Page 28 of Queen of the Wicked (Afterlife #1)
Alessia
“ C an I ask you something?” Feet thudding against the dirt trail, Izara kept pace beside Alessia as they navigated through the woods on the castle grounds.
They ran the same route every morning, but the scenery never failed to amaze her.
Rather than oak or walnut trees she’d find on Earth, Hell’s trees were black monstrosities that towered towards the sky with the corathins she’d grown to admire so much blooming from the branches.
The vermilion glow surrounding the sparkling trees of darkness felt like running through the stars, and the adrenaline from the run pumped through her veins, propelled her faster, moving like a bullet through the thicket of darkness.
“Go ahead,” Izara replied, picking up her pace alongside her.
“Do you refer to the people who reside here in Hell as demons or humans?”
Silence echoed between them for a few moments until she finally said, “When I retrieve the souls from the soul yard, they are humans, but after they are processed into Hell, they become demons.”
“But they don’t have powers?”
Izara avoided a branch in her way, side-stepping it with ease while pushing a braid behind her ear. “No. Despite what the legends claim, only witches are born with dark magic.”
“But you have dark magic, and so does Erebos. Or—” Alessia winced. “—he did , until I took his powers.”
“Correct. Erebos and I are… rare in the underworld. I was selected as his soul seeker for a reason. Aside from him and you, I’m the strongest demon in the realm.”
“But you have no idea where your powers came from?”
She shrugged and slowed her pace, stopping by a set of bushes to tie the shoelace of her sneaker. “I have my suspicions, but throwing allegations around without proof would only get me killed.”
“So, you think your powers have to do with King Bastian?”
Her gaze snapped to hers. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, Erebos had a similar conversation with me yesterday, and since you’re part of his inner circle, I’m assuming you share the same beliefs.”
“What I believe or not is none of your concern.” Her eyes narrowed into slits as she rose to her feet again.
“All you need to know is that a few decades ago, I escaped here to Hell, and Erebos took me in when I had no one else to turn to. I was terrified, alone, and the powers running through my veins were dangerous when I had zero control over them.”
“But what were you escaping from? ”
A haunted expression passed across her face, as if trying to remember.
“I…don’t know. That is what Erebos and I have tried to uncover for years.
He believes my memory may have been swiped, so for me to have made it here at all was impressive in itself.
There are bits and pieces of my past that come to me at times, but I’m clueless for the most part. ”
Alessia recalled Erebos telling her a similar story of his past, and there were no doubts in her mind that they were connected. Still, she couldn’t imagine showing up in an entirely new realm with no recollection of how she got there. For that, she felt sorry for the standoffish soul seeker.
“You don’t even remember your family?” Alessia asked. They headed towards the clearing, where the castle slowly came back into view.
“I remember nothing, Alessia. Nothing aside from showing up here and begging Erebos for help.” She cleared her throat, swiftly changing the subject. “In other news, Erebos has found a place for us to practice with your black magic.”
Racing out of the woods, Alessia didn’t have time to enquire more about it when her eyes settled upon the latest addition to the castle grounds. She came to a dead halt, her eyes growing wide at the sight before her.
A corn field.
Thousands of stalks lined almost an entire acre of the land, flowing in the breeze, courtesy of the glamour Izara had cast. A thick lump in her throat threatened to bring tears to her eyes as she raced to the field and brushed her fingers against the greenery, evoking a sense of familiarity and home.
“When did this get here?” Alessia asked.
“This morning. Erebos requested it last week.”
After their conversation?
After she confessed how much she missed them?
She cursed her heart for thumping loudly, blaming it on the aggressive run rather than the budding emotions she refused to acknowledge for the Lord of Hell. “Oh. Well, that was…nice of him.”
Izara’s lips twitched. “Indeed.”
“But why…” Alessia’s feet were still rooted to the ground as Izara passed her and headed for the castle. “Why would he do this for me?”
“I think you’d be amazed at the lengths the Lord of Hell would go to please you,” Izara mused. “Now, hurry up. Eryx is waiting for us.”
With a victorious thud in the makeshift ring, Alessia smiled deviously. This was the third time she’d pinned the general, and it made her pride soar.
