Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy by Belle Malory (most important books of all time txt) 📗

Nothing added up here. What reason could Petra possibly have for wanting to break her own curse? After everything she’d gone through to bind us, after sacrificing her own womb, why would she suddenly want to go and undo all her hard work?

God, this was making my head hurt.

At least I didn’t have long to find out. As we drifted deeper inside of the cave, the tiny boat picked up speed. Water whooshed up ahead, sounding as if it was dropping. I gulped. I didn’t have to ask where we were going. I could feel it in my gut. We were portaling into the Underworld.

39

This time around, I didn’t vomit. A bright side in the grand scheme of things.

The Underworld was made up of four major districts. The Caverns, or the caves that bridged the river portals to the Underworld. Elysium, the main city. The Fields and Forest, where monsters roamed freely. Last, there was the Cross, the rural town skirting the perimeter of Elysium. That’s where we finally arrived.

The hooded green-skinned creature pushed at my back, forcing me down a cobbled street sandwiched between crooked leafless trees. Dark magic swirled overhead, noticeably present in the dense air. Everything about my surroundings felt like I was walking into a nightmare, one I could only hope to escape.

“Faster.” The creature shoved harder.

I tripped, scraping my knees against the rough cobblestone, blood seeping through my dress. The creature’s foot connected with my ribcage, knocking the wind out of me for several seconds. “Get up, you clumsy dox.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to keep my temper in check. That particular insult had floated around school a few times, one of the foulest you could use in Mythos. It was given to those whose magic was considered so useless, they were worth less than a dog. The fact that he had the balls to call me one made me wonder if this trade Jett was making included a dead or alive clause when it came to their delivery of me.

Whatever the case, I needed to get away before Petra showed up, or else it was game over.

While no one was paying attention, I drew a strand of fire through the rope around my wrists. It sizzled and frayed as it split apart, and I coughed to mask the sound. Once free, I kept my hands together, pretending they were still bound.

After walking for about a half mile, we stopped at a small run-down shack. The place looked abandoned, except for the light glowing from behind the shutters. The same creature that called me a dox pushed me through the front door, once again knocking me to my knees. His mistake. I was ready for it this time. I jumped on his back and had the rope wrapped around his neck before he could make a move. He clawed at the rope, struggling to breathe. If I could just get him to pass out, I might stand a chance.

But the others moved too fast.

The yellow-eyed creature pulled me off with one strong tug, leaving the green dude coughing for air. As soon as he composed himself, he leapt on top of me. Those teeth looked like tiny razor blades above my face.

“Petra said she wanted to do it herself, Ajax,” the other one warned.

Clearly upset I’d bested him, the green creature hissed and stared down at me as if silently debating whether I was worth the trouble.

“Better listen to him, Ajax,” I said, knowing I was treading a dangerous line. But I didn’t care. I was still bitter about Jett’s betrayal and losing my chance to escape.

“She won’t mind if I cut out the girl’s tongue.” He pulled out a pocket knife and squeezed my cheeks together. “Here, hold her face while I slice it off. The little bitch will learn to respect—”

“I said stop!”

But Ajax did not want to stop. He went red, visibly shaking. After several long seconds debating, he let me go, but not before one parting blow. His fist came across the side of my head so hard, I fell backward. Writhing across the floor, I wrapped my head in my arms and groaned. My ears were ringing, but I vaguely noticed more voices coming from outside of the house.

“It’s her. You’re in for it now.”

“Shut up, Grey.”

Someone lit several lanterns, drawing more light inside the house. As I waited for the pain to subside, I looked around, trying to focus on something else. The place was empty, except for one lone table and a few chairs. Outside, I heard Jett’s voice along with several others. I heard a few words here and there, like payment, and after a while goodbye. It sounded like Jett was leaving. Good for her. I hoped she got her stupid ability, and I hoped those spirits gave her nightmares and haunted her every waking moment.

The front door open and closed again. Several more pairs of boots made their way inside, thudding around me. Strongarm mages, everywhere.

Strongarms were considered Zeus by bloodline; but in actuality, they were Herculean descendants, known for their ability to magnify physical strength. They usually ended up becoming guards, police, or soldiers. Back at Arcadia, the Strongarms and Ares descendants trained together and took many of the same classes. I wished it worked that way throughout the houses, that they could all bleed into one another. Then maybe, I wouldn’t feel so constrained inside Aphrodite.

I closed my eyes, not ready to face them all just yet. Most likely, these Strongarms were Petra’s personal guards. If she was as powerful as Xander claimed, she would have her own personal army.

“You’ve brought the wrong girl.” The voice was deep but feminine, and also hauntingly familiar. Like I’d heard it before in a dream. “We went to great lengths to plan this in secret, and you’ve brought me the wrong girl.”

Grey spoke next, sounding nervous. “There was only one Thorne girl at the school, mistress.”

“Curious.” Someone tapped their foot