Alek took a deep, painful breath and gathered the remaining sparks of power firing within him.
“Hurry up, man! We need you over here now!”
With the cop still preoccupied, Alek channeled his energy and launched himself through the house’s open front door and down to the basement. The officers looked frozen in place as he maneuvered around them.
His legs wobbled and every nerve in his body vibrated with fatigue. Exhausted, he fell to his knees next to Alastor’s dead body. With an open palm on the corpse’s chest, he tightly gripped his talisman and whispered shakily, “Bring us home.”
The air warmed and shimmered around him. Spikes of heat danced on his skin, and he relaxed into their electric tingle. The floor melted away, and he fell back against the void between realms. Emptiness blazed around him, and he welcomed the peace and stillness it provided.
“Home,” he repeated, barely moving his lips.
Every inch of him felt raw, and he pressed his face into the cold floor firming beneath him. Tartarus filled his body with relief and soothed the pain alive in his muscles. He flopped to his back and stared up at the black, craggy ceiling, rejoicing in the power of his realm.
Away from the tension and commotion of the Mortal Realm, he calmed in his home’s tranquility and let himself drift to sleep.
When he awoke, Maiden stood above him, stroking his brow. “Son, you’ve returned. I have never been so worried about you.” Maiden looked down at him. “Are you unwell?”
He slowly rose to his feet. “I’ve never been that close to losing my power before. I felt it draining away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
Maiden wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his shoulder. “I know. I could feel you growing weak, and I feared you would not make it back to us. I do not know what I would have done if you were without your powers and trapped in the Mortal Realm.” Her voice cracked.
“Give him space.” Crone shuffled toward them with Mother not far behind. “He has had a great journey.”
“He needs to rest and recharge,” said Mother.
“I can’t. I must go back and be with Eva. She’ll be afraid when she wakes up. Someone has to be there to explain what happened.”
“She must also regain her strength. She is reentering the Mortal Realm as a great Oracle. She must rest while her body is made new. There is nothing you can do for her now,” Mother said.
“How long do I wait? I have to make sure she’s well.”
The three Furies shared curious glances. “I sense something more than her safety for which you are concerned,” Crone said.
“Something more powerful and lasting,” Mother added.
“Son, do you love her?” asked Maiden.
“Love her?” Alek shook his head. “I don’t even know her.”
“Ah, but has the seed been planted?” Crone asked.
“Give it time to grow, my son,” Maiden said.
“Maiden, I see our current situation has taught you nothing about young love,” Mother said.
Maiden glared at her sister and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I think you are getting ahead of yourselves. She’s beautiful, but I don’t love her.”
“Yet,” Maiden encouraged.
“Good,” Mother said relieved. “Some were not put in the realms to love. For their purpose is much more grand.”
Sadness balled itself in his throat, and he swallowed hard. He didn’t love Eva, but when he looked at her, he felt a way he never had before. It left him wanting more. To hear Mother say love may not be in his destiny left part of him feeling deflated. He pushed the thoughts from his mind and concentrated on his present problem.
“What should be done with him?” He pointed to Alastor, a broken heap in the corner.
“I could smell his fetid corpse when you arrived.” Crone wrinkled her nose.
“When his spirit entered the Underworld, it shouted curses and promises of vengeance until it reached the cell,” Maiden said.
“He said he would return, but he won’t be much of a threat without a body.”
The women encircled the carcass and Crone spoke. “If he were to somehow escape again, gaining a new body would be the least of his worries.”
“A soul as evil and powerful as Alastor’s could overtake a mortal spirit with little trouble,” Mother added.
“Then why is he dressed in that skin suit? The other creatures I encountered while training were in hiding and looked as they always had.”
“There are many ways a monster hides itself. Spells, potions, possessions, and this.” Crone looked disgusted. “My least favorite. The skin suit, as you called it, is a very fitting description.”
“It also offered a valuable lesson. Not all of your foes will appear in their true form. You must learn to trust your instincts,” Mother said.
“Now, we wait for Tartarus,” Maiden said.
“Wait for Tartarus?”