Adreanna walked through the unfamiliar landscape. Hades walked alongside her, long, powerful strides leading her way. She cringed every time they made the slightest sound.
Years of being on the run had forced her into silence. Every noise seemed to scream. Around them, tall spires and an ancient castle lay mixed with smaller buildings. Styx nestled in her arms. She could feel him trying to communicate, but blocked him.
Above them, the sky was stone.
"This is the highest circle of the underworld, where you shall reside." Hades said, not even looking at her.
"Where are the souls that tend the fields of Asphodel?" The Fields of Asphodel were a region of the underworld where most mortal souls dwelled. Shades, shadows broken by their experiences. Bound by powerful magic, they had no memory, no feeling.
Nothing. They would tend to the fields until the end of time itself. Other mortals were servants of Hades, such as the ferrymen. And Reapers, which sucked mortals dry, turning them into shades.
There were many positions one could hold in the underworld.
Which would be hers?
"They are irrelevant." He waved off her question. She pressed him again a few times, but he deflected every attempt. The world was dead, and few souls wandered outside the buildings.
On the edge, she could vaguely make out two rivers.
The Acheron, the river of pain, in the West. The Styx in the East.
It was said the rivers were filled with the souls of the damned, suffering eternally in the dark waters.
She turned away, trying to focus on what Hades said. Her eyes were drawn to his back. Wings were the symbols of the Divine, a liberation from the flesh cloth that bound mortals. All the gods were supposed to have them.
He won't punish me for asking questions.
"Where are your wings?" She asked. Hades froze, turning to face her, face contorted in anger.
"Excuse me?"
She stared. "Aren't the gods supposed to have wings?"
"We did. Before our mother cut them off."
She stared in shock. "Hekate cut off your wings?"
He nodded, face grim. "You know, I've always wondered what the love of a mother felt like. Hekate was my mother only in flesh. She was lonely, got bored, and made some toys to play with. Once she was done, she abandoned us, crippling our power."
"What did your wings look like before she cut them?"
He glared. "You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"
She shrugged. "I'm a curious person."
"Too curious."
I get that a lot.
She had always annoyed people with her questions.
I'd rather question everything than live in ignorance.
As they approached one of the spires, Hades looked at her. "I'm sure you're wondering what place you have in all this, and to be frank, I am uncertain either. But you're the last witch. Unique. Special. I intend on finding out how."
She nodded, unsure.
"Anyway, for now, I will hand you over to someone better equipped to deal with you. A guide, if you will."
What she saw took her breath away.
She was staring at a dead man.
William?
She thought, staring at the boy who she'd known since childhood. The boy that fate had snatched away from her. Like her, he had barely aged. Still having that pale blonde hair and that tanned skin.
His eyes were grey, in stark contrast to hers. He wore black clothing similar to that of the other male witches she'd seen on the island. Her heart stopped when he bowed.
He serves Hades.
How could he? This man, this creature, had destroyed their lives. Him and the rest of his cursed brethren.
But could she really blame them? Hekate was clearly crueler than she'd thought. But the gods had ruined them, enslaved their people. All in the name of some petty war. How could he serve them?
He had no choice. Neither did I.
"Get up." Hades ordered, and William rose.
Who is he? Styx asked, clearly annoyed that she had been blocking him.
William Moonshadow. A friend. I thought he was dead.
What's he doing here?
Isn't it obvious?
That was the end of the conversation for now. As Hades left, she glared at his retreating form.
"Adreanna?" William asked, staring at her as if she was just an illusion. "William." She said coldly. He looked away, and she felt her heart melt. Bastard. Every bit as manipulative as she was, he knew how to tug on everyone's heartstrings. Including hers.
"Don't do that. It's annoying." She muttered, before finally relenting. He chuckled happily.
Again, bastard.
"Shall we?" He asked, gesturing inside. She shrugged.
"You're the guide here."
And so on they went, traversing yet another labyrinth. And as they chatted, she felt herself becoming younger and younger. She felt like the Adreanna of the past, happily chatting away with her friend. A past where the horrors of the present had not yet found root.
"How did you get here?" She asked, standing in her quarters. It barely qualified as a room, save for the single, stony bed and the small window opening into a view of the underworld. Not what she'd call fun.
Styx lay on the floor, clearly tired by the day's events. She didn't blame him.
He sighed.
"When the worshipers attacked, I did everything I could to fight back. But their power. It was amazing. Like nothing we'd ever seen. Hekate's death strengthened the gods, and their worshipers were just as strong. Hades saved my life. He's a good leader, Adreanna."
"He's enslaved our people, William. Murdered countless innocents."
"Adreanna, this is war. No one gets out with their hands clean. Least of all the gods. The slaves are all here willingly. They signed their names in the Book of Hounds. They came here themselves." William countered.
"What did he do to you, William?"
"He did nothing but show me the truth. Adreanna, a new dawn is coming. The era of the Dark Gods is at an end. They're dead, most of them, their followers massacred. There can only be one victor, and that is Hades. He will take the mantle of One True God with open arms, and his power will be infinite."
"How do you know that?" She asked.
He looked away. "That's not important."
"How do you know that?" She pressed on.
"I'm part of the inner circle. He trusts me with everything."
"So why did he give me to you? Surely he knows of our history. How can he be certain I won't toy with you, make you stand against him?"
He looked away. "Let's just say he has... insurance policies."
He said no more after that, quickly leaving her with a million questions. What insurance policies were those? What had happened to her friend? And most pressing of all:
How could she ever hope to get out?
ns 15.158.61.20da2
