Chapter 22 A Deal Proposed
A Deal Proposed
Theo
Fuck this is not good. He just showed up. She won’t be able to see him, but he’s fucking here as much as he can be, considering he is in another realm. I can usually see his appearance, even if it’s not fully solid, but she will be able to sense him.
His shadowy form is intense to look at, and I feel the pull, the urge to bend over to ease the pressure on my body, almost takes over.
Still, I am not about to give him that satisfaction.
I don’t know how Jayce and Blondie think we can defeat a god when I’m fucking struggling just to be in the presence of one.
“Hades, God of the Underworld,” Heaven states before, to my surprise, she lowers her head.
The fuck? Since when has she been polite? Well, not that I’m bow worthy, but still.
She pulls away from me as she stands tall, and I hear the low chuckle from Hades. He’s enjoying her confidence. Fuck he’s going to mess with her. I didn’t think he’d show up like this, but the fact he has… I don’t know. I don’t trust this shit.
“Witch,” Hades replies as if bored. “What did you want so desperately that you keep disturbing us?”
I do want an answer to that, too. Like, what the hell is she going to ask of him? I cross my arms, remaining close in case she pisses him off, because we can all agree she has one fucking big mouth. And he won’t react kindly.
“If it were not urgent, and if you weren’t the god I respect most highly, after Selene of course.” She lowers her head, and I narrow my eyes. The fuck is she chatting shit about? I don’t believe that for one fucking second…
Hades scoffs. “Of course, the Goddess of Wolves, but I don’t think Hecate would approve of that, considering the powers you use are from her.”
“I respect her greatly, but you are the one who follows your own path, the one who, despite being treated unfairly, has held great power and rules your ever-growing domain, because, after all, the dead are in your hands. I will not waste your time. I simply have two requests to ask of you.”
And here it is, her getting all fucking bossy with a god. I’m still fucking stunned. How is she looking at him? That shouldn’t be possible. My brows furrow as I notice her right eye is shimmering. I wasn’t tripping that day. There is something going on with her fucking eye!
“What I ask is for eight: myself, Aldona of House di Bianco Galdur, and seven more, Theo Westwood, Jayce Westwood, Ares Westwood, Carter Westwood, Renji Westwood, Caladena of House di Bianco Galdur, and Ahren Azor Rafael Rossi. We are eight, and what I ask from here on counts for all eight of us unless stated otherwise.”
What is this? Did she learn it from some shady company contract?
“My first request is that you grant the eight of us safe passage into, through, and out of the Realm of the Gods. Passage shall begin when the last of us sets foot across the threshold, and it shall end only when the same eight, plus one more – Mordana of House Silver, set foot back upon mortal grounds. None may be replaced, mirrored, or bound by anything else. It will be we who shall leave the Realm of the Gods as we entered. You will grant us permission to travel through, within and across the Realm of the Gods.”
Damn…
“My second request is that while within the Realm of the Gods, death cannot claim us, not then and not upon our return. We are to be given immortality and your protection during our travel. Nothing that can cause lasting damage that leads to death, nor binding of the soul, nor a curse that strips us of will or of any kind, nor tricks of magic that leave us at death’s door.
No god, no creature, no species, and no spell that occurs in the Realm of the Gods can bring us death, be it intentional or unintentional. ”
My eyes flick to her as I realise that she’s fucking thought this out, and that last part… if Hades agrees, Helios wouldn’t be able to kill us even in the duel Jayce is planning with him.
Smart request, Blondie. I’m a tad impressed.
Heaven flicks her hair as she continues, “I have a contract already drawn up that we shall sign with blood and oath, with a section left blank for you to enter your conditions. So, name your price. What do you request in return?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.
Damn, this girl is fucking insane and confident all in one.
Hades chuckles darkly as he steps forward, the darkness surrounding him now wrapping around us tightly.
“The most precious thing to you,” he murmurs. I frown. I hate this part.
I step forward as Heaven touches her throat, her eyes widening with uncertainty and fear. Fuck.
“Your voice…” Hades murmurs as if he, too, had noticed what she touched.
“Anything else but my voice,” Heaven says, her voice more confident this time, but she’s tense. It shows in her voice that her heart is racing.
“You ask for so much, but you don’t want to give me anything in return. The most precious thing to you is your voice. It is what every witch needs. And to have the voice of such a powerful witch…”
She needs her voice to cast spells. This is bad.
“What other options do we have?” Heaven asks, trying to remain composed. I see Hades smirk through the darkness, his eyes glowing dangerously, his aura weighing down on us.
“None. Take it or leave it. I shall grant you what you want, and in return, your voice is mine for eternity.”
“Alright, look, I hate her nattering on, but her voice, really? Just make her bald or something that will traumatise her more,” I say lightly. I’ve heard her sing; she ain’t bad, but really, it would be fucking weird not hearing her talk.
“And there is one more thing… for you asked for two things, and each one comes at a price.” Hades’ voice is all around me as Heaven stands her ground. The smell of blood makes me look at her to see the red liquid trickle down from the corner of her glowing eye.
Hades flicks his hand, and suddenly I can’t hear anything. I struggle against it as both face one another, and Heaven nods.
Fuck, what did she just agree to?!
“Hey, don’t fucking shut me out!” I snarl, but I’m ignored.
I see Heaven snap her fingers, chanting a few words, as a scroll appears, and Hades flicks his fingers as more writing appears at the bottom. They both make a good fucking team, which pisses me the hell off. Why the fuck block me out?
“Hades, I know you can fucking hear me,” I growl.
Heaven steps forward, but she’s struggling to keep her posture. The weight of Hades’ power is crashing down on her, but she still takes her time to read the contract thoroughly.
