Chapter Ten

Farren

"R esting?" Crem's voice tuts as I come out of my dream. "It seems like my brothers have been far too lenient on you."

I don't even get a second to enjoy the fact that I'm not in as much pain as I was when I went to sleep or stand up, for that matter, as Crem unleashes his magic on me.

I force the pain away as his magic burns me with hellfire in very concentrated places. He is standing far closer to the bars of my cell than any of the others have, so close in fact that if I can reach through and grab him, I'll be able to smash his head on the bars which will allow his blood to spill on the enchanted bars and take off the enchantment so that I can access my magic and escape this fucking cell. I have no idea how I know that will break the enchantment on the cell door, but the goddess said that I should trust my instincts, so that's what I'm doing. Blood is an incredibly powerful tool and is used in all of the most powerful spells so logically it would make sense.

Of course, I can't touch the bars without causing myself incredible pain, but I'm in great pain anyway so what difference would it really make at this point?

It's my only chance.

The pain suddenly stops, and I push myself to my feet, wanting to put my plan into action before he starts the onslaught again and I won't be able to move.

"My brothers are interested in Hades. Personally, I think he's too weak to cause us any trouble. I want to know about your mother," Crem grins, a cunning smile.

The random question pulls me up short, "My mother?"

"Yes, that is what I said, you stupid girl. Who is your mother?"

I frown and freeze; I haven't thought about my mother for years, not since I was a young child. I have never known her, I've never seen pictures, I've never heard stories. I literally know zero about her, less than I know about Hades, who I am now sure is, in fact, Grey. My mother is merely someone that I know I must have had because I wouldn't exist if I didn't, but that's it. I asked my father about her once, and he almost killed me.

It wasn't worth asking again, and honestly, I've assumed all of these years that she's dead, and if she's not, then she abandoned me with a man who she no doubt knew was capable of horrific things, so I don't want to know her either way. It's not like I feel sad or angry or really anything when I think of my mother. I don't have any feelings about it either way. You can't miss something that you've never had; at least, that's how I feel about it. So, his focus on her throws me, and I forget what I was initially doing.

Pain blasts me, and that stops just as quickly as it started, "Farren, I asked you a question."

"I don't know anything about my mother," I spit and then add quickly, "ask my father, he's here isn't he?"

"Your father knows nothing; that is clear from the amount of torture we've put him through and the useless shit he has told us."

The fact that he's been mercilessly tortured for as long as he's been here makes me incredibly happy, it will never make up for what he put me through but it's a start. Crem's words sink in and I frown that doesn't make any sense at all, how could he not know anything about my mother? I really couldn't give a shit, and Crem is distracted so I take the opportunity to rush the bars. I don't even manage to get my hand through the bars; I barely even touch them as I'm flung backward, landing hard on the floor as the flow of electricity goes through me, making me twitch. Crem's laughter booms around the cell as I instantly regret trying to escape.

Loki

I t's been a few days since the tavern and the most delicious stew ever, and I'm missing the stew immensely. Rabbit and deer are nice, or at least the Underworld equivalent of rabbit and deer is nice, but it lacks seasonings, and I make a mental note to always carry some with me when we go on these trips in the future. Thinking about eating brings up a thought that I'd been trying to avoid; I haven't had blood in longer than I'd usually be able to handle, and yet I seem to be okay. I would assume that it had something to do with the fact that we're in the Underworld, and things work differently here, but the others are all behaving exactly the same, so it can't be that.

Of course, none of them are vampires so maybe it's just a thing that affects us? I am aware that I could ask but in all honesty I'm scared of what Hades answer would be and if it means there's something wrong with me. If I start to feel any negative effects, then I'll say something, but for now, we have enough to deal with without me throwing in an issue that may not actually be an issue. It has crossed my mind that maybe the length that I've been able to go between feedings this time is because the last person that I fed from was Farren, and her blood was fucking insane. I've never tasted anything like it, and the way it revitalised me was something I have never heard of before. It boosted my magic and if I didn't know that it was impossible I would've said that it increased it too, and not just temporarily. I'm still feeling the effects now, and it's been a good few weeks since I fed.

I'm not complaining, but I am concerned—not just about my lack of need to feed but also because Farren's blood is powerful, and if the wrong person were to realise that, it could get really complicated really fast.

Not that her being kidnapped isn't really complicated, but having someone keep you and drain you of your blood regularly for feedings would be a whole new level of hell. I do not doubt that the wrong person would choose to drink regularly rather than risk having the effects wear off. It's just added another layer of fear to this whole nightmare situation.

