Staring deep into the darkness of Astaroth's pit, I could feel my muscles tense and the sweat build upon my brow.
"Once we enter, we cannot return." Payne explained, her ruby red eyes looking from face to face. "Not even one with wings can fight against the pull of the Throat of Hell."
"The...Throat of Hell?" Kalu croaked.
"Yes. Another name for Astaroth's pit." Devon explained, crouching down and touching the soil which spread around the rim of the gaping hole.
I stared further into the darkness. "If anyone wishes to turn back, it's your last chance. I won't hold it against anyone. Where we're going, there is no room for regret, doubt, or fear. Any of those things will only serve to weaken our resolve."
"Turn back? You've gotta be kidding, Milady." Roxy smirked. Despite her strong words, I could see she was shaken.
"We're all with you, Evelyn." Devon spoke sternly.
Everyone nodded, their eyes full of fear, but their hearts willing to make the sacrifice.
"Alright." I took a deep breath, looking around at my comrades. "Someone needs to stay behind with Kalu."
"Wait, what? You've been training me for this moment, right? I've gotten so much stronger! You can't just leave me here!"
Everyone looked around at one another, not wanting to volunteer to stay behind.
"I can stay by myself. You need all the help you can get, Ms. Evelyn."
"Kalu..."
"No. I'm standing my ground now. You need everyone's help and I'll only slow you down. This darklord guy has been trying to use me against you, to distract you from the beginning. You can't afford to be distracted. Not now. I'm strong enough to stay here on my own. Besides, all the bad guys will be down there, trying to stop you. If anything bad happens here, I'll just hide."
I attempted to retort, but was cut off by Devon.
"She's right. I can leave some of my summoned warriors here with her, but we need all the man power we can get in order to make it through this."
I looked back at Kalu, her eyes full of something new. She'd grown so strong in such a short period of time, even without the assistance of my transformation spell.
"Alright." I choked.
She nodded, walking up to me with tiny tears in her eyes. I knelt down and hugged her, attempting to stay strong. Devon summoned two of his defensive guards, which immediately hovered to Kalu's side.
"I will come back for you." I whispered, kissing her forehead. I stood once more, turning toward the massive hole. Each of my comrades stood around the edge, and we intertwined our fingers in an attempt to stay strong.
"On three. We all have to do this together."
"One."
"Two."
Three
The heat consumed our forms and the dim light from above became a distant memory as our bodies cascaded down the Throat of Hell. I could hear the screams of the damned and smell the stench of rotted corpses as we neared the bottom. Before we could hit the ground, our bodies stopped, bouncing and bobbing mid-air.
"Look, Father. She's come to US."
The voice of the crimson harpie, echoed throughout the ominous sky.
YOU ARE READING
Eterna
Fantasy"I yearn for his touch. Each and every day I spill blood in his name. For the future we can never have. Oh, Lucius Alexander I will destroy you. With every fiber of my being I will strike you down.." Join Evelyn and her companions on an adventure to...
