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Chapter 66
“Noah.” He nods as he takes in the new space around us. He walks over to one side of the cage, looking down and then up. This soul in front of me looks around with wide eyes and a stench of fear. I cock my eyebrow at him, and he visibly shakes.
“Well, this is very you, isn’t it?” Xavier laughs. “If anyone could make a system out of hell, it’d be you.”
I roll my eyes and scoff. “It was necessary. Hell isn’t supposed to be hell for me.”
He turns back around, creating a stool next to mine behind the desk, and sits down with his arms folded in front of him.”
“This is Marius.” He nods to the soul still cowering in front of us.
“Okay, and is there a reason why Marius was escorted personally?”
“Yeah, actually. I may have nicked him from the waiting room before he had been assessed.”
I cock my eyebrow at him now. “You know there’s a system for a reason.”
“Yeah, everyone keeps saying that, but here’s the thing. I was just out reaping souls at Tolaris pack when I came across Marius. He was beheaded by Alpha Marcus.”
That’s a shock… “What? Why? What sort of heinous crime did he commit to warrant being beheaded by his own Alpha?”
“That’s just the thing, brother. He didn’t commit a crime exactly…well, kind of, but it was under his Alpha’s instructions. Marius here was beheaded for trying to save a whole lot of kids from Marcus‘ own sort of torture chambers. He’s been collecting infants, pups, and young kids. We don’t know where from, and the why is a little fuzzy. So, I’ve brought Marius‘ soul here in hopes that one of your workers could see into his memories, maybe there is something that he missed or didn’t see as important at the time.”
“Shit,” I say, further shocked. “Alright, give me a second.” I scroll through the tablet to find a memory worker. Darius is already busy at the moment and I‘ don’t want to have to pull him off task if it’s not needed. It takes a minute before I spot another worker with the same skillset I need. I reach across the desk to my little microphone, pushing the button and announcing, “Magnus Evergreen, maybe you please report to the drop box. Magnus Evergreen.”
Xavier laughs hard. “Oh, really? You put a fucking speaker system in hell?” He says playfully.
“It’s an effective system!” I retort a little annoyed at his small gabs. I happen to think the system is very effective. Especially when Magnus drops in not even a minute later. She’s very clearly a gargoyle, with a tall, stone–like body and hard features as she lowers her head in submission. “My lord, you called
for me?”
“I did. I’m in need of your assistance, Magnus. We have a soul here.” I gesture to Marius, who looks as though he might wet himself. “He hasn’t been assessed yet; therefore, we can not and will not be punishing him, but we need to see inside his memories. Is that something you can do?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Perfect. Let’s go to a room for some privacy.” I stand and gesture for everyone to follow me. Leaving the drop box, I wait for everyone to take the elevator up and then I lock the cage behind me before following. We go up about fifty floors before we reach an empty room and I immediately transform the space into a nicer area with a few couches for everyone.
“My lord, if you could make a projection screen, I can convert the memories onto it for you to see,” Magnus says politely and I do, creating a ceiling–to–floor screen against the rough wall. She walks towards Marjus, who is still shaking and I hold up my hand to pause her.
“Marius, you’re not being punished. Please do not fear us. Until you’ve been assessed properly and only if your soul is considered tarnished, will you be subjected to punishment. You still have a chance to go to the beyond.” I point upwards to the sky. “To be with the Moon Goddess. We’re simply in need of your help right now.”
“Will…it hurt?” He stutters out, looking at Magnus.
“No.” She states simply. “It only hurts if I want it to. It will not hurt you. You will simply feel as though you’re back in moments of your memories and everyone will be able to see those moments.”
Marius nods and I do too. “You can begin.”
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The memories flicker over the screen instantly, shuffling from one to another as Marius‘ eyes turn vacant.
“Is there something in particular you’re looking for, my lord?” Magnus asks and I look to Xavier.
“We’re looking for a reason why Alpha Marcus was collecting children, maybe why he killed them all at the end. Anything that might be slightly related to it.” He states and Magnus nods as she continues to shuffle through memories. It’s odd to see flashes of someone’s life in front of you. I get glimpses of his mate, his parents, his childhood, his training for becoming a Tolaris guard and then it slows down, short clips of Alpha Marcus in a way I’ve never seen him before. He’s cruel and menacing. Degrading his soldiers in private and subjecting them to unlawful tasks. It’s a completely different persona to what I know Alpha Marcus to be… it’s terrifying really to think about how well he’s disguising his true colours from everyone, from his own pack members. I wonder if Evelina ever experienced this…and as I see images of children being brought into a stark, cold concrete room, I have to wonder, what actually happened to Evelina as a pup? Was she really found on the border or was she actually taken there by this monster?
This work, Goddess of the Underworld by Sheridan Hartin, is an exclusive intellectual property legally contracted with NovelSnack. Any reproduction, distribution, or upload outside NovelFlow, AnyStories, NovelaGo, and Readink is unauthorized and constitutes copyright infringement.
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