Chapter Fifteen

Farren

I order my magic to seal the doors behind me shut again and add a layer of nasty as fuck spells. Some of them replicate the ones I had to go through to get to my magic. It's not until I'm layering them against the door, and then windows for good measure that I realise I have the perfectly memorised, it's almost like because I had to take them apart, violently, they've now been committed to my memory forever, all of them. This means that not only can I now cast some powerful and painful spells, but I can also pull them apart with ease. It also means that my magic now recognises them, and knows how to disarm them.

In trying to stop me, the princes have actually given me a massive advantage, and I now know thousands of spells that I had no knowledge of before.

Refocusing on Dagon as he tries to send yet another wave of his pathetic magic at me, I bat it away as if it's nothing and pull a chair from one of the nearby tables and force him to sit down, my magic pinning him in place in a better way than anything else I could've used.

I know, in theory, that I should be heading straight for the key piece, but the opportunity to pay Dagon back for my missing finger and for the multitude of scars that have no doubt joined the rest of them, well, that opportunity is just too much for me to pass by. Besides, the more princes I can kill, the better off the whole of the Underworld is going to be.

Unfortunately, because of the time constraint and wanting to get out of here as quickly as possible and back to the guys, I'm not going to have much time to torture him as thoroughly as I'd like to. Instead, I settle for trying to cause him as much pain as possible in as short of a time as possible. My magic is like an excitable puppy at the thought, and I release it, instructing it to tear and slice at Dagon but to drag it out as much as possible. My magic seems to revel in the fact that I've given it a challenge and a time frame to do it in. Wielding it, I slice at him, my smile growing as his screams of pain echo around this room; I decide to methodically take each of his fingers, not just the finger that he took from me.

Once he's in pieces, a blubbering mess, and no longer screaming, I take his head, ending his miserable existence and hoping that he's with some mean as fuck Underworld demons and they're punishing his soul in the darkest depths of the Underworld.

Opening up yet another separate pocket in the Void, Poca throws Dagon's head in there as well, and I release my magic, holding the doors tightly shut, slowly moving through them to see that the hallway outside is empty. I move as quickly and silently as I can away from the blood-soaked room, Poca, Oryn, and Meri following closely behind me, each one of them rubbing against me every now and then, almost as if it's for reassurance that I'm still here. It makes me smile.

As I move through the still, silent hallways, I come to the conclusion that I may as well end all of the princes since I'm here and not just end them only if I can find them. I'm following my instincts, and they're telling me that I need to take out all of the princes. It's like a need, like an itch, something that I have to do; the further that I walk, the more aware that I become that I actually don't have a choice. It's because of that I trust my magic-led instincts to guide me through the twists and turns; I even end up going through one of the castle's many kitchens, which I'm unsurprised to find completely empty if I didn't know better. I'd say that the entire place was deserted. My magic is leading me out of the castle, and it starts to make me wonder if I misinterpreted what my instincts are telling me to do and whether they actually meant that I need to kill all of the princes but that I need to get out of here first.

I mean, the Void healed me, and I am filled to the brim with magic and, more importantly, vengeance, but at some point, that's going to wear out, and my newly healed body is going to need sleep and refuelling, actual food. Perhaps because I've been missing my magic for so long, the time that I have left before it runs out is a lot shorter than it usually is, so I need to leave to build my strength up and then come back to finish Hiromu and potentially Azreal off.

The dusk air is warm in the most pleasant way, and the gentle breeze cools my skin but makes me even more aware of the dried blood that covers me from head to toe. I may be healed, but it's not like the Void cleans my clothes when I go into it in a state; it just heals me. I kind of feel sorry for the creatures that are following me; I must really fucking stink; I mean fuck knows how long it's been since I've been able to shower.

Suddenly, my instincts are pulled to the left, and my feet instinctively follow; when Poca's footsteps become silent, I know that I'm heading toward something dangerous and pay extra attention to my surroundings. By this point Hiromu definitely knows that I'm here, and what I've been doing to his brothers, and the few Helliers that were guarding the hallway to my cell. This means that he's no doubt laying in wait for me, and if he hasn't set a trap for me, I would be very shocked.

I pause, looking over my shoulder at the array of creatures diligently following me, they all stop looking up at me curiously and I realise that I have a huge advantage, one that he won't have.

