Chapter 24
It was the silence that was the first tell that Fay was not where she expected. Then, it was the cold; a biting, unforgiving chill that stole through her and burrowed deep. She shivering from within and couldn’t shake it. The cold made things hard to focus, especially as the world kept changing. In one blink she stood within a vast field of ash-grey grass; then, in the next, it was the confines of a quiet temple, void of warmth and offerings. It was a soulless place, one that felt of death. Strangely, to Fay, it felt like home.
After a moment she sensed eyes on her, peering out from within the darkness itself; cautious but studious, chilling in its intensity. She felt like she was being examined, tested somehow.
“I know you’re there,” said Fay.
A figure slithered out from the darkness, rising up into full form – a woman. Long, flowing black hair tumbled down and framed a face that Fay knew in an instant. It was a face that had haunted her every waking moment. It clung to her.
“Andromeda.” The word fell from her lips in a hoarse whisper.
That long, languid smile stretched and revealed gleaming white teeth, sharp against the inky cool blackness of her eyes. A gaze that was not like the smile; her eyes still watched, studied, judged.
“Welcome to my home,” said Andromeda.
Her voice was different from the visions; harder, the words edged and sharp. Yet, for her words, and the way her eyes tracked every tiny movement Fay made, there was something off about her. Like an unfinished painting the rest of her, Fay belatedly realised, seemed blurry, as if it scarcely existed. Only her eyes and mouth were firm, resolute.
“Why did you bring me here?”
Andromeda turned abruptly and waved her hand. Her form seemed to quiver for a moment. She was out of focus; then, her eyes cleared, sharpened and returned to Fay as the world around them shifted once more. The temple crumbled away in chunks of cracked stone, revealing a single burning hearth in the middle of a polished, gleaming room with golden pillars encompassing it.
“I do not have much time but I know what you are about to do. To summon an army like the one you seek requires power – a power you do not yet have,” said Andromeda calmly. “If you go ahead you will destroy yourself and I need you.”
A cold, tremulous chill snaked down Fay’s spine as an ominous feeling rattled in a chest. “Need me for what?”
Her eyes clouded for a moment in confusion; then, when they cleared again she seemed determined again. “I can’t say – yet. You’re not ready and I can’t risk them.” She froze, as if having involuntarily let something slip. “Still, I know you’ll do this with or without my help, which means for you to survive, you need me.”
Her words were calm, as if she’d seen it coming and planned for it. She’d known Fay would come to the Underworld, use her thin understanding of her own fledgling talents to summon demons. That it would be dangerous for Fay to attempt something like that.
“How can you help?” Fay asked restlessly.
“I aided you once. It worked, didn’t it?”
“You took control. I was…I was just a passenger.”
Andromeda glanced away. “I was…too aggressive. The imbalance of that left me uneasy, too. If you agree to let me help you I will offer my power, as much as I can but, know this, the range is limited on the surface. The Underworld is easy but up there you must stay within close proximity of the gates, the points at which the worlds are at their closest.”
“That’s how you helped the first time.”
“And how I’ll help again.”
Fay felt like she was dealing with the Hades himself, like she was treading a fine line between order and chaos. It was a balancing act, which made her wary of Andromeda’s intentions. There were things being kept purposefully hidden from Fay, though the secrecy was not exclusive to her. For whatever reasons Andromeda had seen a lot and had planned accordingly; to what end, no one seemed to know. Everyone said it was to kill a god, that she was a monster, a threat to be destroyed ruthlessly. Yet that seemed too simple, too inelegant. It had something to do with the ‘them’ that Andromeda spoke of, whoever they were. She seemed intensely possessive of them, the mere hint of them had her jealously trying to drag the words back inside her mouth.
She didn’t even know if what Andromeda said was right. Maybe Fay was capable of summoning a whole army. She’d effortlessly called on them before, and tons seemed to follow her every time. How hard could it actually be to summon a few hundred? There was just a chance that Andromeda was playing her, too. The intensity of the visions made her want to be sympathetic but they made her wary, too. Suspicious of Andromeda’s mysterious intentions.
Yet, she remembered the power that flowed through her when they were joined. That rush that filled her. It had been unsettling how much control Andromeda had over her, yet it hadn’t felt intrusive or ugly; it had felt, though perhaps a little too intense, somewhat like home.
“What’s the link between us? Why me?” Fay asked suddenly, looking up to find Andromeda staring at her.
Andromeda’s carefully controlled face betrayed nothing. “Knowledge is power, Fay, and you’re not strong enough yet to wield what I know. You will, though – you have to be.” She glanced away. “You have to go. I can’t keep you safe here anymore but I need to know if you’ll accept my help.”
Fay didn’t want to trust Andromeda. There was still a lot unknown and the link between them was unclear. Still, as she thought about Abe and Ben and Mel, plus Amanda and all the wolves, she knew what she had to do.
“Fine but I want an army to bring an army of immortal wolves to their knees whilst I gut their master,” said Fay.
“Death clings to your every step. It is in the air that you breathe, the shadow that stalks you,” whispered Andromeda, though Fay had the impression the words weren’t meant for her. “Let us begin.”
