~Chapter Nine~

Chamber of Lost Souls

Rose had no idea how she got here, nor did she recall even leaving dinner. Kevin was grasping her arm and waist tightly, pulling her and following after Hela and Demetrius down a dark cobblestone hallway of the castle. Her heart was pounding, nausea was twisting in her stomach, and her body was numb. Her legs were shaking so badly she had to rely on Kevin to hold her up or else she would fall and crumble to the ground; and remain petrified from the fear that she was feeling.

As they ventured lower and deeper into the castle, more Draugr were found lurking aimlessly, like zombies, enjoying their dark and empty lives; feeding off of the cold darkness. Their presence didn't make this experience any better for her and she was already chilled to the bone as if she were coming down ill.

As she shook uncontrollably, Kevin glanced over at her.

"Cold?"

"K-kinda." She half-lied.

"Or are you just scared?" He grinned nastily at her, again mocking her, but she was already at her lowest by purposely clinging onto him for comfort. Tears filled her eyes and hated not being strong in this moment.

"Just… just please don't let go of me, okay?" At her words, his dark eyes softened, and he caressed the back of his hand over her soft face.

"I'll never let you go, Rose. Never again."

Gritting her teeth in anger, and to stop them from chattering, she ignored him and hated his delusional claim over her. Minutes passed, and they suddenly came to a lone door at the end of one of the twisty hallways. It was already very dark and cold, but when Demetrius waved a hand over an invisible shield and opened the creaking door, she literally could not see anything but a black hole past it and every part of her was screaming not to enter.

Grabbing a torch from the wall, Demetrius took Hela's hand in his, and turned to face Kevin, who had also grabbed a torch of fire.

"Hold onto Rose and your fire torch, Kevin. Stay in the middle of the steps and do not interact with the voices. It's very easy to get lost or killed down here."

Horror tore through her gut right as Kevin tightened his hold on her waist. He nodded silently, and then followed down the dark steps after them. When they cleared the dais, the door slammed shut on its own, leaving them in pitch darkness so thick, she could barely breathe, nor see her own hand in front of her face. The fire was barely able to light their way, as they made their way down the winding steps, most likely, going into the depths of Hel. It only made sense that this place would be here, so dark, so empty, that light could barely thrive here.

"Where… where are we going?" Rose asked shakily.

"Why to the Chamber of Lost Souls, of course." Demetrius said quietly, speaking to her as if she should have already known that. "That is where our curse has been brewing."

She didn't want to go there… but she had no choice as this darkness was not a place she wished to get lost in. All around her, whispering voices echoed off the walls, piercing through her ears, and with every step into the abyss, they seemed to grow louder and stronger. When Rose focused on them, they were hungry, alluring, and angry. Rose clung onto Kevin's arm in fear, and tried to ignore his unfamiliar scent. His clothing smelled of cinnamon and various spices that wasn't quite alluring to her, but different, all the same. He was not the person she wanted comfort from, but this wasn't the time nor place to argue the fact that she needed him to keep her upright.

"What are those voices?" She asked him in a whisper.

"The lost souls." He replied, his tone careful and wary. "Whatever you do, don't touch the walls. Just stay in the middle of the steps and close to me."

Rose couldn't argue against him as she tightened her grip on him, the darkness around them was like being inside of a deep cave. The air was icy and damp, which was chilling her down to the bone. Just then, something brushed up against her on her left, making her squeal out in fear. She couldn't see anything, no shadow, no form to give her any idea what it was, but whatever it was, it left an icy feeling on her elbow.

"What was that?" She squeaked out. This was worse than the first and last time, as a teenager, she went to a haunted house with a bunch of her friends from school. This was real fear, and real terror…

"What was what?" Kevin asked quietly.

"Something brushed up against me…" She barely managed to say, and Kevin snorted at her.

"Don't be a chicken-shit… I told you… those are probably the lost souls."

"Who are they?"