Keeping my voice barely above a whisper, my eyes land on Meri, "Meri, could you please fly ahead and see if you can find Hiromu? Stay hidden; do not let his magic sense you; he's dangerous, and I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. Actually, that's a lie; I'd go even crazier than I'm already going to go. Don't engage either; I just need you to see his location and somehow tell me as much as you can about it so I can take him down. Is that okay? Can you handle that? Don't worry if you can't."

Merri chirps, flaps her currently tiny wings, and launches herself off Poca's back. She glides through the air, and I stay incredibly still as she rubs her little, soft nose against mine, making my smile widen in happiness. She chirps again, her eyes serious as she then takes off, heading down the path. My heart jumps into my throat, worry squeezing it. I'm not the only one who's worried; Poca whines quietly, pressing himself up against my leg, and I wind my fingers through his fur; it surprises me when Oryn lands on the floor on my other side and does the same thing, leaning on my leg and looking for comfort. These three appear to have gotten closer than I thought, even though they haven't known each other for long.

Fortunately, none of us have to wait very long before Meri is zooming back to us; her wings flapping excitedly, she once again rushes me and rubs her nose against mine, except this time, she somehow manages to transfer some images to me; and I clearly see exactly how far up the path Hiromi is waiting for me and exactly how many Helliers he's managed to gather around him too. I'm surprised that there aren't that many of them, but I'm starting to think there's probably more to the missing people in this castle than everyone just being warned that I'm on the warpath.

Just as Meri pulls back severing the connection between us, I see a familiar face from the first time that I was in the prison. The one-eyed jailer, hell, it'll be nice to drain him of his pathetic life; if I hadn't been so weak the first time I escaped, I would've ended him then. It's always played on my mind that I left him alive when his kind of corrupt evilness should be eradicated and sent to the depths of the Underworld, where the evilest souls go to be punished.

I guess I'll be getting more revenge than I thought I would, righting a few more wrongs.

"Thank you, Meri," I say gratefully as I take a step in Hiromu's direction, stopping to look down at them all. Meri curled back up in Poca's fur. I'm starting to feel the urgency to leave, and I don't really have the time to play around like I'd like to; plus, they've been amazing, and I know that they are pretty much chomping at the bit to take some out. "Are you guys up to handling the guards?"

They all get really bouncy, and I'm guessing that it's because they want to help. They are, after all, dangerous creatures in their own right, and they've been through some stressful shit themselves. It's affected them all not being able to locate me and for Oryn for him to be a witness to everything that I went through and not to be able to do anything was ridiculously hard. I think it's safe to say that we're all going to be walking away from this with some trauma, but at least we'll be walking away.

"Hiromu and the guard with one eye are mine," I tell them, "distract one while I finish the other?"

They all nod and grin, my smile full of dark promise as I watch them race up the path ahead of me. It doesn't take me long to catch up, and I take a moment to watch them in action. It's incredible and impressive, and I have to physically shake myself to stop myself from getting distracted. My momentary distraction costs me and I barely get my sword up in time to block the blow that's coming for me.

Hiromu is a fierce warrior, but the deaths of his brothers have clearly shaken him and angered him. His fighting is far more jerky than it usually is, which can only be a good thing for me. I tune out the creatures; I know that they're probably even more capable of taking on the Helliers than I am. I have nothing to worry about; my only concern is Hiromu.

I launch three daggers in quick succession, summoning them from the Void as I throw them, and then swing my sword as I race after my daggers. I manage to get one good strike in before Hiromu counters with his own attack and I only just manage to move out of the way of his magic, only catching the edge of the illusion that he tries to send my way. Thankfully, my magic is still angry enough that it just bats the wispy tendrils away before the illusion can take hold. If that happens, then I'm pretty much done for; he could kill me, and I won't know until I'm gone and it's too late. It's not worth it. I keep swinging and hacking, throwing spears of magic his way. Every spell that he throws in my direction I manage to catch and throw back at him, but I'm tiring quickly, and he manages to get a few swipes in. Fortunately, they're not deep enough for me to be worried about, and nothing in comparison to what I've had done to me recently. They're like fucking tickles in comparison really. The only thing that makes me feel like I might have a chance at winning is that he is also showing signs of fatigue; it's those signs that help me push harder and dig deeper even though my magic is getting tired.

