The Fires of Tartarus Read online

  I wished I could find a way to make it sound less hurtful to him but maybe it was for the best. Corvus would be back soon and when - I refused to contemplate that it was uncertain - when he was back to normal, if he thought there had been anything between me and Lucas ... My blood ran cold.

  “I'll try and ... keep a lid on it,” he said with an attempt at a smile.

  “Thanks,” I said, doing my best to return it.

  He hesitated and came to sit beside me. “Jéhenne, won't you change your mind about taking me with you? You need me. It's my job to protect you.”

  I nodded, this at least I was prepared for. After our row I'd thought about what I should have said to him and hoped he'd accept it this time. “You're right, Lucas. I do need you to protect me. But I need you to do that here.” I put my hand out to stop him interrupting me. “If Dis Pater breaches the gates my body will be here. I need you to keep me safe. All the time Corvus is in the Underworld like this his soul is that of a human. His powers were stripped when he died and if you think Cain, Inés, and I can't handle one human male, mad or not, then frankly I'm insulted. But the moment we get Corvus back through the gates he'll be a vampire again. I'll need you ready and waiting to get those cuffs on him before he hurts anyone.”

  “It's not just Corvus who will be there, though, is it, Jéhenne?” he demanded.

  “We won't enter Tartarus until daylight when it's safer. It will be fine,” I replied with serene confidence, at least I hoped it had sounded that way. In truth I was worried sick but there was no other way.

  He folded his arms and glared at me, eyes narrowed. “And Hekatê?”

  I swallowed. This was harder. “There's no reason to suppose Hekatê will even know I'm there.” I glanced up at him to see the derision in his eyes. “Look I ... I have an idea about what to do if I have to but ...” I sighed and reached over, taking his hand. “Please, Lucas, will you trust me? I'm Master of this family, and I won't see them hurt. But if anything does happen to me they're going to need you. You have to stay here, and I have to do this. You do see?” I squeezed his hand, and he huffed.

  “Damn you,” he cursed.

  “Was that acceptance?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

  He glowered at me. “You're the boss,” he grumbled. “But if anything happens to you ...”

  “I'll be careful, I promise.”

  He shook his head. “You'd better be because otherwise I'll find you and kill you again, OK?”

  “Deal,” I said with a grin.

  He snorted and shook his head. “Now damn well shut up and take your medicine like a good girl.”

  I chuckled, my mouth watering in anticipation as he bit into his already-healed wrist again and offered me his blood. “Anything you say, Lucas.”

  ***

  Aradia arranged us with the cold authority of one who expected complete obedience with immediate effect. As a family, obedience wasn't something we excelled at, even at the best of times. This was far from the best of times and the fact that the demands were issued by a snarky twelve year old wasn't improving anyone's temper. The fact the twelve year old had seen the dawn of two millennia didn't seem to matter.

  Inés' fists were clenched, and I could feel the effort it was taking not to allow Aradia the satisfaction of seeing flames creeping up her wrists.

  “It was your idea,” Cain hissed at her, which made me giggle and earned Cain a scowl. I swallowed and tried not to laugh. Laughing at inappropriate moments was a problem for me when under stress, and I felt a bubble of hysteria growing. I took a deep breath and exhaled ... slowly.

  I simply couldn't believe we were finally doing this. After everything we had been through, we were finally going to get Corvus back. I was really going to see him again. My heart swelled at the idea. I had been practically bouncing on the spot for the last forty five minutes to Aradia's intense disapproval, as she tried to get everything ready for us. I looked over at Rodney who gave me an encouraging smile. He'd wished me luck earlier while no one was around to see us both snivelling. Guillaume stood beside him and gave me a thumbs up before returning to glower silently at anyone who looked like they might be about to bother me with pointless questions. That didn't include my brother.

  “Jéhenne?” I looked up as Cain approached me. “We're ready for you.”

  I took a breath, excitement and terror waging a fierce war in my chest as my heart beat far too fast. I nodded, hoping I looked calm at least and approached the fireplace.

