Page 66 of Queen of the Wicked
She was in another one of Erebos’s memories.
But how did she get here?
“The more you fight this, the more innocents die.” The voice projected into her mind, like it forced its way inside, and her brain felt like it was being ripped in half,icicles jabbing against her cranium. Now she screamed, but the sound was deep and hollow. It was Erebos screaming.Erebosgoing through this excruciating torment.Erebos’svoice breaking as anguish tore from his throat.
“Will you break?” The chilling voice asked. “Join us.Leadus.”
Alessia crawled away from the voice, even with the screaming penetrating her mind. Even when her rib felt as if it were hanging by a thread, darkness cloaked her, beckoning her to succumb to the monstrosities the voice craved for her to give.
And then the hard object slammed into her back, pinning her to the stone floor. It crushed her spine, tearing another ripped scream from her, although it sounded like Erebos. Alessia couldn’t tell what was happening, or why she kept experiencing Erebos’s past, but this didn’tfeellike the past, especially when she felt the object dig further into her spine, threatening to break another bone.
“You will choose us eventually. I will see to it that you endure this agony for centuries, keeping you on the precipice of death but never allowing you to cross over into eternity. I will torture you until my last breath, until the only person you see when you close your eyes at night isme.Until the only fear you have isme.”
Her cheek pressed against the frigid floor, trembling beneath the weight on her back. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, but still, she didn’t scream. She remained limp, allowing an odd calm to settle in her bones, a sense of peace that maybe the pain would begone soon. That perhaps the next strike would be the last.
Death wouldn’t be so bad.
Alessia,a warm voice soothed.Come back to me.
A flicker of light appeared in her peripheral vision, and suddenly she was pulled back to reality and staring down at a new scenery: Erebos clutching her to his chest as she convulsed in his arms, eyes rolled to the back of her head while Izara leaned over her, seeming to wait until the convulsing stopped.
Alessia stared at the scene for a long time, drifting around the cavern like a fly on the wall until suddenly, Erebos’s voice echoed through her mind again.
Come back to me, my love.
Come back.
Come back.
Come back.
Eyes shooting open, Alessia flinched when the flames of the fire greeted her. She scrambled out of Erebos’s hold, putting as much distance from everyone as she could. The ghost of the hard object still lingered, but no pain remained. Her ribs and spine were uninjured, but her swollen ankle continued to throb.
“Alessia,” Erebos breathed, eyes softening as he scanned her over. He seemed panicked himself, dirt and blood still coating his skin from the battle. “Are you all right? The water was poisoned with ergot.”
She blinked, regaining her bearings as her heart tried to catch up to speed that she was safe now. The darkness was replaced with the gentleglow of the fire, and Erebos’s presence enveloped her like a blanket of warmth she desperately needed.
“I…” She shook her head, continuing to tremble. “I was in the dark. I couldn’t see anything, and then I was hit in the ribs with somethinghard,and—” Her voice broke. “Someone kept telling me to join them, but it wasn’tme,I…” Meeting Erebos’s stare, his face had grown pale. “It was you, Erebos. I…I wasyou.”
Eryx still hadn’t left where he kept watch, but he seemed visibly relieved that Alessia was awake again. “When consumed on Earth, ergot can cause psychosis, but when taken in Hell, it evokes one’s deepest fears,orthose they are….connected to. The poison is deathly, even to immortals.”
Her gaze shifted to Izara. “You saved me.”
The soul seeker arched a brow. “That’s a bold statement.”
“Not really when I saw you. I watched it unfold, almost like my soul was out of my body before I was snapped back into it.”
“Maybe you were hallucinating,” she countered.
“Or maybe you can stop dodging the red aura and answer me honestly.”
Izara sat by the fire, releasing a sigh before staring into the flames. “I am the soul seeker for a reason, Alessia, but I don’t justseekthem. You were unable to tolerate the poison, so I held your soul until it left your system.”
“You…” Alessia’s mouth dried out. “Youheldit? What does that mean?”
“Izara can capture a human’s soul,” Erebos supplied. “It’s an unheard of power, even in our realm. She can contain it, destroy it, or consume it. The choice is hers.”
Alessia couldn’t believe a word that left his mouth. “You mean to tell me you can eat souls?”
