~~

Trinity

~~

The moment that we were off the original path and out of Alexio's reach, I started to pull Rudy along behind me to the tunnel that I had seen. I wanted to get there before Alexio knew where we were going, even though I knew that this wasn't likely to be the case.

Alexio didn't run for long when he barreled past us. Only enough for him to quickly slow down his charging body and turn in the direction that we had disappeared in. I could literally feel his eyes on us when he found us running away from him.

Dammit. I didn't want to run away. I wanted to fight him like I had trained to do years ago. However, if I killed him there were things that could happen that I wasn't prepared for. What if I killed this man and hundreds or thousands of souls escaped their punishments? What if those souls, which had yet to fully repent and were likely angry, made it to earth and started to hurt people? I couldn't risk the things that his death or even just his temporary absence from his post would have on Purgatory and the underworld as a whole.

No, as much as it pissed me off, the only thing that I was able to do was run. I needed to protect myself, my boys, Rudy, and the entire realm that I was in. DAMMIT.

Alexio roared in anger when he saw me fleeing to safety. He knew what I was doing, and he didn't like it. At that moment he snorted like a bull. I didn't see it, but I heard it. That raging bull of an ancient Greek warrior was bearing down on us faster than ever now.

It didn't matter though, we were in the tunnel and on our way to freedom. I had snatched Zachary and Zander from Rudy's arms and pushed him in ahead of me. No offense, but at the moment he was expendable to me. That was why I was forcibly making him the guide.

After Rudy, I pushed the boys into the tunnel then followed them inside. We were all in there and safely away from the opening when we felt the ground, and the walls around us, shake like crazy. Alexio had obviously run headlong into the rocky wall, trying to bust his way through so that he could get to us.

I really, really, really hoped that the stone around us held up to his raging bull-like rampage. He was literally ramming the wall over and over again, causing the ground to shake and creak around us.

"We need to get to the other side of here and then move as quickly and stealthily toward the exit as we can. I don't want Alexio to see us anymore at all. He will be a major problem if he does. Not to mention, if he tries to stop us again, I won't hold back. I will take him out to finish my task if I have to. I cannot let him stand in my way.

"

I had been whispering toward Rudy ahead of me. I didn't want my voice to travel back to Alexio, but I needed to talk to the man that was guiding me. I knew from his silence that he had taken issue with what I had said. It didn't seem to me like he wanted me to get violent with this fellow guard.

"Does it have to come down to such violence, Queen Trinity? Do you need to try to fight him?

"

"Do you doubt that I can?

" I asked Rudy angrily.

"I do not think that is it, Queen Trinity.

" I could tell that Rudy was trying his best to be polite and not set me off. Could he sense how truly **ing pissed off that I was?

"Then what is it?

" I prompted him to continue.

"To be honest, Queen Trinity, I just do not want to see your soul tainted with the death of a demon like Alexio.

"

"I do not want to kill him either, Rudy. I do not want to upset the power balance here. But I cannot let him stand in my way. That would only hurt more people. It would only lead to tragedy.

"

"Y..yes. I know that. I just do not want you to bear that burden. If it comes down to it, I will kill him. I will fight him to the death and buy you time to escape through the door.

"

"Mommy?

" I heard Zayden speak up. They spoke so infrequently that it still surprised me sometimes.

"Yes, honey?

" I told him to continue.

"Are you going to get in trouble? Is that big man going to hurt you, Mommy? Are you going to be OK?

"

"I will be just fine. Don't you worry.

" I did my best to assure him and the others.

"Mommy will get us out of here, out of this situation, and then I will get us to the next level of the underworld. That will be the last level, the last stage of it all. That is where we will find the bad lady.

" I tried to sooth the boys and help them understand.

"That's good Mommy.

" Zayden spoke softly.

"Yeah, that's really good Mommy. Because I can feel the door now.

" Zachary piped up next.

"Yup, the door is getting closer.

" Zander agreed.

"We will be saved soon, Mommy.

" Zayden was the last to speak.

"These boys truly are something.

" Rudy's voice was curious about the kids even though he couldn't see them right now.

"I have never met children before, and I am quite surprised by them.

"

"Never met a child?

" I would have stood up and looked at him with shocked eyes, but the rocks made that impossible.

"Weren't you ever a kid yourself?

"

"No, Queen Trinity. We come into existence as fully grown adult demons. From there we age and grow as we work our jobs until we die of old age.

" His words made me want to shudder. What the hell was going on here? This was no existence at all.

"So, Rudy, what do you do when you're not working? Since you never had a childhood and all that.

" I knew what he was going to say. I knew it, but I still asked that question anyway to make sure that I knew it for a fact.

"I do not do anything besides work. We demons are never to leave our post. I know that I will be severely punished, most likely even killed, for what I have done here for you. I had to help you, though. You were where you needed to be, and I was where I needed to be to help you. Besides, going with you gave me an adventure before I am to die. I should probably thank you for that. I will not have to live this monotonous life anymore. I will be free of this place, this prison.

" Rudy didn't sound scared, worried, nervous, none of it.. He didn't sound at all concerned about the fact that he was probably going to die soon. What the hell? Didn't he understand it at all? Didn't he care at all if he lived or died?