“Hey, don’t sign it. What is the second condition?!” I growl, but neither looks my way.
Hades signs it first in black smoky ink that glows blue, and then a feathered quill appears in Heaven’s hand, and she slices her wrist with the tip before signing in her fucking name – completing and binding that fucking deal.
Heaven’s head snaps back, her eyes unseeing as I see the threads of green and gold stretch from her neck and wrap around Hades.
Fuck!
Hades’ laughter erupts in my ears, activating my hearing once more.
I cover them; the sound is excruciating.
I watch as he looks at his hands, amusement in his eyes.
Then the darkness crashes down on us, and I see something wrap around Heaven.
She’s holding something in her arms, and then we’re thrown backwards.
For a second, I can’t see anything, but I hear the splash of water and know she’s ended up in the pool.
The darkness clears up as I look around and spot her floating in the pool, holding the black chest Hades has given her, but she’s unconscious, blood dripping into the water.
“Fuck, you’re so damn annoying, Blondie,” I mutter as I jump into the water to get the girl.
I wrap my arm around her, about to touch the black chest, but the energy radiating off it makes me decide against that. I’m done with getting surprised today.
Shaking my head, I lift her up bridal style and place her at the edge of the pool, pushing her unceremoniously so I can climb out. I’m fucking soaked again.
It’s daylight once more, and if it wasn’t for both of us being soaking wet, you wouldn’t even think anything had happened here. Her eyes fly open, and she gasps, bolting upright.
She moves her mouth and then touches her throat. A flicker of something flashes in her eyes, and I frown. It was less than a second, but it was there.
“You can’t talk; you gave your voice, remember? Now you can’t even do spells,” I say icily. Her eye might look ok now, but it was fucking bleeding before. That shit ain’t normal.
She raises an eyebrow, tossing her wet hair, and somehow – some-fucking-how it still flicks. She raises a finger and writes something in the air, and gold letters dance in front of me.
Doesn’t matter. I got what I wanted. I got us safe passage to and from the Realm of the Gods, it’s perfect, it reads.
“At what fucking cost, your voice? You’re a witch; you need your voice for spells. How are you going to explain this shit to anyone?” I snarl. “Why did you have to fucking take things into your own hands?”
There wasn’t any other way; besides, it was foolproof. I just got us a pass and protection for this trip. I will not let there be the blood of others on my hands. This is a rescue mission, not a life for life, she writes again.
It’s almost as if she knew this would happen. I narrow my eyes. “Wait, how are you doing this spell?” I ask.
I told you, I’m not reckless. I had prepared an amulet that I spelled so I could write what I wanted to say when the time came, she writes with a delicate finger.
Not talking and the way she’s pouting makes her look like a damn freaky doll with the way she tilts her head and looks at me with disdain.
“Right…” I massage my jaw, and she rolls her eyes. Even I don’t need her to write out that she wants to call me an idiot. I narrow my eyes as she stands up and brushes off her wet skirt, but then her power shimmers and she’s suddenly dry. “How the fuck did you do that spell?”
She smirks. I gave my voice to him, not my power. When we chant a spell, we don’t use our regular voice; we use the magic and the power of our ancestors to call on the magic around us and within.
“So, like Kat’s man?”
No. Enrique wills things, and they happen.
She doesn’t look impressed, pouting slightly. Jealous much, Blondie?
I still have to cast the spell, but I’ve figured out how to do this without saying the spell out loud. Magic comes from within. Magic doesn’t have ears. I can call upon it with the voice of my soul.
She stares at me smugly.
No fucking way…
Understanding dawns on me, and I stare at her. “You tricked him, didn’t you?”
She smiles proudly.
Did you think I would touch my throat in fear?
She imitates the expression she had when facing Hades, and the same glimmer of fear in her eyes.
I whistle. Ok, I got to give it to her; she’s a smart little thing.
She nods as if knowing what I’m thinking, and I pat her shoulder.
“So, it was all an act…”
Obviously, you will never see fear in my eyes.
“No kidding, I’m actually impressed. You might have just tricked a god…”
Not might – did. We’ve signed the contract. A god does not go back on his word, and Hades, well, he fell for it because I was simply a foolish girl in his eyes. Now I’d better go, I have class.
She spins around before she pauses and flicks her hand at me. Her power swirls around me, and then I’m dry.
“Finally!” I say, looking myself over as she picks up the chest Hades gave her.
You’re welcome.
She writes, before opening the box, inside are eight large medallions and one smaller one. She snaps it shut, her eyes sparkling, and I give her a half-smirk as she pouts and writes something,
And thank you for arranging this meeting. I appreciate it.
“Yeah?” I close the gap between us as I fall in step beside her. “Well, I was fucking worried it wouldn’t go well, but you did it. You ain’t bad, Blondie, you ain’t damn bad.”
To my surprise, she stops and stares at me, a faint blush coating her cheeks at the compliment. Then she smiles, a real, genuine smile, not that smug, annoying one she usually has, and I don’t need her to write anything when her eyes meet mine to know what she wants to say.
Thanks.
“You’re welcome, Blondie. Now, don’t go making me regret what I said. We still have the mission to complete.”
She nods, but the confidence doesn’t falter.
I want to ask her about the second trade, but it doesn’t seem like the right time. She’s already given up her voice, for good...
Damn.
Sienna fucking owes her.
I glance up at the blazing sun as we walk back towards the school together. Somehow, I feel disappointed, although we got what we wanted... or she did.
I glance back at her, realising I won’t hear her talk and be an obnoxious brat again...
Damn, that does suck.