"The lost souls of Hel are people who've died under Demetrius's hand, when he's banished them from all worlds. Their spirits are lost, hence their name, and have no place anymore. They are connected to these walls and the lava rivers below this castle…You'll see what I'm talking about when we pass the dungeons and head into the chamber itself. They like to fuse to the darkness and these walls here to have any sliver of reality left. You'll find, the longer you're here, that this castle is alive with them…"

"What happens if you touch the walls?" Rose asked, still unable to see anything outside of their small circle of firelight. From the side, Kevin's dark eyes slowly looked at her through his peripheral vision, and she could barely make out his face. He looked neither irritated or like she was stupid, but was serious and focused.

"Then your soul becomes their prey, and you become one of them."

Her heart sank in fear. "With just one touch of the walls?"

"I don't know, I've never been stupid or curious enough to find out." He then grinned cruelly, and gripped her upper right arm. "Why are you curious about this, my dear? Do you wanna find out?"

Before she could tell him no, he suddenly pushed her towards the voices that were inches from her face and out of instinct, she screamed a high pitched scream in terror; breaking the eerie silence around them.

"Kevin!" At Demetrius's yell from further down, Kevin stopped teasing her and pulled her close to him, but it was too late.

At her scream, the whispering voices screeched out deafeningly loud and filled the darkness around them with unearthly shrieking. Kevin's torch went out, as if someone blew it out, and left them both stranded in a black hole of pure darkness. The screams entered her brain, ice touched every inch of her skin, making her fall down onto the step holding her head and ears. To her shock, Kevin fell down next to her, also falling victim to their shrieks. They both couldn't move or talk.

Even with her hands clasped around her ears, the shrieks and screams were so loud and filling, she was sure that she was going to die. Her scream awoke the lost souls, alerted them to them being there and now they were surrounded by them; stuck in a feeding frenzy. Their voices were all over in her mind, holding her there… whispering things, but not actually saying anything. And yet, they were freezing her soul, making her unable to move or think.

Her body suddenly felt like it was falling deeper and farther into the East River, back when she almost drowned in it. The darkness and iciness pulled her down, sinking its teeth into her; causing an unbelievable amount of pain. She was dying… she was sure of it.

But she still couldn't scream.

Just then, a pair of strong hands gripped both Rose's wrists and Kevin's, and physically dragged them down the steps of the dark staircase, away from the shrieks, away from the pain. Down, down, down, the hands forced her to move and it felt like she was falling. Then-

A door opened and light and oxygen poured in.

Rose took a deep gasp and was thrown through the door, into the light and then down to the solid ground, face first. She didn't know where she was- but the room around her was suddenly a stark difference than the ice she felt in her soul. Gasping, she shakily moved her hands along the stone; which to her shock, was not ice cold. This room was hot, so hot in fact, that it felt like she was surrounded by fire.

Looking around, her sight was blurry, contorted, and her head was fit to burst. The images and heat were so much for her that she clung onto the ground, and vomited. Instantly, another set of hands were on her now, gently rubbing her back as she violently lost the dinner she ate earlier. When she finished retching, she shakily looked up and saw that Hela was rubbing her back. Her face was pale, and her hazel eyes were wide with concern, but Rose didn't have the strength to pull away.

From across the ground, Demetrius slammed the door shut, then suddenly grabbed Kevin by the neck and thrust him against the wall; holding him off the ground with one hand. His face was also pale, but rigid with rage.

"What… happened?" He demanded.

"I… I…" Kevin tried to say, but was having his airway cut off. Rose watched this exchange with shock, always thinking that Demetrius favored Kevin, but in this moment, it seemed not.

"You thought it would be funny to tempt the lost souls? I told you to stay on the path and keep her close to you."

"I did." Kevin gagged.

"Then why did she scream?" He hissed. "Hmm? Why did I hear you tease her that she should touch the walls to find out what would happen to her?" He paused and then lost it. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE?"

