Viv narrowed her gaze. “What do they want, exactly?”

  "You have options. One, perform a ritualistic chant..."

  "No, I don't sing. What else?"

  "Offering a drop of blood or a lock of hair as a sign of good faith and respect."

  "That's too risky. They can hold on to the offering and who knows what they will do with it. It could even be cursed. So that's a no."

  Ethan sighed in response.

  Viv offered up an idea, "What about a tangible thing that has no personal connection? Do they take money? Pretty Head has money."

  "Who's 'Pretty Head'" Ethan asked.

  Ciaran said from the other end of the room. "She's referring to me, Ethan. And no, I don't think they're going to accept fiat money or cryptocurrency either, Viv."

  "Don't you have something to do, Ciaran?" Viv scowled at him.

  "The machine needs work done. All I need to do is press the start button."

  Ethan nodded. "The text doesn't suggest anything else, except energy transfer. The tribute could be an offering of magical energy or life force. Viv could perform a minor spell that gives some of their energy to the spirits."

  Killian approached. "That could work. I can offer some of my energy for an offering." He raised a hand toward Ciaran to prevent him from objecting. "I'm the only one here who can make that offering. I don't know much about the spiritual world. But it seems to me that if we don't offer anything, we won't get past, regardless of how good the spell is or how lethal our weapons are."

  "I guess so." Ethan nodded.

  Viv refocused her attention on Ethan, striving to extract more information in order to finish her spellwork.

  From the far corner, Ciaran's machine let out an alarm buzzing sound. He rushed back toward his machine. He checked the monitor and let out a groan.

  Killian approached. "What's the matter?"

  "The program is jammed at stage five." Ciaran frowned.

  "How many stages are there?"

  "Seven. I can fix this."

  "How long will that take?"

  Ciaran looked up, locking eyes with Killian. "As long as it needs to. Unless you fancy taking a blind stab in this maze?"

  Killian's eyes swept across the room. His mind was playing tricks on him, making him think that sparks were flickering in the air.

  "No, your device is a beacon we can use to find our way in and out. Without it, you're not getting in."

  Ciaran raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean to go in alone, do you?"

  Killian lowered his voice. "Ivy is in there on her own. I'm going to retrieve her no matter what. I'm aware that I have an alpha challenge coming up, and this might make me seem like a sentimental fool. But she is my mate. If I fail to protect her, I will not deserve to be an Alpha. That's all there is to it."

  Ciaran studied Killian for a moment, then he nodded. "Alright, let's get this device up and running. We all need it."

  Killian understood Ciaran's passive-aggressive tactic-- if he didn't engage in the debate, there was no chance of Killian countering him. He had no choice but to allow Ciaran to come along on his journey to the underworld.

  Killian nodded and stepped back, his senses attuned to the pyramid around them once more. He felt a magnetic force in his chest grow stronger when Ciaran's device began to flicker with light.

  A low hum emanated from the device, catching both men’s attention. Ciaran's eyes widened as he studied the display. "I've found it—the exact point at which we can open the gateway."

  Killian stared expectantly at Ciaran.

  "And?" he asked, resolve coursing through his veins like liquid fire.

  Ciaran paused before speaking, nervousness radiating from him. "The energy signature is there - it's as if the gateway has already been partially activated."

  Killian could feel the power of his wolf spirit within him, howling with urgency. "Ivy's close," he murmured to himself, his certainty overpowering.

  At that moment, Viv approached them, a strange combination of thrill and trepidation in her gaze. "I've finished the spell. But Ethan's research points to us possibly meddling with forces we don't grasp completely. It's time for you to make good on your promise to them, Killian."

  Killian nodded in agreement. "Let's do this."

  Ethan chimed in then, a look of gravity on his face. He recounted another warning inscribed in tiny symbols: "'He who awakens the restless, awakens the doom of worlds.'”

  The air in the room suddenly felt thick, as though the walls were compressing around them.

