Emblazed (3 page)

“I’m sorry,” I apologized through gritted teeth. “This is just … I can’t even explain
to you how I feel right now. So empty, yet so full of rage. We need to leave as soon
as possible.”

“I got the obols from my parents. We walked in as you were going out the back,” Zane
said.

I nodded stiffly before directing my attention to the Oracle. “Can we go now?” I anxiously
asked.

“You all must rest. We will leave in the morning,” she replied.

“What? Are you fucking serious?” I yelled. I turned to Zane as I said, “She can’t
be serious.”

Everyone was silent, no doubt afraid that I would have another outburst. “How can
I rest knowing Brielle is imprisoned in the Underworld by Hades? I’m already starting
to feel the effects of being apart, and I’ll continue to get weaker. We need to go
now,” I argued firmly.

“Jace, maybe she’s right. You look exhausted. Don’t you want to be at your best when
we go rescue her?” Kiera asked.

“Of course I do, but the longer we are apart, the longer he has to torture her. Not
to mention we have a deadline. We need to act fast,” I countered.

“I agree,” Kimber added. Zane gave her a look of disbelief, causing her to comment,
“What? She’s in the Underworld with Hades. Hades! We need to rescue her as soon as
possible.”

“We need to be fully rested and prepared. We can’t go in there without a plan, or
while we are physically and mentally exhausted. We haven’t even discussed what we
are going to do once we get into the Underworld. Any mistakes could be fatal down
there,” Zane countered.

He was right, we needed to come up with a plan, but I couldn’t focus when I thought
of Brielle in the Underworld. All I could think about was getting her back, feeling
her in my arms, and knowing she was safe. Time was ticking and everyone looked to
me for my decision.

“Look, I know that I won’t be able to sleep any way, but Zane is right about having
a plan before we go,” I stated before looking at my phone. The wallpaper of Brielle
and I smiling together ripped into my heart. “It’s almost eight forty-five. We are
all in this together, if you all think we should rest, then we can wait until morning.
We can take a vote. Those who think we should rest first, raise your hand.”

Zane, the Oracle, and Kiera raised their hands. Funny how the three people closest
to Brielle wanted to go in with guns blazing. Maybe we had too much of our emotions
invested to think logically, but my need to save Brielle was almost unbearable.

Mr. De Luca’s voice broke through my thoughts, “Jace, we need to rescue her as soon
as possible. You have to save her!”

Fuck, I didn’t need any more guilt. I was so torn; Zane had never led me in the wrong
direction, and I trusted his judgment more than any person here. Yet, I couldn’t leave
Brielle in the Underworld while I rested. She wouldn’t rest if it were the other way
around, even though I would want her to.

I knew what we needed to do, but following through was going to be difficult. “I don’t
want to, but I think we should rest, and then head out first thing in the morning
after forming a plan.”

“What?” Kimber and Mr. De Luca exclaimed in unison, both upset with my decision.

“I want to rescue her more than the both of you combined, but I do not want to make
careless mistakes that could cost our lives or Brielle’s,” I stated.

“Well, when you’ve decided that you have time to rescue my daughter, let me know,”
Mr. De Luca replied bitterly before storming back into the house.

I knew he was just worried about Brielle, and wasn’t thinking logically, but his words
still hurt. I directed my attention back to the rest of the group, as I said, “Be
back here tomorrow morning by six. We will come up with a plan, and then head out
immediately.”

Zane, Kimber, and Kiera nodded before heading back inside. I stayed behind, and nausea
swept over me. I braced my hands on my knees as I vomited up the little I had forced
myself to eat. The telltale throbbing of my head followed, and I wondered how I was
going to get through the Underworld if I had to throw up every five minutes.

I suddenly realized that we were going to have to navigate the Underworld. None of
us had ever been there, except maybe the Oracle. We needed a map, and the only place
I knew where to get one was at one of the Elemental Archives. We didn’t have time
to go to any of them, even if we transported.

I looked up at the Oracle as I asked, “Can you get us a map of the Underworld?”

“I think I could possibly find one. I shall return in the morning.”

She vanished, and I took in a deep breath before standing upright. I walked lethargically
back into the house and up to our room. Flopping down onto the bed, I was engulfed
by Brielle’s scent. Gods, I missed her. I grabbed her pillow and buried my face in
it, wishing it was her in its place.

I startled awake, gasping for air as I emerged from my nightmare. The same room surrounded
me, and the hope that the whole ordeal had been part of the nightmare was decimated.

My body was sticky with dried blood and sweat, and my stomach ached horribly. I hadn’t
eaten since the night before we had gone to the High Council’s Court, and I still
didn’t know how much time had passed since then. I knew I’d be throwing up soon, although
it wouldn’t be much, because of the lack of food combined with my withdrawal from
Jace.

I felt weak, and I knew I was probably dehydrated. I had lost a lot of fluids during
my struggle to free myself. My biceps and shoulders burned from holding my weight
up, and it felt as if they were on the verge of ripping apart.

