Chapter 5
As soon as the hunt began Fay was excluded. Not officially, and not in front of Remus, whom stayed behind to judge the squad’s progress. It had been subtle, at first, when Diana, whom was naturally the second in command, took control and arranged the squad accordingly. Fay was placed at the rear, on the edge, partnered up with a stony-faced hound whom introduced himself simply as Arcus. They were designated as rear guard, needed only when they got around to actually trapping something. Then they’d close in, help ensure the demon was transported back safely.
Where as Nadia, much as Diana might’ve been loathed to admit it, had her up the front as a scout. Fay caught Diana muttering that Nadia was the fastest on the squad, her nose sharp for demons. She was accompanied by two girls, twins with tiny frames and jet-black hair whose hound forms both had a silver streak down one side of their bodies. It was all Fay saw as Nadia and the girls darted ahead through the thick forest enclosing around the squad.
The trees had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, springing up from the ground like daisies. One moment, a vast plain, the next, a thick forest. Sunlight was stifled, shadows closing in and though that was the more comfortable setting for hounds, it felt wrong, forced. Something was at work, spinning up the forest around them but who? What?
She glanced ahead, spied Diana amongst the main group – four guys, plus a tall Amazonian-like woman who towered over them all. They formed a diamond formation, proceeding ahead through the thicket slowly, carefully. They were slowly drifting out of sight – the forest was choking them off.
“We need to close ranks, now,” hissed Fay. “This forest isn’t natural.”
“Formations like this are normal. It isn’t anything malicious,” chided Arcus dismissively.
She glared at him, scornful at his tone. “The forest is choking us off – look!”
He did, maybe just to entertain her ‘childish’ concerns. Then he stilled, having seen what she did. He advanced forward in quick strides, hoping to catch the group. The forest caught on, thickening and, in a blink, Arcus and Fay were cut off. He rushed forward, slashing at trees with his sword but the group was nowhere to be seen.
“Dammit!”
Gloating seemed too childish, even though she was right, so she simply moved to his side and scanned the forest. It felt alive, hungry somehow but she couldn’t tell if it was one demon or many or if it was something else entirely. The energy surrounded them completely. She drew a deep breath and went to the nearest tree, placing her hand on it in a hope that she might be able to sense something more. As she did power surged through her, a gasp bursting from her mouth as the world flashed white. In a dizzying moment she was transported high above the trees and hovered in the air, the vast green stretching out before her. It was growing, consuming the barren land like a wave of green, slowly and steadily. A thick energy radiated from it. As she surveyed it all she found no immediate source; then, she caught it, a spike in just one place. It spiked several more times, like someone was pushing out the waves of energy. She wanted to see it closer and, as if whatever was happening to her began to obey, she was suddenly back in the forest, hovering over a figure kneeling on the ground. A girl with green skin like the forest itself and hair that billowed down in wild brown curls, leaves and flowers woven in. The energy pulsed out from her.
As she went to reach out the world flashed – she was dimly aware of staggering, of moving back. Her mind snapped, sharpened. She stood back with Arcus, doubles blurred before her. Nausea bubbled up in her gut. She stumbled off to the side and emptied her stomach. As she stood, wiping mouth, her mind cleared, the world sharpening before her. Arcus stood beside her, staring, shocked.
“What was that?”
She straightened up, faced him. “I can sense things, always have. I…I just wanted to see if anything happened if I touched a tree, tried to see what was going on.”
“And?”
“It’s not one thing. This forest is…It’s like it’s alive, sentient. I think it believes we’re intruders, which is why it cut us off. We just need to find the others,” she said without even thinking – the decision to lie just happened, as if something told her, protect the girl.
“You’re sure?” He asked sceptically.
“If it wanted to hurt us I’m pretty sure it would’ve done it, don’t you?” Fay challenged with a wry smile. “We better go find the others before Diana loses it and finds a way to blame me.”
That elicited a laugh and a smile from him.
“She’s just threatened by you,” he said. “Didn’t help you beat her day one.”
“My intention wasn’t to make enemies. I tried to avoid this place as long as I could but, now I’m here, I want to make this work,” replied Fay.
“If it helps she won’t hate you forever,” he offered with a small smile. “Might take a millennium – or two.”
They pushed through the thick forest, Fay at the front, leading. Every so often the forest thinned, a path threading through the trees before them. Cautiously, they followed. When the forest thickened again, closing in on them, they found only one way forward – a slim gap between two trees. Fay squeezed through first.