He takes a swipe at me, and I jump over his sword, barely managing to launch myself backward so that I'm not sliced by the other one. As soon as I land, I summon another dagger and thrust it into his gut, dragging it upwards and making his gut split open, his insides spilling out; he bellows in pain, one of his swords dropping to the floor as he tries in vain to put his insides back where they belong. I don't waste any time in a favourite move of mine, I scissor my swords and sever his head, before it can hit the floor I open a pocket Void underneath it and then instantly close it back up.

I barely have time to take a breath before I spin around, checking on my creatures to make sure that they're okay. All of them are done with their opponents and are standing in a circle around the one-eyed Hellier.

Smiling, I head over to them, the Hellier's eyes widening in fear, which gives me a perverse sense of happiness. I had planned to say something, to let him know exactly why he deserved this revenge although he already knows. However, I'm tired after my fight with Hiromu, and instead, I simply swing my sword in my hand, Oryn and a Poca-sized Meri move apart to allow me through. The Hellier looks around, and quickly realises that there's no way to escape, three deadly creatures gathered behind him and me in front.

He mistakenly assumes that I'm the easiest one to get past and my blade sings as it sails through the air and the Hellier's neck like butter. I don't put this one into the Void; beheading him is enough to ensure that he's dead and can't resurrect.

"Good job, guys, you were amazing," I compliment them, making Poca's tail wag, Oryn's ears twitch with happiness and Merri's entire body wriggle.

She launches herself into the air and then lands on my shoulder, making herself the perfect size to curl around my neck, her head on one shoulder and her tail draping down the front of the other one. Her weight barely registers, and yet her warmth is comforting. We all head away from the massacre that we all just participated in, and I pull Xerxes out from my pocket.

"Is it over?" he questions. "I was starting to think that it might've been better to see what was going on because it sounded fucking terrifying, and quite frankly, my imagination was coming up with all sorts of scenarios."

I smile but shake my head, "Trust me, you were better off not seeing."

There's a pause before Xerxes replies with some amusement in his tone, "You know you terrify me, and I say that as someone who has been alive for thousands of years and known many supernaturals in that time."

"You know what? I'm strangely complimented by that," I reply with a smile and then add, "But to answer your question, yes, I am done for now. If any more Helliers show up, I'll make sure that I put you back in my pocket."

"Deal," he replies, "I can live with that."

"We need to get to Hades vault and find the key fragment, I don't suppose that you have a map that can lead us there?" I ask, as I carry on walking back toward the castle, I actually hadn't realised how far out we had gotten.

"Erm, I didn't see one when the information first showed up, but that doesn't mean it isn't there; it just means that I wasn't meant to find it the first time. I'll have a look; give me a moment, please."

"Take your time," I reply.

I keep my senses on high alert. That itch that was urging me to end the princes has gone, and my intuition has calmed, which means I'm not supposed to kill Azreal; I have to admit that I'm kind of relieved about that. Poor guy has been through enough in his lifetime; of course, that doesn't mean that I won't kill him if he attacks me. If it comes down to a case of his life or mine, then I will always choose mine, but the fact that my intuition is no longer screaming at me lets me know that he is not a threat to me or the Underworld and is not someone that needs to be taken out.

"Just as I suspected, I've found the map," Xerxes states, "oh, that's interesting. It needs you to say a trigger word."

"Erm, okay, sure. What is it?" he tells me the word, and I somewhat cautiously repeat it, hoping that I'm not about to trigger something unwanted and dangerous.

I breathe a sigh of relief as a string of gold-coloured magic streams from Xerxes' pages.

"I'm guessing that's what you have to follow, and it will lead you to Hades vault." He explains.

"Sounds good to me," I reply as I jog to follow it so that we don't have to hang around here any longer than is truly necessary, "I don't suppose you know if there are any spells or traps that are guarding the vault?"

Xerxes hums, and I'm guessing that he's searching his pages to see if there's any information within them that can help me.

After a moment of me silently following the magic that's leading to Hades' vault, Xerxes says, "All I can find is that it has protection spells on it."

I wait for a moment to see if he has any more information to give me, and when he doesn't say anything, I ask, "Is that it?"

Xerxes's voice is apologetic as he replies, "Yes, that's all there is."