Chapter Twenty

I was losing track of time.

Sleep was impossible now. Every time I closed my eyes, the Shifter was there to invade my dreams, destroying everything I was holding onto, everything I was hoping for. Images of Yiuwa being brutalized and slaughtered, my family butchered and revived, only to be put to death again.

To add to the torture, every bit of food they fed me was nothing, but raw meat, their mocking laughter and jokes about it being members of my family only made me sick to my stomach. So eating was no longer an option.

And the temperature only seemed to drop. When I was knocked unconscious and woke once more, I would be covered in frost. My lips froze together at one point and when they were forced open by the torturers, they bled profusely. My leg was fucked up beyond recognition. It was mangled now, bent at an awkward angle, the flesh torn to pieces and healed improperly so it no longer really looked like a leg. And some sick part of me laughed at the sight of it because it reminded me of an episode of some fucked up cartoon I'd seen a few years ago.

The torture this time around was worse, I noted grimly. Worse because now, I really did feel it, right to my soul. The walls I'd thrown up to protect myself were nothing but piles of rubble now and I was exposed and raw. Now, thoroughly shredded and aching.

I was given a brief moment of reprieve as one of my torturers took my uneaten meal to the next torturer who would no doubt shove it down my throat forcefully. I laid splayed out on the floor now in a pool of my own frozen blood. My fingertips were turning purple from the cold, my toes already numb. My clothes were gone by now. Every part of me hurt. Even breathing burned my lungs and chest, broken ribs expanding and cracking further with each breath.

Each time I came dangerously close to death, I was yanked back by a healer, only for the torture to start all over again. And the healer did a hack job every time on purpose so it hurt even more when things were being healed.

And what terrified me the most was the lack of Uriel in the corner and the Shifter coming in to mock me personally. Where were they? What were they up to? Had they gotten to Yiuwa? What about the others? Was Stanton okay? Fuck, and Hades? I had no idea what was happening to them. I was told nothing and if I wanted to know something, I'd have to do something I simply did not have the stomach for at the moment.

Gods, the not knowing was the worst part.

What if the Shifter already had them? What if this was part of the torture? Jesus fuck, this was unbearable. There had to be someway to get information. Anyway.

I swallowed thickly, then grimaced when I heard heavy footsteps in the hallway outside. I pushed my hands down on the stones, moaning in pain as my bones creaked and cracked loudly. My skin peeled where it had been frozen to the stones, leaving behind raw blisters. I shoved myself back as far as I could into the corner, wheezing for air, clouds rising up from my lips.

The door came open and I was surprised to see Uriel coming in with the plate of meat. I said nothing as he slammed the door shut behind him. He glanced at the door, almost like he was expecting someone to come in after him before he came over and dropped the plate in front of me.

"Eat," he commanded. I glared at him through my hair that was growing out into my face. I said nothing as I lowered myself back down on the stones. Uriel curled his lip. He got down and grabbed me by a handful of hair, giving me a violent shake that jarred my fucking brain around in my skull, making me dizzy.

"Fucking eat, you idiot," he seethed, then got in close to me, "If you don't fucking eat, one of the other assholes is gonna make you do it. You better not be giving up on me, got it?" I looked at him, confused and he just glared at me intently. It was like he was trying to tell me something with his eyes, the way his pupils expanded and his lips pressed firmly together.

I looked at the food with a grimace. The meat smelled putrid now. At least, the part of it that was thawed out. The other half was still half frozen and speckled with frost. I shut my eyes and gave my head another shake. Uriel slammed my head down into the floor and grabbed a handful of the meat, shoving it at my face, but I pursed my lips together.

"Goddamn it, eat," Uriel ordered, "Or do you want your fucking family to die?" I glared at him, confused by the threat. That was going to happen whether I ate or not. Uriel's eyes were telling me something, though. He wasn't saying it out loud for a reason, which meant we were being spied on.

The rancid meat stung my nostrils, though. Fuck, the stench of it made me want to vomit. I was seriously going to consider being vegetarian after this shit.

I screwed my eyes shut and opened my mouth the tiniest bit. Relief flickered in Uriel's eyes and he shoved the food into my mouth. I gagged on it, feeling dry heaves forcing the food back up into my mouth, but Uriel clamped his hand over my mouth. The taste was utterly vile and my taste buds felt like they were burning off. Unable to stand holding it in my mouth further, I swallowed and gagged again, but kept swallowing until it was down.

