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MONA
Mona slammed into something hard and unyielding, rock scraping against her skin. Darkness and dust crowded her, fogging her vision. She coughed, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the air. Goddess, the air here was so thin. She inhaled several gulps, trying to fill her lungs, but they strained with each breath.
“Evander?” she called out, her voice echoing in some vast space. She squinted but still couldn’t make out details. The throbbing cuts and scrapes on her arms led her to believe she was surrounded by some kind of mountainous rock, but when she glanced upward, she couldn’t see the stars or moon at all.
Was she in the Realm of Gaia? Or a different realm? This wasn’t the Underworld, and it certainly wasn’t Elysium…
The last thing she remembered was jumping through the portal in Elysium as the realm was destroyed by Pandora’s magic. Evander had been with her.
Then again, her experience traveling through portals told her how easy it was to be separated from other people. What if Evander had landed in a different realm?
“Evander!” Mona’s voice sharpened, piercing the air.
A low groan sounded nearby, and she followed it, stretching blindly toward it. Her feet connected with something solid, and she knelt, hands reaching.
She first felt his leather wings, tattered and sticky with what had to be blood.
“Oh, Goddess,” she breathed, running her fingers along the length of one of his wings until she found his shoulder. She squeezed it, then shuffled closer so she could nestle herself behind him, cradling his body. “Evander, it’s all right. It’s going to be fine.”
She had healed him once before. She could do it again. Ordinarily, as an earth witch, she would open her third eye and conjure roses from the ground.
But this was different. She no longer held the blood of a mortal, but the blood of a goddess.
With a deep breath, she conjured her magic, waiting for it to swell inside her.
Nothing happened.
Mona gritted her teeth, pressing her hands into Evander’s chest as she tried again. Her magic had come to her so effortlessly before… Why wasn’t it working?
After several moments, a faint stirring shifted within her, as if her magic was waking from a deep sleep. Her hands glowed, but it was feeble, and the light faded almost immediately.
She dropped her hands with a growl of frustration as panic welled up inside her. What if he died? What if they couldn’t find help in time?
“Mona,” whispered another voice.
Mona jolted, her heart slamming into her rib cage as chills worked their way across her body. She glanced around in the suffocating darkness and found the shadow of another figure standing nearby.
“Do you sense it?” the voice asked.
After a long, terrifying moment, Mona finally placed the voice. It was Trivia—or rather, Pandora.
Her sister.
The person behind the destruction of the Underworld and Elysium. The one responsible for Evander’s injuries.
And yet… her sister.
Mona had vowed to stand by Pandora, despite her crimes. Because they shared blood.
But that didn’t mean she trusted her.
“Mona,” Pandora said, more urgently.
Mona blinked and inhaled deeply, trying to awaken her new goddess senses. She still hadn’t fully acclimated to them. Closing her eyes, she searched within herself, hoping her magic wasn’t permanently blocked.
“I—I can’t,” she hissed, her head throbbing from her efforts.
“Here.” Pandora took her hand and squeezed. As soon as she did, power burst in Mona’s chest. Awareness flooded her, heating her blood and quivering over her with violent intensity. She shuddered, and a powerful, stirring presence shifted nearby.
Her eyes flew open, and she was on her feet in an instant. Someone was here. Someone powerful.
“Where are we?” she asked Pandora.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before. But this magic feels… odd. Different.”
Mona stretched her arms and wiggled her fingers, trying to get a better sense of her surroundings. Pandora was right; the air here was different. The magic had a strange scent to it, like earth and embers. But there was something in that smell that called to Mona’s memories, resonating within her.
She dropped her arms. “Witches,” she murmured. “There are witches here.”
They weren’t earth witches, though. Mona knew that magic well. She hadn’t often encountered other witch covens. In Krenia, where she’d grown up, the island was isolated, populated only by earth witches and mortals. Occasionally, other covens would visit by boat, but that had been rare.
“So, we are in the mortal realm,” Pandora mused.
“Yes,” Mona replied. “The other two realms are gone.”
She felt, rather than saw, Pandora flinch beside her. There had been no venom or blame in Mona’s voice, but she knew the guilt of everything her sister had done sat heavily on her.
The mortal realm. Technically, this was Mona’s home. But it felt more foreign to her than ever.
To her, home was a lush forest with a babbling river nearby and a soothing melody swelling around her.
was the Underworld with Evander.
Footsteps echoed nearby, and Mona shifted so she stood in front of Evander, blocking him from view. His raspy breathing behind her indicated he still lived, and she clung to that fact. The demon magic within him should have killed him. He wasn’t supposed to survive in any other realm.
But he was here. He had survived Elysium. And he was still alive.
Amber light flooded the area, and the lengthened shadow of a woman appeared against the rock wall. As Mona’s eyes adjusted, she realized she stood within a large cave. To her left was a metal archway with intricate carvings and designs. It looked similar to the portal in Elysium.
As more light poured into the space, Pandora drew closer to Mona, her shoulders stiff and her chin lifting. The two sisters stood side-by-side as the stranger came into view. She held a ball of fire in her hand that illuminated the thick black hair spilling around her face like a mane. She was tall and lean with brown skin and gold eyes that flared brighter than her flame.
“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice deep and commanding.
