Bright Fire (Bright Fire Series Book 1) (17 page)

Chapter

42

The palace looks like something out of a fairytale, complete with sky-high turrets and all. I half expect to see a long rope of blonde hair come tumbling out of the tallest one. The sky is no longer muddy brown, but instead it is the night sky with millions of stars. 

I step toward the gate. It stands at least fifteen feet high and is
actually
made out of diamonds. Every inch of its surface glittering like the night sky above. 

Alec runs his fingers along one of the spiral-shaped rods. "How do we get in?" He tries to push it open with no luck. "It was worth a shot. You try." 

I hesitantly reach my hand forward and graze the lock in the center. It looks like one of those older locks that use a skeleton key. I close my eyes again, visualizing the gate unlocking and I hear a small click. I look over at Alec, who is staring, wide-eyed at me. "Stop looking at me like I'm a freak." 

"I’m not. I think it’s kind of badass." 

"Focus. Where do we go from here?" 

He points to the left. "That way. The door to the dungeon should be right around that corner." 

I slowly open the gate grateful it doesn’t squeak and give us away. The courtyard is immaculate with stone walkways and bushes that look like works of art. In the center is a four-tiered fountain with flowing water that reflects the moonlight. I stare in awe. "Did you ever think the Underworld looked like this?" 

"No. I have got to get me a place like this." 

"Come on," I say walking along the fenced perimeter. The darkness and the bushes provide excellent cover. "I feel like I am in the movie Mission Impossible." 

"If only this were a movie." 