  The device Ciaran held beeped shrilly, signaling they needed to act quickly.

  Killian felt an irresistible draw coming from the gateway, as if it wished to strip away his soul from his body.

  Then, the air chilled, and an eerie silence fell upon them.

  They glanced at each other, both acutely aware that this was the point of no return. The words of an ancient warning seemed to reverberate in their minds, a chilling prelude to the unknown dangers ahead.

  "Ready?" Ciaran asked, tightening his grip on the device.

  Killian held his gaze, then looked towards Viv and Ethan.

  He took a deep breath and stated, "As ready as we'll ever be."

  Viv quickly cast an offering spell. Killian felt a faint tugging at the nape of his neck when she pointed at him and uttered something in her druidic language to finish the offering spell.

  "I'm done with the offering," she announced.

  Ciaran pulled out the compact suit he had crafted to guard them during their traverse between realms. Killian activated the button in the center of the package; It burst open, expanded to cover him, and then shrank back to its original size, forming a protective covering around him similar to a space suit minus the helmet.

  Ciaran did likewise for his own suit. He then pressed another button on his tiny machine.

  A beam fanned out, swept across the area and settled on a small archway.

  "We're ready, Viv," Ciaran declared as Killian stepped forward and stood beside Ciaran, now standing five feet away from the stone archway.

  Viv gave a silent nod. She slowly backed away, her lithe form graceful in movement. Her pale hands raised above her head, fingers extended as if to touch the heavens above. Drawing in a deep breath, her eyes closed in concentration and she began her incantation, with soft and melodic words pouring from her lips like an ancient blessing.

  "Anwyn duˆr, torenn galad, leithio annuˆn!"

  She repeated.

  "Anwyn duˆr, torenn galad, leithio annuˆn!"

  The air around Killian seemed to crackle with electricity as he heard Ivy's faraway voice calling out his name. There was no mistaking it - she needed him.

  Behind him, Ciaran gasped in shock as the stone archway began to rumble and shake, the entire structure groaning in protest. Sparks shot across the room like lightning before a beam of light struck and the ground beneath Viv split open with an ear-splitting crack.

  Without missing a beat Killian dived forward, sliding across the floor and stretching out his hand towards her. He grabbed at her wrist just as her feet slipped beyond the edge into a bubbling red abyss of fire below.

  Ciaran was right there too, both men gripping firmly onto each of Viv's hands as she dangled precariously between them.

  Killian looked up just in time to see Ethan standing behind Viv, but before he could even shout out a warning, the ground split beneath him and he dropped down into the fathomless depths of hell.

  Tears streamed down Viv's face as Killian and Ciaran pulled her up, desperation etched into the furrows of her brow.

  "Save Ethan! You have to help him!" she pleaded, reaching out for their hands.

  "We can't," Killian declared, his heart breaking for her, "He's beyond saving Viv."

  Ignoring them, Viv started to chant an incantation, desperate to call back her beloved.

  "No no! No chanting Viv," Ciaran shouted.

  Behind them, the gateway to the underworld was rapidly closing and with it the crack that they had just pulled Viv from. Worse still, behind Viv ghostly shapes were forming - enraged by her offering without explanation of who or what they were.

  "We can't leave her!" Killian shouted.

  Viv screamed in protest as Ciaran pulled out a suit pack and quickly wrapped it around her frail frame before lifting her into his arms.

  In a mad dash they leapt across the stone archway just before it shut behind them - plunging them into complete darkness.

  Killian felt disorientated. Neither he nor Ciaran had their beacon machines with them, which could have provided some light to combat the eerie shadows surrounding them.

  "We'll have to go back out," Viv declared resolutely but when they turned around there was nothing but solid stone where the door had been before - trapping them in the depths of hell.

  Chapter

  Nine

  Ivy knelt beside Samuel in a cave that she couldn't see but felt all around her. The walls seemed to breathe, contracting and expanding with the rhythm of their own breaths. The air was thick and heavy, carrying scents of damp earth and ancient secrets, making each inhale an effort.

