Echoes in Eternity (The Pella Series Book 1) (57 page)

“What course? Descent to where?
I have to get her back!”

“Who is this Nieto?” Courcillion interjects.

“Our inside man!” I mutter tersely to Courcillion.

“My wife is dying!
For the sake of everything holy; you’ve got to let me get her back, Nieto! Think outside of your duties for once! Haven’t we suffered enough?” I plead with him.

“
She isn’t dying at the moment. She is falling into Tartarus. I haven’t caught up to her yet. You and Duke must keep her body and soul until I give you the signal. Let no one approach her but the two of you… no matter what. You know the consequences Alexander...” he says warning. Yes, I know the consequences! Death or worse: the oblivion, the perpetual loss.

“I know!” I shout infuriated. “
What was her destination and where are you sending her now?”

“I don’t think you understand me, Alex!
You will want to get her aid in ten days’ time. Henry is with you, is he not?”

“He’s close.”

“He can’t, I repeat, he cannot try to revive her! It must only be you and the Duke! No human, any other Nephilim, or Psyche must touch her. Just the two of you.”

“I got it!”

“You will want to! Courcillion, do you understand? You have to work together, even if it goes against your natures.”

The
Duke looks at me with determination. His lips thins, his eyes are fixed on me with steel.

“Yes, I understand.”

“How long do we wait, Nieto?”

“The fall is nine days. She will travel alone
…”

“Alone?”

“Yes. On the tenth day I kill her. Then…”

“You do what?” Courcillion and I both shout at the same time.

“I kill her before she’s sacrificed by Apollyon himself! She’s tossed into the chasm with the Kerberos’s den, the snakes’ pit and the eternal inferno! When and if all else fails, the Lords of Hades are at hand to capture her. If she’s alive when they get her, Eden falls!”

“Pull her back! Pull her back! Pull her back!” we shout in unison again.

“I cannot let you do that gentlemen!” says Nieto. “She will not vanish. You will get her dead body this time, I promise,” and with that all fall into silence.

CHAPTER XVII
I

TARTARUS

Elissa Cassandra Duncan

“Running through
time
again?” I hear the question, so faint and vague; I’m not sure if I heard it or imagined it. My consciousness might be playing a game on me.

“Sometimes, you must just keep yourself out of trouble, Miss Ellie.” I could swear I heard it this time!

“Who…” I utter, but before I finish my sentence, I feel the very large canine mouth with sticky slobber graze my flesh. Someone suddenly yanks me to the opposite direction of the intended bite; but two other growling canine heads simultaneously try to take a chunk out of me. I see nothing, but I smell the acrid smell of Hades in hot and rotten breaths.

“
Kerrr...be…rosss
!” The word is whispered into my mind slowly rather than to my ear.

“Wha…?” I can’t finish my word. Several hissing serpent heads attempt to sink their fangs into me. I feel the snapping of their jaws with such force, the air around me vibrates with hostile tension.

“Kerberos,” the word is clearly whispered again into my mind this time. What the hell is Kerberos?

“Listen to me, daughter of Marcus… Shhhh…” says the soothing deep, aged, melodious voice. “Kerberos is a
denios kunos
,” the voice whispers.
Cerberus is a dreadful hound!
Realization dawns on me: I
am
falling into Hades! Where else would Cerberus reside? Oh shit! This three-headed hound also came to claim Alex’s soul centuries ago. That means it can leave Hades when the prize is worth the trip! But I’m being delivered to it with a speedy service. Why?

“No, you
were
being delivered, daughter of Marcus. But I intend to divert your course,” the voice whispers in my head as if he’s answering my thoughts and still manages to sound exasperated.

“He’ll never let me into Hades alive! He’s going to kill me and even if I manage to survive the entry, once I’m in, he’ll never let me out!” I’m in deep trouble in either case.

“That’s why I’m here to see that you get in, and out. We have a mission to complete first, starting with this…” he says and something quickly envelopes me, wrapping me in a thick cover like a second skin… The furry softness makes me think it’s animal hide. But how could it be? It doesn’t feel like it, but within the malleable cocoon it provided me, my limited vision in this threefold darkness is gone. My hearing, sense of smell and touch are also obscured greatly.

“Don’t fight,” the voice soothes me in my head. “I have to hide your scent, your aura, and your bright soul which will call demons, and the
Fallen
who reside here like Icarus to the sun.”

I sense that I’m still falling, but not at escape velocity anymore. The voice smiles in my mind.

“I know that voice. But I…” I think hard to place it in my memory. “I can’t remember you.”

“Do you trust me?” he asks without answering my unspoken question.

“I don’t know you. You cut off my vision, my sense of hearing, touch, smell. I’m not even allowed to talk. All I can do is to think…”

“Ahhh, but you do know me. You’ve always known me,” says the voice raising his eyebrows mentally.

