The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld (23 page)

“When is the last time you saw your father?” Halston put his hands in his pockets and awaited an answer.

Evina looked past him, towards the Gate. She looked frightened for a second. “Not long.” She looked back at them. “We’ll talk more once we reach the city.” 

“Halston.” Koa pulled Halston to the side. “What is happening right now? Why is she here?”

Halston glanced at Evina and whispered to Koa. “She’s our guide to Jax.”

Koa frowned up at him and put her hands on her hips. “Does she know that I intend to kill him?”

Halston made a face. He shook his head. “I don’t think you understand why we’re here, Koa. No one is killing Jax. We need him.”

Koa dropped her hands to her sides. “What?” She’d been going over in her head just how she would kill the vampire prince. She would force him to change her mother back and then stake him. It was a simple plan. Why was Halston getting in the way?

Halston shushed her and she felt her rage start to simmer again. She narrowed her eyes at him. She hated being treated like a child.

“Don’t you want him to break your mother’s curse?”

Koa bit the inside of her lip and nodded. She tried to control her tone. “Of course. But, he’s evil. Why can’t I kill him after he breaks the curse?”

“Has she lost her mind,” Evina asked as she glared at Koa. “You will not lay a finger on my brother.”

Koa gave Evina a look, rolled her eyes, and looked back to Halston. “Can I hit her? Just once?” She held her hands up as in prayer. “Please…”

Halston sighed. “You’ll understand why we simply cannot kill him soon enough. You’ll know why once you meet him.”

“Done whispering? How rude,” Evina said. Koa could picture herself just flying over to Evina, grabbing her hair, and smacking her around…just a little bit…enough to make her shut up.

Halston turned to her. “Where is Jax kept prisoner?”

Evina picked up a black disc of some sort, and stepped onto it. She was lifted into the air. She hovered and waited. Evina folded her arm across her chest and tossed her hair out of her face. “Well, he was kept in the dungeons back at the palace, until he got free. Now, father keeps him in the Ivory Tower. Do you know how long it took to get him free from the palace?” 

“What is the Ivory Tower?” Koa asked Halston in a whisper. She didn’t want Evina to know how ignorant she was about this place.

Halston sighed. “It’s a prison full of the Netherworld’s most notorious, and dangerous, criminals.”

“The most
notorious
, and
dangerous
, criminals,” Koa repeated. She folded her arms and nodded. “Right…and we’re supposed to trust this guy?”

“My, my. What a little, sarcastic, bitch,” Evina muttered.

Koa realized that she was just standing there, glaring at the woman, when Halston picked up her sword from the ground and handed the hilt to her.

 “Come on Koa. Take your sword.”

Koa was too angry to speak, she accepted the sword wordlessly. She wanted to do something to that woman. The fact that she was sister of one of her enemies didn’t help.

Halston took her hand again. He gave it an affectionate squeeze. She looked up at him and let out a long breath, trying to push out all of her anger.

Koa shook her head. Why was she so bothered? She should not let Evina get to her in this way.

Halston brought his mouth close to her ear. “Calm yourself, Koa. You brought me here to protect you. I will do just that. But, you must remain calm.” 

Koa nodded, her eyes locked on Evina’s back. “Got it. But I don’t know what I’ll do if touches my sword again.” 

Halston put up a finger. He had an intense look in his eyes. “Koa, listen to me.” He held her by her forearms and brought her close to his face.

Koa sucked in a breath and looked into his blue eyes.

“You will do nothing. If you harm a hair on her head, an army will be on our heels within seconds. I cannot fend off an entire army. I brought you here because there is something you need to know. I agreed because you have to see it for yourself. The world is about to change Koa. I will not let you run in there recklessly and get yourself killed. I’ve let you make too many bad decisions in order to teach you a lesson, but this time, you will listen to me. There is a plan, and we will stick to it.” 

Koa couldn’t help but nod. There was no room for protests. His tone dared her to even utter a word against him. Halston searched her eyes to make sure that she really understood the severity of his words. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he let her go.

Koa gave Evina a sidelong glance and turned her back to her. “Well, what’s this glorious plan you speak of?”

Halston straightened his jacket, covering his infinity gun properly. "Jax will tell you."

Koa glared ahead. “But!”

Halston raised a hand and she paused. Her shoulders slumped. He pointed to Evina. “What did I just say?”

Koa folded her arms and looked down at her feet. She nodded and bit the inside of her lip. She was a little angry for being scolded, but she hid a smile. Surprisingly, she was also a little turned on to have him exerting his power over her. She almost wanted him to grab her by the arms, and pull her close to him again. She hoped that he didn’t see her grin.

Koa cleared her throat and glanced at Evina. She hovered in the air, watching them with her arms folded across her chest. Koa couldn’t help but think that Evina looked like something you’d see in a comic book, perfectly mysterious and beautiful up there.

