at winding him up.

  “Come on, Cain, what makes you smile?” I poked him with my elbow, but he didn't react. “Kittens?” I said with a sly grin, noting his look of disgust with amusement. “Poodles? Budgies? Knitting?”

  “Stop!” He held his hands up in defeat. “Drawing,” he muttered, glaring at me. “I like to draw, OK?” I grinned as the admission had clearly embarrassed him.

  “Oh, that's cool!” I said and then pursed my lips, waiting for a moment. “So ... What do you like to draw? Kittens?”

  He gave me a hard shove and pushed me off the bench. I landed with a thud on my backside. “Ow! That bloody hurt!”

  “Good.”

  “You ha
ve no sense of humour,” I grumbled, getting up and rubbing my behind.

  He snorted. “Oh I don't know, seeing you hit the floor amused the hell out of me.” He gave me an evil grin, and I glared at him, sitting back on the bench with a huff.

  We sat in silence, and I wondered if the next question would make him thump me for real but I had to ask.

  “How did you do it, Cain?”

  He looked sideways at me, the tone of my voice alerting him to the fact I wasn't kidding around any more.

  “Do what?”

  “Survive all this time ... alone?”

  He looked away, his jaw tight. “I work, Jéhenne.”

  I paused. I knew he wouldn't tell me what I wanted to know, but I was going to try. “Corvus said you were a mercenary ... an assassin”

  He got up, slinging the towel around his shoulders. “Yes. That's right.” His voice was hard, and I could see the tension in him, as though he was waiting for me to judge him. There was no way I felt qualified for that. He'd survived, for me. I could only ever be grateful.

  I followed him out of the door and back up to the ground floor to the kitchen. “Did you ... enjoy your work?” I asked, and he turned and flashed that wicked grin again.

  “Oh, yes, sometimes I really enjoyed it.” I knew he was doing it for effect, but I could also see why his name carried such fear in our world. Every race has their monsters. As children we fear the ones that lurk in the darkness, under our beds and in our wardrobes. As adults those fears become more specific as we check doors and windows are locked and hear footsteps following us on a deserted street. For our kind those things meant nothing. We were the things that went bump in the night. For us it was the fear of getting on the wrong side of someone more powerful than you, easily done as I knew. The biggest fear of all, though, was the knowledge there was a contract out with your name on it - and Cain had taken the job. It was rumoured that he'd never failed to take out his mark. No matter how far they ran.

  He walked to the fridge and looked inside before hauling out the remains of a huge apple crumble and a pot of double cream. He grabbed a spoon, sat down at the kitchen table and poured the pot of cream straight into the dish. I watched him in awe.

  “What?” he said, the spoon halfway to his mouth as he caught me staring at him.

  “That's breakfast, huh?”

  He shrugged. I shook my head and went to cut some baguette.

  “I'm really not comfortable with being worshipped, Cain,” I said, spreading a thick layer of butter on the bread and reaching for the blackberry jam. “I mean, I understand what you're saying but it's just too ... ridiculous.” I piled the jam on and sank my teeth into the bread to find Cain watching me this time. He was smirking.

  “What?”

  “You have jam on your shirt.”

  I looked down to see a dark purple mark on my white shirt. “Oh, shit.” That was going to stain. “You see!” I exclaimed, gesturing at the mess I'd made. “I'm really not goddess material!”

  Cain began to laugh. It occurred to me I'd never seen him laugh before, not properly. Now, however, he couldn't seem to stop. Tears filled his eyes, and he roared, getting to the point where he could hardly breathe.

  Rodney came into the kitchen with Kai trailing behind him like a little lamb, and both of them stared at Cain in bewilderment.

  “Is 'e alright?” Rodney asked with a frown.

  “Hopefully not,” I replied darkly, glaring at my brother who just dissolved again. I sighed. “Rodney, talk sense to him will you? You know me, you know what I'm like. I'm bad-tempered and pig-headed and clumsy and I'm forever putting my foot in my mouth. Does that sound like a goddess to you?”

  Rodney pouted and exchanged a glance with Kai before they both nodded in unison. “Yeah, it kinda does, to be honest, luv.”

  “Oh for fuck's sake, you're all mental.”

  Cain, who had been struggling to rearrange his face, gave a cough to clear his throat. “OK,” he said. “We don't have time to wait for the temple to be completed.” He gave me a hard look. “So as of tonight every vampire and anyone else associated with this family will make offerings to Hekatê and Circe, no exceptions.”

  I put my head in my hands and groaned.

  “Do you want to deal with Dis Pater or not?” he demanded.

  I looked up and scowled at him. “No. I don't just want to deal with him. I want to make him pay for everything he's done. I want him to burn and suffer until the end of time and wipe his name from history. And I want to make bloody sure he knows it's me that did it to him.”