A strange sensation overwhelmed me in that moment. I felt strangely... numb. No more pain, no more cold. I felt comfortably warm and toasty. I slumped to the floor, breathing easily for the first time in... fuck, however long I'd been here. Long enough for my hair to grow to the nape of my neck anyway.

"Good boy," Uriel muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the door, then looking back down at me, "Don't fuck this up. You have five minutes and no more. Any longer and you're going to wish I'd just killed you." I looked at him, confused, but the urge to sleep overcame me. It was so powerful, like an anesthetic that swallowed my vision in a cascade of blurs. I sighed, settling my head on the floor as I got comfortable... and fell asleep.

I expected the Shifter to assault me as soon as my eyelids fell shut, but it never came. Instead, I found myself standing on a sleek black surface. Looking around, I realized I was standing in Inferi, on the platform just outside Malachi's mansion that I could make out not too far away. Rain poured down in a spray, the feeling so pleasant, the air strangely warm... So it wasn't winter anymore, I realized as I stood there, holding my hands out and feeling the spray on my hands.

It was late spring. I could tell by the plants that were bright in color, the waves were strangely settled in the Black Sea that separated Hades from Hell. I inhaled the sweet fresh scent of the air around me, savored it.

"Oh my god, Rowan!" I jumped, startled at hearing my name and spun around to see Xiphrus there. Behind him, Hades and Malachi, one of Hades's sons, stood with him. All of them wore battlegear.

"Father?" I said without thinking. Xiphrus ran to me, grabbing me in his arms and I gasped at the embrace. I expected it to turn into something horrid, perhaps some kind of serpentine creature that would choke the life out of me or violate me, but nothing happened. He stayed Xiphrus. He stayed holding me, cradling my head to his chest, rocking me back and forth as if to soothe me, and it did, goddamn, it felt amazing. Tears threatened to well in my eyes, but I blinked them back rapidly, lifting my arms hesitantly to grip at the suit he wore.

"Are you real?" I whispered. Xiphrus pulled back just so he could cup my face tenderly in his hands.

"Yes, yes, it's really me," he whispered back, then gestured to Hades and Malachi, who came forward, "They did this. Malachi is half oneiroi. He made it so we could connect to you." I looked at them. Malachi appeared tired, dark circles under his strangely colored eyes, his long black hair tied up in a ponytail that fell down his back. Hades's hair was braided over his shoulder, his expression grim.

"What... What's going on?" I asked.

"War," Hades answered, making me blink in confusion, "The fucking shadows are on a rampage. They've infiltrated my realm and are killing everyone and everything."

"Thank fuck for our emergency security protocols," Malachi added, "Without them, we definitely would've lost more people. But we implemented them back after the Titan invasion, so we were fully prepared for an attack. Hell's also pulling the stops and Duat is joining the fight against the Shifter with Mictlan's backing. We're even hearing word from fucking Yomi of all places. They're getting jumped as well and ready to put the hurt on them."

"Jesus," I managed. Yomi very rarely got touched by outsiders, and they never assisted other realms when it came to battles like this, but it had to be really bad if they would ever break those rules.

"He's around," Hades said, making Malachi give him a grimace, clearly not enjoying the terrible joke, "Heaven's actually got shafted by this whole mess too, but they're not taking it without a fight. Let's put it this way; this is the first time all the realms have gotten together against one creature, and thank fuck for that, because those fucking shadows are hell to kill."

"We have to get Rowan," Xiphrus said, making everyone look at him, and Xiphrus looked at me, "We'll get you back, Rowan."

"No," I said quickly, too quickly, and all eyes locked on me as I swallowed, "Please, don't worry about me, I'm fine. You need to take care of yourselves; the Shifter is gunning for you guys, specifically. You, Geara, Joxeia, Viv, Hades. And especially Yiuwa." Saying his name stung. It felt like it'd been so long since I'd seen him. I blinked and looked at Xiphrus now.

"Yiuwa... Is he... okay?" I asked, wetting my lips nervously. Xiphrus pressed his lips together in a thin line, then nodded slowly.

