Interlude: Part II

The towering city buildings of Dis loomed high above the clouds in dull colors of iron. Dis was a city of kings, treachery, law, and the chasm where the daemons lived.

Inside the imperial chambers, there were thousands of books on shelves in different colors and various shapes. A potions table sat in the middle of a room, a wooden desk filled with papers, and more books scattered on the floor that stood ten feet tall.

A short man with neatly trimmed gray hair and bushy gray brows concocted another antidote to rid poison for the Monarch’s army. His silver eyes focused on measuring the right bit of ingredients. He had a long scar that ran across the side of his head to his jaw.

“Ah, perfect,” he whispered when the vial turned purple. He sensed someone in the room. “Does his lordship have anything to give to me?”

“Sir Pluto, Dante’s kin has made it to the Illicit. A She-Wolf and Virgil’s daughter accompany her.”

This caught Pluto’s attention, and he stopped looking through his books to turn around to meet the cloaked Black Hand.

“The Daughter of Dante? Are you sure?”

The Black Hand nodded. “She is a Legacy. She calls herself—Keisha Alighieri. She may be who we’re looking for.”

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Pluto’s brows knitted together. He rubbed his thick beard with nimble fingers. “That has to be it. We’ve gone through the rest.” Pluto stopped pacing and faced the Black Hand. “And where are they currently?”

“They have left Minos shortly after a dinner celebration for saving the citizens from the Demi Menoos, and they’ve conquered other journeys.”

“How so?” Pluto urged.

“They’ve helped the Monarch in Aspara, and she’s spared two Demi’s—she’s sworn off capturing. Her words were ‘that she’s going to be a different Legacy.’ She’s trying to save the woman Beatrice Alighieri, her mother.”

“And what did our Lordship say?”

“He’s said to keep an eye out for her.”

Pluto scoffed. “It was good you came to me. Speak with Fortuna and tell her of the situation. We have to capture her now before she makes any headway in her journey.”

The Black Hand bowed and opened a Veil and stepped inside.

But Pluto was not done. The girl would come for her mother, and the plan would fail.

He walked to the window where a birdcage with a black crow sat on its perch. Its black eyes stared and tilted its head. He had borrowed the black crow from Deidamia and would use it as he saw fit. “Pass the news on that anyone who brings me the girl will be heavily rewarded by Monarch Guerra, himself.”

Pluto looked into a bowl of purple liquid, where he made different concoctions. He waved his hands above it, and an image formed.

Inside of a cell, a figure with tawny brown skin was chained at her wrists and ankles. The prisoners curly brown hair covered her face. Her clothes were dirty and ripped at the sleeves.

Pluto smiled, “It seems your daughter has come to save you, Beatrice—let’s see how far she gets.”