The Corvin Chance Chronicles Complete Box Set

by N. P. Martin

I didn’t much like the sound of that, and I stood nervously, waiting on something to happen, on something to appear.

  And something did.

  First of all, the floor in the center of the room began to fall away, causing me to jump back as a huge hole suddenly opened up, which spilled forth a deeper hue of red light. As I dared to peer down the massive hole, I saw what looked like some sort of shaft cut into rock, out of which a great heat began to emanate.

  Then suddenly something burst out of the hole at speed, a huge, monstrous thing that scared me so much I all but ran to the corner of the room as Dath'tauth just stood where he was, seemingly unaffected by this new presence. Standing there with eyes wide, I stared at the creature that had burst up through the gaping hole in the floor. It seemed to be some sort of horned serpent with pitch black scales, leading me to wonder, What the hell is it with me and serpents?

  The creatures eyes glowed a reddish color, and when it opened its mouth, it revealed the biggest set of fangs I had ever seen, fangs that seemed to extend as its mouth opened further. But as monstrous as the serpent’s head was, my eyes soon became drawn to its belly, the center of which seemed to glow with an almost beautiful sort of bluish-white light, as if other entities were moving around inside it.

  "The human requires something from you," Dath'tauth said to the serpent, his voice as flat as ever.

  The black serpent moved its head toward me, until I felt trapped in the corner. "Does the human know the price?" the serpent hissed in a whispering voice.

  I stood staring at it a moment, transfixed by the moving lights in its belly, before glancing at Dath'tauth. "The price?" I asked. "What price?"

  The serpent suddenly shot forward quickly, until its monstrous head was hovering right in front of my face, its forked tongue flicking out to touch me, forcing me to step back into the corner as far as I could go. Which wasn’t far enough, as the serpents tongue still flicked around my face, leaving a trail of slime behind. "If you want something from me," it whispered in an almost feminine voice that seemed to penetrate inside my head as well as my ears, "the price is a piece of your soul."

  A piece of my soul? As I gazed at all the moving lights in the serpent’s belly, I realized suddenly what they all were. It was soul energy, obviously siphoned off by the serpent over aeons probably, and now it wanted some of mine as well.

  I stood fretting for a long moment as I thought about my predicament. What was I supposed to do, refuse? Go home empty handed after everything, just so Delaney could take a fit and possibly have Dalia and Davey killed?

  There was no option here. I also knew the serpent wouldn’t let me leave until it got what it wanted.

  "How much is a piece?" I asked the serpent, then looked at Dath'tauth. "What effect will this have on me?"

  Dath'tauth walked around the edge of the hole to come to stand by the serpent. "That depends. You may end up more receptive to certain influences."

  "Dark influences you mean?"

  "Whatever you want to call it." Dath'tauth then leaned down slightly toward me, his face looking more ghastly in the reddish light. "You will always feel a pull toward this place."

  With the two of them hemming me in, it didn’t feel like I had a choice in the matter. All I wanted to do was get the stupid mirror and get out of there, and back to my own world. "Okay, I’ll—"

  I didn’t get to say much more, as the serpent immediately struck like I was prey, sinking one of its giant fangs into the right side of my chest. My reaction was to squeal in pain and grip the hard fang with both hands as if I could pull it out. Though I didn’t have to, for a second later, the serpent pulled its own fang out and slithered back away from me by a few feet, as if satisfied that it had gotten what it wanted.

  "That’s it?" I asked Dath'tauth as I put a hand over the hole left behind by the fang, my face scrunching up with the pain of it.

  "Yes," Dath'tauth replied.

  I didn’t feel any different, though I was sure that would change over time.

  "What do you require?" the serpent then asked me.

  Finally, I thought. Let’s get this damn thing and get out of this literal hell hole.

  "The Mirror Of Infernal Darkness," I said.

