Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) (15 page)

“Sorry we disturbed you,” Triton said. “I was just telling her a hotel would be better.” He pulled Nicole toward the door, anxious to get her to safety.

“No problem,” the man answered. “In fact, you may be just what we need.”

Triton pushed her in front of him as he rushed them toward the door.

“Oh, now, don’t go running off so soon,” the man behind them said.

Nicole was pulling the door open when an ear-shattering crack echoed off the stone walls. Pain stole Triton’s breath as he dropped to his knees. Nicole turned, her eyes widened as she screamed, “Ty!”

“Go,” he shouted. “Run!”

“No,” she screamed. “I won’t leave you!” She threw her arms around him and tried to pull him to his feet.

Arms clamped around him as pain shot through his chest. The men dragged him away as two other men pulled Nicole off him. “Get your filthy hands off her!” he snarled.

Nicole fought them, shouting out threats against them. Triton closed his eyes and searched for his power. He had to have some.

I’m sorry. You won’t find any.

Sypher, if you have any humanity at all, give me some of my power back.

It doesn’t work that way. Believe me; I would give my own life to help you right now. But I can’t.

Triton and Nicole were dragged into a cavern filled with cloaked men. Shouts of surprise and shock echoed off the walls.

“What is the meaning of this?” a grey-haired man in a blue cloak shouted. He was standing alone in the center of a round room rimmed with stone benches, three levels high, and packed with people.

“These two were found wandering the tunnel,” the man who’d captured them said as he held Nicole, who squirmed in his tight grip.

“It’s a sign from the gods!” a man shouted from the crowd. “They want a sacrifice! We should kill the woman!”

A young man stood looking desperately around at all the faces. “No! What are we? Are we servants of the gods, or a raving mob? How do we know they weren’t sent to us? How do you think the gods will react if we kill their messengers?”

“Baccus is right,” the blue-cloaked man said. “We need to find out who these two are before we decide what to do with them.”

“And if we find they are not messengers?” a middle-aged man with long, black hair streaked with grey stood up. “Hector, will you be willing to take the next step?”

All eyes were on the old man, who sighed—resigned. “Yes.”

Most of the people looked happy with that answer. That was not encouraging. Triton turned to Nicole and willed her to look at him. She was too engrossed with the crowd around her to pay attention. She looked terrified. He hoped she would stick to their original plan and try to convince them who they were.

The dark-haired man stepped forward. “I volunteer to question the woman.”

Hector frowned, but he nodded and said, “And I will question the man. But, Rasmus…” He paused as if to gauge his words. “She’s not to be harmed. If she
is
to become a sacrifice, she must be unblemished.”

Triton knew they would be separated, but knowing it didn’t make it any less painful. Nicole screamed, kicked, and cursed at her captors as they led her away. Triton wanted to fight too, but he was having a hard enough time staying conscious as it was. He didn’t want to lose a moment. He needed to communicate with the leader before the other, more radical members decided to take matters in their own hands.

Triton frowned, pulling at the chains around his wrists. The human fools chained him to a stone wall in a dungeon. The room was empty, except for a ragged cot and an old, rickety table. Hector hefted a bowl of brown water onto the table, pulled a dripping rag from the fluid, and rung it out.

“That water is filthy,” Triton said.

“It’s not filthy; it’s infused with herbs.”

Hector ripped open Triton’s shirt and slopped the rag over his wound. The pain took his breath away. It hurt worse than when he actually got shot. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth as Hector thoroughly cleaned the injury. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Hector placed the rag in the bowl and towel dried his hands.

“How about we start off with an easy question,” the human said, dropping the towel on the table. “What’s your name?”

Easy question? That was a loaded question. The man just didn’t know it. Still, Triton stuck to his plan to tell the truth.

“My name is Triton, king of the Atlantic and guardian of the sea.”

The man frowned, his eyes colored with worry. “Do you
want
to die?”

“I can’t die. At least, I don’t think I can. My powers are being siphoned from me, so death
may
be possible.”

No, death is not possible—at least not by human hands.

Good to know.