"Yeah," I mutter. We round the corner of the mansion and run from the fence to the wall. We walk along the edge, and I almost trip over a door leading into the ground. The dungeon. I pull on the door and luckily it isn’t locked. I look at Alec, and he goes ahead of me. I look behind me to be sure no one is following and then step down the stairs. I close the door behind me softly.

~~~~

It
takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness of the tunnel. We step slowly down the stairs; trying to make as little noise as possible. Alec turns to me.

"Hermes said we need to head down this corridor and to the left."

I nod and continue down the long corridor. There is a musty smell in the air, and I am trying to hold down the panic rising in my throat. I’m not afraid of the dark or enclosed spaces, but the underbelly of the palace is beyond eerie. We stop at the end of the corridor and Alec peers around the corner.

"It’s clear. The dungeon should be right around the next corner, and I don’t doubt there is a guard so we will need to be stealthy if we don’t want to alarm the whole palace.”

My heart is going a thousand miles a minute with each step we take. I can hear someone humming up ahead; confirming Alec’s theory about a guard. We tiptoe the last few feet before the corridor turns to the right. Alec stops for a beat and then whips around the corner as fast as lighting and strikes the guard at the base of his skull. It’s both awe inspiring and scary the way he moves with such precision.

"Is he dead?"

He shakes his head. “I try not to kill unless I have to."

I let out a slow breath and turn towards to large wooden door in front of me. I grab the handle; it’s locked. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I mean this
is
a dungeon after all.

"Do you think he has keys on him?"

"Let’s hope so." He rummages through the guard's pocket and finds a set of keys.

"How do we know which one is the right one?" We don’t have time for this.

"We are just going to have to try each one until we get the right one."

There are at least ten keys on a ring. They all look old and rusty; each with an intricate design on the end. Alec tries a key with no success. He tries another and then another, and when he puts the fourth key into the hole I hear a click.

Before he can open the door I grab his arm. “Do you think there is another guard on the other side?"

"There is only one way to find out." Slowly he opens the door. No one comes running so I guess there isn’t anyone on the other side.

With the door fully open, I peer inside. My heart sinks at what I see. Class is lying there on the floor. She has a black eye and cuts all over her body. Please let her be sleeping, I silently pray. Alec and I run to her, and he starts feeling for a pulse.

He nods and I instantly feel better. I brush her hair out of her face and gently shake her. "Cass, wake up. Come on we have to go."

She barely stirs, so I shake her a little harder. Suddenly, her eyes fly open, and she starts flailing about like she’s having a seizure. "Shhh, Cass, it’s us. Calm down. We are here to get you out, but you have to calm down."

She stops moving and looks at me. She throws her arms around me and buries her face in my shoulder. She starts crying, and I push her away to look at her face. "Cass, it’s alright, but we have to move, we don’t have much time. We have to get to Persephone before Hades realizes we are here. Can you move?"

She moves her arms and legs as if she is testing them out and nods. "I think so. How did you get here?"

Alec says, “Hermes helped us. It wasn’t easy, and I don’t particularly want to do it again, so we should hurry."

I give him a pointed look. I know we are in a hurry, but he could be a little more sensitive. I help Cass up and guide her toward the door. She is weaker than she thought; Alec and I both have to hold her up as we walk.

He looks at me. “The entrance to the kitchen area of the castle is that way. I have no idea where to go from there so we will have to just wing it."

Great.

Chapter

43

We open another door and end up in an empty kitchen. I guide Cass to a chair. "OK, so now we need to figure out where Persephone is in this ginormous palace. Any ideas?"

Cass replies in a weak voice, "Actually, there might be a way for you to tap into her location. I’m not sure if it will work, but there is a link between you both that might allow you to sense where she is."

"And how do I do that?"

"You need to close your eyes and concentrate on finding her. Focus on that thought with all you have."

"OK then, here goes." I close my eyes and silently chant, Where is Persephone? I feel utterly stupid. "I don’t feel anything."

"You need to be patient and focus." She puts her hand on mine.

I try again; this time focusing all of my attention on her location. I start to feel a weird tingling sensation all over my body. The feeling that usually means I am on the right track. I open my eyes and start walking towards the door at the other end of the kitchen.

Alec grabs my hand. “Get behind me. We don’t know what is behind that door." He slowly peeks his head out. "OK, it’s clear."

We enter into a huge foyer that could probably fit my whole house. There are two staircases that curve outward and meet in the middle at the top. "Woah."

"Yeah, I know, where to next?" Alec is on full alert mode as he darts his eyes around the foyer.

I close my eyes again and concentrate. "Up the stairs."

The walk up the stairs feels like it is a mile long. At the top, I turn down the left hallway. The tingling in my chest is getting stronger the further down the hall we get. It’s like there is a string pulling me along the hallway. I stop in front of the fifth door on the right and stare at it. I take a deep breath and pray I am right, and Persephone is on the other side instead of someone else.