With an enraged roar, Demetrius threw Kevin from him with all of his might. He slammed to the stone, grunting in pain, but still the Lord of the Death was upon him, seething and shaking the world around them with his fury. Rose could only hold onto Hela's arms, shaking tremendously, and watch in frozen horror as this terrifying scene played out.

"I… I'm sorry. I meant no harm… I understand what I did was wrong." Kevin stammered, trying to crawl away from him, like he did with her earlier. Watching this, Rose wondered if she looked as fearsome, back in the dining room, as Demetrius did right now.

"Do you?" Demetrius seethed, his amber eyes burning like live fire. "Had the lost souls feasted upon her before I got to you both and brought you to safety, WE WOULD HAVE LOST EVERYTHING!"

"I… I'm sorry." Kevin stuttered again, but his apology didn't matter to the Lord of the Dead. "Rose was seconds from being pulled into the world of the lost souls!" He roared, and fire physically burst out of him. "A world in which, even I, cannot retrieve anyone! She would have been gone for good!"

Kevin was breathing deeply while staring up at Demetrius with wide, terrified eyes.

"I… I didn't know… I'm sorry-"

"I brought you back to life… and this is the thanks I get from you?" Demetrius hissed, talking down to him and stalking towards him with his thick, black boots. "Childish behavior and pranks, resulting in almost losing her soul before the curse could be completed?" His sharp white teeth were gritted, his face was pale, and his eyes were burning. He truly was the mask of death and horror. Rose nor Hela dared to utter a word as the Lord of the Death finished his terrifying reprimand on Kevin.

"Rose already wants you dead… but I denied her that wish. " He continued to seethe, as Kevin slowly scooched away on the stone. He was holding a hand up in front of his face and flinching with every step he took towards him; with every word that came out of his mouth. "For pulling that stunt… I should have left you there to be feasted upon and rot."

Kevin was gasping now. "No… no, please, my Lord. I- I'm sorry. I… I would never have intentionally-"

SLAP.

Demetrius suddenly stepped forward and backhanded Kevin across the face as hard as he could, silencing him instantly. Rose gasped out unintentionally, and Kevin was smacked onto his back; groaning in pain. She was biting her lip so hard she felt blood in her mouth, and again, had no choice but to grip onto the only thing keeping her ground in reality, Hela's arms, who was staring in silence at her husband.

Kevin gasped out, spit out some blood from his mouth, and slowly looked back at Demetrius with fear, who was eyeing him with dark, mocking humor. It was the same look that Kevin often gave her when he beat her… but now he was on the receiving end of it. She couldn't tell if that made her feel better or not.

"How does it feel to be struck to the ground by someone else's fists, Kevin?" He asked him dangerously. "Does it feel good?"

"N-no." Kevin whispered, refusing to look at him now, but Demetrius suddenly grabbed onto his thin clothing with an enraged growl and whipped him up on his feet. "You will face me like a man when I TALK TO YOU!"

Kevin forced his eyes to his, and shakily nodded.

"Y-yes, my Lord."

Staring at him with contempt, Demetrius then pointed a long finger at his face, making him flinch slightly.

"You will never endanger my daughter's life again… not without my permission and especially not while so many vital things for our great plan of vengeance rely on her still." He shook him once and breathed in his face. "I've allowed you incredible lenience in dealing with her, but this… this will never again be tolerated by me! Dare to tangle with the powers of Hel again, and endanger her life before this curse is completed or before I allow it to be so, I will make sure that your death is the cruelest death of all time… do you understand me?"

Silence passed between them, and Rose wasn't sure if Kevin was going to respond. His lips were trembling slightly and the fear was prevalent on his pale face. He seemed breathless and unable to actually speak. His mouth opened and closed a few times, like a fish out of water, and looked quite pathetic in this state.

"KEVIN!" Demetrius roared.