Death clings to your every step…
Fay felt the moment Andromeda latched onto her, how their souls wove together. There was no battle for control, no one vying for complete submission. Rationally, in her mind, she knew there was two souls inside of her but it felt like one. The only noticeable difference was how strong she felt, how clear her mind was. It was so strange and yet so right, even as she stood in the middle of a charred meadow, her arms splayed wide as an energy began to spill from her – a call to arms. She knew she didn’t have long before she attracted Hades himself. She only hoped that she could rally enough demons and get away before the time came.
From the horizon came the first few trickles; small malformed creatures with dozens of horns and legs and tails. Some had bird-like wings fixed on silver-fur bodies as they slithered over; others circled above with great black wings that seemed to almost block out the sky itself; then, scattered amongst them, a single harpy – the very same one Fay had used before. She grinned hungrily, as if she’d known that Fay would call again and the promise of somehow defying Hades was too delicious to deny.
“You called us,” she said with a bow.
Fay nodded. “I need an army. Ready for some killing?”
She hissed, flashing her gleaming fangs. “Always.”
“Then follow me.”
As she turned the harpy slithered up beside her. “You do realise Hades will be furious for this. There will be consequences.”
“I’m damned already,” she said with a low laugh. “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Of what? I am following an order and my nature,” she said breezily. “I don’t think he’ll punish you too much though. You’re a kind of pet of his, his own little obsession.”
Fay said nothing as she held up a hand and sucked all the energy around her within, then let herself spiral away back to the surface, the heavy thread of her army following close behind.
They surfaced a little off where she wanted. She could smell the Immortal Wolves, their trail fresh. They’d passed through recently. Nearby she glimpsed the soft paw marks in the ground, along with some snapped twigs and branches where they’d cleared their own path. Drag marks accompanied the paw prints. They’d taken prisoners.
She felt alone, just for a second, as the army began to appear; small clusters burst around her, restless but not running off like she’d worried. They seemed to look for her, awaiting her orders. Aello appeared, folding her wings at her back. Those cold, hawk-like eyes peered out, curious and hungry. She was restless, itching for a fight, for blood. For a split-second Fay felt bad about unleashing her on the wolves; the feeling vanished quickly.
“The Immortal Wolves only. The hellhound and her master are mine, just keep them distracted, okay? I’ll command the demons as I need them,” ordered Fay.
Aello glanced at her with a smile. “As you wish, my Queen.”
“I’m not,” corrected Fay.
Aello snorted dismissively, as if the fact was already set and nothing Fay said would change that. She shifted uneasily on her feet. Stealing demons was one thing but claiming Queen as a title was a declaration of war on Hades she wasn’t ready for. She was still at his mercy more than she was willing to admit.
Fay shoved the thought away – as far as she was concerned her shadowy, unknown future that lay beyond the fight with the wolves was one she’d deal with after. So long as she kept herself clear of the Underworld she’d run as long as she could, do what she had to do to survive. That was who she was – a survivor.
“Let’s go – quietly.”
She tested sending out orders via her mind – a haphazard guess, really. On my command – disperse. In her mind she sent out a layout of the camp, of how she wanted them to surround, then stay at bay until she was in position. She kept Aello at her side, for the moment, until the harpy was ready for her role.
The demons scattered but, though they were out of sight, she sensed them all. It was as if she knew every position, every demon as if they were friends – or her own children. The feeling was an eerie one but not as uncomfortable as she expecting. It felt natural, though she wandered if that was coming from having Andromeda inside her, fuelling her every step. Where did Fay end and Andromeda begin? The line was blurred and the fight hadn’t happened yet.
Fay set off, letting her own magic slowly fill her, black tendrils of energy wrapping around her hands. The clothes she wore dissolved away to reveal the dress she’d seen a few times before.
Beside her, Aello smiled smugly.
Fay bled into shadow, taking Aello with her, as they neared the camp. The smile had fallen from Aello. Her dark eyes were focused on the thinning trees, the camp slowly bleeding through. Flashes of russet fur enforced the silence between them.
With a deep breath Fay stopped at the fringe of the camp. Dozens of wolves lounged about whilst several appeared to patrol, their ears pricked high. They were on high alert. Fay wondered if they sensed the demons lurking close by. She scanned the camp when she saw Lilian and Jackson sitting by one of the cabins, their heads bent together. In shadow her hearing wasn’t as sharp, so all she heard was the irritated muffled words spat between them. Nearby the front door opened of the main cabin. Fay froze, watching it with interest as Amanda stepped out, wearing grey jeans and a loose shirt. She seemed tense, her eyes flickering around, searching. If anyone could sense the demons close by she’d be able to…but would she able to identify the magnitude of it? Or perhaps she merely sensed the overwhelming dark energy.
She senses me, whispered Andromeda. As well as the demons. To her, it is a dark, restless malevolent energy but she won’t be able to identify it. She will likely attribute it all to me for an entrance to the Underworld is nearby.
Fay couldn’t answer as Amanda blinked, then quickly stepped aside as another figure stepped out. The blood drained from her face.
It was Tash.
No, thought Fay, startled, it can’t be.
Within her Andromeda stirred restlessly, sensing Fay’s hesitance. Make your decision.
She shook her head. If Abe was with her he’d remind her that Tash had made her bed, that whatever she’d shown to Fay had been a lie. What mattered was those imprisoned, that the wolves had to be executed before they were used to start a war that would destroy earth. Fay had to play the hero, if only for the day. She’d burnt enough bridges that there wasn’t any turning back.
With a deep breath she reached out to the demons and sent the command.
Go.
Then, all hell broke loose.
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