King
I believe every religion captures a piece of truth- James Van Der Beck
Shadows in the Never Never Series
Book 1- The Black Court
Book 2- Finding Persephone
Book 3- Queen of Death and Life
He stared down at the barren land, remembering what he had been tasked with. This wasn’t the deal he had in mind when they came into power, and he would never be on the fools end of a deal ever again. Those foolish enough to come near were to serve his purposes or suffer his wrath. Though his brother didn’t know it yet the tables had turned and it would be all to clear who had all the power when it was time to strike.
That’s all there was left where anger had once kindled- the need for vengeance. King of flame and smoke, king of white sands as cold as snow, more barren than any wasteland. His domain was filled with nothing but twisted dark faeries and the souls of the dead with their silent plea filled faces. He was the only one that could choose which souls could come and go- but of course none ever left. Each soul was more energy to fuel his court.
That was his gift- and his curse; death. Absolute power over the souls that entered his realm. Master and main creator of the Never Never.
The only complication was the wrench the fates had added into the deal- those creatures of past present and future. A hundred years and it was time again to find a wife- one that lived among the humans. One that held a soul. At one time he would have searched and wooed a female, relishing in not having to be alone anymore.
Time told all though.
Each female no matter how much joy might have filled him in the beginning would wither, fade and ultimately blame him for their fate. His name a curse on their lips. It wasn’t for lack of lively company or nutritious food- it was simply this place. It sucked the life out of everything including each bride, a slow deadly poison for all mortals that stepped foot in this land. He had to marry a mortal though- someone that when he looked in their eyes he could see their soul. No immortals carried such a thing- and no human could survive his blighted lands.
It was a curse he had unknowingly agreed to. A deal that he willingly accepted not knowing the full consequences. Yet still the King of the Black Court knew that the ends justified the means.
A cruel fate for any he chose- a reminder of his loneliness in the beginning now became something mechanical. Unlike before he now chose them for their singing, their pretty hair once even a woman with a unique sparkling necklace. Trying his best to enjoy what little he could of their fleeting lives without becoming attached even if it was an object in their possession.
Over time though even the necklace had lost it’s luster, though it had lasted through three wives. Unfortunately an object brought him less joy than the presence of a woman he fancied for even the smallest of reasons as much as it pained him to see the life drain from each one of them. After so many though, there were many that would claim his heart to be made of ice. A claim that suited him just fine.
“It is time for your search again Hades.” A male voice boomed in the distance.
He didn’t flinch, he didn’t even stir as his gaze flicked from what had once been the soul filled sands to the small bit of land where the living could walk. His home was a place between the two he controlled with ease- flowing like smoke from one plane of existence to the one where the old man spoke.
“I’m well aware of what I’ve been charged with Apollo.” He replied, his voice smooth yet as chilled as ice as he appeared next to the man that spoke to him, both of them facing the stark twilight on a gray stone balcony. The only bit of color and life seemed to happen during sunrise and sunset, otherwise his domain seemed to always be shades of gray. To Apollo it looked as if Hades had somehow stepped from the smoke and shadows despite never lifting a foot, his eyes flicking to him as a hand rested on the railing.
Where Hades seemed to be the absence of light with his very presence Apollo seemed to radiate it, the small bit of color on the horizon a pale comparison. These two where both tall, lean, dangerous- but that is where the similarities ended. Apollo’s hair rolled lusciously down his shoulders and halfway down his back in golden hues that would make most women jealous of it’s radiance. His skin had a golden olive tone that seemed to only enhance his green eyes and soften his otherwise sharp features. His nose was strong with the tip pointed upwards ever so slightly at the end, his jaw sharp accenting his high cheekbones and ever present resting slight smile. Had he shown his teeth surely they would sparkle bright like fresh fallen snow shining in the sunlight. The only sign of his age was the slight crease in his brow, and the way his eyes had started to dull.
Hades stood nearly a foot higher, his stature leaner than Apollos yet somehow more frightful. His skin had a corpse blue hue that seemed to suck in the surrounding light. Somehow though it managed to glisten and look healthy. His features where sharp, the planes of his face seeming to have shadows accenting each angle, eyes glowing an eerie almost yellow hue of hellfire. This was the only light to him- even his hair seemed to suck in the light with the way it wisped about his sharp pointed ears like smoke, curling and moving of it’s own accord.
“Yet you wait until the day is nearly over to even bother stepping into the human realm. If you break the agreement-”
“I am well aware of my agreement.” Hades replied flatly- his voice leaving no room for conversation.
Apollo of course ignored his brother’s otherwise sour mood. “Yet you wait until nearly every maiden is safe in their homes, in their beds. As if waiting to prey upon a loose woman in the night, hardly a proper bride for a king of death.”
“Hardly a proper burial for a pure one.” Hades replied darkly. “I will find who I see fit.”
“Better leave now, time is running out. Soon the sun will set and you will no longer be able to walk the lands. You’ll turn to ash and all this-”
Hades didn’t bother to reply, the annoyance on his face only seen briefly as his eyes narrowed towards his brother and he dissipated were he stood into the smoke that seemed to be ever present with him. His black form seeming to collapse within it’s self as if he had stepped backwards.
