Page 7 of Outcast

What other choice did I have?

* * *

Monty

Time stretched on herein the Scourge. If not for the demon across from me, I’d have lost my mind altogether. All I could think of was Harlow and how she was handling her new role. I hated I wasn’t there to guide her, to protect her from the gods who I knew would come knocking.

I had to get the fuck out of here.

My pacing likely drove the other inmates crazy, but I was relentless, it was all I could do in this five-by-five room. I didn’t need to sleep or eat, all I had was movement.

“What happened on Earth?” It was the same demon who had been drilling me for information for days. I’d given him nothing and my patience was wearing thin.

“Hel betrayed us, opened a portal to Helheim, and let the demons loose on the world at large,” I said as I leveled the demon with a glare.

“Hel is gone?” he asked. There was a strange relief in his voice. “It makes sense. I knew that prophecy sent her over the edge of insanity. She locked me away because of it.”

He knew of the prophecy and the seer? Just who was this demon?

“How do you know about any of that?” I demanded, standing against my cell bars to see him better. When he finally moved into the light, I knew. He was unlike the demons I knew, his horns and tail, even all-black eyes. It was in line with Drake, and now the stories I’d heard from Harlow made sense.

I’d leave that one for later. See it play out in person.

“Trusted advisers only lasted until Hel feared what we knew. She never did like anyone to have too much leverage over her. This place is full of her failed trust,” he said. The fact there was no longer bitterness in his tone spoke to how long he’d been here. That eased none of my frustration.

Every day that passed without my powers, weakened me. I didn’t like the feeling of not being able to call my shadows.

But even worse, was my loss of Harlow. The bond was severed, and I could no longer feel her, not after she died. There was a hint of her when she arrived in Helheim, but that felt like weeks ago.

Screams echoed in the distance. A daily occurrence, though the guards never came our way. Hel was the only being to grace these halls since I’d arrived and I had a feeling she would be the last.

There had to be a way out of here, her powers were not infallible, and her warden was egotistical, not meticulous. But if this demon had been here Drake’s entire life, what hope did I have as someone who just arrived.

And how could Harlow survive this harsh world without me?

ChapterFour

Harlow

Helheim was enormous. Even from the top of Hel’s... no, my castle... I couldn’t see an end. It was miles upon miles of frigid wasteland and stone structures. The blue fires burned bright enough it seemed to be a strange mix of night and day at all times.

“My queen, we have what you requested. It’s in your chambers,” Zetta said as she approached. It was unsettling how everyone here moved so quietly.

Even more unsettling was my lack of humanity. I was never tired, or hungry, and the lack of downtime made every day seem never-ending.

“Thank you, Zetta,” I offered as I looked out, feeling more lost than I had in years. And that was saying something. Maybe it was the way I had everything in Dark Haven and then it was ripped away, but I was feeling resentful more than interested in this new world.

“Of course, do you need anything else?” she asked with a low bow that had her loose hair brushing the stone floor of the attic.

“To find my men,” I said, letting out a heavy sigh. “But nothing you can help with yet. I’ll call you if I do.” She stood from her bow, nodded, and left. At least she was not running away as she did the first few encounters.

Hel was a bigger bitch than I thought to torment the sweet souls who ran her castle.

The halls were empty and barren. The walk back down to my own rooms was filled with cool blasts of wind and too much gray. If I would be forced to spend years down here, then I would have to make some changes.

If I had Monty, I could have him pop over to the human world and bring me something. Hell, I’d settle for a hoodie.

Fuck, I’d much rather settle for Monty himself. The lack of my commanders was making me feel far too vulnerable.

---