Page 40 of Queen of the Wicked (Afterlife #1)

But suddenly, Alessia reappeared and grabbed Erebos’s hand with hers, interlacing their fingers together. It provided him a semblance of reality to grapple onto while he followed behind her and she navigated the dark for him.

It shouldn’t have made his chest ache, but it did. For years, he’d battled this fear alone. He wasn’t accustomed to someone being there to help him willingly. To care enough to do so.

Following the group into the darkness, Erebos felt his chest squeeze to an excruciating pressure.

His lungs began to constrict as the light at the cave’s opening faded, and sweat slicked his palms. It was the third panic attack he’d had since their journey into the pits with all the narrow, darkened tunnels, but it had happened plenty of times since he escaped Bastian’s grasp, so he knew how to handle it internally.

Dragging in a deep breath, he counted to ten before exhaling out his mouth, allowing his free hand to trace the stone walls as they ventured into nothingness.Alessia’s thumb stroked the back of his hand, fueling him with the courage he needed.

“Does anyone else feel like it’s difficult to breathe?” Alessia asked.She had no idea she was currently sensing his unease. It was embarrassing enough to accept help, let alone tell her he was close to passing out.

Thankfully, Eryx cleared his throat, responding for Erebos since he couldn’t produce words. “It’s probably the air quality since we’re so far underground.”

The lord had never been more thankful for the Dead Zone than right now. Otherwise, he was certain his general would have lit up like a Christmas tree for Alessia.

A blue light flickered in the distance, signaling an exit, and Erebos’s legs pushed him as fast as possible to reach it. He was the first to exit the mouth of the cave, practically dragging Alessia behind him, but what awaited them was truly astounding.

Cavern ceilings draped with jagged stalagmites surrounded a pool as bright as the moon.

Erebos couldn’t tell where the light source came from, but it gleamed like shimmering turquoise in the sun's heat.

It cast the walls with specs of glitter, coating the entire cave in diamonds.

It was breathtaking to see something so serene placed in the middle of the pits.

Erebos couldn’t help but think it was a mirage of something far more sinister.

For water to exist this deep in Hell didn’t make sense. It wasn’t even a hot spring, which would be more plausible to believe than this facade of cool, mouth-quenching liquid.

“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Alessia breathed, tilting her head to admire the shadows of light rolling across the ceiling.

Erebos found himself enamored with how her eyes danced with glee, seeming to enjoy this cave that was likely nothing more than a false promise.

She turned to look at the lord then, her eyebrows lifting slightly. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“It is,” Erebos hummed in agreement, but he couldn't care less about the mirage. Staring at her quenched his thirst more than this pool ever could.

“Don’t step foot into that water,” Eryx warned, seeming to read the lord’s earlier thoughts. “It isn’t what it seems.”

“How do you know that?” Alessia asked. “It looks real enough to me.”

The water rippled, the soft wave drifting to the edge as if beckoning them forward. Erebos grabbed Alessia’s wrist when she seemed drawn to its summons. “You don’t have any magic right now to protect yourself,” he told her. “Be careful.”

With a quick jerk of her chin, she cautiously knelt by the steps leading into the enticing water and studied the shimmering surface.

“When I was younger, my mother, Elyana, would tell me stories of water portals capable of taking you to any realm, even ones we haven’t learned of yet.

It was only fairytales, but this looks similar to how she described them. ”

Water portals weren’t known in this realm—at least that Erebos was aware of—but it wasn’t her mention of fairytales that had his interest piqued, but rather the name. “Elyana?” he asked. “Elyana what ?”

“Cicero,” she replied with a furrowed brow. “Why do you ask?”

The name didn’t mean anything to Izara or Eryx since they had never met the former general of Heaven, but Erebos knew of her.

Had met her that fateful night she came with King Amos and rescued him from Bastian.

“It is not possible,” he murmured. “I thought she died the night King Amos was murdered.”

Alessia’s brows shot to her forehead now. “I’m sorry, what? Did you know my mother?”

“We met briefly,” he admitted. “She was the former general of King Amos’s army.” The lord wanted to assume that the Elyana who raised her surely couldn’t be the one he remembered, but it explained why Alessia was well-trained in combat. It made sense as much as it could.

The letter.

Had it been Elyana who asked him to retrieve her?

“She was not there before I found you, correct?”

Alessia shook her head. “My mom said she had left to create a distraction, I’m guessing so that when my powers came to fruition, it wouldn’t be noticeable to the realms.” Her bottom lip trembled.

Eryx cleared his throat. “Are you saying the general of King Amos’s army raised Alessia on Earth? Why would she do that?”

The ancient voice that answered didn’t belong to their group. “That is a good question, Eryx Allard, man of revolution, warrior of fate.”

