"Please don't hurt me," I squeaked, slamming my eyes shut. The cold, steel blade sent shivers across my skin. I froze, very aware of how one small movement could easily form a cut. The knife hovered at the back of my neck, but didn't dig in.
"Well, well, looks like mother dearest sent another messenger for me," a high-pitched voice called out, from further down the hall. "Who are you this time?"
The knife at neck point didn't move. In fact, its presence was terrifyingly steady. My mouth dried out. My legs trembled so much that I was involuntarily pushing myself closer to the knife.
"Well?" the female voice called, increasingly irritated.
I opened my mouth. "I–I–"
"–Can't speak?" a male deadpanned from behind, his voice low with a lilt of sarcasm. "Why don't you give it a try?"
I peeked my eyes open to see a woman approaching in my peripheral vision. Her chin and nose protruded sharply, and she pursed her lips. She held herself tall, her shoulders broad and upright. To top off her look, she wore a body hugging yet plain black dress, which only added to her look of harshness.
Her frustrated expression transformed into one of curiosity; and she glanced at me up and down.
"Wait a minute," she cut in, holding up a hand. "Alek, let her go."
For a moment I didn't think he was going to obey, but then I felt the weight at my neck dissipate. I clutched my throat and sucked in a huge intake of breath, spinning around to face my attacker.
My gaze trailed over scuffed, dirtied boots, torn black jeans and a slim-fitting black t-shirt. Most obviously, a wooden crossbow peeked out from behind broad shoulders. Tousled jet-black hair fell across equally dark eyes. I'd seen black irises on Raven and even darker ones in Aergia, but this man's eyes were steely and his gaze unwavering. One look at them told me he wouldn't hesitate to use the knife.
All the while, his eyes roamed me as if I were the threat. He locked my gaze and I held my breath.
"Who are you?" the woman repeated, her patience once again wearing thin. "And why are you wearing my family's cloak?"
"I–wait, your cloak?" I stammered, face blushing. "I didn't know this was yours."
She crossed her arms, raising a pointed brow. "Of course it's my cloak. Everyone knows the children of Aergia grew up wearing those cloaks. It's got my mother's crest embedded on its seam." She pointed at the gold stitching, which I hadn't realised was sewn in a way that showcased repetitive golden waves.
For the first time in days, I felt a tendril of hope. "So, you're Artemis, then?"
"I am, which makes you who?"
"Serena," I stated quickly. "But I'm not a messenger, I've actually been looking for you. I thought you might be able to help me."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh really? That's awfully brash of you." Artemis narrowed her gaze. My face flushed a furious red. Oh God, I should never have come here, I thought.
"Artemis," Alek cut in, giving her a pointed look. "I have business elsewhere–"
"–I know, I know," she replied, sighing dramatically and removing her analytical gaze from me. "I'll pay you now. Just a moment."
Artemis, unbothered by the clear look of danger from this Alek guy, disappeared into the study, leaving us alone. I peeked a look at Alek without trying to be too noticeable. He wasn't looking at me, but I knew he could feel my gaze by the clenching of his jaw and fisted palms. His eyes followed Artemis as she returned, a black pouch clutched in one of her hands.
Artemis shot Alek a meaningful look. "It will be done by the end of the week?"
Alek nodded. "Of course."
Artemis handed the jingling pouch of coins over, brushing Alek's hand briefly. My gaze narrowed in on their contact. The touch was much too slow for a normal business deal. Everything about this exchange was making me nervous. What had I just run into?
"And if you ever want a better reward than coins, you know where to find me," she said.
He ignored the offer and nodded in my direction. "Is she going to be a problem?" he asked, his voice low and dark.
Goose bumps broke out along my arms. His crossbow was looking more and more threatening. I'd definitely made a mistake by coming here. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't someone I wanted to get on the bad side of. Now or ever. One look at him told me that if I tried to escape, I'd barely make it five metres.
"I don't think so," Artemis trailed off, her voice tinged with curiosity. "But I'll find out," she continued smugly, crossing her arms over her chest and examining me like one might examine gum on the bottom of their shoe.
"Great," Alek responded, in a completely lacklustre way. "If you have any other business, you know where I'll be."
I was now blushing for a completely different reason. With Aergia running a club fuelled by sexual chemistry, I could only imagine what other business she engaged in.
Without saying another word, Alek turned and finally spared me another glance. His dark eyes pierced into mine, and I felt myself inwardly shrink. His confidence and cavalier attitude were overpowering, making me feel like a five-year-old in comparison.