  Magic prickled my skin as Cain touched the smooth marble and the ward lifted with a shower of yellow and green sparks as a rumble began from deep in the Château. He was the gatekeeper now, since Corvus gave him the power before he had left us. Moments later the fireplace began to move upwards, revealing a dark opening in the wall.

  The plan was simple enough in theory. I would breach the ward that Cain had set with his help and approach the gates. As I still held the Key to Erebus the gate would awaken as I got close, the souls of the departed crying out as they sensed the power I wielded grow near. This would give Dis Pater the impression that we were trying to enter the Underworld and draw him to the gates. The problem being that, for me, Lucas and Dimitri to pass through Cain's ward, he would have to weaken it.

  My body would remain close by the gate, guarded by Lucas and Dimitri who would have the cuffs ready for our return. I was wearing the moonstone ring into which Cain had forced a small piece of my soul. This would, hopefully, convince the bastard that I was still at the gates, when in fact I would enter the Underworld by effectively ‘dying’ or taking a spiritual journey during which my soul left my body. I had done this once before with Sariel's help when Corvus had wanted me to remember our past lives together.

  Assuming we managed to get into Tartarus and get Corvus, the next issue would be that Corvus had to pass through the gates to return to this world. So at the last minute I would need to let Dis Pater know I was actually in Tartarus and hope that I could get back to the gates before he caught up with me. We had a number of tricks planned to confuse him but ... No one was pretending it was going to be a walk in the park. There was a very high chance that I wouldn't get Corvus and would end up in Dis Pater's hands. Corvus had sacrificed himself to prevent this very eventuality so ... Well, I wouldn't let it happen. No matter what I had to do.

  I looked around as the door opened and smiled as Heloïse came in. Inés' sister had been fiercely against this. She had lost her husband many years ago and had only just reconnected with Inés and met me for the first time and was terrified she was going to lose almost her entire family in one fell swoop. She had tried everything to dissuade me from going ahead and it had resulted in the most almighty row between her and Inés, who for once had been on my side. We hadn't spoken to or heard from her in weeks.

  She came over and kissed me, giving me a hug.

  “I couldn't stay away,” she said, her eyes glittering.

  I smiled at her. “I'm so glad you came.”

  I felt her squeeze my hand. “Good luck,” she whispered, looking sick with worry. She moved closer and grasped my shoulders. “I will be here if ... If you need me ... if you want me to be that is?” She looked anxious, unsure of whether Inés was about to throw her out or not. “Of course I want you here, we all do. Don't we, Inés?”

  Inés looked like she'd swallowed a bad egg but to her credit she nodded. “Oui,” she managed with a tight smile. Heloïse smiled with relief.

  “Take care, Inés, I--I would hate to ...” She stopped, and Inés sighed. She crossed the room and gave Heloïse a fierce hug.

  “Stop blubbering for the love of the gods,” she said, sounding frustrated. “You know I'm far too much of a bitch to die that easily.”

  Heloïse gave a strangled noise, halfway between a laugh and a sob, holding her sister tightly and nodding in agreement. Inés laughed and let her go and Heloïse went to see if she could help Aradia, looking much happier.

  The atmosphere in the big dining room was
electric. There had to be eighty vampires crammed into the space around the giant cage, which suddenly felt a good deal smaller. These were the oldest and most powerful vampires in the family with a few special exceptions who were close to Corvus and refused to be left out. There were hundreds more pacing around the Château, their excitement, fear and impatience infecting everyone as the tension rose. Every one of them was prepared to fight to the end to bring their rightful Master home.

  To my surprise, Kai was inside the cage. He seemed to be scrutinising every inch of the metal frame, but I didn't have time to consider it. I imagined the idea of a crazed Master vampire in the house would make you want to check the bars of his cage were good and strong. I just hoped he had the sense to get out of the way when we got back or he might regret it.

  Rodney and Dimitri rushed back and forth under instruction from Cain, Inés and Aradia as everyone worked to prepare for the moment I would cross Cain's ward. After that, time was not our friend and we had to move fast. Time moved much quicker in Tartarus, and I hoped that the hours we spent waiting for daylight would be a matter of minutes in this realm but the truth was ... We really didn't know for sure how long this would take.

