Page 6 of Thorn & Ash
It certainly made for a dull lifestyle, but Evander couldn’t complain. His suffering was nothing compared to the souls in the river. They might not be tortured by the woes of Tartarus, but they were still in constant pain and turmoil.
He rose to his feet, only to stop, his body going stiff as he sensed someone approaching behind him. His skin prickled, and quiet footsteps drew closer. Slowly, he turned, his nostrils flaring as he recognized two of his brothers.
Marcellus, the older of the two, had short-cropped black hair with a thin streak of silver and a beefy, muscular frame he enjoyed showing off. Beside him stood Leonidas, taller and leaner, though still deadly and dangerous. His silvery eyes glinted with mischief, his gaze shrewd and calculating. His own black hair curled at the nape of his neck, also streaked with silver.
“Gods, Evander,” Marcellus said with a laugh, crossing his bulky arms over his chest. “You look even more miserable than Leonidas these days. What’s your excuse? Is Cyrus forcing you to shovel shit now?”
Leonidas snickered, though a flicker of darkness flashed in his eyes. He had the worst assignment of them all—tending the river Acheron, which housed the most anguished of souls.
Evander arranged his expression into something apathetic. Almost bored. But inside, his chest flared with alarm. Why are they here? They need to leave… “Don’t you two have your own duties to tend to?”
Marcellus snorted and nudged Leonidas with his elbow. “He says ‘duties’ as if he knows what that means. As if he’s ever known a day of hard work in his miserable life.”
“I have a funny feeling he wants us to leave,” Leonidas murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. “Almost as if he doesn’t care for our company.”
Marcellus cracked his knuckles. “Why wouldn’t he? We are clearly the most superior of all our brothers. He should relish our company.”
Leonidas idled closer. “Perhaps we should punish him for his offense. Remind him how lucky he is to have brothers like us.”
Evander sighed, closing his eyes briefly. Occasionally, his brothers bullied him, eager to assert who was more powerful. And Evander could do nothing but let them overtake him. Because if he fought back, if he risked unleashing the beast… he risked losing himself to the dark magic completely. And all would be lost.
He was fortunate. Ordinarily, Vasileios, his oldest brother, joined in as well. Today it was just two of them.
He could endure their torment. It was only a few moments of pain and humiliation, and then it would be over.
Evander turned to fully face them, then spread his arms. “Go ahead. I’m ready.”
Marcellus’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh, trying to be brave, are you? Imagine that, our feeble brother trying to prove something.”
Leonidas barked out a laugh. “I don’t believe it for a second. Look, he’s practically trembling with fear.”
Evander clenched his fingers into fists. He was shaking, but not out of fear… out of fury. His fingernails dug into his palms as he tried to keep his rage at bay.
Don’t let them see it. This means nothing to you. Just get past this moment and move on.
The glee on Marcellus’s face told Evander he wouldn’t let up easily. He wanted to keep teasing. To find more flaws to poke at.
If Evander didn’t give them a reason to end it, he might do something they would all regret.
“It’s really rather childish,” Evander said with a long-suffering sigh. “I wish you would just leave me be. I have better things to do.”
Leonidas pressed a hand to his chest and offered a look of mock horror. “You wound us, Evander.”
Evander only shrugged. “If you aren’t strong enough to make the first move, then that’s fine. I’d rather be working anyway.”
Anger flashed in Marcellus’s eyes, and Evander knew his strategy was working. If there was one thing Marcellus wouldn’t stand for, it was an attack on his pride.
“You’re an insolent little shit, you know that?” Marcellus spat. “Cyrus should’ve thrown you into Tartarus with the rest of the scum. I don’t know why he bothers to leave you here when you offer nothing to this realm. You’re a waste of space.”
Evander swallowed hard as Marcellus drew closer. Evander was taller, but the rippling muscles on Marcellus were intimidating all on their own.
“I’ll make you wish you were in that pit,” Marcellus growled. Behind him, Leonidas approached, looking eager.
Evander closed his eyes as the first punch struck him. As always, the blinding pain was a shock to his body, the agony rippling over him in sickening waves. He staggered backward, his jaw burning, just as Marcellus hit him again, this time in the stomach.
Evander doubled over, wheezing, his ribs feeling like they had been shattered completely.
Leonidas jumped in, striking a blow to Evander’s nose. The hit wasn’t as forceful as Marcellus’s, but it still slammed into Evander, rattling his bones and making his head spin. Silver blood trickled from his nose, and he choked on his breaths.