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Naomi and Edmund softened, and even Maddox smiled.
I didn’t know where to start. “How do I even get to the underworld?”
Edmund and Maddox tried to answer at once. Maddox fell silent and let Edmund explain. Of course they would know. They’d read everything in our library and more. “There’s a gateway, a portal of sorts. It’s in the mountains. I can get you a map.”
“What does it look like?”
He licked his lips. “It’s a cave, hidden well, and around it, there are symbols engraved in the walls. You must offer blood to pass. Immortal blood. You can cut yourself.”
I couldn’t waste any time. “I’ll find it.”
“It’s to the east, about fifteen miles southeast, then?—”
“I won’t follow any of that,” I admitted, and Maddox chuckled.
“This is Elle we’re talking about. Just point.”
I shot him a glare. “I’ll find it. East, right?”
Maddox pointed in the direction, an amused smile playing on his lips. “That way.”
“Thanks so much,” I replied, my tone thick with sarcasm. I squeezed Edmund’s hand and smiled at Naomi before running in the direction Maddox had pointed. I’d assumed east was in the opposite direction, so the pointing helped, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Try not to die,” Maddox called as I raced between trees, spanning miles in a minute without needing to catch my breath.
Amid an opening in the forest, a large lake sparkled, glittering icy blue as the mountain’s peaks came into view. I let out a misty breath and kneeled by the waterside. With cold droplets in my palms, I tipped water over my arms, washing the blood into the lake and turning the dried brown-red to liquid once more. I washed my face and got as much of it out of my hair as possible before deciding it was the best I was going to get. My clothes were still covered, but I didn’t have time to stop and find more clothes.
The closer I got to the mountains, the more anxious I got. I had no idea how Raiden was going to react. The idea sent shivers along my skin. If I had a moment to stop and think, I’d probably break down under the realization of my new reality. Overthinking was my specialty, and a flood of thoughts waited behind the dam of fear in my brain, ready to drown me. If I let them in, I wouldn’t be able to do what I needed to. Every so often I felt myself disassociate and almost ran into something, but my sharp reflexes wouldn’t let me.
After thirty minutes of searching, which had me scaling most of the mountains in the east, I found the crevice between two tall jagged rocks. A bottomless black cave led downward. I wiped the snow covering the arched entrance with my hand and trailed my fingers along the ancient symbols of Lor.
Heed warning to thy who come, for essence is all to pass.
I assumed they meant blood or the soul was the only thing that would pass, unless I was an immortal. Either way, I decided to follow Edmund’s instructions. I grabbed a nearby rock and snapped a piece off, then ran it against my hand and stared at the cut for a few seconds. I hardly felt it. I went to press my hand against it, but the cut had already healed.
“Seriously?” I sighed aloud.
I cut my hand again, shivering at the eeriness of the lack of pain, and quickly pressed my hand against the symbols before it could heal.
The symbols glowed white, and the blackness of the cave turned misty. A gray fog creeped out like hands reaching into this realm. Inhaling sharply, I extended my hand and moved slowly inside, not sure if I would be returning again.
Chapter Thirty-One
Mist followed me, snaking and hissing as I wandered through the other realm, down into the underworld. A howl reverberated along the rocky ground, taking me back to the night the demon hounds stalked us and wounded Thalia, weakening her and ultimately killing her.
Whispers crawled along my skin as I stepped off the rocky ground and climbed over a ledge and down, ankle-deep, into what appeared to be an endless creek. Scents of sulfur mixed with rotten eggs and seaweed invaded my nostrils. I scrunched my nose, wading through the creek as it deepened. Peering down, I gasped as floating heads stared back with accusing eyes. I carefully moved them out of the way, forcing back the bile that threatened to bite up my throat.
A shiver danced along my skin, spreading an ache through my muscles. I raised my tense shoulders and leaned back when I felt a breath on the side of my neck. Nausea gripped me. A slimy hand stroked my arm, slick fingers curling around my elbow.
I whipped my head around, coming face-to-face with an eyeless demon of the water. His skin was tinged the color of the moss-stricken, stagnant water around us. His white lips were paler than the faces of the floating heads. “Get away.” I dug my nails into his arm and forced him back with medium effort.
The demon’s mouth hung open, too far, with a seemingly endless jaw. “You are a god,” he hissed, his swirling black tongue slipped out like a serpent.
My gaze narrowed as I stepped back. “Yes.”
I blinked twice as he melted—literally melted—and became one with the creek. Climbing out onto the cracked ground, I stared across a crop field with a stick for an absent scarecrow. The wind cooled my skin. A blaring, crimson sunset lowered in the dark sky. My lips parted. Something rustled among the golden crops, rolling in my direction. My breath hitched as adrenaline coursed through my veins, forcing me to run. I turned quickly and watched another rustle in the crops come from the opposite direction.
The game prickled excitement along my skin. My pupils dilated, and my teeth bared. I shook my head. What the… I didn’t want to hunt them. Did I?