  I waited, holding my breath as Cain began to cut a breach in his ward, feeling Lucas and Dimitri's powerful presence at my back. The athame in Cain's hand glinted as he moved and an unnerving silence fell over the room. The eyes of every vampire watched him work.

  I felt in my pocket for the black crow feather that Aradia had given me. The calamus, the hard shaft that ran through the feather, was finely engraved with the words of a powerful spell. We each had one, me, Cain and Inés - Les Corbeaux. Our ties ran through the birds and Aradia would use this connection to pull us back to our bodies when the moment came.

  I closed my eyes and tried to forget the fact that Dis Pater was on the other side of those gates. I didn't think about how frightened I was, about everything I was risking, that I was asking Cain and Inés and everyone else to risk for me. If I did that I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Instead I remembered Corvus, remembered everything about him. The way he smiled, the sound of his laughter, the feel of his arms around me, the scent of him, those cool blue eyes - so full of love for me. I felt the longing for him grow until it was a hunger that gnawed at my bones and ate away at my heart, and then Cain's voice pierced my memories and brought me back to the moment.

  “Time to go, Nina.”

  Chapter 9

  Pushing through the ward was not pleasant. My skin burned as though every inch of me had been stung by hornets, and I was only too glad that the fraction of the second it took to step through was over. I'd never been in any doubt of the strength of Cain's magic but bearing in mind he'd opened us a passage, that seemed illustration enough.

  We'd discussed the logistics of this every day for weeks and this was our best plan, such as it was. There were still unknowns and we'll deal with it when it happens filling in too many gaps but going into the Underworld was always a high risk operation. There was no denying the fact of it.

  The benefit of a spiritual journey at least was that Aradia could place us where we needed to be without journeying through the Underworld as we'd done to retrieve Sariel's heart. The down side was we were not quite so powerful as if we had gone through the gates and we could easily get stuck there with no way to return, but that was a risk we were going to have to take.

  I waved my hand over the torch waiting just inside the darkness of the entry, and it sparked to life, the flickering yellow light falling on the narrow staircase that led down to the actual gate. I remembered being disappointed the first time I'd seen it, expecting something more impressive than an old oak door. The power behind it more than made up for its nondescript appearance.

  I walked down the steep stairs with care, as they were old and uneven and the last thing I needed was to do something idiotic and twist my ankle. Cobwebs tickled me as descended, and I brushed them from my face with a grimace. A few steps further, and I felt the pull of the gate, felt the souls awaken on the other side and the power of the key I bore burn inside me as it connected to its purpose. There was nothing more that could distract me now.

  Lucas sucked in a breath as the screaming and crying began, and I realised he'd never heard it this close before. He had been left behind when we'd journeyed through the gates the last time. I glanced at him, and he looked back. His face was closed off, his emotions shut down, but I knew how unhappy he was about this.

  “It'll be fine,” I said to him with a smile.

  He looked back at me expressionless and didn't need to say a word to tell me how unlikely that was to be true. I swallowed and moved forward, close enough that there was no question of who was standing behind the door. I didn't want to leave Dis Pater in any doubt that I was here. I closed my eyes as the power washed over me, the voices of the dead calling to me, to use as I saw fit. With effort I backed away. I knew well enough the seductive voice of power. I wouldn't let it overwhelm me anymore.

  “Ready!” I called up to Aradia before turning back to Lucas.

  “See you soon,” I said and a moment later I felt my body falling to the ground, safe in the knowledge that Lucas would catch me. And then I was standing in Arima.

  With relief I saw Cain beside me and a second later Inés appeared.

  “So far, so good,” I said, looking around me.

  The roar of the waterfall made it necessary to speak loud to make myself heard, and I looked up at the cliff's edge from where the water fell with such massive force that it created a damp and foggy atmosphere close to the river. I had stood up on that cliff to attack the Ekhidna with Dimitri and Inés. I wrinkled my nose as an unpleasant smell hit me and then took a step back in alarm as the skies filled with vultures. Their raucous shrieks filled the air as they protested our intrusion into their territory.

