Chapter 34 #2
“I said, go. Ekatha .” She shooed him in the primordial language, and he stomped his front hoof.
“Stubborn beast.” She grabbed his face and pressed her forehead to his.
He whinnied and pushed harder into her. The scent of hay and horse sweat was strong.
“You can’t go where I’m going but I promise I will come back.
We’ll go ride wherever you want.” He nibbled at the fabric on her shoulder as she rubbed along his forehead, then gently pushed him toward home.
With big brown eyes, he looked at her one more time, then trotted out of sight.
At the sound of rustling branches and heavy footfalls, she sighed. He couldn’t just leave her be. Presco came into view, dark blond hair disheveled, glasses crooked. She thought he would turn back at the edge of the wood. “Presco, please don’t make this harder.”
“I had to see you here at least.”
Her hard outer shell was beginning to soften and that couldn’t happen. It was too dangerous for Presco to go, and someone needed to be here to watch over Palenor. She quickly turned and pressed her hand to the stone. The portal hissed and cooed. “The dark queen returns,” the voices said.
“I am not the dark queen. For the moon and stars are light, and I have always stood for what is good and fought for what I love. Open the door to the underrealm.”
“ He said not to,” the voices whispered.
“I don’t give a damn what he said. I am the goddess of night, and I command you to open it. You cannot deny me.”
“As you wish, goddess.”
The center swirled into a dark mass. Presco was suddenly beside her and pulled her into a hug.
His large frame made her feel almost like a child in his arms. Saying goodbye to her oldest and most loyal friend tightened her throat with emotion.
“It will be alright,” she whispered. “Have dinner ready for me, will you?” She wouldn’t say goodbye. It felt too final.
“Of course, my queen,” he murmured.
After a moment, she pulled away and decided it was best to run in.
Light seemed to be sucked out of existence.
Everything warm and good gone with it as she stumbled out of a doorway onto the mushy ground beneath her feet.
She glanced down to find her boot stuck in the body cavity of a dead demon hound.
Its bright green blood covered the leather.
Jerking her foot out, she sidestepped it and kicked some of the muck off. “Yuck.”
A strange, deep blue-gray glow illuminated the sky in this realm, almost a perpetual twilight, not quite day or night. Everything was black, from the top of the tree’s leaves to their twisting roots jutting out of the dark, damp ground. She forgot how heavy the air felt.
Thick bubbling tar popped and gurgled nearby. The rotten smell of it almost made her gag. Distant wailing and moaning made her stomach turn. There was also a strange clicking sound, like hundreds of insect pincers clacking together.
Something grunted behind her. She jerked Soulender and whirled. The point of her blade was at the tall, blond male’s chest in an instant. “ Presco ,” she growled. “I told you to stay!”
The door back to the living realms snapped shut, the light around the edges going dark. It was the only way out.
“I’m sorry I disobeyed you, my queen, but I couldn’t let you go and live with myself if you died. I am a dragon, and battle is what we thrive on.”
Valeen sighed and shook her head. As upset as she was that he did not listen, a small part of her was glad to have him. This place was unsettling, and he made it less so. “You should not be here… Come on. Let’s find them.” The warm spark of the line she had to Hel buzzed to life once again.
I guess the note I left wasn’t clear enough, Hel’s voice came to her mind, and she smiled. Get that pretty ass back out that door.
I am the goddess of night, one of the most powerful beings in all the realms. I fear no one and I am never commanded by anyone.
Using my own words against me, I see . The laughter in his voice made her heart flutter. He’d told her that exact thing during their training to get her to remember who she was. “What is Presco doing here?” he said, very much aloud.
Valeen turned and there he stood, with a grip on Varlett’s arm. His face had smears of black and green across it, as did Varlett’s hair. “You didn’t get very far,” Valeen teased.
“Yeah, well, we were attacked almost as soon as we stepped through the door. How did you know I was gone so fast?”
She swallowed hard, giving another look to the dead demon hounds scattered around.
There were at least five of them, and they were only the first of the types of beasts they’d encounter down here.
“I couldn’t feel you anymore. I thought—for a moment I thought you died.
But no, you’re just infuriating and didn’t bother to tell me you’d be coming to this shithole. ”
He let go of Varlett and held his arms open, “I’m still alive, love.” She ran and jumped into his arms and wrapped herself around his body, hooking her legs around his hips.
“Ugh,” Varlett groaned, rolling her eyes.
Hel pulled her in by the back of her head and kissed her hard, sliding his tongue against hers. If one thing was true it was that he knew how to kiss.
As much as I wish you had listened, I’m glad you’re here, he said into her mind. He set her down and pulled out a shiny, black-bladed sword. It was made of obsidian, a demon’s weakness.
“Can we hurry up so we can return this damn thing and get out of this place?” Varlett held up her hand with the big silver ring. “And I’d like to get my beauty back. I look like shit.”
“Yeah, you do,” Valeen said.
Varlett scowled at her. “You look a little run down yourself. I think that white in your hair is spreading, goddess.”
Hel ran his fingers through the hair around her face. “We need to hurry.”