Page 17 of Queen of the Wicked
“Grab onto his arm,Alessia,”he said through gritted teeth.
“Much better.” Alessia reluctantly placed her hand on top of the man’s arm, far too close to Erebos for her liking, and before she knew it, the wind whipped around them at all different speeds, carrying them directly into Hell’s deathly clutches.
Chapter 8
Alessia
In her head, Alessia envisioned Hell as a fire pit with deserted lands, rolling tumbleweeds, and lost souls crying out in pain from its various torture methods. She expected skeletons, chains, oranythingworse than the sight before her.
The big burly man, the woman with all the weapons, Erebos, and herself landed outside of black iron gates. The world spun, and Alessia braced her hands on her knees to prevent herself from puking her guts up.
“That’ll get easier,” the muscle man noted. “Traveling sickness sucks.”
Only when Alessia found her balance again did she have the chance to analyze Hell for the first time.
For starters, the sky was red—blood red—but it looked almost…beautiful—like the beginning of a sunset before the night took over. Past the gate, a road beside lush green grass led to what seemed to be a town with houses scattered about.
“I…don’t understand,” Alessia said.
The burly man released a laugh. “Expecting worse?”
“Muchworse.”
Beyond the town, nestled far up on a vast mountain created of sleek, black stone, was a castle. It was something she only saw in movies, never in real life, but this… This castle was something out of her wildest dreams. It was nestledintothe mountain, as if it had been created to be one with the land, and it sparkled with little ruby gemstones beneath the color of the sky above.
With the jagged peaks and rise surrounding it, the castle was created to be foreboding, but as it shimmered in the red hue, Alessia couldn’t help but gaze upon it in awe.
She caught Erebos staring at her, but as soon as her eyes met his, he strode ahead to lead the way, leaving her behind with the girl decked out in weapons.Great.
“I’m Izara,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Was she in some weird, alternate dream? People in Hell weren’t supposed to be nice.The weather was supposed to be unbearable here. Her skin was intended to melt off the bone, disintegrating into a puddle at her feet, not be offered this slightly cool but welcoming breeze. And the girl with all the weapons was supposed tousethem on her, not make small talk.
“Alessia,” she replied. “What do you do for Erebos?”
Izara’s eyes drifted ahead to the two men who walked in front of them. “Security,” she replied vaguely, but a vermilion glow suddenly started glinting around her like an aura, and Alessia remembered Erebos saying something about being able to tell when others were lying. She had a feeling this was the sign of it, but shecouldn’t be certain, not entirely, so she formed her lips in a thin line as they strode ahead into the small town.
There were no prisoners, no shackles, no chains… The people of the town were dressed from the 1800s and offered warm smiles as they sauntered past, bowing and paying their respects to Erebos. The women were all dressed in skirts, aprons, and bonnets, while the men wore suspenders or overalls. Baskets of fruit were perched on the hips of the women, and from a distance, cattle and horses grazed on grass in a nearby field.
“This is…not what I was expecting,” Alessia breathed.
Izara’s lip twitched to the side. “Be lucky this is the version Erebos wanted you to see.”
What?
Izara strode ahead to catch up with Erebos before Alessia could ask any questions, leaving her to the confusing thoughts and disbelief swirling in her head. Curious glances shifted her way from a few women standing by a wagon, but she didn’t take it personally. She was dressed for modern times, and based on their big skirts and accompanying bonnets, it wasn’t what they were used to.
The big burly man whispered something to Erebos, and with her new and improved hearing, she caught the tail end of it.
“But thescent?—”
“I know,” Erebos hissed. “We’re not talking about it. Not here.”
The burly man huffed. “Fine, but you should probably start figuringit out soon.”
“I don’t needto figure it out. It’s not happening. End of story.”
“You act like it’s achoice, Erebos. Sooner than later, you won’t be able to hide the?—”
