Emblazed (9 page)

I steeled myself, fighting through the pain as I focused on his outstretched arm,
willing myself to remain standing. I would no longer be on my knees because of him.
I knew he had strategically forced me to be bound in that position in the throne room
to try to make me submissive to him.

His eyebrows furrowed in a combination of frustration and anger as he intensified
his assault. My body shook, but even as the blood streamed down my face, I didn’t
bend to his will.

I clenched my jaw as I stepped forward and lifted a trembling arm to swiftly grab
Hades’ forearm. I pushed my ice onto him, rapidly forcing it to spread before he could
break free. His whole body was covered in seconds, his face frozen in fury.

I slumped to the ground from my efforts, but Jace caught me before I fell backwards.
Using his shirt, he wiped the blood off my face and neck. His touch was already healing
me, restoring my power and strength, as well as sealing the cuts and gashes from the
fight.

As I opened my eyes, I took his bloodied face in my hands. He had multiple gashes
all over, including his bare chest and shoulders. They mended quickly, leaving no
trace of injury as I wiped his face. By the time I was done, his shirt was drenched
in our blood, sticking to me as I stood to check on the others.

They all had scrapes and cuts, but were relatively unharmed for people who had faced
demons and a God. I wished that I could heal them, but I had never succeeded in any
of our practices. At least Jace and I could heal each other because we would probably
be dead if we weren’t able to.

“Everyone okay?” I asked.

“Never better,” Kimber sarcastically remarked.

Zane softly chuckled at her before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Their tattered,
blood covered shirts contained slashes and rips from the battle, and fatigue laced
their faces. We all resembled actors from some grizzly horror movie scene.

The sound of water dripping caught my attention, and I focused on the ice melting.
“We better leave before they thaw out.”

Zane resumed his position as the navigator of our escape route, leading us forward.
We crashed through the doors at a sprint, and the gloomy, dark sky of the Underworld
greeted us. I expected more demons to hinder our escape, but there were none. I knew
that it couldn’t be that easy, and my thoughts traveled to what must be awaiting us
at the exit of the Underworld.

“Let’s head back through the Asphodel Meadows. Then, we can walk along the banks of
the Acheron until we reach the exit. I think we will have to swim. Charon is definitely
not going to give us a ride back,” Zane said.

I had a vague understanding of the layout of the Underworld from the mythology books
I had read, but I never would have imagined it to be as it was.

“Oh my God,” I said in awe as I stared at the sky. It was like walking in a dream
world, something that was only conceivable in your imagination. I couldn’t believe
this other realm was concealed in our own world, a hidden gem right under our noses.

Jace pulled my hand and snapped me out of my daze. “We have to get out of here,
mi amante
. Hades could get out of that ice any minute.”

“Sorry, I’ve just never seen anything like this before. It’s so beautiful.” And it
was—the Underworld had a haunting splendor all its own.

Jace snorted, “Only you would find the beauty in this place.”

I rolled my eyes in response. We rapidly approached a luminous fence with a huge gate.
“Brie, can you zap that thing? We had a hard time opening it the last time,” Kimber
commented.

“I’ll try,” I replied as I walked to the gate.

I held out my hands and focused on the center of the luminescent gate where the handles
were located. I sent a bolt of Akasha into it, forcing it to fly open instantly. We
all jogged through, but I pulled back so that the others could lead the way since
I had no clue where we were going.

There were thousands of shades walking through the fields, each wearing an expression
that was a mix of confusion and sorrow. I couldn’t imagine walking around without
knowing who I was or anything about my life; not being able to remember experiencing
a love like Jace and I had. I guess if I didn’t remember then it wouldn’t matter.

The sadness on their faces made me feel as if they somehow knew something was missing,
that their soul was mourning the loss of something monumental, like a loved one. I
wondered if they could sense it.

“Brielle! Brielle! Wait!” an unfamiliar voice called out.

We all turned at the sound, and a movement within the crowd of souls caught my attention.
The source neared closer, and Jace pulled me behind him, blocking me from what was
coming. I looked around him, and couldn’t believe what burst from the mass of shades.

“Mom?” I whispered in shock.
There is no way this is possible. She shouldn’t know me. She shouldn’t remember anything
about her life. How would she even know what I looked like?
I hoped that she wasn’t one of Hades cruel illusions.

Kiera raced to my side. “Mom?” she choked.

I laced my fingers through hers and squeezed tightly, seeking her comfort while giving
her my own.

“You found each other. Look how grown up and beautiful you both are! I never thought
I would see you two again,” she cried.

“How is this possible?” I said as a tear rolled down my cheek. “Shouldn’t your memory
be erased?”

“It was, but the Oracle returned my memories. She said that one day, you would need
my help. She wouldn’t tell me why or how, though.”

“Sounds like her,” I snorted.
Could this be happening? Is my mother really standing in front of me?
I couldn’t just leave her for all of eternity, wandering around with all these zombie-like
shades. “Come on, Mom. You’re coming with us.”

“I can’t leave. I have to stay here, sweetheart,” my mom replied sadly.

“She’s right, Brie. What is she supposed to do back home? Haunt people?”

I glared unhappily at Kimber, not wanting to accept the truth. The truth was that
I knew my mother didn’t belong back in our realm, but I wanted to take her back with
me. I craved the opportunity to make up for all of the time that had been stolen from
us, to experience what it was like to have a mother for once. An idea suddenly popped
in my head.

“She’s supposed to help us. How can she help us if she’s stuck down here?”

“How do we know this isn’t one of Hades tricks? That this isn’t some twisted illusion
meant to fuck with our heads,” Kimber replied.

“Kimber, this is my mother! I’m not leaving her!” I screamed through tears.

