Finding Fenrir (Underworld Chronicles Fanfiction)

Alpha

Chapter 9:

I spent the next two hours sitting awkwardly in the bed. I opened and closed my mouth, practiced different sounds. I went through the whole alphabet and I found that I had trouble forming sounds with a strong "C", "L" sound or a "th" sound. Now that I had a split tongue I felt as though I had to be conscious of how both sides moved. I also discovered how truly ruined some of my teeth were. I was still practicing words and sounds when Hades returned.

He had a box in his hands and I was instantly afraid of the box. I had felt this magic before even with it hidden from my view. "She gave it to you." I whimpered, slowly sliding away from him.

Hades arched a brow at me.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly, my whole body shaking. "I didn't hurt anyone this time. Please don't put it on me again!" I felt a tightness in my chest and my whole body was cold. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, I couldn't even run thanks to the sedative. "Please." I whispered, carefully forming the word.

"Look, relax. This isn't to hold you, it's to keep your Beast in one place." Hades said in his most assuring growl.

"But the Beast is in me!" I protested in desperation, feeling very near tears. "To bind the Beast you must bind me! I cannot bear that thing again!"

"It'll be fine. We aren't going to leave you in it." Hades said, frowning further.

I wanted out of this room. I wanted away from that box. For the first time in my visit, my trust in Hades wavered.

"This isn't what Thor used to tie you up. This was made by our people." Hades said, as if that made all the difference.

I wanted to disagree. The magic from the thing in the box felt the same as Gleipnir. Hades had not lied to me before...perhaps he was being tricked by Hel.

"No." Hades responded to my thought. "I didn't get this from her. I got it from my son-in-law, Alexion. He's the one that makes it so I know it came from the right person. No tricks."

It took a moment to breathe, but when I could breathe enough to finally ease some of the ache in my chest I asked, "Is he a dwarf?"

Hades barked a laugh and the sudden sound startled me. He raised a hand to wipe it down his face in clear exasperation. "No, he's not a dwarf. It'll be okay. I just wanted to bring it to you and give you a heads-up so you didn't think we were packaging you up for Asgard."

I shuddered. "I will try not to fight." I whispered. "I do not want my voice choked from me so soon after regaining it."

Hades tipped his head. "You're so scared of it you might choke?" He asked and I looked at him with a small frown.

"It squeezes me even when I stop fighting. If I am in it long I cannot breathe." I murmured and his expression darkened.

He shifted the box to one hand and pulled his device out of his pocket and tapped twice on the screen. He waited a moment then said, "Alexion. Is this shit supposed to choke people out?" There was a response on the device and he frowned. "Well the patient I was telling you about said that he'd been tied up by this magic before-- that the rope choked him." A pause. "Yeah, even when he was still." There was a moment of silence then the person spoke again. "Fine." Hades said in a sigh of irritation before he pulled the phone back to tap the screen.

An unfamiliar voice flowed out of the device. "Can you hear me?"

I tipped my head slightly at the voice, then hesitantly answered, "Y-yes?"

"Whatever magic they used on you before wasn't my magic. How long ago was it?" The voice asked.

I thought then shook my head. "I cannot say. It was when Midgard was still young. They wore furs and carried axes."