It had taken her a little time to figure out what was going on, what was real, but now that she had, she would face it head on. She knew she was a pawn in this game between immortals and gods. Bitterness swelled inside her, but as suddenly as it had risen, it receded.
This was bigger than her. The fate of mankind was depending on the outcome. Marko had to survive. His mission meant more than her life. She was in a life-and-death situation, but this time it wasn’t a movie. It was real.
It was the role of a lifetime.
She wondered if they eventually defeated Hades if anyone would remember her part in it or if she would be a forgotten footnote in history.
No. Not only no, but hell no. She was Kellsie Morris, scream queen extraordinaire. This role was her chance of a lifetime, even though it wasn’t quite in the way she’d expected. No way was her last starring role being forgotten. They were going to win. If nothing else, Marko would remember her. And strangely, that was all that mattered.
Shaking off the exhaustion that clung to her, she followed Marko along the dark forest trail toward the lights of the carnival.
Chapter Twelve
Chanting. It was faint but it was there. The Lady cocked her head to one side and listened intently. She no longer felt the blistering heat on her bare flesh. What clothing she’d worn had long gone to dust. She could manifest more but didn’t want Hades to know her power was slowly returning to her.
Her long hair blanketed her body, offering slight protection from the sharp rocks protruding from the walls. She closed her eyes and swayed to the music that filled her ears. It was beautiful, a song of peace and rebirth. What she wouldn’t give to lie naked in a mountain meadow, smell the sweet perfume of the wildflowers, feel the cool breeze against her skin and the warm earth beneath her. To watch the birds soar in the sky and the forest animals run free.
Her eyes snapped open as she heard a sound and she peered around her. The darkness seemed to swallow everything in its path. The tunnel she was in was narrow and rocky, hot with barely enough air for her to breathe. In the distance, a light flared.
She couldn’t for a moment forget where she was. Such forgetfulness led to death. None of Hades’ demons could touch her, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to throw obstacles in her way.
She knew when Hades was watching her. She also knew when he wasn’t. Sometimes some of his minions kept an eye on her, but not always. Sometimes she was utterly alone in this putrid realm of Hell. Right now, she could feel a set of malevolent eyes watching her every move.
Keeping her head down, she put one foot in front of the other. The skin had been burned and ripped from her soles, leaving bloody blisters behind, but she didn’t care. Pain meant she was still alive. The flickering light of the fires of Hell and the cries of its prisoners meant she was no longer buried in the bowels of the earth but moving closer to freedom.
The chanting seemed to come from the left. It gave her comfort and hope and she felt the urge to move toward it. She flexed her right hand beneath the cover of her hair, feeling the skin healing and the blisters disappearing. It also seemed the song was healing her, giving her a much needed boost of strength.
She would not stop now. Not ever. Events had been set in motion and nothing could stop them. One by one, all the warriors would be released. Whether or not they survived was entirely in their hands. Well, not entirely. The special women chosen to help them in their mission held the lives of the immortals in their hands. The bond between man and woman needed to be strong if both of them were to survive.
Stay strong. She didn’t say the words aloud but thought them, pushing them toward Marko. He needed to protect the woman and himself in order to be free of Hades.
She was not worried about herself. She would find a way out of Hell or she would perish here. Either way, her imprisonment would end.
With renewed determination, she ignored the three-headed demon watching her from the corner, ignored the cries of the damned and slowly edged her way down the dark, winding path.
“She’s reached the second level.”
Mordecai ignored Brittany’s observation. The succubus was clinging to his left arm and running her free hand over his chest. He forced himself not to shiver with revulsion. The image she projected was one of youth and beauty, but he could see the real creature beneath the glamour and it wasn’t pretty—thick, leathery skin and glowing red eyes, short horns protruding from the top of her head, sharp teeth protruding from her gums. He’d rather use his hand to get himself off than sleep with such a creature.
That he’d never had sex with any of the demons annoyed them greatly. They’d made it into a challenge of sorts to see who would be the first to break down his resistance. He could have told them they were wasting their time. He had bigger worries to contend with than who he was having sex with, or not having sex with in this case.
He was taking a risk by being in Hades’ chamber when the god wasn’t here, but it was one he was willing to take. He had to find the bear and Kellsie before Hades arrived for the next act in this unfolding drama. The only way to do that was to use the ancient bronze mirror on Hades’ wall. It was spellbound and allowed the god to see any part of his realm at any time, but it also allowed him to see into other worlds for one hour every turn of a day. Hades used that power sparingly.
After discovering that Marko and Kellsie were headed back to the carnival, he’d been unable to resist checking on the Lady. He stared at the mirror that allowed him to see any part of Hell at any given moment, watching her stagger through the dark corridors, inwardly wincing when she stumbled.
He was the only other being in this realm who could access the power of the mirror. Being in Hades favor came with some perks. It was also a very precarious position to be in, as Hades wasn’t known for his loyalty to his minions. If he thought for one minute Mordecai might be getting too powerful, Hades would not be happy. He might even destroy Mordecai.
He couldn’t let that happen. He had plans for his life, if you could call his current existence actually living. He fought the urge to clench his hands into fists. Anything was better than the imprisonment he’d endured.
“Are you listening to me?” She tugged at his arm.
He turned his head and peered down at her. “Unfortunately, yes. It’s impossible not to hear you.”
“Well, should we tell Hades?”
Mordecai almost felt sorry for the simple creature. Almost. She was a viper in an innocent package and had lured many a man to his doom. He shook his head. “You think Hades doesn’t already know? He’s probably simply taunting the Lady with the hope of release. All the better to squash her spirit when she almost reaches her goal.” He knew all about that.
He pushed away the thought. He’d shattered his own hopes and goals. Destroyed his own honor. On purpose. He’d made his choice and would live with it. In the meantime, he had plans to make and a war to win.
He shook off Brittany, annoyed by her clinging. Usually he found it amusing, but not today. The game was afoot and needed all his attention, especially after what had happened with Roric. Hades would not take another defeat lightly.
Mordecai had a feeling this was going to be a hell of a long day. He laughed at his own joke, but there was no humor in it. He’d made his choice and had to live with it.
“Come,” he told Brittany. “It’s time to return to the carnival. The woman and the bear are getting closer.”
“Goodie. I can’t wait to see that smiling bitch fall.”
For some reason, Brittany hated Kellsie. Not that she needed a reason. But Mordecai assumed it was because Kellsie was a beautiful woman and he was attracted to her. Brittany was also jealous of the attention Kellsie received from all the other demons. All of them wanted to be the one to bring her down and gain Hades’ favor.