  As I watched, the serpent began to move its head and body, as if it was trying to swallow something, which at first I thought was the soul energy it had drained from me. But I soon realized that it wasn’t swallowing anything, it was bringing something up. It made a choking sound, and I watched with repulsion as it soon regurgitated the item I was after. Dath'tauth reached out and took the mirror from the serpent’s mouth before handing it to me. The mirror was completely black, even the glass, and covered in slime and digestive fluid, making it the grossest thing I had ever laid hands on. The glass was oval shaped and surrounded by an ornate metal frame. The whole thing was no bigger than your average bathroom mirror, and looked not much different to any other I’d seen, except for the black glass, which reflected my fearful face back at me.

  The serpent seemed to have a smile on its face, if that was possible. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, human," it said, before slithering back into its hole, disappearing as the floor magically closed up again around it.

  "You have got what you wanted," Dath'tauth said.

  "Yes," I said. "Can we go now? I’ve had enough of Hell already."

  Dath'tauth walked toward me and laughed slightly. "Imagine an eternity here then."

  I shook my head. "I’m trying not to."

  Dath'tauth teleported us from Hell, back to Delaney’s house and the center of the magic circle. The trip back didn’t seem as bad as before, though I still felt sick when I landed, immediately walking out of the magic circle, as much to get away from Dath'tauth as anything else. As I looked around the room, I became slightly worried that I couldn’t see Margaret anywhere, which meant she had either escaped, or Delaney had done something to her.

  Feedback from the speakers sounded in the room, as if on cue. "You are back, Mr. Chance," Delaney said, sounding giddy with excitement. "I must say I’m surprised. I didn’t think you would make it."

  "Where’s Margaret?" I demanded.

  "The witch is gone, of her own accord."

  "You better not be lying to me, Delaney."

  "Of course not," he said distractedly. "Get rid of the demon so I can claim my prize."

  Gritting my teeth and shaking my head, I thought, Asshole. Then I turned to Dath'tauth, who was standing staring at me as I held the mirror in my hands. "Our business is concluded now," I said. "You are free to go."

  "I think we will meet again at some point," he said as energy began to gather around him.

  "I certainly hope not."

  Dath'tauth laughed slightly as he prepared to teleport. "Remember, Corvin Chance. Hell is always waiting for you."

  A shutter ran through me after the demon finally disappeared, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that he was gone, hoping I would never have to converse with another demon for as long as I lived.

  Evidently, Delaney couldn’t wait any longer on his prize, for he soon burst into the room and all but ran to me excitedly, stopping to stare at the mirror in my hands for a moment as if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Give it to me," he said, holding his hands out.

  "With pleasure," I said, handing the thing over to him, wincing as I did so at the pain in my chest, reminding myself to use a healing spell once I’d left the house.

  "It’s magnificent." Delaney was holding the mirror out in front of him as he gazed into the glass. From the rapt expression on his face, I guessed he was already getting a glimpse of Hell.

  "I hope you called your dogs off, Delaney."

  He nodded without looking at me, still staring with fascination into the mirror. "I will, when you are away from here."

  "You better. If anything happens to my friends…"

  "Just go now, Mr. Chance. You’ve served your purpose."

  I nodded as I stopped myself from
hitting the bastard there and then. I also wanted to take the mirror and smash it over his head. The only thing stopping me was something that Dath'tauth told me before we left Hell. He said that whoever looks into the mirror will, over time, commit their soul to Hell, until one day the user will get a nasty surprise when something reaches out of the mirror and pulls them into the place they had been gazing at for so long. Then they will remain in torment for eternity. Normally, I wouldn’t wish such a fate on anyone, but as far as I was concerned, Delaney deserved it.

  "Enjoy looking into Hell, Delaney," I said as I walked away with a certain amount of satisfaction, then said under my breath, "Hell will be coming for you soon enough, asshole…"

  Chapter 8

  As soon as I left Delaney’s house, the first thing I did once I was in the car was to use a healing spell on the puncture wound in my chest, which at least sealed it up. Then I called Margaret, though after three attempts I got no answer, which worried me. There wasn’t much I could do, though, apart from hope she was all right. More than likely, she just didn’t want to speak to me, which I understood if that was the case. She probably hated me for the trouble, not to mention trauma, I had caused her. Whatever past history Dath'tauth had dragged up, it didn’t seem to sit well with Margaret. Evidently someone had died. Whether it was her fault as Dath'tauth had said, I didn’t know. Not that it mattered, for it was none of my business anyway.

