Page 71 of Queen of the Wicked
“What are you guys doing?” Alessia whispered shakily. “I am not the harbinger. He’s…he’s got it wrong. I’m just trying to get Erebos’s powers out of me. That’s why we came all this way, right?” A tear slipped onto her cheek, and Erebos could feel her emotions rising too quickly. “I’m not the harbinger.”
The Seeker tutted, cocking his head to study her. “I have existed for centuries, Harbinger. My visions may sometimes be blurry and hidden in riddles, but one thing they are not is incorrect. I am unable to be present for long, so I suggest you use your time wisely.”
“Is that why I have Erebos’s powers?” she asked. “Is there a way to give them back?”
“I am afraid not. The Lord of Hell was made for you, Harbinger. Darkness can exist without light, but light cannot exist without darkness. One must eventually decide if maintaining the balance is worth the risk.”
“What does that mean?” Alessia pleaded.
Erebos swallowed a lump in his throat, wondering if she’d finally piece it together. He wasmadefor her—her mate. It seemed blatantly obvious to everyone in the chamber but her, and a piece of Erebos’s soul chipped in response. He wanted it to be clear as day, but he also wanted her tochoosehim, not have this connection forced upon her. Learning that she was the harbinger was likely to overpower any other piece of information the Seeker provided.
“You will learn in due time that literature is your greatest tool.”
“And my mother?” she pressed when his figureseemed to flicker. It was like a hologram moments from fading. “Do you know where she is?”
“Your mother is exactly where she is supposed to be. She is home.”
“But that doesn’t tell me if she’s safe,” Alessia whispered in defeat. Tears brimmed her eyes, as if she expected the Seeker would provide her with a definitive answer when they found him. The Seeker may be vague, but his answer was clear to Erebos. Elyana was home, and luckily for Alessia, Erebos knew precisely where that was.
Then, the old man turned to face Erebos, lifting a bony finger to his heart. “Your destiny was never meant for destruction, Lord of Hell. The Makers have their plans, but fate often intervenes and changes the course. Remember, it is not up to them which direction you shall take.” Thumping his cane on the stone floor, the pool parted again, but not before Erebos rose to his feet and asked the question that had plagued his mind for decades.
“Is King Bastian stealing evil souls from the soul yard?”
Hobbling towards the stairs, the Seeker elicited an unnatural sound in his throat that sounded like a scoff before his figure flickered again. “You already know the answer to that, Erebos Moloch, and soon you will learn what is required to rectify it.”
Chapter 29
Alessia
Upon their return to Hell, Alessia scrubbed herself raw in the tub Isla filled with a mixture of essential oils until she smelled like a damn rose bush. Then, she allowed Isla to brush her hair while she listened to her rave about the first book ofBridgerton,the handmaid’s cheeks tinting pink at the more devious parts.
Between the hour soaking in the bath and the lighthearted talk with her friend, it did nothing to soothe the anxiety she’d carried back from the pits. Their journey home was spent mainly in silence, with the group giving her much-needed space to process what the Seeker had revealed.
How was she supposed to feel about being the harbinger when she knew nothing about the realms? Sure, she had been slowly but surely making her way through the Book of Death, but that wouldn’t give her the knowledge she needed to correct the balance, would it?
Literature is your greatest tool.
Okay, maybe the bookwouldprovide insight, but it was at least a thousand pages, and she didn’t have time to read every word when it was all but confirmed that King Bastian was stealing evil souls from the soul yard. But perhaps the book would have a way to stop him. Isn’t that why Erebos had tried to locate it for so many years?
“You look beautiful,” Isla observed, placing a white bow at the end of her braid. It had been a week since they returned from the pits, and they had fallen into a routine. She would bathe, and then Isla would do her hair, only to remain in her room for the entire day. “His Majesty has asked for your presence in the gardens this afternoon.”
That didn’t surprise her. With her newfound information as the harbinger, she recalled what Erebos had mentioned in the library about allying with whoever would bear the responsibility. Whatever an alliance entailed, she didn’t know, but the only thing shewassurprised about was that he had waited this long to speak to her about it.
“Perfect. I’ll meet him there after lunch.” Slimming the cotton fabric of her emerald dress that Isla swore matched her eyes, she wondered what Erebos would think when he saw her. Because, as much as she tried, she couldn’t get their kiss out of her damn mind. It had felt so…right. Like all the loneliness she had endured had led to the moment his lips pressed against hers.
What if being the harbinger changed things? Would Erebos still want to explore things with her? DidAlessiawant that? So many questions were left unansweredafter she left the Seeker that she suffered a migraine every day since.
“Are you all right, Miss Alessia?” Isla frowned in the mirror. “You have been different since returning from the pits.”
No, she wasn’t all right. There was no way she was responsible for righting the realms when she had only just begun to discover the depths of her power. The sheer amount of pressure that fell on her chest since the title left the Seeker’s mouth had been suffocating, and even though she tried to navigate it herself, she couldn’t when the information she needed wasn’t readily available yet. The mission was too daunting, and if she thought about it hard enough, it made her want to scream.
A part of her wanted to confide in Isla, but she didn’t know if she could. Those in Hell hadn’t been told about her being the harbinger, so she wasn’t sure if telling Isla would violate some rule set in place she wasn’t aware of.
These would all be things to discuss with Erebos later this afternoon.
“I’m fine,” Alessia lied, flashing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Just tired.”
Seeming satisfied with her answer, Isla bustled around the room, fluffing the pillows and performing other irrelevant tasks to keep her busy. “Well, you will be pleased to know I spent my free time doing more than just reading scandalous stories.”