The water severed directly down the middle, paving the way for a naked man as old as the realms themselves to emerge from its depths.

The demon was unlike anything Erebos had ever seen, with crinkly skin that sagged from his bones like it would fall off at any given second and gray, matted hair stopping at his waist, balding in spots on his scalp as if hair could no longer grow on his decrepit state.

It felt shameful to look upon him, like just being in his presence was an honor.

He was all-encompassing, the walls of the cavern seeming to expand as he crawled out of the water.

The man bore no teeth, yet he spoke as if he did, continuing to talk to Eryx, who was as still as a statue beside the pool.

“You have overcome great feats in your lifetime.” His hoarse voice sent shivers racing down the lord’s spine. “And you will overcome many more. Your time is not finished yet, as you still have much to accomplish. Trust in the one who heals you, young warrior. They will be your destiny.”

Eryx shifted uncomfortably before bowing his head. “Thank you, wise seeker, but my companions and I have traveled here for a different reason. ”

“I am aware of the answers you seek, including those unspoken.” He hobbled up the stone steps with a hunched back and a cane that appeared to be centuries old.

It had a different language inscribed on the withered wood, faded and broken in spots.

“You crave acceptance. You worry about remaining on the right side of history.”

Eryx gulped, shifting his attention anywhere but the Seeker.

“And you,” the Seeker continued, twisting slowly to face Alessia. “I have waited centuries to meet the next harbinger. Hand-selected by the Makers to restore the realms to their former state.”

Harbinger?

Alessia was the harbinger?

Erebos couldn’t hide his shock. He had waited far too long to find the person capable of saving the realms and restoring the balance, but he never imagined they would fall into his lap like this.

He should’ve guessed it when she displayed black magic. Should’ve known when that letter had instructed him to retrieve an important soul, and she had killed a seraph with hardly a lift from her finger. Alessia was the one who would save them all. Alessia would be the downfall of Bastian’s reign.

And Alessia, harbinger of the realms, was his mate.

Those who resided in Hell knew there would eventually be a harbinger sent to repair the balance, so it wasn’t a surprise when all three of them, Eryx, Erebos, and Izara, immediately dropped to a knee before Alessia.

They held their fists over their hearts, a sign of respect for the one who would usher in great change.

“What are you guys doing?” Alessia whispered shakily.

“I am not the harbinger. He’s…he’s got it wrong.

I’m just trying to get Erebos’s powers out of me.

That’s why we came all this way, right?” A tear slipped onto her cheek, and Erebos could feel her emotions rising too quickly. “I’m not the harbinger.”

The Seeker tutted, cocking his head to study her. “I have existed for centuries, Harbinger. My visions may sometimes be blurry and hidden in riddles, but one thing they are not is incorrect. I am unable to be present for long, so I suggest you use your time wisely.”

“Is that why I have Erebos’s powers?” she asked. “Is there a way to give them back?”

“I am afraid not. The Lord of Hell was made for you, Harbinger. Darkness can exist without light, but light cannot exist without darkness. One must eventually decide if maintaining the balance is worth the risk.”

“What does that mean?” Alessia pleaded.

Erebos swallowed a lump in his throat, wondering if she’d finally piece it together.

He was made for her—her mate. It seemed blatantly obvious to everyone in the chamber but her, and a piece of Erebos’s soul chipped in response.

He wanted it to be clear as day, but he also wanted her to choose him, not have this connection forced upon her.

Learning that she was the harbinger was likely to overpower any other piece of information the Seeker provided.

“You will learn in due time that literature is your greatest tool.”

“And my mother?” she pressed when his figure seemed to flicker. It was like a hologram moments from fading. “Do you know where she is?”

“Your mother is exactly where she is supposed to be. She is home.”

“But that doesn’t tell me if she’s safe,” Alessia whispered in defeat.

Tears brimmed her eyes, as if she expected the Seeker would provide her with a definitive answer when they found him.

The Seeker may be vague, but his answer was clear to Erebos.

Elyana was home, and luckily for Alessia, Erebos knew precisely where that was.

Then, the old man turned to face Erebos, lifting a bony finger to his heart.

“Your destiny was never meant for destruction, Lord of Hell. The Makers have their plans, but fate often intervenes and changes the course. Remember, it is not up to them which direction you shall take.” Thumping his cane on the stone floor, the pool parted again, but not before Erebos rose to his feet and asked the question that had plagued his mind for decades.

“Is King Bastian stealing evil souls from the soul yard?”

Hobbling towards the stairs, the Seeker elicited an unnatural sound in his throat that sounded like a scoff before his figure flickered again. “You already know the answer to that, Erebos Moloch, and soon you will learn what is required to rectify it.”