"Physically, yes."

"Mentally, not so much," Hades admitted, making me look at him in concern, "While it's great for the battle, considering he fucking mows them down like a goddamn paver, he's not exactly got the whole protection thing down. He's been trying to torture shadows into giving up your location, or taking him to you, but obviously that doesn't do shit."

"He's going a little psycho," Malachi threw in, making Xiphrus glare at both of them, and Malachi cleared his throat and made a gesture with his fingers, "Little bit." I looked at Xiphrus.

"Tell him to stop," I said, which only made Hades laugh.

"Oh sure, stop getting mad cuz the guy you're married to has been kidnapped and is clearly being tortured," Hades said, "I tried that with Lucifer a few times. Didn't work. It's this whole weird love thing or something." Malachi gave him a droll stare, then looked at me.

"We need to get you back, Rowan. You're part of this prophecy, aren't you? If you're killed--"

"It can't kill me yet," I said, making them look at me curiously and I sighed, "It needs to... break my heart before it can kill me. And right now, I'm fine. There's no danger, as long as the rest of you aren't in danger. You need to keep yourselves safe. We're dangerously close to the end of this. If I die, there's only two more steps left and that's to kill Viv and probably kill the skies of a god, which by the way, we still have no idea what it means... exactly."

"Define exactly," Hades said dryly, folding his arms over his chest.

"You know what it means?" Xiphrus asked, looking at me. I didn't say anything, not right away anyway. Because how the fuck was I supposed to tell them that I suspected Hades was the next step in the prophecy? And that that reason stemmed from the fact that I'd given Hades the same gift that I had? Clearly he didn't notice it right now, and thank fuck for that, because he'd know right away the moment he saw my eyes glowing in the dark that I'd been the one to give him the eyes that had caused him so much trouble, given him the prophecy that had ruined not only his life, but the lives of his sons as well.

I didn't imagine telling Hades ever. And I couldn't imagine a worse time to say it than right at that moment with his son and my father watching.

"I don't," I said after a moment.

"Bullshit," Hades deadpanned.

"It doesn't matter," I replied, shaking my head, "As long as the Shifter can't kill me, we're fine. We won't need to worry about the next step. Right now, we need to find another lead on the chant Tristan is supposed to recite." Malachi sighed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"That's kind of hard when the trails gone cold," he said, making my heart sink, "We sent Yiuwa back to Yomi to look over the tablets again, but there's nothing. And we can't get back to the one in Atlantis, not that it would help much. Yiuwa said the tablet didn't say anything about the chant itself, but that it sounded like it was unfinished. It could just be that the chant was never actually written down in the first place."

"And if that's the case, we're kind of fucked," Hades muttered.

"We can keep the Shifter from completing the rest of the prophecy if we just make sure it misses its deadline," Malachi pointed out.

"No," Xiphrus said immediately, "That's too risky. The Shifter is angrier now. I can feel it. It is not going to play anymore games at this point. It wants Rowan dead, and whoever is involved with the skies of the god piece. Rowan, if you know the next part of the prophecy, you can't keep it from us. We need to find this person and protect them."

"The Shifter won't complete the prophecy," I reiterated, nervous that Xiphrus had swung the conversation back around, "As long as all of you keep yourselves safe and away from the Shifter. Don't go alone anywhere. And keep your dreams protected. Surround yourself with barriers. Stick to Viviana. She's been able to create barriers that at least make it difficult for shadows to get in and out. It's how she kept the rest of us in her realm before. Only she allowed us to come and go, and while it was mostly a permission thing, it was still annoying as hell to try and escape from the realm on our own. It's why we rarely did it."

"Yeah, but, Rowan--"

"There's no time," I cut Xiphrus off, turning to him, "You have to..." My voice trailed because immediately pain exploded through me and rocked me on my feet. I stumbled back, then choked and coughed, blood spraying from between my lips and spattering across the front of Xiphrus's battlesuit. He released an agonized cry, rushing to grab me under the arms and I moaned in agony as he lowered me to the ground with Hades and Malachi darting in to grab at Xiphrus.

"You have to go," I managed, pain pulsing hot through my veins and another blast of it shot up from my hips and along my back into my head, "Gods, get out! Go! It's coming!"

