“We’re loyal to your service always, my lord,” Haven begins with much more respect than he showed either of the other two men on the dais, and for a moment I wonder if it’s fear I can hear in the slight tremor of his voice.
“We shall see.” Hades lifts his hand. I suck in a breath. Haven is already dangerous. I can only imagine how much more dangerous he might become.
Hades says, “I’ll gift you the ability to manipulate the visions of more than one person at a time. See that you use this gift wisely or there will not be another.” He waves his hand and the blue fire flashes, pulling barely a grunt of pain out of Haven who’s gone completely rigid. In a moment, the flame is gone and Haven turns to us.
My stomach knots.
There is a wicked smile on his handsome face.
Now comes his opportunity to show us his heightened power. I’m dreading what it will be and how I might react to it.
But then...snow falls from the dark ceiling. I hold my hand out as a fat cluster of snowflakes hits my palm and immediately melts into a bead of water.
All of us turn to the ceiling when the snow intensifies. The other descendants laugh and hold out their tongues.
I’m immediately relieved until I see something scuttle across the floor by my boot. I look down and find a giant black spider rearing back its fangs.
I crawl onto the bench, feet off the floor.
“Enough,” Nereus says and the snow disappears.
The spider goes too, just seconds before a scream had threatened to tear out of my throat.
“Theo Diorson,” Monstrat calls.
Theo is the last before me! Okay, quick, think. What can I do to get out of this? I didn’t display any power at the testing phase, so maybe they mean to skip me? Which would be fine by me. I can’t handle any more embarrassment and especially not in front of Haven Knightfall.
“Are you telling me, Diorson, that this is all you’re gifted with?”
I pull my attention back to the front of the gathering hall, back to Theo.
A small set of stones is on a table in front of Theo and only one of them hovers in the air. It wobbles and falls as Theo squeaks an apology.
“To bring such a lowly gift before me is a dishonor few would risk,” Hades barks. “My gift to you will be nothing.”
Hades waves his hand and the blue fire flashes. Theo drops to the floor screaming. The sound is high-pitched and animalistic and it echoes through the cavernous space.
Some of the descendants stand to get a better view. I can’t help myself. I get up too. It feels as though I’m watching my very near future as I stare helplessly at the boy who appears to be burning alive from a fire we can no longer see.
After what seems like an eternity, Hades holds his hand up and all sound in the chamber stops save for Theo’s whimpering. “As I suspected,” Hades muses as a door to the side of the chamber swings open and two of his guards come to carry an unconscious Theo out. “Some descendants have too much mortal in them to ascend.”
Nereus nods. Monstrat frowns.
I look to Haven. He was harassing Theo earlier. Is he happy to watch Theo’s demise?
But Haven isn’t smiling or laughing. There’s something etched across his face that looks an awful lot like grief.
Before I can begin to wonder about this, Professor Monstrat’s voice calls out across the room, “Anastasha Hearthtender.”
Chapter 14
For the second time this ceremony, every eye in the room turns to me. I remind myself to keep breathing and slowly push my legs to take one step, then another as I move to the dais. As I get closer I realize the colored tiles on the floor make up a mosaic of souls heading to the Underworld. For all I know, I’m about to join their death march. I’m no closer to figuring out what I’m about to say or do than I was when this whole thing started.
Except now my time is up.
I glance again at the door through which Theo’s seemingly lifeless body was just carried away as though he’d never been here.
Too mortal. Not enough deity in him to withstand Hades’s blue flame. Instead it burned him from the inside. And if he was too mortal, with his ability to do something, what hope in Olympus do I have?
“Anastasha Hearthtender,” Professor Monstrat says as he looks at his notes. What could he possibly have written in there? Failure. Inept. No power.
“You’re in the unique position,” he says, “of having been excused from the original test for reasons relating to emotional distress.”
“Women in Hades House,” Nereus mutters darkly, and not as quietly as common decency would require. There are light chuckles behind me from the other descendants.
“However,” Professor Monstrat continues, “based on the intervention and testimony of one of your fellow descendants, we’re aware that you did display your gift at another time and that your primary gift is that of...destruction.” He sounds almost impressed as the murmurs behind me begin to grow in volume and disbelief.
Monstrat turns to Hades. “My lord, it would seem Anastasha’s gift, while powerful, is one that’s been stifled for too long. It doesn’t come to her call easily. But as it was verified by a witness, I suggest we don’t require additional demonstration before the gifting.”
He smiles at me encouragingly while on his opposite side Nereus fumes. Hades stands between them with an unreadable expression on his face.
I glance over my shoulder at Haven. He’s the only one with an intimate knowledge of my power. Did he intercede on my behalf? Why would he help me?
A murmur wends through my fellow descendants.
“Silence.” Hades’s dark voice moves through the room like a storm cloud. Chills run up and down my spine.
“It has been suggested,” Nereus intones, disbelief clear in every word, “that destruction is your primary gift. Do you dispute this?”
“I mean...I’ve always had a bad habit of…well…I don’t exactly know what it is but sometimes things…well…die in my hands. At Hestia’s House, there’s so much focus on life and light so it wasn’t like I went around trying to kill things. Having an affinity for killing perfectly healthy flowers and plants was usually a…” I trail off realizing that my mouth has clearly lost my mind.
“Is that a no?” Nereus asks disdainfully.
“Yes, sir,” I stammer. “I mean, no. I mean, yes, sir, I don’t dispute this.” For all that’s good and godly can someone please smite me now.
Hades clasps his hands behind his back and paces across the dais. “Skill in destruction is rare. Even for my own children.”
I lock eyes with him. Is this the moment he’s going to admit to being my father? I can’t decide if that would make this whole situation better or worse.
“Hestia never mentioned that one of her maidens was destructive,” Hades muses.
I’m unsure if it’s a comment or a question, but my brain has already given up and passed out so my mouth just keeps on running wild.
“I don’t think she knew, my lord.” My voice is barely above a whisper. “I hid it well.”
The temperature in the room drops noticeably as Hades turns the full force of his glare upon me. “Don’t be insolent, Hearthtender. A mere child hasn’t the cleverness nor the power to fool a high goddess in her own house. If she chose not to tell me, her reasons must be good and I want to know what they are.”