  The bones of the Ekhidna we had killed stood stark and bleached white, every morsel long since stripped from the carcass, but it had obviously become a place for the birds to gather, sitting on the great bones like the branches of a macabre tree.

  “Look.”

  I turned to where Cain was pointing and followed his gaze to the skyline and the great orange sun that burned overhead.

  “Thank God,” I said with feeling. For once luck was on our side. It wasn't dawn which would have been perfect, but I'd take mid morning over midnight. We couldn't enter Tartarus at night when the monsters roamed, we'd never survive. I just prayed this would give us enough time.

  There were enough dangers here in daylight though. I'd come face to face with a sulphur troll once before. They came from Tartarus, making their homes in the sulphur yellow cliff faces that made up the landscape beyond the gates. At least that's what Cain had told me. They patrolled Tartarus, making sure no one got any foolish notions about getting out. All I knew was I was in no hurry to meet another one.

  The vast walls surrounding Tartarus glittered a smooth, shiny grey. As slick-sided as marble, they were reputed to be made of adamantine. Either way there was no way to scale them, no hand hold or ledge to climb up, just acres of smooth, polished surface that caught the light and blinded you when the sun got lower. The massive iron gates rose, godlike before us, reaching into the sky so far the tops of them were lost from view.

  “You're sure about this?” I asked Cain.

  Getting in had been one of my concerns, how to breach these massive gates and walls that couldn't be scaled. We couldn't ask Aradia to put us inside of the gates as none of us had been there before and if we'd miscalculated and arrived at night we'd have been dead in seconds. Getting out we had the spells on the crow feathers - providing we could enter in the first place. Cain shrugged at me as we approached the gate.

  “Well, I guess we're about to find out.” He reached out a hand and gave one half of the massive gates a push. To my surprise and intense relief it opened, slowly but without so much as a squeak, leaving just enough of a gap for us to slip through. Cain lifted an eyebr
ow at me.

  “I never doubted you for a second,” I said, and he snorted, knowing I was lying through my teeth.

  “Like I said, Jéhenne, everyone wants to get out. No one but you is mental enough to want to get in.” He slipped his head through the gap that had opened and then gestured for us to follow him. I slipped through the gap with Inés close behind me. The second she was through, the gate slammed shut with a deafening bang that thundered around us and would have alerted the whole place to our arrival. Maybe my luck wasn't feeling as supportive of this venture as I'd hoped after all.

  “Move!” Cain said, as succinct as ever. We didn't need telling twice and ran behind him, our eyes scanning the endless grey walls and the vista that stretched before us for miles. Rocks that towered into the sky, cliffs and mountains and ravines, and everything a sulphurous, yellow. The sun blazed down, a blinding glare, fierce and unforgiving as our movements kicked up mustard coloured dust that stuck to our sweaty skin and caught in our throats making us cough.

  After ten minutes of flat out running the sweat was pouring off me but we'd seen no sign of life. Cain waved us to a halt and we stood flat against a jut of rock which cast a slim shadow.

  “OK, Jéhenne.” Cain nodded once we'd caught our breath. He gave me a leg up, and I hauled myself up the rock as far as I dared so I had a better view over the landscape. I reached into my back pack and found my crystal, a roll of paper, a compass and a pencil. There was no such thing as a map of Tartarus so I couldn't dowse using an actual map. I was going to have to improvise and do the best I could. I sketched quickly, putting down the main points of the landscape and checking the compass so I could mark the direction.

  From the corner of my eye I could see birds circling and a nasty, shrieking cry filled the air. I got to my knees, trying not to notice that they were getting closer and looked significantly bigger than vultures even from this distance. I closed my eyes and thought about Corvus, remembering the connection we had shared when we had been together and suspending the crystal over the map. It began to sway, gentle and slow at first and then the cord was ripped from my hand and it flew to the top right corner of the drawing I had made, landing with such force it tore the paper. I felt my heart skip. I stuffed the items back in my backpack with shaking hands and yelled down to Inés and Cain.