  "You feel like you've lost a fight with a mythical creature," she quipped, her fingers gently probing the inflamed, uneven texture of Samuel's bite wound.

  "Your humor is almost as healing as your magic," Samuel groaned. "Can you do something about it?"

  Ivy closed her eyes, which made no difference in her world of darkness, and focused. A warmth flowed from her hand, and she felt it sink into the damaged tissue.

  Samuel's flesh seemed to pull itself together under her touch, the skin knitting back to a smooth surface.

  "Much better," Samuel sighed, and she felt him move his arm, probably flexing it to test its functionality. "You have a gift."

  “I haven’t told you about the side effects yet,” she said.

  "Which are?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "You'll feel a bit clingy," she answered. "But don't worry—this is all temporary. Everyone I heal experiences this 'love effect' for a short while afterwards."

  He let out a low chuckle. “Except for Killian, I bet you healed him before and the 'side effect' never wore off."

  Her smile faded as she thought of him, and the possibility that she might never see him again. "We'll see," she replied quietly.

  From what she sensed as a rustle of fabric, Samuel seemed to retrieve something. A moment later, she felt a locket being pressed into her hand. Its surface was plain, but the object pulsed with magical energy.

  "Consider this a token of gratitude," Samuel said.

  Ivy turned the locket over in her hand, feeling its contours.

  "A love locket? You move fast."

  "It's a spell," Samuel's voice carried a gravity that seemed to make the cave's unseen walls close in. "One that could kill the demon king."

  Her grip tightened around the locket. "You're joking."

  "Would I joke about something like that?"

  She sensed the seriousness in his tone, filling the cave like another presence. "All right, what's the catch?"

  "If you use it, you'd have to take the demon king's place," he revealed.

  Ivy let out a sharp, sardonic laugh that echoed through the invisible walls. "Who would have thought I'd go from a private security service to the Queen of Hell? What a change."

  "But it's an option," Samuel insisted.

  "An option I have zero plans to use," Ivy said, tucking the locket into her pocket. "But thanks for the 'killer' gift."

  Ivy sensed a shift in the air, like a low-frequency hum that rattled her bones.

  "We're not alone, are we?"

  Samuel's voice tinged with worry.

  "No, and I don't think our visitors are friendly."

  The ground beneath them seemed to tremble, and Ivy felt an odd vibration through the soles of her boots. A chilling growl reverberated through the air, growing louder, closer.

  “What on earth is that?” Ivy's hand instinctively went to the locket Samuel had given her, but she quickly regained her composure. That was a last resort she didn't want to consider.

  "Creatures from the underworld's pyramids. They're guardians of something, though what that is, I don't know. Very territorial. Very dangerous."

  "Great, pyramid guardians. Because regular hellhounds weren't bad enough?" she muttered.

  The growls were now accompanied by the clattering sound of what could only be described as many legs on stone.

  "Do they respond to negotiations or are we talking more along the lines of 'destroy first, ask questions later'?"

  Samuel chuckled nervously. "I've never tried negotiating."

  "Well, there's a first time for everything," Ivy said, focusing her energy into her palms. It condensed into an orb of pulsing light. She might not see it, but she felt its warmth and knew it was ready. "Or we could go with 'destroy first' talk later, if they're still alive. Your call."

  Before Samuel could answer, the air was filled with a hissing sound that made Ivy's skin crawl.

  "Too late for diplomacy," she said, hurling her magical orb into the direction of the hissing. A brief cry confirmed to her that she had hit the target.

  "Nice shot," Samuel said, his own magic crackling in the air as he sent out a wave of energy, creating a protective barrier around them.

  But Ivy felt something slip through the barrier, a slithering sensation against her ankle. "Ah, hell no!" She kicked out violently, feeling her boot connect with something hard and chitinous. A screech echoed, high and angry.

  "Let's get out of here," Samuel suggested, grabbing her arm.