"No," Xiphrus barked, tightening his grasp on me, even as Hades rolled his eyes and Malachi looked around nervously. The skies began to rumble and growl, thick black clouds rolling in overhead. The rain picked up going from a mist to a heavy downpour. It was so fucking dark now, and thankfully I could see.

Or so I thought until my eyes landed on Hades's, those glowing blue eyes reflecting brightly off the rain as he stared at me. His eyes widened, the color draining from his face. I stared back at him, knowing full well that my eyes were glowing back at him.

"I'm sorry--" I didn't get a chance to finish because ice cold water crashed over my head in a wave and I coughed and sputtered.

I was awakened from my dream abruptly to find myself on my back. Water rushed into my lungs and I hacked, rolling over onto my side and spitting it up. Blood rushed out with it, pooling beneath me and almost immediately growing slick on the frozen stones. I trembled violently with the cold, my teeth chattering, my hair sticking to my face as I peered up to see one of the torturers standing over me with a bloodied set of brass knuckles. Behind him, another demon was eagerly rolling a hot poker around in his gloved hands.

And in the corner by the door, preparing to leave, Uriel shot me a fierce stare before he ducked out, slamming the door shut behind him. I coughed again, then gasped as the demon bashed me over the head with the brass knuckles. My skull bounced off the stones and my vision blacked out for a moment before returning dimly. I drew my hands up to cover my head, not that it did much, considering the brass knuckles and the force behind them shattered every bone in my hands so they were really nothing more than chunks of meat protecting my skull.

I squeezed my eyes shut, getting lost in a wave of guilt and mild panic.

Hades knew. Oh, Source above, he fucking knew. The look on his face had been a combination of utter horror. I'd never seen such a look on someone's face before. It was like his entire life had flashed before his eyes, every horrible terrible thing that had ever happened to him and his family, and all of it was rooted in me.

But at least now he wouldn't feel the need to rescue me, I reminded myself hopefully. Xiphrus would be angry, sure, and Yiuwa... Gods, my heart shattered at the thought of Yiuwa in so much pain, so much rage. The poison was going to flood his veins, turn him into something vile and despicable if he wasn't careful. His Beast was going to feed on his inner turmoil and it didn't care that it hurt. It would do anything to maintain the burst of power rushing through it, whether it was good or bad.

Everything was falling apart around me. I'd tried so hard to be meticulous about what I did involving this prophecy and those around me. I tried so hard to keep them away, but in the end, I'd craved them as much as they wanted to be around me. I wanted to be happy for the connection, but only felt unyielding terror and agony.

And the agony continued into the night until I was laying curled up in a corner, my blue skin sticking to the bloodied watery stones, frost forming on my eyelashes and burning my skin. I could barely breathe it was so fucking cold in here. I could barely think. And the hunger pains were getting worse. It felt like my stomach was preparing to eat itself in order to cure the unending cramps. Every time I felt the urge to vomit, all that came up was bloodied foam.

I heard the door behind me open, and I could already smell the raw meat before it came in. I ground my teeth together, despite the pain it caused my jaw. I pursed my lips tight and tensed, keeping myself in the fetal position in the corner.

"I told you five fucking minutes," Uriel's voice growled, making me blink and I managed to tilt my head around to look up at him. He stood over me with another plate of meat, then dropped it down on the floor beside me. I couldn't speak. My teeth were chattering to hard, even when I tried to clench them. I just glared up at him.

"Unfortunately, there's no magic in this shit," he said, nudging the plate with his steel toed boot, "But you have to eat. Something's gonna happen and you're gonna need all the strength you can get, Ro." I blinked hard in confusion. Was he... trying to help me? Confused, I rolled over a little, then hissed as skin peeled away to reveal raw blisters. I coughed, looking up at him in question. He glared down at me, then slowly crouched down and grabbed me by the throat, making me choke.

"Fucking eat. And whatever you do, don't give up, do you hear me? No matter what," he added darkly, then shoved me back down on the floor. I looked at him in confusion as I coughed and retched. He spun on his heel and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him.

I had no idea what he meant, but he was trying to tell me something. Had I been correct in assuming he wasn't as unsaveable as he thought himself? I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to trust him or not, however.

