Iridescence

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

KRISSY

We worked pretty hard during training that night. I was starting to feel confident that we were nearly ready to face whatever Altheos wanted to throw our way. Della and Darrell walked Eliza and I back to the house and took their positions outside as we headed into the house.

"Abby, we're home!" I called.

She didn't answer, but that wasn't too much cause for alarm. "Maybe she's in her art studio?" Eliza suggested. It wouldn't be the first time my aunt had gotten lost in a project and tuned out the rest of the world.

We headed upstairs, but Abby was nowhere to be found. "Something's wrong," Eliza said as we realized she wasn't in the kitchen or the basement or anywhere else. "Abby should be home."

"I'm sure she's fine," I replied, because any other possibility was unacceptable.

"Kris... Something's wrong," Eliza insisted.

"Speaking as a concerned member of the family, or as an Oracle?" I asked.

"Both. I can feel it. The energy of the house feels... Off. Like someone's been here. I sense a presence lingering. I sense..." She hesitated.

"Just tell me, Liz," I said.

She took a deep breath before she said, "Someone took her, Krissy. Someone kidnapped Abby."

My heart dropped into my stomach as I tried to process that. "Did you have a vision?" I asked.

"Not exactly... I just have flashes in my mind... She was standing in the door talking to someone... She didn't feel threatened. She let him come into the house, and when she turned her back, he knocked her out with a spell."

"Did he hurt her?" I demanded.

"I don't think so," Eliza replied. "He took her somewhere else..."

I asked what I was terrified to ask. "Was it Theos?"

She nodded. "I think so... It felt like him... I'm sorry, Krissy."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't kidnap my aunt. You have no reason to be sorry, but when I find him, he's going to be extremely sorry."

"We should call the others."

"There's no time. Come with me. We're going to get my aunt back."

"Krissy, we can't do this alone. It's a trap."

I knew she was right. "Call them," I agreed, "but we're going now. Della and Darrell can come with us. We'll be fine."

We headed out of the house. I tensed as I realized I didn't see Eliza's bodyguards anywhere. "Liz... Your bodyguards are missing, too," I said in concern. "If you want to stay here and wait for backup, I understand."

"No," she said after a moment. "Abby's family, Krissy. She might not have much time left. We'll go ahead and see if we can figure out where she is, then let the others know where we are. I'm hoping we'll sense her when we get closer." She paused before adding, "We should tell Ares his kids went missing, though."

"Let's worry about upsetting the God of War after we find my aunt," I decided.

We started to search the area. I had no idea what we were looking for, but something kept moving me forward, guiding me to Abby. I was determined to follow it.

"Here!" I said suddenly. We were near an office building.

"Okay, let me call Jenna," Eliza said. She was about to make the call when the ground began to shake. To my horror, a hole opened up and swallowed her as she let out a scream.

"Liz!" I shouted. I was ready to dive in after her when another hole opened up and I fell in.

It felt like I fell forever. I was positive I was falling straight into the Underworld. After entirely too long, I landed in very deep water. I forced myself to swim through the darkness until I reached a cave, just like I had in Rydia's memories of the siren's cave. What I saw inside made me scream.

The face of a young siren stared at me, her eyes lifeless. I could feel that someone had drained the magic from her. It broke my heart to realize what she must have gone through.

"She's not the first," a voice said. "And she won't be the last. Altheos enjoys their energy. Sirens have a lot of power inside of them. He is especially fond of the younger ones."

I spun around because I knew that voice and I hadn't expected to hear it. "Mr. Alden..." I said softly.

"Hello, Kristen," Eliza's father greeted me. "You can call me Viktor now if you like. That's who I really am. Nathaniel Alden was more like a costume I wore."

"What did you do to Liz?" I demanded.

"Eliza is perfectly safe for now, dear. This isn't about her."

"Where's my aunt?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Altheos is taking excellent care of Abigail."

"Dude, literally no one calls her Abigail or me Kristen. What's with you and full names?" I asked, deciding it would be better to get annoyed with him than be afraid of what he might do when he got tired of talking to me.

"They're proper. Names have power, Kristen. You need to understand that to claim everything they have to offer."

"Why did you and Altheos bring Abby here?" I asked. "What was the point?"

"Altheos misses you, Rydia," he replied. "He has been hoping to have an opportunity to spend some time alone with you."

"Yeah, when your best friend literally murders you, it tends to make things awkward," I replied. "I'm not interested in a reunion."

"If you cooperate, he won't harm your beloved aunt. She's the only family your reincarnation has left. I assume that means something to you."

"If he hurts her, it will be the last thing he ever does!"

"You aren't the one calling the shots here. Altheos is in charge, and I'm his second in command."

"So you're his favorite lackey. Good for you."

Viktor slapped me across the face. I glared at him. It wasn't on Emily's level, but I thought it was pretty intimidating anyway.

I summoned my trident. Viktor laughed in my face. "Your toys can't save you now, Rydia. You aren't strong enough to defeat me."

"Oh really? Let's find out," I replied.

We started to battle, which was strange for me. This was Mr. Alden, my next-door neighbor. He worked long hours in an office just to avoid being around his wife. He wore suits and fancy shoes and always looked perfectly polished. He ignored his daughter and, by extension, ignored her friends. It was hard enough to imagine that he'd murdered his wife, but now, I was facing off against him in a magical duel.

I wielded my trident confidently, but I preferred just using my affinity for Water to fight him. I knocked him backward with the force of a tsunami wave. He hit the cave wall with a sickening crack and I expected that to be the end of it, but I was wrong. Viktor slowly stood back up, his legs trembling beneath him until they stabilized. I watched in horror as he popped his neck and spine back into place before my eyes.

"This might be a little more complicated than I thought," I mumbled.

A portal opened in the water. Viktor kicked me into it. I needed a moment to recover as I was suddenly transported to a new location. This one was dry. It was also full of fire. I realized very quickly that it was too hot and I couldn't breathe. There was no moisture in the air, and I started choking on the thick smoke.

Viktor followed me. He attacked with an impressive amount of power. My body slammed against the wall as I continued to struggle to breathe. My vision began to blur. That was probably why, upon seeing someone new enter the room, I assumed I was hallucinating for a moment.

"Hello, Rydia," Altheos said. Upon hearing his voice, I realized I wasn't hallucinating, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before.

"You..." I said in horror.

"Me," he confirmed with his best charming smile.

"It was you, the entire time!"

Before I could say anything else, he sent a spell at my head and slammed me into another wall. As my head met concrete, I was knocked unconscious.