Daughter of Chaos (27 page)

That room was darker; evidently, Hades’ architect had only felt like installing one skylight. Squinting, I waited while my eyes adjusted to the dim light, but the room didn’t look very interesting. There wasn’t much in it, just a full-length mirror in an ornate wooden frame, and a simple square table. The surface of the table was empty, but something on the floor caught my eye. It was blurry, but I could just make out the smudged outline of a white circle in the center of the floor. I didn’t walk near the circle; I recognized a magical workspace when I saw one, and I didn’t know what kind of protections Persephone might have left in place. Crossing the room carefully, I passed through another doorway.

The third room had an odd, bluish light. It took me a minute to realize that instead of a skylight, this room boasted a wall of glass looking out over a river. I assumed it must be the Styx, but the part that flowed beneath Persephone’s chamber looked nothing like the inky water that had brought me to Hades. Here, the river was crystal clear, and the banks were awash with color. At first, I thought the colors were flowers, blossoming impossibly underground, but then a sparkle caught my eye. The banks of the river were lined with piles of gemstones, like the ones in the walls of Hades’ throne room.

As I stared at the gems in amazement, a figure caught my eye. I couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman, but whoever it was looked too frail to be pushing such a large wheelbarrow. The figure stopped at the bank, overturned the wheelbarrow, and moved off. As it moved, it flickered like a dying lightbulb, and I wondered if I had just spotted one of the dead. I made a mental note to ask Hades about the worker with the wheelbarrow, then turned to continue my explorations.

There was a low, arched doorway leading out of the room, and I had to duck to avoid hitting my head. The cavern I now found myself in was almost perfectly circular, and the walls sparkled with veins of gold. I stood in the center of the room and turned in a slow circle, marveling at the wealth that surrounded me. The room didn’t have any furniture, but rich red pillows covered the floor invitingly. Feeling my shoulders relax for the first time in weeks, I sank to the floor and curled up like a cat on the cushions. I was asleep almost instantly.

I don’t know how long I slept, but when I finally woke up, I had a disorienting moment of fear. I couldn’t remember anything for an instant: not where I was, not even who I was. The sensation passed almost instantly, and I wondered if I’d imagined it. Maybe the Underworld was playing tricks with my memory. I shook myself and stood up. The room was dark, but every so often the gold in the walls would reflect a shimmer of light from the adjoining room. Remembering the view of the river, I went back to the window in that room.

The gems that had been piled haphazardly when I first arrived were now arranged into beautiful patterns. Hypnotic swirls of rubies skirted around geometric patches of sapphires, and I stared, transfixed. It was like a sand painting or a mosaic made from precious stones. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Do you think she will like it?” Hades spoke from behind me, and I jumped, startled. He hesitated in the doorway between the magic room and this one, and I looked at him curiously.

“Who?” I asked dumbly.

He sighed, still lingering at the entrance to the room. “Persephone.”

I looked out the window again. “It’s amazing.”

“But will it please her?” he asked anxiously.

I didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know her that well. I mean, I just met her when I declared—” I broke off.

His face fell, and I felt like I had just told a child that he would never get a puppy. I took a few steps toward him, trying to think of something to say.

When I moved, his eyes refocused and the vulnerability I thought I had seen was gone instantly, replaced by his imposing, immovable mask. “How do you find your accommodations?”

I crossed my arms. “Fine. But I still don’t know what I should do here.”

“Use the golden room for sleep, as I see you already have.” I self-consciously ran my hand through my hair, trying to imagine what I must look like. “For magic, work in this space.” He gestured to the room behind him.

“Um,” I interjected, “not to be rude, but isn’t that her workspace? Witches don’t usually share their magic with anyone.”

“She is not here to decide, but since she sent you to me, I will decide for her. You will practice your Red craft there. Maybe,” he added, “your own work will be aided because it is her workspace.”

I nodded. Persephone was a goddess of Red magic, and that room was sure to retain some residual energy from whatever spells she had cast. Still, I was nervous about invading her space; it already felt weird enough to be hanging out in her home with her husband. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind. “What magic should I do?”

He looked at me hard. “You want to find balance. Start practicing.”

“But I don’t even have an idea of where to start!”

“Little Witch, you told me yourself that Red magic brings chaos and destruction. Have you any idea of the realm your powers will affect?”

Thinking back to the map in Demeter’s cottage, I nodded slowly.

Hades bared his teeth in a grin. “Good. Focus your efforts on effecting change in that region.”

“But it’s huge! What do I focus on?”

Hades sighed. “I cannot tell you how to do this, but I can tell you that I am expecting many new souls very soon. As we speak, the ground is quaking in a small yet mighty island. The tremors even rattle the red sun.” He opened his eyes wide, as if he was trying to communicate something to me without speaking, but I just stared at him in confusion. Was he talking about an earthquake? Would I be able to stop it like I’d stopped the hurricane? But where was it?

Hades saw my confusion and sighed. Without another word, he turned and left the cavern. I heard the outer door close behind him and I let out a groan of frustration.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do anything if no one will really help me!” My words filled the empty room, and I felt foolish for having spoken. Nervously, I crossed into the workspace. For a minute, I lingered at the edge of the circle, but I didn’t feel any warning zaps of magic, so I crossed the line. Nothing happened, and I exhaled in relief. Maybe Persephone hadn’t bothered to ward her space, since no one but her would ever wander into the Underworld. But I was there now, and I couldn’t let the opportunity to work without distraction go to waste.

I sat down on the floor in the center of the white circle and tried to focus. There wasn’t much in the room to distract me, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the mirror. Seated on the floor as I was, I could see my full reflection just two feet away from me. I looked awful.

