Chapter 34 – Shade
SHADE
We’re screwed, as Medusa has said so colorfully. As powerful as the women in this cell are, none of us can escape the bars of our cage, nor the Underworld. And yet, we also don’t seem to be able to accept that there’s no way out either.
Do they feel the way I do?
Did they fight as hard for happiness and freedom as I did only to lose it all now?
Far above us, we can hear the sounds of music and dancing. Of the celebration in honor of our enslavement. And the realization lies heavy on my shoulders.
All of this is because of me. Because I allowed myself to be tricked and used again.
Hecate has been yelling for someone for what feels like hours. I want to tell her to quiet down, that it’s clear that he’s not coming, but she seems to think he’s our only chance. So I flinch each time she yells, and I wait.
It’s better than doing nothing.
“I’m sorry,” I finally say between her shouts.
Medusa and Keto turn to look at me, and I ready myself for whatever they might say. I deserve any and all of their cruel words. I’ve made a terrible mistake that’s destroyed their lives.
“Don’t be sorry.” Keto’s voice is gentle. “We’ve all been used. We’ve all been hurt.”
I’m surprised. “You have?”
She nods.
“But you seem…so wise.”
She sits down beside me and takes my hands in hers. Our gazes lock. “Sometimes we’re victims of terrible things, but then we rise up from those ashes to become fighters. Are you ready to be a fighter?”
Words stick in my throat.
“Because in this life, being what we are, you have to fight for what you want or lose it.”
My thoughts go to my gargoyles and the life I could have with them. “All I want is to be free and happy.”
Her hands squeeze mine harder. “Then never stop fighting for that.”
Medusa clears her throat, leaning against the wall. “Keto’s right. But also, if you ever get a chance to destroy an asshole, do it. Trust me. It feels good.”
I laugh. “If only gods were so easy to kill.”
All of us say, “Amen,” at the same time, then laugh.
Which is when we hear a sound somewhere outside our prison.
They’re here to take us. To put my collar on once more and enslave me to this dark world for a lifetime of suffering and pain. My gaze goes to the women. I need to find a way to free us. No matter the cost.
Hecate goes silent, and we all draw back from the door. A minute later, a massive man looks through the bars of our cell. Hades’s guard. His pale eyes are sad as they meet Hecate’s gaze, and a tension sings between them that I don’t understand.
“You called?”
She slides closer to the bars, so close they almost touch. “We can escape.”
He starts to shake his head.
“They can get us to the tunnels. From there, the shade can teleport us to the surface.”
His expression changes to one I can’t read, and he’s quiet for a painfully long time before he says, “So you need only to get past the farthest bank, and you’ll be free?”
“We’ll be free,” she emphasizes.
His gaze slides to me. “Are you certain?”
I nod. “I’ve done it many times.”
There’s another long, quiet moment. His gaze seems to cling to Hecate as if memorizing her face, and then the man nods. “Give me a few minutes to…deal with your obstacles to the banks.”
He turns to go.
“Andros!” Hecate calls his name.
He turns back to her. This time, she reaches through the bars to touch his face. “It’s finally happening. We can finally be far from here and be free. We can be together.”
Andros leans forward and kisses her, so hard and fast that it almost feels like a trick of my mind. Then he breaks away, his word so quiet I’m sure they’re meant for her ears and her ears alone. “I would endure anything to give you the world once more.”
“As would I,” she tells him, stroking his face.
And then he pulls away and disappears out of our sight.
Hecate turns back to us, and her golden eyes glow ever-so-slightly. “When he frees us, we must be ready to run and to run fast. I’ve escaped a few times before, but only ever made it to the tunnels once.”
I’m impressed. I’d have thought that no one could escape from Hades.
Medusa turns to face me. “When we return, you need to leave the sanctuary as quickly as possible. You don’t have the protection of the gargoyles. You don’t want to be in danger.”
“But Cody, Jordon, Damon, and Elliot care for me.”
Her brows rise. “You have a relationship with them?”
“A relationship?” I ask, confused.
Keto answers instead of Medusa. “Do you have a future with them? Do you all plan to be together? Or were they only bringing you to the Elites as their mission?”
“I think they care for me…but I don’t know.”
“Find out,” Keto says. “Quickly.”