"I- YES, okay! I will obey!" Kevin yelled back in great fear. "I… I'm sorry, my Lord. I'm sorry!"

Demetrius stared at him hard, with great fire and contempt for a few seconds, then threw him back to the ground, making him grunt and cry out in pain once again. The fire surrounding Demetrius slowly faded back inside of him, and his face was now a mask of calm but his eyes were still burning with fury. His handsome face scrunched up in disgust as he fixed his clothing.

"Stand up Kevin… take this like a man and not like a pathetic coward." He sneered, then gestured to Rose and Hela. "Women are in our presence. How embarrassing that they've seen you in this sad state."

Kevin was gasping, but slowly stood himself up, fixed his clothing and wiped an elbow across his bleeding lips. His dark eyes then settled upon Rose in great rage, as if him getting beaten were all her fault. Technically, she was the one that screamed and woke up the spirits, but only out of his usual games he played with her in trying to traumatize her even more than she already was.

Demetrius turned from him with a whip of his black cloak and faced Rose and Hela now. His burning eyes settled upon Rose, and for a moment she thought that she was about to be ripped into as well, but he simply grit his fanged teeth and stormed away, yelling, "Come my Queen. Bring Rose. I tire of this night… let's get this over with already."

Kevin instantly followed after Demetrius, throwing her one last filthy look before leaving her on the floor with Hela. She was still shaking so bad that she swore her legs wouldn't move, nor support her weight.

"Are you alright?" Hela suddenly whispered, pulling her to her feet and practically carried all of her weight.

"W-what is wrong with me?" Rose barely managed to ask, wiping sweat from her forehead, her strength still not returned. Her stomach was churning and twisting; her head spinning and pulsing painfully.

"You were being feasted upon by the lost souls." Hela explained. "Your scream alerted them to your presence and when they knew where you were, they attacked. If you are taken by the lost souls of this world, your death would have been quick, but slow all at once. Your father threw me at the door and turned back for you both. Had he not, you both would have been destroyed from ever existing within a few more seconds."

Rose, again, was torn into feeling grateful for the Lord of the Dead, or simply feeling utterly terrified of him. He only wanted her alive for his purposes… once those purposes were met. What would become of her then? Hela was slowly walking with her, holding her up, but seeing that she was not recovering… she quickly placed her hand over her chest. Before Rose could ask what she was doing, Hela silently sent a stream of wispy red magic into her body.

Gasping, she breathed the familiar dark magic in, but it wasn't dark. It was just like hers when she healed someone. The sensation trickled through every inch of her like warm water being drizzled over her, and slowly, she found herself becoming more alert, strong, and able to see and hear more clearly. Blinking out of her daze, she slowly looked over at Hela, still unsure that she actually was kind enough to heal her, and eyed her suspiciously.

"What did you just do to me?"

"I healed you." Hela whispered, pulling her along to follow her now. "You'll need strength to give your share to the curse. But come along, Rose, it's best to not keep our Lord waiting. Kevin's stunt put him into a dangerously unforgiving mood. It's best we do as he wishes."

Rose nodded, and had no choice but to follow after her.

The room they were in was still cave-like, but had a few small rivers of lava all around them, lighting their way. This place reminded her of the vision she had once of Hel, when Kevin was leading the thousands of Draugr army in a volcano-type location. There was a volcano on this island, so she wondered if that's where they had ventured to. She also wondered if there were underground tunnels that led to the volcano from the castle, or if the lava rivers drained from there to here. She wasn't sure.

They continued to walk through an open room, in between the rivers, following after Kevin and Demetrius towards two giant black oak doors. The closer they got to them, the more panicked Rose became. After a few seconds, she placed a hand upon Hela's and slowed her down.

"My child?" She breathed in her face. "What is to become of my child, Hela? Is… is it still-?"

"Yes, it is still inside of you and alive." Hela muttered, watching her husband's back carefully. "The spirits didn't touch it. Your shield stayed strong during the lost soul's attack."