Bad move.
The trees pressed together, cutting her off from Arcus.
“Arcus!”
Her voice was swallowed up by the forest and no reply came. She yanked her sword out and started to swing when a chill snaked down her spine, like she was being watched. Dropping her sword, she glanced around, spied nothing but the trees and thick undergrowth that obscured anything beyond a few feet. Even the light struggled to squeeze through the dense foliage, with only narrow slits puncturing the darkness.
With a deep breath she sheathed her sword and reached for the closest tree when it suddenly vanished before her, revealing a small clearing. In the middle, the demon girl, standing, watching her with owlish, omnipotent eyes. Fay took her in; the wild hair, the expectant (if slightly disappointed) look, the white dress clinging to her well-formed figure.
“This forest is you, isn’t you?”
Her head bobbed once. “Yes.”
The voice was a song spun with magic, like a Siren’s, only not paralysing. There was nothing human, nor demon, about her; rather, an almost divine glow about her.
“Who are you?”
“Ona, the keeper of this forest. I build what you see here,” said Ona. “I was created by her hand to safeguard her throne, to ready for her arrival.”
Fay swallowed, hard. “Andromeda?”
“I do not know her name, only that she made me and left me with a simple command. Then, she will aid me and render me whole,” explained Ona.
“You’re not whole now?”
“I am but one half of my soul. The other, she wanders.” Ona glanced suddenly behind Fay, as if sensing something. “Your kin, they grow angry and are hurting my forest.”
Fay turned, half-expecting to see what Ona saw – only, there were trees to greet her. Nothing more. She spun back but Ona was gone, vanishing amongst the trees. Left to ruminate on what Ona said and what the implications were, she set off again, picking her way through the tiny gaps that revealed themselves amongst the trees.
On her own the forest seemed to reveal a path to her, undergrowth peeling back and trees curling away. It seemed to accept her, yield to whatever direction she turned and for one moment she wondered if Andromeda was somehow with her, that she was the mistress that Ona was waiting for. That Andromeda had somehow commissioned the forest, though why and why now still plagued Fay’s mind. Then there was the matter of Ona being half of a soul, that somewhere there was the other half, wandering. Everywhere Fay had looked there seemed traces of Andromeda; feint marks she’d left behind, in the people, in the very land itself. It was like she saw she was never going to succeed in her last life so she spent that life preparing for another, carefully scheming, laying the foundations for the prophecy. Which led Fay to wonder which God or Goddess she was to kill and why? There seemed to be a deep reasoning that drove Andromeda to the lengths she went to, something she was striving to protect. Whatever it was, she seemed terrified that if anyone else knew the depth of her plan that it was somehow compromised. She hadn’t even disclosed the extent to Abe, nor even Amon she expected.
To the very men Fay knew Andromeda had loved. What had been so important she’d sacrificed everything for?
She walked on, for hours it felt like, until she reached a small pond in the middle of a clearing. Flowers bloomed at the edge, jewel-blue and pastel purple, gathered about in dizzying bursts of colour. The air smelt fragrant, overpowering everything else. Just as she stepped to head over she stopped, caution gnawing at the fringes of her mind, drawing her back, whispering warnings. Something watched from the trees.
“Come out,” she ordered.
The trees rustled. A child-like face peered out from the thicket, snow-white hair framing it, tangled with thorns and twigs. She seemed almost human, were it not for the cat-like eyes that watched her with flickering scorn, as though Fay was not the prey she wanted to catch. What she was exactly she didn’t know but there was a lot of creatures that lurked in the depths of the Underworld that no living human had seen. Many that had no names but resembled a myriad of animals. Few looked as human as the child, the closest being a harpy with her feathery limbs, hawkish face and leathery wings.
“Don’t make me ask again,” said Fay.
If she could find her team, get them out, and come out with a demon in tow then the mission was a success – more or less.
The girl hissed low through her teeth but obeyed reluctantly, dragging herself out, revealing a tattered gown, talons on her hands and small leathery wings. She almost looked like a harpy.
“What are you?”
She only hissed again by way of reply. When Fay repeated the question, earning another hiss, she began to think that the child didn’t speak. She might understand – clearly, she had to enough, or felt the command from Fay to obey.
“Come to me,” she said softly.
By her own nature made her rebel against order, yet by the same token she gave it out easily, though only to demons, whom seemed anxious for it. The child, though initially wary, crept forward with a forward hunched, almost on all fours. Every so often her talons punctured the soft earth, marking a peculiar pattern to accompany her taloned footprints. She stopped before Fay, peered up with those predatory eyes glittering, another hiss – more snake-like – filled the air.