"Join me in the study, Serena," Artemis proclaimed, already having turned her back on me.
I waited for Alek to descend the stairs and leave us alone before I followed her into the study. Artemis sat back in the tall chair behind the desk, tracing patterns with her fingers against the wood. She looked like a queen upon her throne. Not a nice queen, though.
"Sit," she instructed. I didn't waste any time obeying.
"So tell me," she started, sighing and leaning forwards on her elbows. "What brings a little Earth girl down to the pits of Hell?"
I flinched, my stomach doing backflips. "How did you know that?"
She laughed harshly. "Oh, Serena. Besides your beautiful blue – or are they green – eyes? Anyone who's lived here for a long time knows The Underworld literally sucks the life out of you, deepening our eye and hair colours to black."
I bit my lip. Admittedly, I hadn't known that. Out of habit, I pulled the hood of the cloak back over my head.
Artemis' gaze flicked upwards. "That red hair of yours is peaking out of my cloak. No need to worry, though. Eventually, the same thing will happen to you."
I cleared my throat. "Why would I worry?"
"If you've come from Earth, you've been brought here for a reason. It's not every day we see live meat come into our world; most of them are ghosts or lost souls. It makes you a very valuable and rare person, which makes me wonder: why are you here?"
I shuffled awkwardly in my seat.
"Relax," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, but that's not to say that there aren't plenty of others who would."
The strong, steadfast look in her eyes was enough to tell me she was telling the truth.
"You're right," I said. "I'm from Earth. I was summoned into The Underworld by Aergia."
Artemis scowled at the mention of her mother's name. "That's not surprising. Mother dearest likes humans to do her bidding, but I suppose I can't exactly criticise her for that. Like mother, like daughter. So, let me guess, Aergia wants to send you down to the mines and you don't want to go?"
I ignored the desire to fidget in my seat. How much information did I need to share with the enemy of my enemy to make her my friend? If I told Artemis the full story and she discovered Hades' involvement, she might want to use me as leverage or a bargaining price to get to her mother. "She does want to send me to the mines, so I need to get out of The Underworld. And as soon as possible."
Laughter burst from Artemis' lips. It wasn't one of happiness, joy or relief, it was a cackle of darkness. Of condescension. I tightened my grip on the arms of my chair.
"Oh, Serena, you won't last one hour outside of this city, let alone make it to the North Gate."
My stomach did somersaults. "There's a gate?" I asked, ignoring the other half of her sentence. If there was a gate, there was an escape. That inkling of hope was all that I needed.
"Of course there's a gate. Even in The Underworld, there has to be a balance – an entrance and an exit."
"But if there's an exit, then why do so many people stay here?"
Artemis leaned closer, a pitying expression in her eyes. "The North Gate doesn't have much of a purpose when you're dead," she replied, watching the understanding drain the colour from my face. "And trust me when I say your best chance of staying alive is to stay in Sloth City."
I barely managed to form my next words. "What's between here and the gate?"
The corner of her lips tilted upwards. "The better question is; what isn't between here and the gate?" Artemis raised a manicured hand and counted on her fingers. "Hellhounds, empusa, furies, demons, cannibals, wraiths – the list goes on, but if I continue we'll be talking all morning."
I went still. The spark of hope I'd felt when Artemis mentioned an exit was rapidly extinguishing. I must have looked like I was on the brink of passing out, because Artemis spoke up again.
"But there may be someone who can help you..." she continued. I watched her closely. She was looking at her nails, pretending to be interested in them, but I could see her mind ticking over. I knew that she was probably just teasing me, but I felt like I had no choice but to follow her into whatever trap she was setting.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly, unable to handle the secrets any longer. It was clear she wouldn't give me any more information without some benefit to herself.
She sighed and leaned forward over the desk. "What I want isn't in contention. Whatever move you make next will benefit me, and I don't give a damn about who you are or how you came to be here. So, if you decide to risk your little neck by trying to find the North Gate? Then fine. Do it. Or, continue to hide in Sloth City. Either way, it doesn't matter to me, because your disappearance must be driving my mother absolutely insane." A wicked grin grew on her face, and I felt my stomach drop.
She leaned even closer towards me. "But, if you really wish to know your best chances of escape..." she glanced down at my cloak, "...then you'll return the cloak that was supposed to be mine."
"The cloak?" I couldn't hide my surprise. I'd been expecting her to ask for something, well, more.