“Why can’t you just tell me who you are?”

“Daughter of Marcus, I have told you enough times of who I am. I think it’s time you learn to locate your memories and fast!” he admonishes me.

“Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Because if I tell you, you will forget it like the will of the wisp like you have in the past. Dissipating within the vast space of
the many lives you have matriculated through. You will and you must remember, but you’d do well to do it on your own, now! That’s the name of the game. Remember, a butterfly only survives if she breaks her own cocoon. It may be the end of the world for the caterpillar, but when the ordeal is over, you will be the unbreakable butterfly. Agile and durable,” the voice whispers in my head with absolute authority.

“I’m frightened. I’m falling into Hades…” My
mental words break with fear and worry.

“Don’t let fear incapacitate you. Utilize it into action! They all can smell your fear and feed on it, drive power from it while you are weakened!”

“Who?” I mentally squeak.

“You’re going to the third circle of Tartarus, Kerberos’ three heads and its mane of snakes has the reach and speed to get to you.
I need the poison from its tail, and one fang from each head. Tell me when you can see him,” he orders me.

“See him?” I squeak. “How can I see him? You cut my vision!”

“You have vision. Use it! You are the offspring of the highest Watcher: you are a Nephilim! You are the daughter of Marcus. Use the abilities you inherited! You are half of Eden! You have no need of weak human eyes to see! You had the ability to find your horse among a thousand horses blindfolded!” he booms in my mind, rattling me to my core.

“Because I could see her soul, smell the scent of Elysium’s seventh garden, and she gave birth to Zephyr, the western wind both in body and in spirit!” I utter. But, my declaration shocks me only. “You are
Nieto!
” I mentally shout. I could feel him sag in relief, and see the deep lines of his face relax, and clearly see his once broken crooked nose, deeply seated eyes, and his pueblo band pulling his braids back.

“Miss Ellie…” he utters grimly, eyes sad. “This is a journey you must complete. But, I can’t take you back. I don’t have
the power to pull you out of Hades’ domain.”

“Huh? You’re delivering me to them?”

“No. I’m delivering you to your father, changing the course of your intended destination. But, that’s all the power I have. There are too many forces involved in this and this is not my domain! Unfortunately, one of your enemies is at your tail and will reach us soon if I don’t collect what we need.”

“The poison from the tail and the three fangs?” I ask.

“Yes. But if the fangs bite you and the poison is delivered through Kerberos, you die, and remain here permanently while your soul is used to open the gates of Eden. Listen carefully…” he says enunciating his words. His face suddenly appears before mine. His eyes scan me. His gaze is focused on me with all its intensity. “If Cerberus stings you with its tail, you die permanently and you can never leave here. By default, you become the property of Hades and a sacrifice for not only the Fallen, but also the Lords of the Hades.”

“Oh…” I whimper. “Is that all?” I try to swallow what feels like the Gibraltar size of a rock and fail. “What happens if you collect them?” I manage to ask in a monotonous mental voice, without feeling. I even mentally pat myself on the back for not breaking down.

“Then I get to kill you just enough to make you reach your father.”

“Whaaaat?” I shriek in my head. “I feel like I lost a bet with the Devil himself and even the parting gifts are crappy!”

“Elissa! This is not a life and death situation! This is a death and death situation where one death is preferable over all others. I need you on full alert at all times and this is not a game!”

“You have to give me a break, Nieto! I’m falling into hell faster than a meteor with no possible way to get out. Apparently I’m to die soon and the k
ind of death I need to prefer has to come through your hands. I need a fucking breather!”

“You don’t get one!” he stonewalls me.

“Good to know, thanks,” I say dryly, trying not to hyperventilate. My inner hero faints in a dark corner of my mind. I exhale loudly. Even my breath is shattering. I try to put myself on mental autopilot. “Tell me, how can you kill me just a little? I’ve never heard of dying a little. When you die, you’re dead! It’s a one way ticket to… here! Luckily for you, I’m already on my way!” I vocalize, rapidly firing, almost as fast as I’m zipping through the abyss. I gasp for deep breaths, my eyes dilate though I see nothing through my human vision. Most of my human senses are numbed.

“Don’t let your fear
incapacitate you! Think Ellie! Think! Your enemy is surely coming for you and I only have enough time to get what we need and then kill you before you pass through the
Double Horns of Consecration
!”

“Why?” I find myself
asking like a particularly annoying four year old child.

“Because, I will be yanked back. I’m stretching my limits as it is. Even my domain has limits. I’ll collect what I need. Your human senses need to be shut off completely.
The snake heads on Kerberos’ mane can bite and inject you with the water from the river Lethe which will make you forget who you are,” the voice whispers into my head. “…who you have ever been...” Shit! What are my choices here? Lost in oblivion, sacrificed, or die in the hands of Nieto.