Then, slowly, she started to rise – slowly, her body unfurling, stretching out. She was taller, up close, coming closer to Fay’s chest, though her wings made her look bigger. Holding Fay’s gaze, she worked her lips, as if trying out something – tasting, maybe. Her forked tongue flicked out, then vanished back through her lips again.
“Goddess,” she hissed with force.
Fay paled, her mouth dropping. Frozen with shock she tried to think, to do something when a rustle split the silence. She whirled around but saw only the retreating figure of fur. Black fur.
The unmistakeable tang of a hellhound lingered in the air.
“Oh no,” she muttered and burst off, shifting mid-stride.
The child-demon forgotten her focus was on catching whoever saw her. She barrelled through the forest, the trees obeying her, revealing a path. Just when she thought she lost the hound she caught a flash of black fur, powering her on. She didn’t think about what she’d do when she caught it, only that she had to do…
And do what? The niggling voice whispered, teasingly. Kill? Bribe? Threaten? What would be truly effective, especially if killing just had them respawn and any bribery could be overruled by one word from Hades? If word got out that a demon had spoken to her and called her a Goddess it’d be disasterous. It wasn’t like she could explain it either, so that left a punishment for a crime she didn’t commit, and only one place she could go. It was one thing to train to go on a mission to Tartarus, another to be sent there, sent to the pits and be trapped like Andromeda. Hell, if a place could contain her, there was very little chance that Fay would be free.
With that in her mind she ran on, fixed on catching the hound.
The trees shifted ahead, sending her careening right, down a steep slope. She leapt when a sheer drop appeared, and she landed a few feet below onto a path that unfurled before her. Bands of light cut down from above, lighting the way – and then she saw them. The hound. She couldn’t see who it was, all Hellhounds looked the same for the most part – unlike werewolves, whom came in a plethora of shapes and colours.
She dug deep, ran until her limbs screamed, her body started to resist, beg to stop. Then she got close, scarcely a few feet away. The hound tried to speed up but they couldn’t manage much more. They were running as fast as they could. She stretched out, closed the distance – and clamped her teeth on the hind leg, sending them both barrelling into the thicket. Thorns torn at fur, shredded skin, blood splattered. Fay sunk in her teeth, deep. The hound howled in pain, struggling away when she jumped back, releasing, and shifted. She stood in human form as the hound limped to their feet, looking up, snarling. A beast caged, cornered.
The sun seemed to blink out from above, the darkness closing in around them. A whisper of a presence stirred behind her, the cold touch of a hand on her shoulder, familiar. Without turning, knowing there would no one there, not really, she knew the presence immediately.
Andromeda.
Her presence touched Fay’s mind, latched on, bled in.
Command, was all she said.
Fay held out a hand, trying to draw on the feeling, that Command to her lips. It was hard. She didn’t know what it was meant to feel like, how it should sound coming from her mouth.
“You will not speak-“
Again! Harder!
Fay drew a deep breath, tried again, a calm settling through her.
“You will not speak to anyone about what you have seen today, not to Hades, nor any other hound except for me,” Commanded Fay, her voice firm with power.
The hound bowed, like the others had done to Hades. Fay knew she should’ve felt empowered but she only felt unsettled, as if glimpsing something dark and unknown, a depth and power she didn’t know she had.
She flicked her hand. “Go.”
The hound limped off into the darkness. Fay drew in a tired breath, her own mind rattled, consumed, and set off. After an unsettling walk the trees parted, revealing the edge of the forest – and there, waiting, the squad with Remus. Several sported injuries, all had bloody legs, gashes elsewhere. No way to tell if any of them had been her hound. They were together, talking, not noticing her until she neared closer. Nadia looked up, first, startled.
“Fay? Oh my god, Fay!” Nadia was running to her, checking her over. “You’re unharmed.”
She glanced past Nadia to Arcus. “I sensed the forest merely thought I was an intruder, so I kept calm and just started to walk. Eventually, it let me out.” Her eyes flickered back to Nadia. “What happened with you?”
Nadia’s face darkened. “Demons. They attacked us. Got messy but we got away.”
Remus broke from the group. “Today was a complete failure. Squad, back to camp!”
The squad was silent as they trudged back to the camp, leaving Fay to wonder which one of the squad had seen her, and if her Command would hold against Hades himself.
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