How many other aspects of this world create an illusion?
Roman warned me that illusions are rife here—that I should look for the deceptions. Maybe the fire and brimstone that I was expecting to see in the Underworld is still out there, and we just haven’t found it yet.
A glance back tells me that Tyrus and his men are only seconds behind us, stepping onto the beam in groups of two and three. Despite the demon presence, the ride is so peaceful that I find myself relaxing for the first time since we arrived. For a few moments, I have a sense of freedom. Another illusion, but I want to make the most of it. To breathe, and hold my sisters close, while I can.
When the beam descends, we finally see some of the detail of the streets and buildings below. The streets are busy and the demons look mostly like humans, except for a few who appear to be some combination of beast and being.
Any sense of relaxation vanishes when we land in front of the prison.
Even if we wanted to escape, there’s nowhere to go. Black stone walls rise up on either side of the short path to the silver building. The walls along the path are so high that I could never jump over them, not even in my wolf form. If there’s a way through them, I can’t see it. Taniya could shift and fly over the walls, but she would never leave us behind.
The prison itself is lined in reflective silver panels that make it hard to focus on its detail, although I catch brief flashes of black at the edge of its smooth walls. It first looked like a square building, but now it appears to be made up of smaller squares, some stacked on each other, while others form rows along the ground, and then some only seem to be touching at their corners, which seems impossible unless they each have their own doors.
Regardless of the building’s strange architecture, we’re trapped on the pathway that leads right up to it, with a group of demons moments away from arriving to force us inside.
Malia shakes her body for a second, as if she’s trying to throw off bad vibes. “There’s a lot of dark energy right here. It vibrates under my feet like a literal wave of power. It’s concerning that the soldiers didn’t want to go inside.”
“I feel it too,” Taniya says, with a shudder similar to Malia’s, her skin glistening amber. “The energy around this building is triggering my harpy.”
I squeeze their hands. “I promise you, no matter what, I will do everything I can to get you out of here.”
Tyrus and the six soldiers land right behind us, and I jolt, preparing to jump away from them, but the beam’s power seems so advanced that even though we haven’t moved from the spot where it dropped us, the soldiers don’t smash into us.
I search the group to see if Roman ignored Crone and followed too, but he hasn’t.
His absence shouldn’t bother me, considering I have to be careful about trusting his word now, but a part of me mourns his departure. Whether it’s the budding relationship I thought we were forming, or the fact that he was at minimum a source of information—whether truthful or not—that could help me survive in this world. Either way, he’s gone for now, but I can’t let that throw me.
The soldiers waste no time marching forward, flanking our group.
“Follow us,” Tyrus says gruffly as he strides to the front of the group, his weapon held before him. “Don’t try to escape your fate.”
We have no choice but to comply. My demon wolves remain between us and the soldiers, forcing them to keep their distance.
The closer we get to the prison building, the more blinding its shiny surface becomes, making my eyes ache. If I have to guess, the force of the light is part of the building’s security.
Malia confirms as much a moment later when her magic glimmers around her hands as she walks, and it looks like she’s testing her power against the force coming from the building when she says, “Whatever material this building is made from, it’s resistant to my magic. I sense it pushing back.” A crease forms in her forehead as she appears to concentrate. “It feels…”
She shivers and I reach out for her. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. The power in this building doesn’t feel like anything I’ve encountered before. Crone said its magic won’t let us escape. I’m sensing a very powerful force coming from inside its walls.”
We exchange a worried glance, but there’s no option but to continue moving forward.
The front doors to the prison are so seamlessly set into the walls that there’s no break in the silver surface until I hear awhoosh, and a set of double doors vanish into what must be a cavity in the wall. Or a magical portal. Now that it’s open, there’s no obvious sign a door even existed there.
Tyrus pauses at the entrance while his men crowd in behind us.
“Every wall in this prison is lined in lead, silver, andfloriatum,”Tyrus tells us. “The prison’s energy suppresses all other energy streams. Your powers won’t work within these walls, so don’t even try.”
Lead and silver I’m familiar with, both of which can affect shifters and demons. On the other hand, I have no idea about floriatum, and I wonder if it’s some sort of demon element.
Malia has an affinity with metal, whereas other witches can’t deal with substances like iron. But she catches my eye, her forehead creased, giving me the briefest shake of her head. The power that was playing around her fingertips only moments ago is gone.
“This prison is designed to contain and imprison even the most powerful being,” Tyrus says. “Its primary function is to cage and never let go. Even Crone and the royals won’t step inside for fear of never escaping.”
While this alleviates some of my fear that my opponents could try to harm my sisters while they’re in here, it worries me that I might not make it out. If I don’t get to the first trial…
I grit my teeth. I guess this explains why Crone agreed so readily to this compromise. It’s possible she hopes it will take care of me altogether.