Nightmares are another wonderful side effect of this situation; I haven't slept, not properly, since we got to the Underworld. I have a very active imagination, and all it's doing is showing me the worst-case scenarios, most of them having something to do with the blood. I know I'm not the only one having nightmares; we all are. Khaos's are affecting him a lot, a surprising amount if Grey's reaction is anything to go by. We're all sleep-deprived and pissy; I'm actually surprised that we haven't taken it out on each other.

We haven't stayed in any other villages and have, in fact, tried to avoid as many people as we can. None of us wants to cause panic, and we also don't want to risk anyone alerting the princes that we're here.

"This is taking too long," Killian grumbles.

None of us are taking it very well knowing that Farren is most likely being tortured and we're walking through the fucking woods. I keep trying to get through to her through the link, but I'm just hitting a brick wall. Even without that link, I'm starting to feel like we're running out of time. I feel a pressure to rush and move quicker, but really we can only go as fast as we are, and we're pushing ourselves pretty hard.

"We're closer; it shouldn't take us too much longer," Khaos replies.

"Dude, did you dream about that woman again?" I ask.

He looks at me surprised, "How did you know?"

"You've gone quiet again," Mayhem replies for me, clearly having seen the same thing that I have.

"I'm starting to think that she may be real," Khaos admits.

"Oh really?" Grey asks, seeming to be surprised by the admission.

"It may be wishful thinking, I guess," Khaos replies.

Storm frowns. "Well, you said that she was in one of the castle's old cells, right?" When Khaos nods in agreement, Storm continues, "Then when we get there to get Farren, we can check the cell and see if she's there."

"Good idea," Reaper replies, "that way, at least you'll know if she's real or not."

Khaos thinks about it for a second and then nods, "Thanks, guys. I just have this feeling that she's important, you know."

"I think we probably get that better than anyone else would," Rival agrees. He smiles and adds, "Hell, knowing Farren she's probably already befriended this woman and won't allow us to leave without her."

Grey chuckles, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Her escape before was made so much more difficult because she insisted on taking me with her."

All of us have fond smiles on our faces as we think about the kind of person that Farren is. Even after all of the shit that she's been through.

I'm having to push away all my fear for her because if I don't, it's going to overtake me, and I'm going to be a wreck. What I feel for Farren goes far beyond anything that I have felt before, and although the strength of it scares me, nothing compares to the fear that I have of losing her. I can't lose her; we can't lose her. She hasn't even been with us for very long, and she's already changed us for the better.

"How long have we got exactly?" Kill asks, still not satisfied with the time it's taking.

I grin as Zev's eyes flash white for a second, "It's two days until we get to the castle."

"You seem unsure?" Grey asks, his eyebrow raised.

Zev's frown deepens, "Well, it's hazy, like the path isn't entirely set yet."

"Reassuring," Reaper grumbles.

"Not in the slightest," Zev replies drily.

We all look at Grey, even Khaos, which isn't reassuring since he knows this realm as well as Grey.

"Wait, could it be because you don't tend to see too much when we're involved?" I suddenly ask, and then add, "Although you seem to have been getting some visions to do with us?"

Zev shakes his head, "I'm still not getting any visions of you guys, but I'm learning to read between the lines, as it were, so I'm getting a vague idea if I'm shown something that I know could affect us and then using my intuition to decipher it. I'm actually having to listen to my instinct a lot more when it comes to visions that could involve us."

Grey's eyebrows rise. "You know, I can't remember the last Seer who was able to do that."

"He's not just a Seer," Khaos says casually.

Zev shakes his head, "Yes, I am."

Khaos laughs, "Friend, I haven't known you for very long, and even I can tell that you are far too strong to simply be a Seer even if you were to become the next High Seer, which, for the record, I don't think you're going to be. Your skills would be wasted there."

Grey nods, "He's right. Seers don't tend to possess any warrior ability, and you absolutely do; I'd take you into battle with me any day."

Coming from Grey, that's a pretty big fucking compliment.

"What else am I then?" Zev asks, looking at the rest of us.

"I have no idea, but I've been meaning to bring it up since you've always seemed like more to me," Storm tells him.

"What species were your parents?" Mayhem asks.

Rival rolls his eyes and smacks his twin, "You can't just ask someone that outright."

Zev smiles as Mayhem looks confused and replies, "It's okay; I don't mind. My father had some pre-cog, but my mother died in childbirth, and it hurt my father too much to talk about her, so I have no idea. My siblings are fairly varied in their gifts, though. My eldest sister has some air abilities, and my little brother has telekinesis and a gift with healing tinctures."

