The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 32

'If you're going through hell, keep going'.

It was a quote I could take too literally. It felt like all I'd been doing for the past couple of weeks was walking – travelling through the Underworld blindfolded, trying to find my way out. I had to remind myself that was exactly what I had to keep doing. I had to keep pushing my way out of this place, despite constantly finding myself within the clutches of uncertainty and an endless nothingness.

Or more specifically, the clutches of my enemies.

My eyelids were heavy, my limbs sluggish. I tried to move, but it felt like parts of me were physically restrained. A metallic clanging sounded when I did try to move. The loud noise sent a shockwave through me and my eyes shot open to blurriness. I blinked a couple times, trying to see anything.

Finally, my vision cleared. Thick metal chains bound my ankles and wrists to the floor. I raised my right arm weakly and it fell back to the floor under its weight. My neck screamed with pain from the awkward position I'd been left in; most of my body was on the floor, but my neck and head were propped up against a brick wall.

In fact, the entire room was made out of brick.

And I wasn't alone, either.

I was surrounded by five strangers, all of them locked up like me, but much more alert. They stared at me, some of them perhaps even talking, but I was so drugged up from the sleeping dart that it was difficult to make out what any of them were saying.

A few jumbled words fell out of my mouth, surprising even myself. "Where am I?" My next thought: Where was Alek?

A mixture of faint answers came back to me, but within them, one word stood out: Aplista.

My mind took a while to process what this meant, but when it did, I groaned and let my head fall backwards, accidentally whacking it on the brick wall. The hit felt like someone had ordered a million jackhammers to go off inside my skull.

A loud bang sounded, coming from within the room, and I shot to attention. A bunch of burly looking men had entered from a wooden door on the far side of the room and were marching towards the captive in the centre of the opposing wall. Everyone else, bar the woman they were approaching, wrapped their legs under their bodies as if to try to blend into the background.

Although there were scuffle marks across the woman's cheeks and hands, she had a defiant, confident expression on her face. In fact, she completely ignored the monsters that leered at her.

Remembering who else was supposedly with the Aplista – Cleo – I glanced around the room, trying to find anyone with a resemblance to Jackal. There was only one other woman besides the surrounded captive, but her hooked nose and thick lips were too dissimilar from Jackal's straight nose and thin frame. The woman shrouded by the men, however, had a similar resemblance.

And a familiar attitude.

"Come on missy," one of the Aplista said. "Time for another round. If you're not smart this time, it could be your last."

I could've sworn I saw her lip quirk up on one side as the others leaned down to undo her chains. She sat there patiently as one of them fiddled with the lock on her ankles, then wrists. As she stood up, she stumbled under the pressure of her left leg into one of the men, breaking her fall by placing her hands against his hips. The man swore and pushed her away in disgust, but I couldn't help but notice her clenched fists, which she tucked out of sight. The others pushed her towards the open door and she staggered forwards with exaggerated bravado.

As she took the last few steps out the door, her left leg worked perfectly fine. My eyes narrowed in on her fist, wondering what she could possibly be hiding. Whatever it was, I knew it was good. The others were complaining loudly and sprouting threats in the air, so she used the opportunity to slide whatever she'd been hiding down her jeans.