Page 24 of Spring's Descent
HADES
“There’sa chance she hasn’t seen us,” my little witch said, her face as white as a wraith’s. “Tell the demon you’re delivering me to that you lost me.”
I shot her a glare.
“Or that I died. We could run?—”
Kampe let loose another great screech as her blood-red eyes locked onto us. I felt my little witch draw into me, her fingers curling into the material of my tunic, directly over my chest—before a bolt of electricity pierced my heart.
It was like the finest blade had slipped between my ribs and punctured the useless organ. It had to have been Kampe. She’d somehow lashed out with her barbed tail or razor sharp talons, but the monster swooped over us, circling from above once more. She was still warning us to turn back or suffer her wrath.
There had been no attack. So, why was my entire body quivering in pain?
“Aidoneus,” my little witch warned.
Panic dripped from her voice, her body intuitively seeking mine for protection. There was a strange fluttering in my stomach as her small fists clenched tighter. It shouldn’t have mattered. Plenty of women had done the same in the pastcenturies, running to me for protection. It had never mattered, but I couldfeelher. My Persephone.
Another lash of agony ripped through me, the force of it sending me to my knees.
Time seemed to slow as I fell, unable to stop myself. Persephone tumbled from my grasp, rolling a few paces ahead as I was left writhing in pain, immobile under her power. Clawing at the blast of magic seizing me, I ripped my tunic, my lungs pulling in sharp, ragged breaths.
A blast of agonizing warmth rocked through me, the sudden change like needles pricking through every inch of my body. It felt as if the useless, withered muscle trapped beneath my ribs squeezed, forcing a rush of stagnant blood through my frozen veins.
Disbelieving, I stared wide-eyed at my hands, gawking as they shifted from a sickly, pale sheen to that of an almost rosy hue.
Another squeeze. Another rush of warmth. And blistering torture.
My heart was beating. I hadn’t felt anything other than coldness in centuries—not until my little witch. And now I was doused in flames, rendered immobile, leaving Persephone to face Kampe alone.
The third beat of my heart rippled through me as I fought through the torment I was drowning in and fixed my gaze on her. She was poised on the volcanic bridge just ahead, uninjured from what I could see, but on her hands and knees. The thin material over she face had fallen away, her cheeks streaked and stained with ash. Her entire body was frozen as Kampe screeched—and then dove straight for us.
Persephone shouted something but I couldn’t hear. Couldn’t do anything other than crawl as whatever power she wielded worked through my body, forcing deadened tissue to resurrect.I willed my body to move, my muscles to respond, but even with all my strength and magic, I only gained inches. It was like my bones and tendons and every fiber of my being were being sculpted anew, rendering me helpless.
A fierce look of determination flashed in her eyes, a realization that I wouldn’t reach her before Kampe did.
“Run back to me,” I tried to shout, but it came out as a groan.
Balling her fists, she turned back to the flying beast and squared her shoulders. Gods be cursed, Persephone was half starved and unawakened, and still she meant to challenge Kampe, a powerful serpent hybrid on her own.
I saw the moment Persephone succumbed to Kampe’s cursed gaze. I watched, unable to reach her as her back arched, her head thrown back and lips parted around a silent scream.
16
PERSEPHONE
My fingers trailedover yellow dandelion blossoms, enjoying the soft brush of their petals under my touch before I plucked a few of the larger leaves from the stalk for tea. It wasn’t enough to kill the plant. Not even close. Dandelions were strong. They'd developed the ability to survive and grow just about anywhere. Rocky terrain or the lush fields, frost or heat, they always managed to persevere. Other witches my age liked roses or lilies, both of which were fine, but they didn’t have the resilience that dandelions did.
I looked at the field of bright yellow blossoms surrounding me with a proud smile. I wouldn’t be nine for another few months, the age in which my mother’s powers started to manifest, but I had just brought an entire field back to life.
This had to make Mother proud. When I was younger, she would tell me tales of how I was meant to be the savior of us all. My magic was going to be strong enough to lead us out of the war with The Dark Faction and into a period of peace.
Those stores had stopped last spring. I wasn’t sure what I did wrong, but it must have been something terrible, because it had been the first time Mother hit me. It had only been the back ofher hand. The shock of it had hurt more than the cut across my lip, but things had only gotten worse from there.
Demeter was the strongest earth witch ever known, and as her daughter, I was expected to match her power. Staring at the field of swaying dandelions, I allowed myself to smile. This would prove I wasn’t worthless. Mother would see this and be pleased… and maybe she’d go back to loving me.
“What did I tell you about sneaking off, Korae?”
I jumped at Mother’s voice, the shrill note causing my breath to catch in my lungs. Ignoring my racing heart and the shakiness of my limbs, I turned to face her with a tentative smile.