"And what will become of my child when I am sacrificed to this curse?" Rose whispered a bit more fiercely. "Since you haven't told your Lord about my secret… you obviously still want me to carry it. Why? What'll become of it?"

"I imagine that your child will have shapeshifting capabilities, like you have. Since your true form is not Human, shapeshifting back into who you are supposed to be won't affect the health of the pregnancy. Many shapeshifter women can transform while carrying a child, however, it's smart not to shapeshift too often. Your child will survive this night."

"And the curse?"

"You're giving blood to the cause… not your life. It'll live."

"Why have you kept my secret?" Rose asked, barely moving her lips. "Kevin has only done so out of spite of me agreeing to marry him. What is your angle?"

"I believe your child can benefit all of us." Hela breathed as they walked together. "Like you… but even more powerful, it'll be a child of all worlds. Half Fae, from Aesir and Hel's lineage from you, half-Gargoyle from your mate, and maybe half Human- since this is the form in which you've been successful in conceiving in. Your child's lineage is like a treasure. A rare and precious treasure. It would be an utter tragedy to just throw away."

"So why not tell your Lord about it?" Rose whispered. "Would he not see it as precious? Kevin said that he would destroy it…"

"Because the prophecy of Avalon's destruction does not mention a child born of all worlds. Just the child of two Deaths, hidden behind the mountain stone with powers known and unknown. You. It also specifically states that the child will be born from Death and a powerful Fae. I wasn't always a Goddess of Death, Rose. Before my wings were taken away from me… I used to be a Fae. A protector of Avalon."

Rose had never heard her version of the story before, or how she became the Goddess of Death, and what actually happened that has led them all to this moment of nightmares. Perhaps it was time she found out...

"Puck said that you cut your own wings off in rage that Oberon chose Titania as his Queen…" Rose said quietly. "That you were jealous of their union and declared war upon Avalon because of it."

Hela suddenly froze, whipped around to face her and stared with angry, red eyes. Rose flinched slightly, but held her ground.

"That's what he told you? That I was the jealous one and declared war out of small and pitiful ambitions?"

"Y-yes." Rose replied, knowing it was inaccurate now by her reaction. She could physically feel her hurt, the great pain, and anger; and anticipated her to melt down as Demetrius had, just moments ago, however, she didn't.

Instead, Hela stared at her in a completely frozen state. Then hurt crossed over her face, making her suddenly look vulnerable and human-almost. She grit her jaw firmly, shook her head, and then swallowed down the pain. Like Rose had been doing. But seeing her do so was hard to see, Rose also knew how much of a burden holding all of the pain felt like. Hela had been holding in pain for much longer than she.

Knowing this, she suddenly wished to somehow help her be relieved from that pain.

Hela then turned away from her, and Rose's eyes went directly to something she never noticed on her bare back. With the evening dress coming down to her backside and long black hair tossed away, two jagged black stumps remained on her smooth porcelain skin. Where her wings used to be.

Something stumped in Rose's stomach and chest just then… it glossed over her intense hatred and anger at Hela for a moment, and left her feeling something strange for the woman she swore was her enemy. Sympathy.

Unsure why she was doing this, Rose reached for her hand, gently took it in hers, and stopped her from walking away.

"Perhaps… Puck was wrong and the story he told us wasn't quite the full truth." Rose said quietly. "I… I would be willing to hear your side soon, if we ever wanted to just… talk?"

At this, Hela looked utterly shaken. Shocked. She didn't know what to say, but neither did she pull her hand away from hers. "I… I…" She stared at Rose with wide eyes for a moment, then blinked, and just like that her red eyes were gone, leaving them hazel once again. Hela let go of her hand, cleared her throat, and turned stiffly away from her.

"Later… perhaps. For now, we must go."

Hela whipped around, and walked away. But for a moment, Rose thought she saw hope in her mother's eyes.