Now, being thrust down to Tartarus and left forever in a pit, that is possible.

I really hate you, Sypher.

Hector shook his head in disbelief. “You are making unbelievable claims.”

“Unbelievable! You don’t believe in the gods?”

“I believe in them alright. I just don’t think you
are
one. You look like you’re about to pass out from pain and loss of blood. A sea-god should have been able to handle a gunshot without any problem.”

“Are you deaf? I told you my powers are being siphoned. I’m weak and powerless. I came here for your help.”

“How did you find us?”

“I’ve been here several times before.”

“I’ve been a member of the Pelagi for fifty years.
I’ve
never seen you.”

“The last time I visited was two hundred and sixty-five years ago.”

“What was the name of our leader?”

Without missing a beat, Triton answered, “His name was Euphemios, and he was a pompous know-it-all.”

Hector’s eyes widened before he relaxed. “You had me there. I’m sure you memorized that answer. How about giving me the name of our leader three hundred and… seventy-two years ago?”

“Hades, I don’t know. I don’t visit often. I have much more important things to do than entertain a bunch of human worshipers.”

“So, you don’t watch us from below?”

“Of course not.”

“You’re not being very convincing. You think a bit of arrogance and conceit would convince me you are a god? You’re wrong. I happen to know the sea-gods are well aware of what we do. They bless us with safety, security, and power over our enemies.”

Triton’s jaw dropped. These people were delusional. The sea-gods didn’t give humans a second thought, except for the rare occasions—when the humans stuck their noses where they didn’t belong. Usually, that ended with a dead human.

“And what have you done to gain our affections?” Triton asked. “You pollute our seas, you kill our sea creatures, and you have the galling notion that you are the center of the universe. You are nothing but ignorant plankton in a sea of intelligent beings.”

“You… you’re wrong. We Pelagi dedicate our lives to serving Poseidon. Surely, he is mindful of us?”

Triton laughed. “My father? He’s only mindful of two things, the sea and himself. He couldn’t care less about humans.”

“You’re a liar… or a fool. We’ll see if you change your tune after a night chained here in this room.”

Hector taped a bandage over the wound and turned to leave.

“Human!” Triton pulled on his chains.

Hector turned back.

“I can’t reach the cot.”

“I know.”

“What about Nicole? I trust that you’re treating a woman better than you’re treating me. She’d better be well cared for.”

“And if she isn’t?” Hector raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Triton narrowed his eyes. “Then I will grant each of you immortality.”

Confusion flashed across Hector’s face, and he barked out a laugh, “Why would you do that? Immortality is a gift, not a curse.”

“For the Pelagi, it would be a curse. For after I grant you immortality, I will chain each of you to the walls of this dungeon and leave you to suffer for all eternity. I’d imagine after the first week, your stomach will scream for food and your lips will crack and bleed from lack of moisture. You can’t imagine the desperation you’ll feel to have even a drop of water touch your tongue.

“But that’s not the worst of it. I’ve seen a few rats around here. Do you know what will happen to you when the rats realize you are helpless to defend against them?”

Hector frowned.

“They’ll begin to eat you. They’ll start with your toes, stripping them down to the bones. Then they will climb up your body, biting away chunks of flesh along the way. I imagine the thing they will enjoy most will be your moist, juicy eyes: eating away at them until they are nothing but empty, bloody sockets. You will feel each bite slice through your skin, each tug as they pull at the muscle and wrench the tendons away from your bones. Your suffering will be tremendous, but you will be helpless to stop them. And then, once they’ve had their fill, the rats may leave for a time. As an immortal, your flesh will re-grow. The pain of your open wounds will fade; you will be whole once more—until the rats come to feed again.

“And again. And again.”

Hector’s face drained of color. Horror reflected in his eyes.

“Think on this as you decide how to treat the woman I love.”

Hector’s skin took on a green pallor, and he fled out the door. If there was one thing Triton learned over the years, it was how to instill fear in those who threatened the ones he loved. Hector better hope he was fearful enough to make sure Nicole didn’t suffer this night or any other night, or they would learn what it meant to incur the wrath of a god.