  Cain smiled at me. It was the kind of smile a proud father gives his kid who's just learned to ride a bike without stabilisers. He nodded, his eyes gleaming with menace. “In that case, Jéhenne, I suggest you make sure everyone is ready to raise your name in prayer. You're going to need them.”

  ***

  We held the meeting early that night. My head felt full of cotton wool after studying vampire law for most of the day. I'd snatched a couple of hours sleep before the sun went down, but it hadn't helped much. I felt sluggish and dull and wanted to be anywhere but here.

  Lucas had agreed that he would lead the vampires, instructing them on the protocol for their devotions to myself and Hekatê. They'd begin once the meeting was over.

  Cain was there of course and Inés, who to my surprise had brought Aradia. It appeared Dis Pater had made his fair share of enemies over the years and Aradia wanted in. I wasn't about to argue. She terrified me. Her and Inés appeared to be thick as thieves now after their initial enmity and the two of them were giggling like school kids - though only Aradia looked like one - much to the concern of the rest of us. The gods alone knew what plots they were hatching. We were likely all much safer not knowing. Rodney was sitting looking stressed with Amelia beside him on one side and Kai on the other. Cyd had come as well, and both her and Amelia had been throwing me filthy looks all night. I was ignoring them.

  Dimitri sat beside me and was a calming presence among the various tensions that ran around the room. He sat with his massive arms folded at the dining table in the apartment, and I tried hard not to dwell on the fact that the last gathering around this table had been at Christmas. With Corvus.

  I looked up at Dimitri and something in my face must have betrayed me as he reached his arm around me and pulled me in for a hug. “Curajos unul mic,” he murmured. I didn't know what it meant but it seemed heartfelt and made me sniff. I did my best to smile at him and prayed he wouldn't start bawling. I was too close to the edge not to join in right now.

  “Right then,” I said, deciding I'd better get things moving. “We all know why we're here I hope?” I looked around and everyone nodded, but I needed to be sure everyone was agreed with what I was doing. I was putting all of our lives on the line so they had to be given a say. “Corvus is back,” I said, momentarily proud of myself for getting the words past my throat. “But he ... He isn't the man we all remember. Not by a long way.” I gave Cyd and Amelia a pointed look and they lowered their eyes. “I hope, one day, that this will change, but for now we must all do the best we can. You know my commands by now on how to interact with him when you have the opportunity. I won't be lifting those commands any time soon, so get used to them.” Cyd scowled but kept her mouth shut, so I moved on. “We all know who is responsible for this.”

  I saw Cyd's jaw clench and felt a wave of anger from her but ignored it for the moment. “Dis Pater took him from us. Dis Pater condemned him to Tartarus. I imagine some of you may have heard a little of what we experienced there but let me just say that the stories about the place do not exaggerate. It is hell in every sense of the word, and I am personally going to make sure that Dis Pater spends the rest of eternity burning there for everything he's done.”

  Dimitri thumped the table, making us all jump. “Da!” he bellowed, shaking his fist. “Bastard god will pay!”

  Rodney grinned, nodding at the big demon. “You said it, Dimi', me old son.”

>   “So,” I continued. “The key to the Underworld keeps Dis Pater tied to that realm. This means, unlike Hekatê who gave her key to me, that he can no longer access this world unless someone very powerful indeed was to call him, which we have to hope is unlikely, or via the gateway. Thanks to Cain this at least is no longer possible.” Dimitri reached over and slapped Cain on the back with enough force to kill most men, nodding his approval. Cain looked a little strained but inclined his head in thanks.

  “How come you can then, luv?” Rodney asked with a frown. “You've got the key and you don't have to pass through the gate.”

  “Jéhenne has a human body,” Cain said in reply. “It gives her the ability to cross between both worlds.”

  Rodney nodded as though this was obvious now, and I carried on.

  “Once Hekatê and I are strong enough we intend to make it look as though Cain's ward is weakening so that Dis Pater will take his opportunity and come for me.” The idea made my blood run cold, but I looked around the assembled company without letting that fear show on my face or in my words. “And that ... is where you come in.”

  ***

  I was exhausted by the time the meeting broke up. No one had backed away from the plan and we were united in our desire to rid ourselves of Dis Pater once and for all. Everyone had their part to play and preparations to make, and I was glad to see that having a joint purpose seemed to have brought back some positive energy to the family. I could feel it buzzing through them already as results of the meeting were passed to the other vampires. All that is, except for Cyd. I could feel the resentment rolling off of her in waves and before everyone could get up to leave I called her name. She looked up and the room fell silent.

  “You've something to say I think?” I was standing, my words even, my face expressionless. I'd give her the chance to put it aside if she could.

  I watched as her jaw clenched, warring with herself over what to say. I was her Master after all, that meant something. Even to Cyd.

  “Spit it out,” I said, my patience fraying.