The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 27

Alek and I rode Calista through the chasms between volcanoes, hardly talking to each other. I placed Alek's silence down to his fatigue and tried to stay out of his space – even though that was somewhat of an impossible task when we were sitting on the same saddle. I sat behind him, trying my hardest to maintain as little body contact as possible.

After last night and then Alek's cold shoulder this morning, I realised something; I was very much acting as the damsel in distress I grew up to hate. In the Underworld I was nothing without Alek's help, or anyone else's, and it had taken me too long of a time to truly acknowledge it.

I'd decided that once Alek got some sleep, I would ask him to teach me how to fight and defend myself. He was in too much of a poor mood at the moment, we'd travelled for so many hours I'd long ago lost the feeling in my backside. And if Alek really did intend on fulfilling his promise in taking me to the North Gate, I didn't want to be useless. I needed to be able to defend myself long enough from whatever darkness loomed in the Underworld for Alek to trust me.

The dead and dry landscape sent a chill through me, the consistent skitter of Calista's hooves kicking rock our only company. Parallel cliff faces on either side of us increased my paranoia – I half expected someone to be watching our approach, or some demon to come charging down its sides.

Calista's glowing red eyes swept over the landscape, and every now and then she'd turn her head just far enough to watch me in her peripheral vision. It made me wonder whether Persephone was also watching us. And if she was watching us, then there was no doubt Hades also would know of our location.

To solve this problem, I suggested to Alek that we blindfold Calista. Not only would it prevent any outside intruders from spying on us, but it would also stop her from keep giving me the stink eye.

Alek disagreed.

His solution to this little problem was to keep moving forwards as quickly as possible. Although Hades no doubt knew by now that I was trying to get to the North Gate, Alek said if we zigzagged on the way there, they'd be less likely to anticipate our next move.

I still thought that blindfolding Calista was the best option. But whatever.

My stomach rumbled in hunger and bit my lip, hoping Alek didn't hear it. His shoulders tightened; which meant he definitely did. He didn't say anything though, he just kept his head straight as he scrutinised our surroundings and grasped the crossbow firmly.

I was about to break our silence and ask how far off we were from Greed City, when Alek brought Calista to a holt.

"We're here," Alek announced, relieved.

I peeked over his shoulder and couldn't contain my surprise. We stood at the rim of a ginormous crater, its length stretching for miles. Curious, I slipped from Calista and landed with a thud after so long seated. The wind was much stronger here and made the fabric of my top ripple in waves as I inched closer to the crater.

My stomach dropped when I realised how deep the crater went. In the end I had to drop to my knees to inch closer to the edge, too scared to risk standing. Nausea made my face pale as I looked over the precarious edge, staring down the sheer drop at what looked to be two hundred metres of gaping, terrifying distance.

The base of the crater was covered in buildings and people the size of ants strolling through the city's streets. In the centre of Greed City was a decadent gold tower. The gold I'd seen in Sloth City had nothing on this expensive display, which glinted softly under the red sky. The building started at the base of the cavern and its top turret reached approximately halfway to the surface. Its beauty seemed to draw me in, and I ignored the sensation to reach for it. I shook myself out of its trance.