Tartarus Thief | ONC 2021 [ROUND 2 WINNER]

Chapter 12

"Do you think we should go yet?" Vita whispered.

"Soon."

"We can't wait too long! If the ruckus is over before we go in, it'll all have been for nothing."

"Shush!" Gwen glared at her before placing her head near the door again to listen intently. Her left foot stuck between the door, so that it wouldn't fall shut.

Vita tried to peek through the gap over her head, but she couldn't see a thing.

"Now."

Soundlessly, Vita followed her new friend into the Hall of Judgement. The hall was more boisterous than she had ever seen it before. Several voices were shouting at the back of the hall, but even louder was the sharp hissing of dozens of snakes. Many souls stood facing the back of the hall, whispering to each other and craning their necks to see past the sea of heads. Somehow, on the other side of the room, the judges continued their work unperturbed, as if they didn't even notice the commotion.

The two women sprinted to the door of the Fields of Mourning, staying close to the wall. Her heart sank when she spotted the one Erinye still guarding the entrance. How were they supposed to get past her? Without Leo's speed...

"Hey!"

Vita flinched when Gwen suddenly started shouting and waving her hands. What is she doing? Vita thought, wide-eyed. Her robes are green – the Erinye will instantly know she doesn't belong here!

"Hey, help!" Gwen ran up to the Erinye, pointing behind her. "They're leaving the Meadows – the door is open," she exclaimed. "I think they're trying to get back to Earth. You've got to do something!"

The Erinye nodded. "Come with me."

"Yes, of course!" Gwen followed the guard, winking at Vita as she passed. "I'll go back to the Meadows, I just wanted to warn you."

Vita lingered nervously by the Fields' door, unsure whether to wait for her friend.

"Elijah, get down from there!"

She perked up at the familiar voice. It was Arthur, on the other side of the hall.

"Charon's going to kill you, mate, get off his boat!"

Her stomach turned. All her friends were in danger – for her. She couldn't just leave them behind! But if she didn't make it into the Fields of Mourning, if she didn't find Barny, all of their sacrifices would have been for nothing.

Just then, Gwen turned around. She'd trailed so far behind the Erinye that she could step away undetected. Vita gestured for her to hurry and they slipped through the charred door together. She closed it behind her with a sigh, rain hammering down on them as soon as they entered the Fields.

"Shouldn't we help them?" She held her hand on the handle, unable to let go just yet. "They're in trouble, they have so many Erinyen after them, and now Charon..."

Gwen smiled and lay a hand on her arm. "The boys will be fine. I'm pretty sure Arthur was enjoying the payback for all those years in The Sanctuary. Come on, we'd better hurry, before they realise we slipped through their fingers again."

With one last look over her shoulder towards the charred door, she let Gwen pull her along through the rain. Her robes were soaked within seconds.

The landscape of the Fields turned out to be similar to the Meadows, only without the happily chirping birds. The grass was dead and parched here, and the few plants that had survived hung listlessly. Rain poured from the sky, grey clouds hanging over their heads as far as they could see.