  "Running from a fight? You really are full of surprises, Samuel."

  Her fingers tingled with residual magic, itching to be used. But Samuel was right; they needed a plan. Fast.

  "As much as I enjoy your combat enthusiasm, we have to discuss our options," Samuel began as they paused to catch their breath. "We can't return to the human world as we are. Incomplete and fractured. People won't understand. They'll see us as un-whole."

  "We're not invalid!"

  "Get real Ivy. I'm a mage without a light. I can't protect myself. I have to rely on you to survive. And you ... you're ..."

  "Say it."

  "You're ... blind. I don't know about you and Killian. But I don't want my wife to see me like this. I don't want my daughter to see me like this."

  "So what are you saying, Samuel?"

  "We should talk to the demon king. Ask for our missing pieces back, and ask him to officially release us back to the human world. As dangerous as it is, it might be our only option. That or live our lives being hunted by the supernaturals."

  "Why?"

  "No being can breach the boundaries of worlds without repercussions, Ivy," he said. "If that happens, our world would be thrown into chaos. I foolishly tested these limits and was detained. To return, I require a reprieve. You ventured here with an agreement to fulfill a spiritual contract. For you to go back, you need that contract to be relinquished."

  Ivy shook her head. "You're saying we can just have a chat with the demon king and he'll give us what we want, regardless of the fact that we broke out of his prison and killed a bunch of his hounds?"

  Samuel's voice dropped to a whisper. "I might have something in mind, but it involves making a very dark choice."

  Ivy felt a cold dread seep into her bones. "Darker than everything we've been through?"

  "Much darker," Samuel confirmed. "But it might be our only way out."

  Before Ivy could ask what he meant, a guttural roar shook the cave, the sound echoing off walls she couldn't see but felt all around her.

  They weren't alone—again.

  She summoned another orb of light between her hands.

  Just then, the walls seemed to close in, and Ivy felt a presence so malevolent it made her skin crawl. It was like the pyramid guardians, but stronger, darker, as if the very essence of the underworld had come to life.

  "Samuel, what is that?"

  "I don't know," he breathed, his voice tinged with real fear for the first time. "But it's between us and the only way out."

  "What is it, Samuel?"

  The roar sounded again, closer this time, and Ivy knew they were cornered.

  As the malevolent presence drew nearer, she clutched the locket in her pocket and prayed she wouldn't have to use it. Because if she did, everything would change, and there would be no turning back.

  There was a subtle shift in the air as if the world itself held its breath.

  She felt a tremor in the ground.

  "What is that?" she asked, every muscle in her body tensing in anticipation.

  "I don't know, but it's coming fast," Samuel said.

  Before Ivy could respond, she felt it—a wave of malevolent energy that rushed at them like a storm.

  Her senses screamed a warning just as Samuel shouted, "Duck!"

  She threw herself to the ground, feeling the air above her shift violently as if displaced by something large and fast-moving. A shriek, high and piercing, echoed off the walls, reverberating through her bones.

  Ivy rolled to her feet, instinctively adopting a defensive posture. "What in the underworld was that?"

  "Pyramid spawn, but they never venture this far from their nesting grounds."

  "Well, they're here, and I get the feeling they didn't come to say hello," Ivy snapped.

  She concentrated focusing on the energy patterns around them. They were not alone; several more of these so-called pyramid spawns were lurking in the darkness.

  She could feel their eyes on her, a palpable pressure in the air.

  "If you have any bright ideas, feel free to share them now."

  Samuel hesitated, and she sensed more than saw his internal struggle. "We could run into the Free Spirit Cave."

  "Didn't you say the path closed for us?"

  "In a normal situation, but if we seek refuge and run for our lives, it will open for us. It takes in any refugees."

  "Is there a but coming?"

  "We'll have to stay there for eternity."

  "Not keen. We stay here and we'll deal with them now."

  Samuel sighed, as if bracing himself. "All right, on three?"

  "On three," Ivy agreed.

 

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