I move to the back of the cell and sit down, my back to the cold stone. So many things have gone wrong so quickly that I feel even less certain than before. First I was tricked by Lord Drac. Then by Norbert. What if I was tricked by my gargoyles?
How could I be certain of how they felt?
Time ticks away. Too much time. So much time that I’m feeling nervous, and I can tell the others are too. Are they wondering the same thing I am? That this Andros was unable to help us? That he failed or never planned to help at all?
Perhaps I’m growing bitter. Perhaps my trust has been broken too many times to have such na?ve faith in the world.
“How do I know if I’m being used?”
Every head jerks toward me. I feel small beneath the other women’s gazes.
I struggle to explain myself. “It seems that in the weeks since I was reborn as a shade, I’ve only ever been used and tricked. What if my gargoyles are doing the same?”
“Listen to your instincts,” Hecate tells me with absolute certainty.
“Instincts?”
“That feeling somewhere deep inside of you that warns if something is right or wrong. If something feels right.”
“Are my instincts always right?”
Medusa laughs. “Unfortunately, no. Even when you’re as old as me you make mistakes, but I think you’ll know deep in your heart about your gargoyles.”
I search my heart. I search within myself for these ‘instincts,’ but I’m not sure what they’re saying. Or if they’re simply silent.
Suddenly we hear rapid footsteps down the hall. I leap to my feet, and we all gather close to the door of our cell. An instant later, I hear keys jingling in the lock. When the door opens, the big guard is there. Blood splatters his face, and his eyes are wild.
“Go! Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
“Andros…?”
“Lead them! I’ll follow, making sure no one harms you as you run!”
Hecate gives a sharp nod and takes the lead. We race down darkened cell hall after darkened cell hall. Every so often, we see the broken pieces of Hades’s bone soldiers shattered along the ground.
Up ahead we see a slight light. Someone has left the door open a crack, and I can guess who.
We pour out and run along the side of the massive gates of the Underworld.
On the shore, a dead shade lies in our path.
We run around it and push with all our might to reach the waters of the river.
But when we reach the edge, Hecate looks back and freezes.
“Come on, Andros, into the water!”
He shakes his head. “This is where I leave you.”
“Leave me?” she almost shouts the words.
“You have a chance at freedom. I won’t take that from you.”
“What are you talking about? We just need to reach the tunnels, we just need to—“
“You just need to. The only way my soul can leave this place is if a living soul leads me up through the tunnels to the surface.”
“Then I’ll do that!”
“We’ll be caught. Go to the tunnels, teleport out with the shade. Please. I’ve risked everything so that you will be safe.”
Hecate draws herself up taller. “I’m not leaving without you. So guess what? I’m leading your soul out of here.”
“We’ll fail.”
“Maybe. But we’ll definitely fail if we stand here talking much longer.”
“Hecate—“
“I’m not changing my mind.”
Suddenly his calm exterior crumbles. “Please! Please! I love you!”
“I love you too,” she tells him. “Which is why I’d rather live in this place than live without you.”
He closes his eyes. “Then,” he begins and takes a shaky breath, “we leave.”
Relief rushes through me. I turn to the waters, and without hesitating, dive in. I hear the splashes of the other women behind me, and perhaps of Andros too. The souls whisper, “Faster, faster” once more and push us forward until we reach the far bank.
When we climb out of the water, we hear a terrible screeching. Heart in my throat, I look back as the gates of the Underworld open. A dozen shades pour out, followed by the warriors made of bones, and two Harpies launch from the walls of the gate.
“Run!” I scream, and I don’t have to tell anyone twice.
Our feet pound against the sand as we run for the tunnels. Behind us, I swear I can feel the breath of our enemies. But I don’t look back to see if I’m wrong. I run and run, not slowing, until I explode into the shadows of the tunnels. Turning back, I reach for the women, and they grab me.
Hecate looks back at Andros, love in her eyes. “One last time, then I won’t look back again.”
“Are you sure?” he whispers.
She nods, and then walks past me. I watch in wonder as the gargoyle shadows her every step. And then I look to see that Hades’s army has reached the waters of the river.
It’s time to go.
More than time to go.
Taking a deep breath, I teleport us away, hoping like hell that Andros and Hecate will make it out alive.
Even though my heart says they won’t.