Jace pulled me to him, wrapping me in the security of his arms. I burrowed my face
in his chest as he softly spoke, “Shh,
mi amante
. Don’t get upset. You know Kimber is only concerned about you. She just doesn’t want
you to get hurt.”

I sighed before nodding my head and mumbling. “Sorry, Kimber.”

“Me, too. This is just so surreal,” she replied.

“Tell me about it,” I quipped.

“Guys, we really need to get going,” Zane reminded, bringing us back to reality.

I turned to my mom before pleading, “Mom, please. Come with us.”

Kiera added, “We’ve missed you so much. At least try—for us.”

My mom’s face melted in defeat, the battle in her mind decided. “Okay. For my girls,”
she said.

We regrouped and continued to the other end of the meadows. Two rivers bordered the
land, running parallel to each other. Another shimmering gate came into view, along
with more rivers in the distance, including one made of fire.

Once we reached the gate, which was bent in some places, we stopped to catch our breath.
“Mrs. De Luca, can you open the gate?” Jace asked.

She shook her head as she replied, “Once we enter, we can’t leave. We’re in our designated
destination forever.”

“No problem. I’ve got this,” I affirmed.

I zapped the gate just as I had the other one, and it flew open. We walked towards
the River Styx, and followed along the bank towards the center of the Underworld.

“Shouldn’t we be going away from the center of the Underworld? We are trying to escape,
right?” Kimber questioned.

“Kimber’s right. We should be heading away from the active area of the Underworld,
not towards it. Cerberus is in that direction,” Jace pointed out.

“Well, how do you suggest we get to the Acheron? Swim across the Styx?” Zane countered.

He had a valid point. The Styx was poisonous, acting like a corrosive acid to anything
except a horse’s hoof, according to myth. Gods that broke an oath made on the Styx
were forced to drink its inky waters, and would go mute for at least a month as a
result. I didn’t know the validity of the myths, but I definitely didn’t want to test
them out.

“I have an idea! Zane, why don’t we shift the ground to create a bridge? Then, we
can cross over where we won’t draw attention to ourselves,” I suggested.

“
Mi amante
, that’s brilliant!” Jace praised before planting a firm kiss on my lips.

Backtracking in the opposite direction, we put distance between us and the heart of
the Underworld. Once Jace decided that we were far enough away, Zane and I created
the bridge using our Earth. The rocky soil rose and molded at our command, forming
a bridge composed of rocks, dirt, and sand from the riverbed.

After we finished, we all crossed over quickly, except for Kimber. She dramatically
flailed her arms while slowly inching her way across and cursing under her breath
the entire way.

The Acheron beckoned from about a mile away, and we continued toward our escape home.
Jace stayed close by, holding my hand as if he feared I would be taken again if he
let go. As we neared the last quarter mile stretch, the finish line in sight, a black
mass dropped from the sky and landed thirty feet in front of us.

The ground shuddered from its impact, rippling outward with a velocity that threw
everyone off their feet. My tailbone throbbed as I landed on the rough, hard earth.
A gasp to my left caught my attention, and Kiera’s wide-eyed stare redirected my gaze
to the cause of our fall.

Cerberus
. Fuck.

Damn.
Cerberus stood between us and our escape. His three heads bared huge, razor-sharp
fangs, which dripped foamy, black saliva that sizzled when it hit the ground. As tall
as a two-story building, he was even more enormous than when we had first seen him
upon our arrival.

“What’s the plan, bro?” Zane asked shakily. His eyes remained focused on Cerberus
as he blocked Kimber’s body protectively with his own. Everyone stood rigid with fear,
careful not to make any sudden movements to set off the beast before us.

“We have to attack. Running is out of the question. There’s no way we can outrun him.
Try to stay away from his saliva—it looks acidic.”

“Should we stay together or split up?” Kiera asked.

“Brielle is not leaving my side, that’s for damn sure. We should stay together and
consolidate our attacks. We are stronger as a unit than individually.”

My heart pounded as we prepared to attack. “Ready?” I asked before swallowing the
huge lump that had suddenly formed in my throat.

Everyone silently nodded.
Here goes nothing
.

“Now!” I yelled.

We broke out in a run, charging towards the humongous hellhound of myth. I didn’t
know if we were crazy or courageous, but I know we teetered on a fine line between
the two.

Cerberus stood his ground as we neared, not looking threatened in the least by our
approach.

Brielle’s hands lit up with Akasha, and I did the same with my flames. Thick roots
began to wrap around one of Cerberus’ massive paws, but he ripped through them like
they were made of tissue paper.

A bolt of Brielle’s Akasha struck Cerberus in the chest, narrowly missing one of his
heads. Roaring in fury, he directed all his heads toward her. His tail, which ended
in a barbed stinger like a scorpion, swished violently through the air.

Shit, that’s probably poisonous, too.
“Watch out for his tail!” I yelled as I shot a fireball towards his feet.

The ground beneath him caved in, causing him to stumble forward and land on his chest.
Brielle took the opportunity to throw another blast of Akasha, striking him in his
far right head’s snout. He threw his head back and yowled in pain before pushing back
up to stand on all fours again.

A few man-sized boulders soared by, crashing into Cerberus’ front left leg. It buckled,
sending him down to his chest again. A concentrated stream of water from Kimber’s
hands pummeled into his center head, causing him to cough and gag on the liquid.

Bounding over us, he landed behind where we stood. Once again, the quake from his
impact caused us all to lose our balance. Stalking closer, he snarled before rapidly
thrusting his head towards me, jaws wide and ready to tear into my flesh. Right before
he connected, his head bounced back as it smacked into Brielle’s protective bubble.