Page 61 of A Spell of Bones and Madness (Nostos #2)
Chapter Forty-Nine
Katrin
R ot and copper filled the air at the entrance to the small mountain.
It was different from the caves Katrin came to know so well in Alentus.
Those had been welcoming, a respite from a rainy day, a home to the wildlife that roamed the lush grounds below.
These were like death itself—bone-rattling, damp, lifeless.
It wasn’t surprising that this was the home to such a wretched being.
From what Leighton described, it would be a rather short but winding journey to the center of the mountain where the sacrifices were made.
His warnings still echoed in Katrin’s mind—the way the voices would call from the very walls of the caves, the illusions that wove through the slithering passages, the madness one would fight within the darkness. Haunting, destroying, ruinous madness.
Katrin was used to it—the darkness that ate away at your soul, the voices that begged you to end yourself so they could be free.
So she could be free. She had learned to conquer them, to push them aside as nothing more than whispers.
Falsities that would only bring her unnecessary pain.
From what she heard of Ember and Ajax’s time in Aidesian, they had mastered a similar feat. At least Katrin could only hope so.
There was no guiding flame to help them navigate the rocky pathways within the cave, only the small swirl of light Katrin was able to conjure thanks to Ander’s training over the last weeks.
It circled her palm and fingers like a torch, but it was still limited—radiating only a few feet in front of them.
Only enough that they would not stumble over the uneven earth.
Ajax trailed behind them in his shifted form, needing less light due to his heightened senses.
At least, that was what he'd said. Katrin suspected that there was perhaps more to the decision that went unsaid.
That it was not only about how he could better protect in his wolf form but who he could better protect.
With each crunch of their boot, Katrin’s stomach clenched more. What if they were traveling in circles, destined to never reach the center? What if these were the illusions Leighton warned them of? A never-ending path to drive them to the brink of insanity, before pushing them over the edge.
But then it started—the low rumble of falling boulders, the vibration of the ground beneath them, a faint panting of angered breaths. It wasn’t something chasing them—no—it was waiting for them, prowling ahead, egging them on .
Ember clutched Katrin’s arm. “Did Leighton say anything about a creature guarding the center of the mountain?” Her voice was shaky as she drew a second sword from her back.
“He said there were many things we might encounter before we reached the opening,” Katrin replied, the knuckles of her right hand gripped around her own weapon as pale as Ember’s ashen skin.
“I think we might have encountered one.” The noises around them stopped and Katrin threw a ball of her light down the now straightened passageway where three sets of all-white eyes glared back at them.
“Katrin, get down!” Ander shouted as he tackled her into the side of the passage, narrowly avoiding a thick black claw that was aimed straight for her gut.
“What—what is that?” Katrin asked as she scrambled to her feet, before the creature’s paw could come barreling down on them once more.
“Cerberus. It’s Hades’ pet, his guard dog.” Ajax had shifted back in front of them. “We need to move—that thing is lethal if it strikes you. The claws are laced with the same venom as a viper,” Ajax managed to get out before a loud growl filled the air.
The beast stood before them, its shaggy black hair matted close to its body.
Long, spindly golden teeth appeared as Cerberus snarled, clacking the venom-soaked claws as it stalked toward them.
It was nauseating and sweat inducing, how slow the beast prowled at them once more, as if haste was not an issue to defeat them.
Thick, black drool dripped down each of the three maws, and those white, lifeless eyes—Katrin was captivated by them, unable to move from where her boots stood.
Then the pairs of eyes blinked and crimson snaked its way from the lids, swirling into pupils.
His eyes. She had not seen them since the day of the attack on her home—no longer had they plagued her sleep—but now, they consumed her.
The scars on her back stung like each whip of the man’s belt was coming down on her again, cruel and debilitating as the waves that crashed against the ship she was on.
No—Katrin wasn't on the ship anymore. She was in the caves.
I am in the caves. I am in the caves. But no matter how many times she repeated it, everything was there—the broken cot with tattered blankets, the white robe cast aside on the floor. The red-eyed man.
It isn’t real, a calming voice swept into her mind, just breathe, Starling. I need you—I need you to help fight this thing off, to save your people, all of our people. Think of home. What makes you feel home?
Home. No longer a place—who knew what state Alentus was in. Her home was something more—crisp air whipping through her hair, the sunrise over the hull of The Nostos , salt and lemon and olive oil. Alexander.
Fiery, white-hot starlight buzzed around Katrin's palms, winding up her arms, radiating from her skin. The images of the ship faded back, replaced by the now lit up caves, Cerberus growling before her. If they were going to survive this creature—this mission, even—she would need to fight. At least long enough that Ember and Ajax could get past, find the bident, and destroy Hades’ soul before he returned. Save their parents.
Katrin locked eyes with her sister, who was braced for a fight, to go down swinging. She spoke softly, teeth gritted. “I need you to run—you and Ajax. Get to the center of the mountain.”
Ember’s head cocked to the side, lines forming between her brows. “I can fight! I can help you.”
“Yes—you can. But Father asked you to do this. You’re the only one who can get that relic back.
I’ll be right behind you. I promise.” Katrin turned away from her sister, letting her thoughts clear, letting the scent of ocean breeze and the simplicity of slapping waves fill her mind, and then light exploded.