Page 4 of Queen of the Wicked
Passing through the sliding doors, he approached the elevator built into the deep tunnels of the underground cave, with jagged spiked stone and gargoyles surrounding it. This level of Hell was intended to be the most intimidating, and it was like a breath of fresh air when he arrived on the first floor, releasing a deep breath as pillars of stone and marble floors came into view. He stepped out, followed by Izara, his soul seeker—the one who brought him the rejected souls from Heaven to deal with.
“Any news?” Erebos inquired. The envelope was still clutched tightly in his fingers as his dress shoes clacked against the marble floors. Luxurious chandeliers hung from above, guiding their way to his private quarters. Eryx, Izara, and Ambroz were the select few peopleallowed to cross over into this section of the castle. He trusted no one else.
“No new souls to report,” Izara said reluctantly. She was still strapped up from her mission with various knives and a bulletproof vest, even though she didn't need them. Sheneverneeded them.
“This is the fifth day in a row without a new soul,” Erebos said. Gregory had arrived last week, and Erebos took his time playing with him. Partly to release his anger about him being the only soul to arrive in weeks, but also because he was bored. His entire livelihood was based on handling the demons and forcing them to repent. With no souls to manage, he’d been going stir crazy.
Eryx bristled. His general aimed to please, and he despised letting him down. It was precisely the reason he made him the general of his army. “We will check again tomorrow. Although if this continues…” He trailed off, not wanting to overstep his authority.
“Then we invade and ask questions,” Erebos finished. “I’m well aware of the danger this presents, but there is even more danger if wedon’t.We all know what a risk that would be.”
He nodded. “Very well.”
With a bow from them both, they disappeared down the hall, leaving Erebos alone at the entrance of his study. He locked the door and sat in the massive leather chair behind his desk, tentatively inspecting the envelope again. There wasn’t any immediate danger emanating from it that he could sense, and after he priedthe piece of paper out of the damned thing, he sprawled it across the mahogany wood.
Lord of Hell,
An important soul is waiting for your collection. It is imperative you travel at your earliest convenience, and it must only be you who retrieves the soul.
No one signed the letter,but there were coordinates for the precise location. Normally, he wouldn’t give this the time of day, but Hell hadn’t had a rejected soul in days, especially an important one. Without rejected souls, Hell wouldn’t be able to function, and without Hell functioning…
He shuddered at the thought.
I’m leaving for Earth immediately to collect an important soul. Only my presence is required,he silently communicated to Eryx and Izara. And since Ambroz didn’thavea brain, he added,Please relay to Ambroz that he is off duty until I return.
Chapter 2
Alessia
Rough, aggressive shaking brought Alessia out of her sleep, her heart thundering as her mom, Haleth, gripped her shoulders. “Alessia, wake up. You must go.Now.”
She blinked her eyes open in the dark as she hurriedly sat up, but knowing her parents had warned her about this day her entire life, she wasn’t afraid.
Alessia knew precisely what she had to do.
But still, even with their plan unfolding in her mind, she was reluctant to leave them, especially since she didn’t see her mother, Elyana, anywhere to be found.
“Where is Mother?” Alessia choked out. “I can’t have anything happen to you both.”
“She is creating a distraction for us.Youare the one we must protect at all costs.” Haleth held her hand to her forehead, shuddering as she attempted to call on her power. Alessia had been told her mom could see into the future and had listened to her tales of how she used her magic, but experiencing it was another thing entirely.Both of her parents had powers, that much she knew, but anything beyond that was hidden from her. Where they were born, their past, and why she had been secluded in the country since birth remained a mystery she had yet to solve.
Haleth shuddered, inhaling a sharp gust of air when she pulled away. “He’s coming. Remember where we told you to run, Alessia, and when the clock strikes midnight, do not be afraid. Your mother and I have spent most of our lives preparing you for this moment. You are ready.”
Alessia’s lip trembled as she slid out of bed, taking in what could be the last moments in the home she was raised in—the home she’d been sheltered in, hidden away from a danger she hadn’t had the privilege of understanding yet.
Residing in a farmhouse smack dab in the middle of nowhere, her early years were spent caring for farm animals and racing through meadows with the wind running through her hair and dirt crammed between her toes. Miles away from civilization, the country was her comfort. It was all she knew.
And now it was time to leave it all behind.
From the moonlight flooding through the window, she caught a faint glimpse of her mom’s shimmering white hair, which reached the middle of her spine. She used to braid it as a child, until she perfected the technique, and now she may never get the chance to see it again after tonight.
A thud sounded on the ground outside, her mom’s head whipping frantically toward the window. Alessia wasn’t sure what she saw; she couldn’t bear to look, buther mom’s ashen face was horrified. “Go.”She pushed her toward the door, and Alessia grabbed the emergency backpack from her closet. “I love you, Alessia, and I will find you again.”
Alessia’s eyes brimmed with tears when she catapulted herself into her mom’s arms to give her one last hug, but then the door slammed open downstairs, forcing her to sprint into action.
She didn’t have time to find her mother or consider the possibility of never seeing her again. She pushed open the window in the hallway and crawled onto the roof, letting her mom shut it behind her to deal with whatever had broken into the house.
Alessia’s heart hammered as she crawled towards the vine, carefully avoiding loose shingles to be as soundless as possible. She was dressed only in a silk nightgown, nothing else, but she didn’t have time to change. She would have to wait until she reached her destination.