“Can we get on with it now?” Evina said. “I’m not a babysitter…”

Halston held his hand out towards the path. “Show us the way.”

Evina grinned. “With pleasure. Jax is probably shaking with excitement in there.”

Koa followed behind Halston and Evina and she looked in awe as the smothering, cavern-like path, opened into a large dome that buzzed with flying beings. There were so many lights that she was blinded. She shielded her eyes from the glowing palace in the center of the valley. She nearly tripped as the path became a narrow set of stairs. 

Koa caught herself and she looked down to see the stairway plunge deeper into the dark depths below. She looked around to see that hundreds of other caverns opened up to similar stairways all around the dome. At the bottom of the stairs, was a city.

There were skyscrapers and clustered buildings everywhere. This was the home of the nephilim…a safe haven for all that was inhuman. As they walked down the steep stairway, Koa examined the bright, gold-plated, palace that stood in the center of the city. This was the place that haunted her dreams. Koa had been there before, she just couldn’t remember why.

Golden towers stretched upwards, taller than the contrasting black skyscrapers. Like a sunflower in a field of rubble, the palace stood out. Hundreds of clustered buildings littered the city, and yet Koa was certain that from wherever you were in the city, that you could always see the palace. There were what appeared to be thousands of windows that reflected more light onto the city around it.

Hours seemed to pass until they reached the bottom of that staircase.  By the time they reached the cobblestone platform, Koa had went over her own plan in her head a million times. She wanted to see Jax’s face as she lopped off his head.

Koa glanced at Halston. She was torn. She wanted to trust him and do as he said, but Jax had hurt her mother, how could let him live, even after he broke the curse? She would never be able to forgive him for what he did.

Cloaked beings walked past her. They almost knocked her off the platform at the bottom of the staircase and into the next level that waited underneath. She tensed when she realized what they were. They were Jems. Dozens of them. She could see the glow of their eyes.

Koa looked away. They ignored her as they hurried by with their pikes, ready to rip right through whoever dared try their luck at escaping the Netherworld. Koa related them to squads of police, patrolling the streets. 

Halston whispered to her. “Just pretend like you belong here.”

Koa frowned. “What did you think I would do, Halston? Fly around screaming, I’m the bloody half-blood you’ve all been waiting for?”

Halston gave her a look and straightened his shoulders. “Very well. I don’t want to spend more time here than we have to, but there are preparations to be made. You’ll go with Evina and I’ll meet up with you two in a few hours.”

Koa put her hand onto Halston’s chest and grabbed the front of his shirt. “Wait a minute! You never said that I would have to be alone with that skank!”

Evina jumped off her disc and everyone within view gave a deep bow before hurrying off. She slid right up to Koa and bumped her with her chest. Evina was thin, tall, but solid muscle. She nearly knocked Koa backwards but caught her by wrapping an arm around her waist. She grinned down at Koa and locked arms with her.

Koa held her breath. She looked down at Evina’s large bosom as it rose and fell with her breaths. She looked back up at her grinning face. Evina was so close, that Koa could smell her breath. She smelled like summer rain. It was sickening how alluring the woman was. How could anyone resist her?

Evina winked at Halston. “I’ll take good care her.” She locked eyes with Koa and pulled her closer into her body. “I promise I won’t bite,” she whispered to Koa.

Koa swallowed. She was frozen in a mixture of shock, rage, and arousal. Her first reaction had been to upper cut Evina in the jaw, but now…she stared at Evina in confusion.

Halston shook his head and muttered something under his breath. “We don’t have time for games Evina, just take her to the docks and prep her for me. I’ll come back with the materials we need to get her into the prison.”

Koa’s eyes widened, and so did Evina’s grin.

H
alston stood in the center of the crowd as he watched Evina walk away with the only person for whom he had ever had real feelings. Yes, he fought for the humans and vowed to protect them for an eternity, but there was something more when it came to Koa. She stirred something in him that he should not feel as an angel. Love and compassion he had been created with, but whatever he felt for Koa went much deeper. He experienced physical pain whenever she was hurt or upset.

Halston couldn’t explain it, not even after thousands of years of life on Earth. He watched the two women into they disappeared around a corner. His throat tightened as Koa glanced back one last time. Their eyes met, even though there was quite a distance between them. Like a bolt of electricity, her gaze burned into him. He was certain he saw a reflection of his own feelings within her eyes, but he could never be sure. He could never tell her. It would be the end of him if he did.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped as he stood there, alone, yet surrounded by the abominable spawn of his brothers and sisters. There was much to be done. Someone had to put the world back in order. It all rested on him. He waited. He checked his watch as an hour passed and finally he glanced over towards the direction that Koa and Evina had walked and he saw the signal.