The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 21

If I was going to stand a chance at Hades, I had to be quick to have the element of surprise.

Hades twisted and jumped forwards. For someone so large and muscular, he sure was fast. I swiped at him with the sword, but I did no more than simply graze his arm as he grabbed my sword-fighting arm, and with a flick of his wrist, sent my sword clattering to the floor. He pressed my arm flush against his body as he scowled at me.

"Pathetic," he growled.

Rage burst from me. With a battle cry, I stomped onto his closest foot with as much force as I could muster. The impact sent a vibration up my entire leg, but the only sign he had felt it was the slight scrunching of his nose. With one of my arms now caught in his grip, I used my free hand to curl it into a fist and aim for his face. But my punch was clumsy, and Hades avoided it, an even angrier scowl on his face.

I had about a half-second where I realised I'd left my stance wide open. Still holding onto both my hands, Hades thrust a knee upwards and struck me in the chest, winding me. All of the air left my body as a pain so intense bloomed from the spot he'd hit. I couldn't recover by the time Hades spun in a massive display of prowess and kicked me in the centre of my stomach.

Then, I was flying.

Hades' kick had sent me soaring across the room. I collided with the ground ten feet away, rolling across the marble floor and colliding with the far wall. My head took the impact and stars formed over my vision. Kadyn's shouting grew louder and more urgent, letting me know I'd landed somewhere near him.

I coughed as the air rushed back into my lungs. My head was pounding from where it had struck the wall. I released a groan and tried to gain my bearings. My entire body begged for me to rest, but from the corner of my vision I saw Hades striding towards Kadyn.

Panic bloomed in my chest as I watched Kadyn wrench one of his arms free from the guards and hit them backhanded. Kadyn was about to attack the remaining guard by his side when two more seemed to take the injured guard's place. I screamed as they used the flat edges of their sword to hit the back of Kadyn's legs and forced him onto his knees. His teeth clattered together as he fell to the floor and he shot each of his captors a glare, promising vengeance.

As if in slow motion, dark intent formed in Hades' eyes as he advanced upon my only friend.

My heart stopped beating. A deep part of my mind whispered to me; this is it.

"No!" I screamed, my chest cleaving open.

Hades clicked his tongue. "I admire your perseverance, Serena, but sometimes strength requires you to admit when you've lost."

I bared my teeth at him. "You're not going to hurt him."

Silently, he tilted his head to one side and shot Kadyn a calculating look. "My shadows tell me otherwise."

Not a moment later, the shadows swirling in Hades' midst shot out, heading straight towards Kadyn.

But with the distance between them, there was still time for me to stop it.

It took all of my effort as I braced myself on all fours and propelled myself forward, ignoring the twinging pain from one of my ribs and the thudding in my skull. I sprinted for Kadyn and skidded to a stop in front of him, acting as a barrier between him and Hades. The pitch-black darkness swirled forwards, its colour so intense that it was impossible to see anything else. I held my breath as it shot straight for me.

Everything turned dark as the darkness surrounded me, enveloping me in coldness and causing the base of my spine to tingle. I'd been expecting to feel pain unlike anything else, so was surprised to discover the shadows seemed to vibrate around me, as though there was some force preventing them from taking me over completely. My headache worsened to the point of a migraine. It didn't help that I likely already had a concussion.