"That's an eclectic mix," I point out.

"Yeah, and even my brother can't remember what my mom's gifts were. He was so young that his memory doesn't stretch that far back." He pauses, "Surely, if I had another gift, it would have manifested already; I mean, I'm twenty-seven."

"Not necessarily," Grey states as he bats a branch out of the way. "Your Seer ability is clearly extremely strong, that could have masked the other ability."

"Or you may not have needed it as much as you do now, so it lay dormant," Khaos suggests, "I've seen that happen before."

"You have?" Grey asks.

Khaos glances over at him, "Do you remember Frasier?"

"Young demon? Was really motivated? Used to follow you around everywhere?" Grey asks with a smile.

"Yes, that's him," Khaos replies. Something happened during training, and it triggered a part of his magic that he had no idea existed."

"That's interesting," Mayhem replies.

The conversation then dissolves into Mayhem asking Grey and Khaos as many questions as he possibly can before they get fed up with him. They hold out longer than I would've, and it's not until we come out of the trees and get to the road with a sign pointing out the nearest village that Reaper interrupts them.

"I hate to interrupt this because it is interesting, but Ryu has pointed out that we need to get some more supplies; we're running low, and since it's getting late, now might be the best time to do it when the village is going to have fewer people in it, and we'll cause less of a stir." He suggests.

An agreeing bark has me looking to my left, where I'm surprised to see Poca, Meri curled up in his fur, his glowing eyes the only thing visible.

"How long has he been with us again?" I ask.

"No idea," Khaos replies. Cerb sure as hell loves this Farren of yours. He usually loses interest as quickly as I do, but then again, it would make sense, considering that he's been with her since she was young. It fascinates me."

"Me too," Grey replies, "especially since he's managed to keep himself hidden from me."

"I know I should've asked before, but Cerberus guards the gates to the Underworld, right?" Mayhem asks. Grey nods, so he continues, "And I'm assuming it's the gates that we're getting the key fragments for?" again, Grey nods. "Right, so who is guarding the gates then, and who has been guarding the gates for the last twenty-odd years?"

"He's not the only one guarding the gates. He's like their commander, I suppose, although they've been doing it for millennia, so they don't need him all the time, and time works differently for them since they've been alive for so long," Grey explains.

"Maybe that's where he goes when he disappears?" Zev asks.

"It would make sense that he's going to check in on them." Khaos agrees.

"And warn them since the princes want to open it, and they're the first line of defence," Kill adds.

"Good point," Grey replies, "I think he's probably checking in more regularly while we're here, but I also think he's trying to find a way to get to Farren quicker."

Poca huffs once and nods, confirming what Grey is saying and then trots ahead as he leads us toward the lights of the town.

"Let's try and get our supplies in as few shops as possible; that way, we cause as little upset as we can and can get out of town quickly." Storm suggests to everyone.

I start to open my mouth but am interrupted by a smirking Khaos. "Sorry, Mate. I don't think we're going to be able to stop and get any food while we're here."

My eyebrows dip in confusion as I ask, "How did you know I was going to ask about food?"

Khaos's chuckles are joined by the others and he replies, "Because you've mentioned it at least once a day since we had it back at the tavern, and you made us promise to go back there after we got Farren so long as she was okay but then made a point to add that even if we were being chased by the princes, we should still stop in."

I try to hold in my smile but don't succeed, "Oh, fair enough. Maybe I did say that."

Kill rolls his eyes at me. We all know with one hundred percent surety that I absolutely did say that.

"Guys, go on ahead a second. I just need to have a word with Loki," Kill says, surprising me. I haven't seriously pissed him off, have I?

"Sure, but is this about the fact we've been here for over a week, and he hasn't fed at all?" Khaos asks.

It surprises me that he's noticed, but there's an unmistakable note of concern in his tone that makes me smile. We're growing on him, the grumpy bastard.

I glance at Kill in question, and his eyebrows raise, "Yeah, actually."

"Well?" Storm asks me as they all glance at me.

I shrug, "I don't know what to tell you guys. There's no big secret. Nothing's wrong. I'm just not hungry."

"What do you mean you're not hungry?" Reaper asks, sounding entirely confused by the sentence, but then the guy is always fucking hungry. Case in point: he's munching on beef jerky right now.

It's actually something that he used to do a lot when we were younger. You'd never see him without a snack; he'd always be eating, but as he got older, he stopped doing it as much. I had thought that it was something that he'd grown out of, but seeing him do it again now, I'm starting to wonder if it's got something to do with reconnecting with Ryu.