I glanced at the meat and my stomach rolled at the idea of eating it. It still smelled rancid.

Fucking eat.

Something's gonna happen and you're gonna need all the strength you can get.

Goddamnit.

I rolled all the way over, despite the agony it caused me. I picked up a piece of the meat, grimacing at it before I shut my eyes and plugged my nose with one hand, biting into the meat. I gagged as I choked it down before I rolled back over onto my back, gasping for breath as I fought to keep the meat down. I could hear the tell tale sounds of footsteps thumping their way to the door, and sure enough, the next round of torturers had arrived and sadistic grins ripped across their faces as they closed the door behind them and got to work.

Sleep didn't come for the next three nights.

Every time I started to slip away, a demon would come in and slap me awake, splash me with water, haul me up and throw me around the room. I'd been fed another plate of rotten meat, but I hadn't been able to keep that one down. I'd vomited all over one of the torturers who'd been assigned to violate me every couple hours, and he'd gotten a little rougher than usual by cracking my skull against the wall a few times.

My vision had flickered out for a while after that, possible nerve damage, but when the healer came in and did his work, my vision was restored and everything healed purposely the wrong way. I couldn't move my left arm correctly anymore. It was bent permanently at an awkward angle so it looked like it was forever laid across my chest. The leg that had been injured by the Xios and further damaged from the torture was useless. I no longer felt any pain in it either, so there was something I could look at positively, maybe.

It was another four days after that when I finally saw Uriel again, and he looked grim as he came in to drop another plate of meat at my feet.

"Eat that. We have somewhere to go," he stated. I looked at him, confused. I couldn't speak through my broken jaw, wouldn't be able to eat, but he reached down and touched my jaw, healing the damage there. I coughed a little, retched at the idea of being forced to eat more rotten meat, but managed to take some down before Uriel grabbed me by my deformed arm, hauling me up, only to find out that my leg no longer supported me. It slipped out from beneath me like a doll's might, and Uriel rolled his eyes, grabbing me up into his arms.

I looked at him, confused as he carried me out of the room and down the hallway. We passed other cells, the sound of tortured screams and wails echoing through the air. All of which had become typical for me as I could hear it from my cell. We continued to walk until we reached the nicer part of the castle with the sleek marble floors and neatly paneled walls, magnificent chandeliers, and polished mahogany furniture. Not that all of it was as well-kempt as it had been when Viviana was around. Now, it looked older and more damaged. We passed an armchair that looked like a fucking cat had gotten a hold of it.

As we came down a long narrow corridor, I could hear voices. We drew closer and closer, and I began to make out the words.

"... isn't quite there yet. While it's fun, it's becoming a bit tedious at this point. You have no idea where the others are at? None at all?"

"No. When I led the attack in Hades's palace, no one was there. Not even the servants. The entire place is abandoned. I went to Hell next and it was the same thing there. All of the cities were evacuated while I was in Yomi trying to find Tenjin. Not even a single creature in the streets."

I held my breath as we drew closer, and I recognized that voice, and hearing it made my heart sink lower and lower. I looked at Uriel, but he wasn't reacting now. His expression was cold and shuttered, and when we got outside the doors that were cracked open, he immediately dropped me on the floor and I gasped as my broken body slammed into the marble. I rolled over, feeling nausea roll through me, but I didn't have a chance to do anything because Uriel grabbed me by the arm and dragged me through the door, throwing me out onto an Oriental rug.

I felt eyes on me immediately, felt heat rush through the cold that had settled into my bones, felt the heat rising into my face. I stared down at the floor, seeing only a pair of black boots and spiked heels.

"Excellent," came the Shifter's purr, "Let's see if we can bring an end to this whole thing. He's been treated quite kindly by my guards. What do you have to say about that?" Those black boots turned toward me, and I swallowed a surge of bile as they approached me. The towering figure crouched down, and a pair of black eyes peered into my face.

"I can see why you're anxious," Yiuwa said, reaching out and grabbing me by the chin, tilting my face up so I was forced to look into his face, "He looks terrible. And still not a peep?" He glanced up at the Shifter, who smirked down at me with its arms folded over its chest.

"Not yet, anyway," it replied huskily. Yiuwa sighed, then looked down at me.

"Looks like we'll just have to work him over harder then."