“Oh dear no, I have come here to offer an ally you would be very fortunate to have in your corner. I am here to be that ally, all I need from you in return is to guarantee that Malachi grows strong enough to defeat Troy.”
“Why would it have anything to do with me, I can’t make Malachi do anything,” I stated, my frustration growing exponentially with every second that ticked by.
“Malachi hasn’t fed since you two became entangled, he is weak Unya and there is no conceivable way he can survive a fight against Troy. He will not listen to reason and I can only hope you are the answer to making him realise it is his only option.”
“Why would you even care who wins, I can’t see how the outcome could affect you.”
“Because Malachi will do whatever he can to ensure you will survive, too much is riding on your abilities Unya. You are the only one who can rid this world of the creatures who see fit to call themselves Gods. I know this whole situation is confusing for you, but I have an offer that will hopefully convince you to agree.”
I asked her what she could hope to offer me, and her next words had me agreeing in an instant.
“If you do this for me Unya, then I will give you a way to escape the Underworld. You can return to the land you once called home and if your heart desires, you can run away from your ever-impending nuptials.”
20
Adiran
She dismissed me so easily, hurting me with the light without a care in the world. But what bothered me the most was the fact that Persephone had known I was there.
It was clear to see the little Queen had to go, but how could I hope to convince Unya to end her miserable existence.
I think Persephone would welcome her own demise, she would be reunited with her bastard son, in the treacherous zone of Tartarus. I was still too weak to do the deed myself, and Unya was becoming harder to control.
The voices of my children ringing around inside her head were helping, but it was not enough. I needed her to become more susceptible to my wishes, without feeling the need to question everything I asked of her.
Troy would destroy the last of that pesky light from within her that refused to die.
All I had to do was ensure Malachi would not survive, and if at any point it looked as though he may be getting the upper hand, I would have to intercede and ensure he would not leave the fighting pit alive.
Unya would be angry with me but she was still susceptible to my lies, she believed the news of Marcus’ death without a hint of suspicion. Surely, I would be able to talk my way out of my nefarious deed, if she became aware of my part within it.
Having a plan was a relief, but it did not help the fact I was once again trapped with the shadow realm. Too many creatures wandered the wild lands and I was not welcome within my sister’s land, but soon none of that would matter. With Unya’s help I would soon be free of this place and my Sister would never control me again. With Unya’s help I would finally be able to claim what was rightfully mine.
21
Malachi
I had been surprised when Unya asked me to meet her down in the fighting pit, the exact location where I would soon be set to fight Troy. Of course, I agreed, but I never would have guessed that she had intended for me to fight her.
“Don’t be such a baby Malachi, if you are that worried, then I promise to hold back a little.”
It was obvious she was trying to get a rise out of me, unfortunately it was working. I wasn’t sure at the time what she was trying to prove, but I refused to back down from such a blatant challenge.
We agreed to fight with the same weapon, a beautiful Haladie dagger that was exquisite to wield. With two blades, one on either end of the handle, it was easy to stab or slash. We also agreed to not tap into any of our abilities, that one was for Unya, seeing as she lacked control, but she had no qualms with agreeing to it.
We started in the centre of the pit, our fists bumping for a moment, before we dropped into our fighting stances, she was on the offence. But that did not mean I would slink back into a defensive stance.
The little firecracker charged straight for me, it was easy to deflect and for the first ten minutes neither one of us could get a hit in. It was clear she was impressed by my cat like agility, as I twisted on the balls of my feet and spun through the air with my blade held out.
The only issue was, by the time we reached the thirty-minute mark, I was beginning to tire, yet she showed no signs of easing down.
She made a move to go for my neck, but I dropped low, only to realise too late it had been that deflective stance she had been counting on.
Her blade came down hard, right into my shoulder, before she ripped it free and slashed down hard into the side of my face.
I managed to get a few hits in on her, marring her beautiful face, as well as adding deep slices into her arms and thighs. But it seemed to spur her on even harder, by the time the clock reached forty minutes, she had me on the flat of my back, with her knees pushing down onto my shoulder blades.
We were both breathing hard by that point, but she had fared much better than me.