My Tattered Bonds by Courtney Cole

Author:Courtney Cole
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: David_James Mobilism.org
ISBN: 9780615574653
Publisher: Lakehouse Press
Published: 2011-12-05T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Hell was dark.

As I picked my way over sharp rocks and through dry brambles and descended into the bowels of the Underworld, that was the thing that stuck out at me most. The absence of light. There were random fires here and there, which cast frightening shadows, but there was no other light here. It was black as pitch and freezing cold.

Ares strode forward to walk by my side at the front, his protective nature revealing itself. As we passed a small patch of brambles that were alight, he bent to pick up a long branch and lit it ablaze before holding it in front of us as a torch.

I wasn’t sure that was better.

The fire illuminated our path, but it revealed everything else along the way. To our right, a blackened demon sat hunched over on a charred log. He smelled like sulfur and he had no eyes. As we walked past, he hissed loud and long, following our movements even though he couldn’t see us. The pale blank areas where his eyes should have been sent shivers down my spine. Behind him, a long scaly tail twitched.

“Nice place,” I mumbled to Ares as I scooted a little closer to him.

“Isn’t it?” he replied somewhat cheerfully.

“Why doesn’t this bother you?” I asked curiously. “It gives me chills, yet you don’t seem fazed in the slightest.” As I spoke, I glanced over my shoulder at the demon once again. He was still sitting motionlessly where he had been. Evil exuded from him and I couldn’t walk fast enough in the opposite direction.

Ares glanced sideways at me for a moment before returning his attention to the terrain in front of us.

“Are you asking why Tartara doesn’t scare me? It is because this place is nothing compared to the fear that I feel over losing anyone that I love. I have faced many things in my life and nothing is as terrifying as that. Perhaps it is because I do not love many people. I hold the ones that I do very close.”

His muscles bulged as he moved, his shirtless torso glistening in the firelight. I hadn’t even realized that he had taken his shirt off. Glancing behind us, I saw that it was tucked around the spike embedded in my husband’s shoulder. The white linen cloth was soaked through with blood.

My eyes suddenly stung and I blinked hard.

Behind Cadmus and the Amazons, my mother and Ortrera were murmuring softly as they cast periodic glances into the darkness surrounding us. It was clear that everyone was on guard. Aphrodite caught my eye and gave me a comforting look, so I offered her a small smile in return before turning back around.

“Your mother is worried about you,” Ares observed. “As am I.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “But it doesn’t seem to be helping, so you should really save your energy.”

He eyed me again, his dark eyes holding the kind expression of a father, not the god of war.

“I’m glad to see you still have your spunk,” he finally answered.

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