I open the door, and she is standing there by the fire. I pause for a beat, and I feel Alec gently nudge me forward. My throat is dry. "Persephone?" It comes out as a question even though I know it is her. I have dreamt of her enough to know what she looks like now. I am a little nervous, given the last dream was not a very pleasant one.

She whirls around eyes wide with fear. I step toward her to explain, but she cuts me off.

She is shaking. "Why did you come here Delfia? I told you to stay away."

My face is red with both chagrin and anger. "I came because Hades took Cass, and I will not leave her behind." An emotion crosses her face and is gone in an instant. It looked like pain, but it was too quick to tell.

"You shouldn’t have come here; not even for Cass."

"I’m sorry, but I prefer not to abandon my family." I know it is hateful to say it, but I don’t care. I love my parents, but it doesn’t dismiss the fact that she abandoned me.

“It’s not like that. I was trying to protect you. You need to leave, now."

"I know, but you’re coming with us."

I hear Cass give a small whimper, and I turn to see what is happening. A scream escapes as soon as I see Cerberus and Cela. Cerberus has a knife to Alec’s throat, and Cela has Cass in a chokehold-like grip. How did they get here?

"You aren’t going anywhere, Delfia."

Chapter

44

My blood feels ice cold in my veins. I slowly turn toward the voice. The man is handsome and not at all what you would expect the king of the Underworld to look like. He looks like a CEO of a large company or something.

I try to ignore some of the resemblances to myself as he slowly walks towards me. He stops in front of me, and I am trying hard not to flinch away as he brushes a finger down my cheek.

"Hello, my darling Delfia." He croons at me like I am a toddler.

"Don’t touch her!" Alec yells at him, and I hear him grunt in pain.

"I’m not going to hurt her,
guardian
." He starts toward Alec, and I instinctively try to distract him to keep him focused on me.

"You have me here, now what do you want?"

"Isn’t it obvious? I want to get to know my little girl, of course. You see, I never got the chance because
someone
felt the need to take you away from me." He glowers at Persephone. "Nevertheless, you’re here now. We can finally have a chance to be together."

I’m not buying this innocent daddy crap for one second. I work to keep my face as passive as possible. “Save me the sympathy for the Devil crap. I know you wanted me dead. Well, I am here. Do what you have to, but you
will
let my friends go."

He looks at me with a bemused expression on his face. "Feisty, aren’t we? I know you may see me as the Devil in your story, but I promise you I am not. I did not want you dead."

"Then explain to me why your minions killed my parents and why they tried to kill me!" My hands involuntarily ball up into fists, and I work hard not to deck him in the face.

His face contorts in rage, and I know I have said the wrong thing. "Those people were not your parents!" He turns to Cerberus and Cela. "I will deal with you two later."

Out of the corner of my eye I see them cowering under the threat in his voice. I feel a hint of satisfaction and shove it down. I need to assess the situation and come up with a plan. Is Lyla held captive too? Will I be able to save her if she is? "How did you know we were here?"

He grins. “I have eyes and ears all over the place. Ascalaphus is only one of my many eyes and ears around the palace.” A small rat-like man steps out from the shadows. He is smiling. He has brown crooked teeth and is hunched over like he is permanently stuck in a bowing position. ”Did you really think a simple harp and a ditzy girl would fool me?"

I pin my hands to my side so I don’t slap him. I need to know if she is OK. I put on a straight face again and hope my bluffing works, ”How ditzy can she be if she got away from you?"

"Trust me, I would have gotten to her if it weren’t for that insect Hermes."

I let out a small sigh of relief. Lyla is safe. Now I just need to figure out how to get the rest of us out of this mess. I can’t get to the weapons because they are in the bag over Alec’s shoulder. So much for being prepared. The realization that I might not be able to save all of us hasn’t escaped me, but I am trying not to focus on that right now. I don’t believe for a second that this is just meant to be a simple, yet dysfunctional, family reunion. He has something up his sleeve.

"Delfia, won’t you consider staying here with your mother and me. We could be a real family."

My eyes fly up to his. I scrutinize his face for a second and narrow my eyes. “You want me to believe I have a choice in the matter?"

"Like I said I am not the monster in this story."

"And if I choose to leave?"

"You may do so, but Persephone stays here."

Crap.
How am I going to get everyone out of here in one piece? Will he really let the three of us go? "Why?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Uh no.
I stare blankly at him waiting for him to continue.

He rolls his eyes; clearly exasperated at my lack of catching on. "I love her."

"Yeah and I am the Queen of England. Love doesn’t mean you trap someone in the Underworld for eternity." I am seriously beginning to think this man is delusional.

"It was the only way I could keep her with me."

"Because
that’s
healthy," I mutter.

"Enough of this," Alec spits out, "Dell, I know you want to save her, but I think it’s time to leave. Now." In my head he whispers,
we will try again I promise but we need to leave. I will try to take out these two while you make a run for it.

I channel back;
I can’t leave her here; we won’t get another chance.

No
, he replies firmly.
We do not have that option. Grab Cass and run as fast as you can on my count. 1…2… NOW!

I turn quickly on my heels and run to Cass and Cela. I pull back and punch her square in the nose as hard as I can. She instantly drops Cass, and I lift her up. "Come on, we are leaving." I throw one last glance at Persephone, and she looks almost relieved. She nods her head, silently telling me she understands, and I run for the door.