~ Chapter Twenty-Three - Part 2 ~

Jacques was sitting against the cave wall he had found when he felt it. A stirring in the air pulled him out of his cave. It was a stirring he hadn’t felt since Martin had tossed him into Tartarus. He limped to the cave entrance and carefully studied the area around the cave he had thankfully found empty.
Jacques frowned when he saw a flash of light. He had been in the dark for so long that he was momentarily blinded. He blinked a few times before his vision returned. And his heart stopped dead in his chest. Then, as the light faded, a body appeared. It wasn't just anyone's body, but Katalina’s.
And whoever had sent her put her in the middle of a manticore nest. Jacques ran to her as fast as he could, the atmosphere of Tartarus taking its toll on his speed. As he got closer, he felt a small piece of his heart shatter. She was unconscious and couldn’t even defend herself.
Jacques was still too far away when the manticores strolled out of their caves and stalked closer to her. They all seemed to lick their lips in hunger at the same time. Jacques forced his legs to go faster as the manticores crept close enough to Katalina that their noses were touching her body. He finally reached her with a final push, and nothing but sheer will kept him on his feet. He quickly kicked all of the manticores away from her and pulled Katalina into his arms.
Jacques didn’t have time to look her over for injuries, but he knew that someone had hurt her from the moan of pain that slipped past her lips. He had no choice but to grip her tightly as he raced back to his cave.
Jacques could feel the manticores catching up to them and wasn’t sure what to do. But, unfortunately, he had no magic, and he’d grown weaker daily. He hoped the manticores stopped chasing them once they reached the cave.
Unfortunately, the manticores didn’t stop. They chased them into the cave and cornered them at a dead end. Jacques could only cover Katalina’s body with his own as he waited for the for manticores to strike. He could feel a pair of talons whispering over his back before disappearing. He spun around and stared in shock as the manticores withered on the floor, completely enveloped in white-hot flames. “What the hell?” Jacques muttered to himself.
“It seems my ancestors had significant magic,” Katalina mumbled behind him.
Jacques quickly knelt next to her, finally looking her over. Tears shamelessly slid down his face at what he saw. Cuts and burns of all shapes and sizes covered every inch of visible skin. Her pants had been torn and shredded, so they were shorts with the rest in tatters. Her shirt was torn to pieces, exposing her bra and skin. “Oh, little one,” he whispered as his heart shattered further. “What happened to you?” Jacques asked in a broken voice as he helped her sit up.
“Atlas happened,” Katalina muttered as she leaned back against the wall. Only to hiss in pain and scramble away from it.
Jacques let out a rough exhale. “Let me see all of it,” he said quietly.
Katalina turned so that her back was to him. Yes, the cuts and burns over the rest of her body were horrible, but her back was the worst. After the whip had slashed across her back so many times, it was nothing except a mess of shredded flesh. “Oh, little one,” he said in anguish.
Katalina sniffled. “I fainted several times, but he threw ice water on me to keep me aware of the pain,” she shook her head, causing her long hair to skim across her back, sticking to the blood that was still flowing from her wounds. “That wasn’t the worst of it, though,” she sniffled again. “He told me about how my parents died. He described every last bit in detail. He told me everything that had happened and what he had done to them. How they fought against him and probably would have been able to last until Ryan, and the others got there. If it hadn’t fought dirty and killed them.”
Jacques listened as he studied her back and all the other cuts and burns. His heart was shattering as he listened to the pain and terror in her voice.
“He told me about what they did to my parents after they died. How they tore them apart,” Katalina sobbed as Jacques moved to sit in front of her. “He took their wedding rings. I picked those rings out for their anniversary when I was three. Evelyn had helped me.”
Jacques gently caressed her face. “I wish I could heal you, little one, but I haven’t fed in weeks. I don’t have enough,” he said as his voice cracked.
Katalina shook her head but moaned as it made her dizzy. “It’s okay, Jacques. I’ll be fine,” she whispered as she leaned against his chest.
Jacques lightly ran his fingers through her hair to try and soothe her. They sat silently for a few minutes while they both collected their thoughts. “We must figure out a way to get out of here,” Katalina finally said.
Jacques sighed heavily. “I don’t think we can get out of here,” he said quietly. “At least not without help anyway.”
Katalina groaned in pain as she leaned her side against the wall. “I can try and contact Artemis. See if she can help,” she clicked her tongue. “I can also try to teleport us out. But I’ll need to rest a bit before I try. I’m so tired,” she mumbled.
Jacques pressed a kiss to her temple, careful of the burn mark on her temple. “Get some rest, little one. I’ll watch over you,” he said softly.
Katalina nodded. “I’m going to try and talk to Artemis first. Hopefully, she’ll be able to help.”
Jacques kissed her temple again before letting her rest.

Katalina leaned against the wall next to her as she closed her eyes. “Please, Artemis,” she prayed. “I desperately need your help. Jacques and I are in trouble.”
It took a few minutes, but she finally opened her eyes to find Artemis’s meadow. Katalina felt tears of relief slide down her cheeks. Artemis stood before her with Hades, Apollo, Jake, and Isabella.
Katalina sank to her knees as sobs wracked through her, causing her body to shake and tremble.
Isabella rushed to her side with Jake right behind her. “Oh, my baby girl,” Isabella said sorrowfully.
Jake held both of them in his arms but quickly yanked his arm away from Katalina when she cried out in pain. “What happened, butterfly?” He asked with torment and heartache in his eyes.
Katalina reached for him and grasped his shoulders tightly. “Atlas had me captured and tortured before he had a warlock put me to sleep and send me to Tartarus,” she wiped her face and sniffled. “They dropped me right in the middle of a manticore nest. I was still unconscious. Jacques saved me. He was in a nearby cave and saw me appear. Thankfully I woke up just in time. I burned all of the manticores that had chased us into the cave,” she let out a moan of pain as Jake looked over her wounds. “Jacques wanted to give me some of his blood to help heal me, but he’s been in Tartarus for weeks after being tortured like I was, so he was already drained when he got there. I’m worried that he might not make it,” she shook her head. “I want to rest and then try and teleport us out.”
Hades shook his head. “The barrier of magic they have around the area you’re in prevents you from teleporting,” he explained sadly.
Katalina bit her lip and yanked on her blood-soaked hair as she tried to think through the pain and panic coursing her. “Do you know where the barrier ends?” She questioned after a few minutes.
Hades nodded and summoned a hologram map of Tartarus. “They didn’t make the barrier that wide. But they did manage to put it in one of the most dangerous areas,” he pointed to a spot that seemed close yet far from the cave Jacques had carried her to for safety. “It’s not too far from the cave you’re currently in, but a couple of obstacles are blocking your path.”