***

Nicole was led down a dark tunnel to an open room. Firelight flickered against the stone walls, coming from an immense fireplace standing against the far side of the room. The scent of burning olive wood hung in the air. There was a round, burgundy rug covering most of the stone floor. It looked old and worn, but of high quality. In the center of the rug stood a bed adorned with fine linen. She was shoved into the room and stumbled, falling to the floor.

“Stupid, brainless idiot!” she screeched and glared at the man. Rasmus stood above her. “You’re going to regret what you do,” she said.

Locking the door, he turned toward her, smirking. He knelt down nose to nose with her. “I’ve never regretted anything I’ve ever done.”

Nicole scoffed. “You’re not only brainless, you’re a liar. Everyone regrets something. And from the looks of you, you have reason to regret more than most. I mean, that overbite of yours is atrocious! You
have
to regret not seeing an orthodontist. “

He raised his hand, preparing to strike.

She glared at him—daring him to follow through on his threat. “Remember what the great Hector said. You can’t put a mark on me.” She stood and dusted herself off. “Now, I’m ready to answer your questions.”

He grabbed her arm and roughly shoved her onto the bed. “I’ll question you when I’m good and ready. Right now, I have something much more enjoyable in mind.”

Her eyes lit with fury as she prepared to claw his eyes out. “You do, and I’ll see you skinned alive and dropped in lye,” she hissed and stood back up.

“Right,” Rasmus said. “And who’s going to do the skinning. You?”

“Gladly.”

“You’ve got a big mouth for someone completely at my mercy.”

“I’m not at your mercy. You can’t even lay a hand on me.”

A wicked grin spread across his face. “I can hurt you without putting a mark on you.”

“Oh really?”

He stepped toward her, causing her to stumble back onto the bed. The glint in his eye unnerved her. There was no crack in his confidence. This man was not bluffing.

He gently took her arm. She was preparing to slap him when he jabbed his thumb into her bicep. Blinding pain shot through her. She screamed as the agony continued. It seemed like forever before he let go. She sagged in relief as the pain subsided. She wanted to cry, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she lifted her chin and glared. A telltale tear leaked down her cheek.

“Nerves are a beautiful thing, aren’t they?” he asked. “They can cause an insane amount of pain, but they leave no permanent damage. Or mark. The nerve I squeezed is called the radial nerve. There are many more nerves in the human body. I’ll be happy to show you each of them, one by one.

“However, that can wait. I’m ready to ask you my questions.” He leaned forward, his rancid breath brushing her face as he spoke. “And you, my dear, will answer them truthfully.”

“You know what?” Nicole said, straightening up. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to answer a single question.”

His eyes sparkled as he said, “Oh really?”

“Yes, really.”

This time, she knew what was coming as he grabbed her leg and dug his fingers into her inner thigh. This pain was even greater as she clenched her teeth together and forced herself not to cry out. Tears sprung up and spilled down her cheek, but she didn’t make a sound. She did, however, feel sick.
It’d serve him right if I threw up all over him.

A half an hour later, she did vomit. But by that time, she didn’t care where it fell. She was too sick and delirious from pain.

It was a point of pride that he didn’t get a single answer from her, though.

“You insufferable woman. You could give lessons to the Pelagi on how to withstand interrogations.”

Through a haze of lingering pain, she saw him wipe vomit off his cloak. She would have smiled at the sight if she weren’t still in agony. At first, the pain would leave when he let go. But after a dozen or so times, the pain began to linger. And then it radiated. Now she was one large bundle of raw nerves, lying on a vomit-soaked bed. Her whole body throbbed in pain with the beating of her heart, and she was passing in and out of consciousness.

Someone pounded at the door, and then there were angry words. Rasmus assured someone that he was causing no permanent damage. He actually said she was fine.

Right, I’m far from fine.

Minutes later, Rasmus’ face came into focus. He was laughing. “You reek. Are you ready to answer my questions, or should we start again?”

“I’m ready to answer
one
question,” her voice rasped, barely audible.