Chapter 1 #2
Although it had been more years than she could recall, Audrey remembered enough to quickly translate the words summon, stone, and dragon.
It was part of a spell. Unfortunately, the skin had been torn and the incantation was incomplete.
Never one to be deterred, she spent the next week deciphering the rest of the words and trying to figure out what was missing.
As luck would have it, Audrey came across a book written in the same dialect as the words on the skin.
The longer she read, the more it became apparent that certain words were purposely misspelled.
On the following day, she brought a quill and ink, real ink—one of the few luxuries her jailor allowed her—and began to list the misspelled words on the inside cover of the book, correcting them as she recorded them.
It took days, but Audrey was finally able to put the words she had corrected in order. The pages of the story lined up perfectly with her tiny piece of skin but instead of a spell, she found a detailed account of how to escape from hell. It read like someone’s diary or a letter to a friend.
If you have found this book and are reading this story, then you must be an unwilling occupant of the Underworld.
The tasks below will be daunting and at times seem impossible, but if you have a pure heart and have had the abundant fortune of discovering a love greater than the evil you face, then have faith and persevere.
There is no specific order you must follow when collecting your tools of escape, but it is imperative that you have them all before entering the deepest realm of hell.
If you do not, the hellhounds will be summoned to drag your soul to the pits where you will suffer eternal damnation and punishment.
Before I begin, I feel I must tell you I have been in hell for quite some time. Although I possess all my faculties, it could be said that my mind has its moments for frivolity. Please read the words on these pages as carefully as I have written them, lest one of us might make a mistake.
It is my suggestion, and only a suggestion mind you, that you first enlist the help of the one you hold most dear.
As I stated before, you have to have found a love greater than the evil you face.
Not only must you have found it, but you have to have embraced it, taken it into your heart and nurtured it, then returned it a hundredfold back to the one who gave it to you.
You see, a love like this is rare. It is one of a kind.
You cannot live without it once you have experienced it.
You will know immediately that it has been blessed by the Universe and Fate and most importantly, because of the blessing and your trust in that love, it is one not even the depths of hell can tear asunder.
The next one takes a bit of faith and a lot of determination.
You must find the dragon warrior buried in the deepest cavern on the side of the river Lethe.
As the lore goes, and the lore is never wrong, he was attacked, bespelled by evil wizards, separated from his kin, and then imprisoned in human form.
The wizards drew power from the river Lethe, the symbol of the goddess of forgetfulness and the god of sleep, to keep the mighty Guardsman under their spell.
They need him to remain comatose. For you see, he is one of royal blood and destined for greatness.
He holds the power of his ancestors. He is of two bloods.
This warrior is not one to be angered until the time is right.
There is a true fire inside of him that once released will show you the way to freedom.
I have no idea how long he has been there or how long he will remain, but I can assure you I am the only one, besides the wizards, who knows his location.
Once you have found him, you can only free him by calling his given name, a name only those closest to him know.
You will be able to summon that information once the Focus Stone is near the dragon’s crypt.
And I imagine you are wondering about this Focus Stone.
It is a very powerful talisman that was used by the wizards who cursed the Guardsman.
From what I have been told, it is hidden in the hills closest to the lair of a dragon clan whose color reminds you of the sky and sea.
The evil wizards had a peculiar sense of humor and found it funny to place something so important to those who needed that item to be virtually undetectable.
Dark arts wizards really are the foulest creatures.
But I digress. Please be careful, for this stone is covered in the nastiest of sigils, written in the blood of innocent white witches, and when activated by the tainted blood of a Demon Lord can smite even the most faithful.
Something else to consider is the fact that the higher in hell’s hierarchy the Demon Lord whose blood was used is, the stronger the effects of that blood, so be discerning before selecting your donor.
Now, I would imagine you’ve figured out the next item on your list..
.it is the blood of a Demon Lord. Make it one of importance to not only the inner workings of hell but also the Devil himself.
The more prestigious the demon, the more evil his blood and thus the smaller amount you will need.
If he sits on a Council or even higher, then only three or four drops are needed.
But be careful! The black, thick sludge that runs through his veins is acidic and toxic.
Your skin will burn and peel, the contamination will spread, and in less than a day, it will drive you mad.
Demon blood is not to be trifled with. Once collected, keep it in a silver or bronze container.
The last piece of your puzzle may be the hardest and most harrowing to get.
Please don’t think me daft. I know that getting the blood of a demon is not easy.
I have tried myself and have the scars to prove it, but having dealt with these next beasties, I will tell you their bite is most definitely worse than their bark.
Enough procrastination, I will just spit it out.
You, my fellow occupant of hell, must obtain the hair from the belly of a hellhound and keep all your digits and all your skin while doing so.
On this, I wish you luck, for these puppies will not hesitate to tear you limb from limb.
Remember, they are the children of Cerberus and guard all the secrets of the Underworld.
It is their sole purpose to keep you from finding the path to freedom.
Now, dear friend, plan your journey with care. For what lies ahead of you may very well be the death of you and the one you love the most.
The journal entry and the book ended there with a simple Yours Truly, AS.
It took several minutes before Audrey could even move.
She was afraid to hope. It had been so many years since she’d been sold to Adramelech like cattle at an auction that she was having a hard time believing there could actually be a way out of her daily nightmare.
She thought of Rian and her heart skipped a beat.
Audrey closed her eyes to bring the image of him she carried in her heart into focus.
She could see his expressive brown eyes outlined with long dark lashes any woman would covet, twinkle as he smiled.
And speaking of his smile, it lit up her world, making her dream of spending hour upon hour basking in his presence.
His hair was just this side of black, with the perfect amount of curls and waves to make him look dashing.
Strength radiated from his very being. Rian was impressive to say the least. He was a tall and imposing figure, but his six-foot-ten-inch height was only a small part of what made him larger than life.
He had wide shoulders and a muscular torso that tapered to a thin waist. Her mother would’ve said he was fit or that his muscles had muscles.
One would’ve thought he would move like an ox but her mate had a grace and dignity no man his size should possess.
But out of everything she’d learned about him, it was his compassion and loyalty she loved the most.
Stepping out of her daydream, Audrey agreed with the writer of the journal.
The love she and Rian shared, although across the divide of space and time and heaven and hell, was one of a kind.
It was the only thing that had kept her going for all these years.
If she was ever to lose it, or him, or worse yet be the reason her great warrior died, there was no doubt in her mind she would simply cease to exist.
From the moment she’d seen him all those years ago on the beach in the moonlight, Audrey had known he was the man for her.
One glimpse and she was his…forever. Her heart had beat as it never had and her soul, although tethered to hell, had reached for his.
They were the fated mates from the stories her momma had always told her. Their love was destined to be epic.
Even as she rushed back to the Underworld to keep Rian safe from Adramelech, the princess had known that he was the one she was supposed to spend her life with.
Her heart shattered as she flew through the ether.
She wanted to die from the pain of the separation.
None of it made sense but it simply was what it was.
Audrey’s life had started and ended in those few fleeting moments on the sand with the man of her dreams.
Years came and went and still the princess pined for her love.
It didn’t matter how many beatings she received or how many tears she shed, all Audrey wanted was one more look into the warm, loving eyes of the man whose soul had called to hers.
She knew she was wishing for a miracle and that miracles didn’t happen in hell, but her heart hadn’t gotten the message as it died a little more each day without its mate.