Page 35 of Queen of the Wicked
Kael dipped his head appreciatively. “Of course. Thank you, Eryx. Lead the way.”
Chapter 17
Alessia
Eryx attempted to distract Kael on the way back to the castle, but Alessia could see the man in the toga inspect every nook and cranny of the village. She assumed he was ultimately trying to find a fault somewhere, but why?
Was Kael truly that evil? And why would Erebos ever be okay with doing this to demons? Sure, they may have done evil things to get here, but she had learned that some of them, like Isla, were very remorseful for their choices. Didn’t he getthat? Putting them in shackles and conducting whatever torture in those houses that were producing those screams was simply barbaric. For the first time, she was afraid of him.
Alessia was thankful for the coolness that enveloped her when the guards and Eryx opened the doors back to the castle.
“Where would you insist we start the tour?” Eryx asked.
Kael pursed his lips as he looked around, not a soul in sight. “I’d like to visit level one if we could.”
Erebos eyed him curiously. “Level one? We have never toured level one, simply for the risk of danger.”
“Indeed, but His Majesty is not with me today, so I request we see it. Besides, I have a…troublesomesoul who requires a place to stay for the foreseeable future. I’d like to watch the magic happen.”
Izara’s hand drifted to her thigh, her fingers delicately hovering over her pocket as Erebos gulped. “Of course. Izara, please escort Lillian back to my quarters, where she can wait for me until we are finished.”
Kael cocked his head to the side. “Why will she not be joining us? If I am not mistaken,allof your whores have continued to remain present for our tours. You know they keep me distracted when the conversation becomes boring. I like the view.” He smiled at Alessia, but the smile was forced. However, no red aura had surrounded him yet, so he was telling the truth.
What a prick.
“Very well,” Erebos responded reluctantly. His eyes flitted to hers briefly, attempting to communicate something. Maybe he was still respecting her boundaries, but Alessia considered this an urgent enough matter to use the mind link between them. Was Kael able to read minds, though? No. If that were the case, he would have already read hers and called Erebos out on his bullshit.
Hidden in a small alcove was an elevator Alessia had never seen before. Considering how everything seemed from the 1800s, she was surprised the castle even had one. They gathered closely, and Alessia was pushed intoErebos’s side, his wrist gently brushing against hers. Just the mere contact had her nerves diminishing.
“I will summon the soul once we reach level one,” Kael said.
The elevator continued its descent, and it wassoquiet that Alessia began to wonder if anyone was still breathing.
She wished Erebos had included her in his plans. Everyone seemed to be prompted buther.How was she supposed to act around him? If she were his harlot, was she supposed to touchhim? Fall all over him? Kael was accustomed to seeing his various prospects and was the type of man who noticed everything,Alessia could tell.
Kael was calculated and malicious, and if given the opportunity, he’d screw over everyone he was close to if it meant benefitting himself. She had always been able to read people, and Kael was easier than most.
When everyone exited the elevator before her, Alessia paused when she stepped onto the stone floor. They were in a cave. An actualcave.It was an entire dome carved out with cathedral ceilings, all made of stone.
Jagged spikes lined the pathway, mist drifting around them and cloaking her with humidity.
The bile rose into Alessia’s throat at the sight of different skulls and bones shoved into dark corners with shacklesstillwrapped around them. How many people had died here? Just how many people had Erebos tortured?
Alessia didn’t know why she was so surprised. He was the Lord of Hell. Of course,he murdered and tortured innocent people. He had told her this when theymet. But after spending time with him and opening up to him that night in the library, this man didn’t seem capable of producing this much evil.
Remember the truth,Isla had told her earlier. Was this what she meant? To not pay attention to all of the dead surrounding her?
Dripping water was the only sound she could hear as they continued along the pathway, and what it led to was far worse than she could have ever imagined.
A giant pit of lava surrounded the room. It bubbled and spurted hot sparks along the sides of the stone, coating the platform in a black, ash-like texture. Alessia jumped when it came close to her leg, but Erebos subtly shifted their positions to push her out of harm’s way.
It shouldn’t have caused a flurry of butterflies to swarm in her stomach when he was only doing this to protect his powers. If she died, he’d never get them back. It was the reason he was so concerned about her in the ring earlier, and the same reason he wouldn’t allow the lava to scorch her ankles.
She was a means to an end for him, and she didn’t know why that bothered her so much when that was all he was to her.
The rest of the small group shuffled onto the circular platform, on which a single throne chair sat—Erebos’s throne.It was crafted of skulls and bones, the pieces seemingly glued together to create a massive, wing-backed monstrosity. The armrests were made of gaping mouths on rotting craniums with decaying teeth, and the backing rose high with bones of the same shape and size, as if someone had picked through amultitude of bodies to ensure the throne was created evenly.
To make matters worse, skulls were attached to the bones like pitchforks to frame it, a spindle of humans to encase the lord whenever he decided to sit. It was a throne created to intimidate—a symbol of lethal, unadulterated power.