While I was studying the dark circles under my eyes, I started to feel dizzy. My image in the mirror grew fuzzy and doubled. I leaned closer, and, with a shock, I realized that there were two figures reflected in the mirror. I turned quickly to look over my shoulder, but the room was empty. When I looked back, my own image was completely gone, replaced by a woman in a long, white kimono. She glowed as if lit from within, and I realized that she must be a goddess. I had thought I would be safe here; had Hades set me up?

“Who are you?” I whispered, frantically trying to draw on enough energy to protect myself if needed.

The beautiful woman shook her head sadly. “I should have known you would not know me. You are too fond of the Greek gods, Darlena, and you have ignored the rest of us.”

She spread her arms out, palms up, and nodded her head deeply. Her formal bow tugged at my memory, and I nodded back, wary; although her actions seemed to indicate she would do me no harm, I had learned the hard way not to trust the gods.

“I am Amaterasu, keeper of the noonday sun, and throne mother to the nation of Japan.”

“Japan!” I blurted. “That must be what Hades meant.”

Amaterasu nodded, her face weary and lined with trouble. “He knows that my people are suffering. But they are also your people, Darlena.”

I stared at her in confusion. How could the people of Japan have anything to do with me? Then I remembered the map in Demeter’s house where I had traced the boundaries of my power. Japan lay within my control. They were my people; I was their Red Witch. I squared my shoulders. “What can I do?”

“You cannot stop the quake, for the first rumbles have already subsided. But you must stop the Black magic at work in my land!”

“But I don’t understand!”

“Earthquakes are a part of life to my people. They do not expect to live without seeing a dozen. They have learned, though, to build homes that are strong. They have many systems in place to ensure the safety of as many people as possible, no matter what the rolling earth may do to them. But,” she wailed, her eyes brimming with tears, “some Black force has been at work in my land. The houses that should withstand a century of abuse are falling like children’s toys at the first tremor.”

Could this possibly be the work of Rochelle? I shuddered, thinking about the damage a normal earthquake could cause. How much worse would it be if magic played a role?

“You are the only one who can abate the chaos. The quake will happen, for it has already begun, but what magnitude it will be rests in your hands. Without you, I fear this disaster will topple my nation into the sea once and for all.”

Shaking, I drew a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can do anything. But I’ll try.”

A sad smile filled Amaterasu’s face before she faded from the mirror. It was empty for a moment, and then I was once again staring at my own reflection.

“So,” I said to myself, “Rochelle thinks she can control chaos. She’s not a Red Witch yet, and she won’t be. Not if I can help it.” Closing my eyes, I opened myself to the anger I felt at Rochelle’s betrayal. How dare she meddle with the lands under my control? Even though I’d never thought about Japan before, I was filled with a fierce protectiveness at the thought of Rochelle harming anyone within my third of the world. I felt my hands tingling with power, and Red sparks filled the air.

I lifted my hands in front of me and began to shape the power into a sphere between my hands. Swirling Red sparks became visible as I moved my hands faster and faster. When I could clearly see the red ball, I stilled for a moment, just holding it and feeling it pulse with energy. The energy was angry, vengeful, and dangerous, and I suddenly knew that this would only make the quake worse. What was I thinking?

I looked around the room, searching for a place to dispose of the energy ball I had created, but I realized I was stuck with it. Exhaling in frustration, I held the ball, trying to shift my focus from Rochelle. I thought of my parents, and Justin, and slowly the ball began to grow warm. It wasn’t sparking anymore, but it was glowing with a steady light. Now it looked more like a pink flower. Had I calmed it down? It certainly looked less dangerous, and I hoped it was strong enough to do what I wanted.

I didn’t have time to try and figure out if I was doing this right. Cupping the sphere gently in my hands, I lowered it to the earth floor of the cave. I hesitated for a moment, trying to fill my mind with the image of the Japanese goddess, hoping that focusing on her would help me direct the energy to her island. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the glowing ball into the ground until it disappeared completely. I held my hands there, pressed to the ground, counting slowly. I didn’t know how long the spell might take, so I stayed there until my count reached three hundred.

Hesitantly, I lifted my hands. The room was absolutely still. I glanced once more at the mirror, but all I saw was my own tired face. Whatever I had done, I hoped it wouldn’t bring more harm. I was trying so hard to use Red magic for good, but I felt lost. There was no one to guide me, and I knew that guessing in magic could sometimes be as dangerous as malicious intent.

“Please, let it be enough,” I whispered to my ragged reflection.

I didn’t know how long I’d have to wait to see if my spell had any effect, but I didn’t want to wait locked in Persephone’s rooms. Nervously, I headed into the corridor and turned in the direction opposite the throne room. The passage soon widened and I found myself once again walking along the River Styx, but this time I was far from alone.

Across the water, I could make out the forms of hundreds of people—but just barely. I squinted, but they looked wispy. They reminded me of the figure I’d seen with the wheelbarrow, and, up close, my thoughts were confirmed: I was looking at the dead. I stood for a moment, staring at them in shock.
Is this what happens after death? We just become wispy spirits, like smoke?
I shuddered at the thought.

While I stood there, some of the dead noticed me and began to move closer to the bank of the river. Not all of them came forward, but two dozen or so did. Entranced, I moved closer, too, ending with my feet just inches away from the river. We studied each other. I saw old faces and young faces, and as I peered at the dead, my heart dropped out of my chest.

Directly across the river from me was a young boy. His features were blurry, but I was absolutely certain that it was Dennis.