My skull pounded like someone was bashing my head in with a sledgehammer. All the
pain intensified my nausea, causing it to flood up my esophagus and out of my mouth.
As I had expected, not much came out, but that didn’t stop my body from dry heaving
repeatedly.

When I finally stopped, I wiped my mouth on the shoulder of my already filthy shirt.
I was definitely going to make Hades pay for treating me like scum. I clenched my
eyes, trying to ignore the pain behind them, but I didn’t have anything else to focus
on. I needed to concentrate on something else, and I knew just the thing—freeing my
powers.

Keeping my eyes closed, I thought about how it felt to use my Fire. Jace came to mind,
of course, and the hurt in my soul tremendously compounded from our separation. Deciding
that Fire wasn’t the best idea, I focused on Water, since it was fluid and easy to
manipulate.

I thought about the water molecules in the air, and then tried to call them to me,
but they resisted. It was as if they were somehow blocked from my power by an invisible
barrier.
Fuck all this stupid, invisible shit!
I was determined to get through one, or both, of the barriers. I wasn’t going to
sit there and do nothing. If I had the power to defeat a God, then I could destroy
anything created by the Gods, including whatever it was that had been conjured up
to trap my powers.

I refocused my attention on breaking through whatever had my Elements contained. I
could at least hide having my powers back if I managed to accomplish my goal. I couldn’t
hide being free from my bonds, and I wanted to have all of my abilities back before
I attempted escape.

Once again, I concentrated on the water molecules in the air, which caused my head
to throb more. I pushed through the pain, knowing that I needed to accomplish my goal
if I had any hopes of escaping. I couldn’t run through the Underworld without any
powers, especially since my combat skills sucked. I would be dead before I left the
building, which I assumed was Hades’ castle.

Just like before, the water molecules were restrained by some kind of obstruction.
I fused energy from my surroundings into my aura before focusing everything in me
on busting through the barrier. My vision blurred, and the familiar dizziness that
preceded a blackout washed over me. I didn’t have much time, but I would make every
second count. I channeled every last bit of my energy into the barrier, creating a
huge crack. Just before blackness swallowed me, I felt a drop of water slide down
my fingers.

I was literally slapped awake. My eyes opened to a Cyclops holding a bowl. “Master
says you must eat,” he grunted.

My cheek stung from his slap. “Tell your master to go fuck himself,” I retorted.

He narrowed his eye at me before throwing the bowl down in front of me. Some type
of foul-smelling stew sloshed around and spilled onto the floor by my knees. “He will
not be pleased with your words.”

I rolled my eyes at him, shifting myself forward, and knocked the rest of the contents
of the bowl onto the floor. Even though I was starving, I knew that if I ate anything
down here, I would be bound forever.
Fuck that.

He slapped me again, on the same cheek, and I growled through clenched teeth. “You
will pay for that.”

He threw his head back and laughed, infuriating me more. I would show him. I would
show them all soon. I drew energy from around me again, pulling it into my being and
revitalizing some of my depleted aura.

That idiot Cyclops laughed his ass off, but that wouldn’t be the case for long, especially
with the new trick I planned to test out. I focused on the water that composed the
Cyclops’ body, feeling the molecules move languidly through him. My plan was working;
he wouldn’t know what had happened until it was too late. I closed my eyes as I concentrated,
directing the water to his lungs.

He coughed as the liquid entered and pooled inside, smothering the air within. I imagined
it was like drowning as he dropped to his knees, pounding his chest as he struggled
to breathe.

The water continued to fill his lungs, until he choked and spewed the liquid. Falling
forward, his face met the floor with a loud smack. Water pooled under his mouth, which
gaped open and closed, gasping like a fish out of water in hopes of catching a breath.
His final breaths puffed out in small waves over the top of the puddle until there
was nothing left.

A stabbing pain in my stomach caused me to clench my eyes and bring my knees up. I
dangled in the air as I heaved, but only water and foul yellowish bile came up, stinging
my sinuses with its acidity.

My body sagged, but relief was unattainable since I was suspended slightly above the
floor and forced to bear my weight. Unbearable didn’t even come close to describing
what I was experiencing. I was exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. I needed
Jace, more than I had needed anything ever before.

Tears assaulted my eyes as they poured out and trickled down my bloodstained face.
I screamed from the pain that delved deeper and deeper into my body and soul.
Jace! Jace! Gods, I need you, baby! Please hurry!

He still didn’t respond, even after fifteen minutes of attempts. It depressed and
angered me that everything we experienced was only going to intensify with time, and
that we would be brought to the brink of death, only to be tortured until we found
one another.

The tears still streamed down my cheeks when Hades walked in. As he got closer, I
could see the furious expression on his face when he appraised the dead Cyclops on
the floor. His eyes glared into mine as he seethed, “What did you do?”

“How could I have done anything? Look at me!” I said as I motioned my head down, gesturing
to my body.

“I know you are responsible. I don’t know how, but you are. And now, you will be punished.”

Pain exploded behind my eyes and radiated down my body. I felt the blood seeping from
my orifices as my consciousness slipped away. Before I succumbed to the darkness,
I managed to spit out, “This again? Is that the best you’ve got?”