Page 13 of Thorn & Ash
A puff of air brushed against her ear like a whisper. A faint breeze drifted along her skin. There was certainly power here. But something was stifling her magic, keeping it from fully surfacing.
Suspicion prickled along her skin. The sensation of being watched crept over her like a dark shadow.
Someone was here. Was this why her magic wasn’t working? Was there a powerful presence blocking her?
“Excito,” she said, her voice gaining strength. “As queen of this realm, I command you to reveal yourself.” It was a feeble attempt, especially since anyone who could see her would know she was a prisoner. No one would believe she was a queen.
Queen. Goddess, even she couldn’t quite believe it. As Cyrus’s wife, yes, she was queen of this realm. But it felt like a delusion. A fantasy. Something she had dreamed up.
It didn’t feel real at all.
Footsteps shuffled nearby, followed by a deep, feral growl. Prue tensed, alarm slamming into her. Was this some sort of creature, waiting to devour her? She scanned the darkness, fruitlessly trying to make out whatever was approaching.
“Who’s there?” She forced a note of authority in her voice.
No one answered. Prue waited, her heart slamming against her ribcage. The longer the silence stretched on, the more her fear melted into curiosity. If the creature hadn’t shown itself by now, it likely wasn’t here to harm her.
Gradually, a figure came into view. It wasn’t a creature, but a human. Or rather, a being with human parts. He had the torso and legs of a man, but from the neck up, he had the head of a bull with horns protruding from his temples. In his human hands rested a bowl of stew. His dark, beady eyes assessed her as he growled again.
Prue resisted the urge to back up a step. She’d seen demons like this before; in fact, she was certain this particular demon had brought her food earlier.
“Why were you lurking in the shadows?” Prue asked, grateful her voice didn’t shake. Her eyes dropped to the stew, and her stomach rumbled audibly.
“I wanted to see what you would do,” the demon said, his voice low and gravelly. Prue was surprised to hear him speak so clearly, given he had no human mouth. “For a moment there, it seemed as if you might conjure magic.”
Prue’s eyes narrowed. “Were you the one blocking my powers?”
The demon cocked his head at her. His animal-like features were unnerving; Prue couldn’t make out facial expressions or sense any indication of his mood. Was he angry? Curious? Amused?
“Something has been blocking the magic in this realm for… a long, long time,” he said at last, his tone sorrowful. “I was hopeful that you had found a way around it. But alas, you, like the rest of us, are rendered powerless.”
Prue went still at the utter devastation in his voice. There was something ancient in his words, as if he had been alive for a very long time and witnessed all manner of tragedies.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
The demon said nothing for a long moment, as if he were considering whether he should reply. “Lagos,” he finally said.
“And what is your position in the Underworld, Lagos?” Prue asked.
“I’m a warden of Tartarus.”
Prue inwardly cringed. She remembered what Cyrus had once told her—that the task of torturing souls was normally given to lesser beings like demons. Was Lagos in charge of torturing the souls of Tartarus?
“You are the Queen of the Underworld,” Lagos said. It wasn’t a question.
“I am.” Prue huffed a dry laugh, gesturing to her chains. “I know it may be hard to believe.”
“I heard the authority in your voice,” Lagos said. “You commanded me to reveal myself, so I had to obey.”
Prue stared at him, her chest thrumming with anticipation. “You—you are forced to obey me?”
Lagos fixed his dark eyes on her and said nothing. She had the distinct impression he was testing her somehow.
“But how?” Prue shook her head. “I have no magic here.”
“It’s not your magic. It’s the magic of this realm. It recognizes you as the rightful queen because of your bond with our king.”
If only Cyrus would recognize that bond, she thought bitterly.