Pandora shifted, but Mona elbowed her before she could speak. “We come from Elysium,” Mona said carefully. “We seek refuge from the darkness of Pandora’s magic.”
The woman sniffed deeply, then wrinkled her nose. “ This one reeks of the darkness.” She pointed to Pandora. “I can smell the death and decay.”
Pandora stiffened, but Mona said quickly, “We are daughters of Gaia.”
The woman straightened, her eyes flaring wide. She cocked her head, looking at Mona with more scrutiny. “Earth witch.”
Shock bubbled through Mona’s chest. How could this woman tell? Mona had thought her goddess magic had pushed out any signs of her grace, or her witch affinity. But somehow, this woman knew.
“Yes,” Mona said. “And you are a fire witch.” Mona didn’t know much about fire witches, only that they were hunted for their deadly and volatile power. Isolated as her little island was, she had never encountered any before.
“My name is Farah,” the woman supplied. “I’m the leader of this coven. We are willing to provide refuge to a fellow witch.” She gestured to Pandora again. “But she is not welcome.”
“But—”
“We need your help,” Pandora interrupted. “There were others who came through before us. Gods and goddesses of Elysium. Have you seen them?”
Farah was silent for a long moment as she appraised Pandora with suspicion in her gaze. “Yes,” she said at last. “A few others have come through this portal. Which is why it would be difficult for us to shelter you here. We already have too many people to care for.”
“We do not wish to intrude,” Mona said hastily. “We just need to locate the other portals, and…” She hesitated, resisting the urge to cast a glance behind her toward Evander. How would Farah react to the presence of someone like him? A death god, possessed by demonic magic.
Gathering her resolve, Mona said, “Do you have a healer? My friend is wounded. I tried to heal him myself, but my magic isn’t working properly.” She stepped to the side, revealing Evander’s crumpled form on the ground behind her.
Farah jerked back, nostrils flared as her gaze settled on the death god. After a moment, her expression smoothed into mild interest. “Ah. A death god. That explains the smell of death and decay.” Her eyes roved over his torn and shredded wings. “But this one is different. I have never sensed energy like this before.”
“Please,” Mona begged. “He is dying. Will you help us? We—I can cook or clean or perform magic for you as payment. Whatever you need.”
“You are in a different realm, so your magic must acclimate to your new surroundings,” Farah said, still scrutinizing Evander’s still form. “And even if your magic was at its full power, I speculate you would still have trouble. The death magic emanating him is… quite potent. Too potent for magic like yours.”
Farah’s gaze slowly moved to Mona, then shifted to Pandora. “You bring a strange and deadly magic to my coven. To allow you refuge would endanger my people.”
Mona’s heart sank to her stomach. If this witch wouldn’t help her, then what would they do? She didn’t seem hostile, so Mona believed—or rather, hoped—the woman wouldn’t attack them. Would she let them pass through the cave unharmed?
“But,” Farah continued, “I believe there is someone here who can help you. I will bring you to him. No payment required.”
Mona went rigid with apprehension. “Who?”
“If I’m not mistaken, he is his brother.” She pointed to Evander.
Hope rose in Mona’s chest. “Cyrus?” If Cyrus was here, that meant Prue had to be as well. Had they survived?
Farah’s brows knitted together. “No. Romanos.”
Mona blinked, momentarily startled by this. Romanos had gone through the portal with her when the Underworld had been destroyed. She had looked for him in Elysium, but Hestia had assured her he was safe in the mortal realm.
Hestia. The thought of the fire goddess, now dead, made Mona’s chest ache with grief and despair.
Did Farah know? Did she know the goddess she worshipped was dead? Could she sense it?
“I don’t—Is Romanos well?” Mona asked. “Is he safe?”
A smile lit Farah’s face, making her features soften. “Yes. He is well. Come. I will take you to him. But I’m afraid you cannot stay here for long.”
Mona nodded eagerly. “Of course. We understand.”
She hurried to Evander, struggling in vain to lift him under his arms. Pandora was by her side at once, helping her to hoist him up. But he was so heavy.
“Evander,” Mona groaned. “You have to move your legs. Please.”
Farah—who watched them with interest—gave Mona a puzzled look. “Aren’t you a witch? Use your magic.”
Mona gaped at her, then shook her head. Of course. She was not only an earth witch, but the daughter of a goddess. She carefully eased Evander back to the ground, where he moaned and trembled. Closing her eyes, she summoned her powers, stretching her arms wide and calling forth her magic from the earth at her feet. The ground quivered, and pebbles and dust rained down from the cavern ceiling. Cracks split beneath her, and thorny vines sprang forth at her beckoning.
Frowning, Mona flicked her wrist, and the thorns were replaced by vines of ivy, achingly reminding her of her sister, Prue. The vines wove together, crisscrossing until they formed a thick net of foliage. With the strength of her magic, she gathered her vines around Evander’s body, then lifted him onto the bed of leaves.
Farah nodded her approval and turned toward the tunnel she’d come through. Mona urged her magic onward, and Evander’s cocoon of ivy shifted, sliding on the rocky ground with a strange hiss.
Satisfied with this, Mona glanced at Pandora, and the two of them followed Evander’s motionless form, making their way through the tunnel after Farah.