The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 9

She chuckled again.

My breath caught in my throat; my body completely frozen in my seat. If what Aergia was saying was true...

Shuffling sounded behind me. The servant who had visited my chambers earlier moved forwards, replacing Aergia's finished meal with a decadent dessert.

The servant accidentally knocked a piece of cutlery off the table, earning herself an incensed glare from Aergia. The servant fumbled to pick it up, quickly placing the cutlery back on the table and darting away, out of the danger zone.

It was clear from Aergia's exasperation expression that she didn't have a single care for her servants. And if she didn't care about them, she would hardly think twice about handing me over to Hades' Guard when they arrived.

After an hour of numbing silence in which I sat petrified as Aergia polished off her third dessert, Aergia excused herself and I was finally invited to leave the table. I scurried off as quickly as possible, guessing the directions back to my chamber.

Raven was hurrying to catch up behind me. "Serena, you're going the wrong way. It was a left turn, not a right."

I didn't care. I just needed to get out. To get anywhere. I picked up my pace. I needed air, that's what I needed. And to get to air, I needed to get outside.

The problem was, I had no idea how to get outside. My breathing was shallow, and I'd starved off the panic as much as I could, but to no avail. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I continued to race through the dark halls, only getting myself more lost. This hall led me to a dead end. Growling in frustration, I spun on my heels to see Raven, who almost ran into me.

"I need to get outside. I need air. Please," I begged.

Raven looked over my tears with compassion, or what might have been pity. She pursed her lips and came to a decision. "Fine. Five minutes only, but Aergia can't find out. Follow me."

She took back off in the direction we'd come, and I gave up trying to figure out where we were in the building. Eventually, Raven came to a stop outside a set of ostentatious gold double doors. I grabbed the handle with relief and pushed it open, expecting to feel the wind on my face.

I was sorely disappointed, and so stunned that my own panic momentarily disappeared. The air was hot, humid and sticky. For a moment, I'd imagined that I would open the door and be back in my normal life, but the gloomy landscape before me was a solemn reminder that I was very, very far from home.

From the balcony, I got full view of what could best be described as an apocalyptic scene. The sky was dark red, deepening to black. But unlike earth, where stars, the moon and the sun shone in the sky, here there was little sign of life. Rows of decrepit, brick buildings stood upright as makeshift houses at the base of the castle I was in. I leaned against the balcony railing to peer closer.

I didn't know what I'd imagined, but it certainly hadn't been this. The houses stretched on for miles. Beyond them, an empty expanse of dry, cracked ground stretched on as far as the eye could see, merging with the skyline.

In the streets, people walked past each other in a flurry of activity. Children held up sticks in mock battle, slashing against their opponent's own weapon. They weaved through clotheslines and over fallen debris, making their way upwards and onto roofs. They were laughing and smiling, which almost made me fall over. Their big smiles were a harsh contrast from their surroundings.

I realised that, as much as Sloth City was terribly damaged, to some people like Raven, this was the one and only home they knew.

"It's a sad life, isn't it?" Raven said, coming up beside me. "None of us will ever know what we're missing on Earth. All because we were born in the wrong world. I guess we should just be lucky monsters don't come into the city."