"That cloak has been in my family for decades. I think if it belongs to anyone, then it should belong to me," she stated simply.
"You can have it," I replied quickly. "I don't need it."
Artemis smiled and leaned back in her chair. "Good. Now, if you want to get to the North Gate, you'll need a lot more than strength. You'll need courage, survival skills, intuition, endurance and of course," the corners of her lips lifted up into a devilish smile, "a high pain tolerance."
I frowned, disappointed. "You're just describing qualities that I don't have. How is that supposed to help me?"
Artemis tiled her head towards me, as if in agreement. "You may not have them, but I know someone who does."
"Who?"
Artemis smiled secretively and lounged back in her chair, drawing out the suspense. It took all of my will to stay seated, rather than just shaking the answer out of her.
"Alek," she stated.
"The man that just left?" I asked, astounded.
She nodded. "He's more than qualified for the job."
"Isn't there anyone else?" I asked, hoping my fear didn't sound through my voice.
She laughed cynically, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. "There's always someone else, if you want to die. Alek knows The Underworld like the back of his hand. He's travelled to and from every city for years on his own. If there's anyone that will get you to the North Gate – alive, that is – it's him."
Great. The only person who could get me to the North Gate was the man who just held a dagger to my throat. It wasn't exactly the nicest of introductions.
"But he just left, so where will I be able to find him?" I asked. I didn't know the first thing about navigating Sloth City, let alone tracking someone down who didn't look like they wanted to be found. Ever. My throat tickled at the memory of his knife grazing my skin.
"He told me he was doing business with someone a couple of streets over," Artemis said, waving a hand as if finding the fiercest Underworld warrior wasn't an issue. "If you leave now and turn right onto the street, you should be able to catch him."
My throat closed up, but I nodded and grabbed the string at my neck to untie the cloak.
"Wait a minute," I said. "How do I know you're not going to hand me over to Aergia?"
Artemis had the audacity to roll her eyes. "Trust me when I say I don't want to come within a hundred feet of that woman. But if you're really paranoid, I'll even make an oath on it."
"An oath? What's that?"
"Honestly, sometimes I forget how naïve humans are. An oath is a promise a god, goddess or demigod makes that equates to fulfilling a debt. If I go against my promise, it will weaken my lifeforce and put me into a sort of coma. And while I am the daughter of Sloth City and my bed is my favourite pastime, I much prefer my ability to walk."
I chewed on my lower lip nervously. "What exactly does the ritual entail?"
"Just your blood, guts and gore," she said.
I froze.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding. Don't be so dramatic." Then, standing up and reaching into one of the desk drawers, she pulled out a long, thin knife. She raised her two hands in the air and positioned the tip of the knife on the top of her palm. Before I could react, she sliced sideways and closed her fingersaround the bleeding wound, holding her hand to her chest. Discarding the bloody knife on the table, she reached for my hand. Instinctively, I pulled mine away.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, horrified.
"Serena, it's fine. All I need to do is hold your hand and say a few words. It will be over in two seconds."
Reluctantly, I held out my hand for Artemis to grab. She seized it roughly and squeezed tightly, repeating incomprehensible words under her breath. A small vibration began to emit from between our hands, the colour of the smeared blood growing lighter before my very eyes. It felt like a life form was growing between us, built upon Artemis' promise. This force began to heat up, warming my hand with as much heat as a fire would. It wasn't painful, just an unusual sensation. Slowly, the heat died away, and Artemis removed her hand. Residual blood filled my palm and I looked at it cautiously, unsure about what to do with it. Luckily, Artemis passed me a tissue and I gratefully wiped it off.
"Done," Artemis said. "You have your little oath. All you need now is your very well-equipped guide to take you to the North Gate."
I nodded, feeling numb, and stood up to hand Artemis the cloak. She grabbed it from me with hunger in her eyes and held it close to her chest. I didn't have the mental capacity to ask her why she was so interested in the cloak, but I hoped it was for the sake of pure memorabilia.
"Has anyone ever used the North Gate before?" I asked.
Artemis went quiet for a moment, thinking. "Rumour has it one person did. But that must've been centuries ago now."
I paused in the doorway. "And what about Alek? You think he'll help me?"
She raised her chin, looking me dead in the eyes. "Of course."
As I started to turn around, I saw the shadow of a smirk. I tried to tell myself I imagined it, but I wasn't that naïve.
Or was I?