Eryx and Izara seemed doubtful when she insisted she had been trained for combat and self-defense, adamant about taking it easy until Alessia swept Eryx’s legs out from under him and sent him sprawling on the mat.
From there, Eryx didn’t hold back, but where she lacked in strength, she made up for with agility, and it resulted in the general cursing her with every hit and jab tossed her way.
The area Erebos deemed safe enough to practice her black magic in was on level one.
While Alessia was downright terrified of the circular stone platform surrounded by lava and everything to do with the intimidating cave, this cell was slightly less daunting.
It was in the opposite direction of the main chamber, where she had visited during Kael’s visit, and it was furthest away from the pits.
They’d navigate the maze of beasts soon enough, and Alessia shuddered at the realization.
Izara informed her that this cell was used for torture methods, but Alessia could have pieced two and two together by all the racks showcasing various weapons hung around the room.
Spots of dried blood were scattered amongst the stone tiles, and Alessia tried her best not to imagine all the souls that died here—the souls that Erebos sent to the Unknown.
Level one was the only place Erebos was certain no one could venture to without his permission, so that no one would stumble upon Alessia and her black magic during training.
As much as she hated the feeling of unease being on this level, she didn’t have another choice.
It was this cell or nothing, and she was determined to master her power and discover all she could before they left to find the Seeker.
“Okay, you’re officially trained in combat.” Eryx held his rib, spluttering a cough as he rolled out from beneath her knee. “Who was your instructor?”
“My mother,” Alessia replied with a smile. “I tried to tell you that physical combat isn’t my weakness, but you didn’t want to listen. It’s manifesting my power that I’m struggling with.”
“It comes from a place of willpower.” Izara hopped into the ring, shoving Eryx with the heel of her boot. “Go and grab some ice. You’re useless to us now.”
“Charming as always, Zara,” he muttered, shakily rising to his feet. With his hand still clutching a rib, he hobbled to the cell door, the heavy metal shutting loudly behind him.
“You aren’t aware of everything you can do with your powers yet,” Izara explained.
“I think that is why you are having difficulty manifesting it.” Balls of fire suddenly appeared above her palms, steady and controlled.
“With the flames I carry, I will them to appear. It is the same with casting a glamour. But you aren’t privy to the extent of your powers, so you are unsure what to manifest. It makes sense. ”
“The only thing I’ve noticed is the black smoke,” Alessia whispered. “And that I killed a seraph. It…ate away at his body until he was nothing, Izara. He was there one minute and gone the next.”
“But you also showcased the black smoke when Erebos and I tried to provoke you with the mention of Catalina, and you were able to control it, no?”
“Yes, but?—”
“But nothing. We are dependent upon your power to lead us to the Seeker. Eryx and Erebos are powerless, and although they carry brute strength, it will not be enough to manage the various beasts should they feel the necessity to attack. ”
“Eryx has spoken to me through his mind link,” she pointed out.
“Because Erebos deemed him worthy enough to partake in that. He also granted him the ability to Travel, but as far as dark magic, he possesses none.” Izara sighed, waving towards the ring. “All I am saying is you controlled the smoke before. Just call upon it and see what happens.”
Alessia was hesitant to summon the smoke when it had already caused so much damage.
It was a foreign part of herself that she was still trying to understand since her powers had been kept hidden until she was old enough to comprehend.
Her parents were supposed to teach her how to wield them, and she was supposed to learn the true extent of her powers until the seraph showed up and wreaked havoc on her destiny.
Now she was left with nothing.
She was flung into the world with no wings to help her navigate the landing, free falling into a situation much bigger than herself. It felt like she had no control over her future, and she desperately wanted to change that.
So, with an affirmative nod, Alessia took a few steps back until she was in the center of the ring, willing the black smoke to manifest.
Nothing but empty air greeted her, even when she tried to furrow her brows and concentrate.
Come on, she pleaded. Work, dammit!
“Picture them in your mind,” Izara instructed, walking a slow circle around her. “Picture someone who has wronged you. Picture what revenge would taste like if that black smoke granted them a merciless death at your hand.”
Alessia hated that Catalina was the first person to come to mind, but a familiar buzz drifted beneath her skin, so she kept the image of her at the forefront.