  After starting the car and pulling off, I put the phone on hands free and called Dalia to see if she was all right. "Corvin," she said when she picked up. "I’m glad you called."

  "Why?" I said, worried now that something had happened.

  "I saw strange men earlier watching the house. I think they were werewolves, but they’re gone now."

  "They were werewolves," I said as I turned a corner into the main town. "Delaney sent them. Remember him?"

  "So he’s still after us?"

  "No, not anymore. I sorted things out with him."

  "How?" she asked.

  "You don’t want to know. I’m just calling to make sure you’re safe."

  "I am."

  "Good."

  "Are you okay, Corvin?"

  The hole in my chest was causing me pain, even after using the healing spell. "I’m fine," I said, still thinking of Hell and shuttering at the thought. "It’s nothing I won’t get over."

  "Are you going to tell me about it?"

  "Maybe, next time I see you. It’s not something I particularly want to talk about right now."

  "Sounds bad. Why don’t you come around to Davey’s for a drink?"

  "Some other time. I have other business to take care of."

  "What business?"

  "Stuff I’m helping Amelia with. I have to head down to Kilkenny soon."

  "Is it dangerous?"

  I smiled to myself as I shook my head. "Probably. Isn’t it always these days?"

  "I can go with you if you like. Davey will be fine on his own for a while."

  I considered her offer for a second, thinking it might be good to have company, but then thought better of it when I considered that I didn’t know exactly what would be waiting for me in Kilkenny. I wasn’t expecting trouble, but it always had a way of coming around, and I didn’t want to drag Dalia into anything that didn’t concern her. "Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine. It’s just a bit of investigating and then away again."

  Dalia went silent for a moment. "Why does it feel like you are pushing me out of things these days?"

  "What?" I shook my head as I pulled onto the motorway going back to Dublin. "It’s not like that, D. You have your thing going with Davey now, and I just think you’d be better of focusing on that than tagging along with me into dodgy situations."

  "Tagging along? Like I’m some inconvenience?"

  "Wrong choice of words. You know I love you, D. I’m just looking out for you, that’s all."

  "So you say, Corvin, but I think you just enjoy going off half-cocked on your own all the time."

  I went to say something, then stopped. She had me there, especially since I remembered my mother complaining about my father doing the same thing once upon a time, always heading off to sort out something or other. "Are you not happy with Davey?" I asked her, thinking that might be the problem.

  "What? What’s that got to do with anything?"

  "Well, it seems like you’d prefer to be out galavanting with me."

  Dalia sighed. "It’s not that, Corvin, it’s just…" She trailed off into silence for a moment. "I don’t know. Just go and do what you have to do. You always do anyway."

  "D…"

  "Call me when you get back. Bye, Corvin."

  "D…" I said again, but she had hung up. Sighing, I thought about calling her back to see what the problem was, but then I thought better off it. By the sound of things, she didn’t know what the problem was herself. As fierce and strong as she was, Dalia could also be quite fragile at times, mentally at least. Sometimes I wondered if she would be better off living back in the Otherworld, where she would at least be around her own kind. As she chose not to, I wondered sometimes if it was me keeping her here, as narcissistic as that sounds. I know she still carries a torch for me, and that she would gladly rekindle our former romantic relationship if I asked her to. But as much as I loved her, I didn’t want to go down that road with her again. I simply valued her more as friend—as my best friend—and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. Besides, I couldn’t deny that I had feelings for Amelia, as complicated as she was at times. For whatever reason, we clicked, and I felt like she understood me in ways that Dalia didn’t.

  As I was just getting into Dublin, I got a call from Monty. He asked me to meet him in a city center pub, saying he had information about the Order Of The Serpent. As I needed a drink, as well as information, I told him I’d be there soon.

  Fifteen minutes later, I walked into The Brazen Head, one of the oldest pubs in the city, located in Lower Bridge Street just off Merchant Quay. The pub dated all the way back to 1196, and was referenced by Joyce in Ulysses. It wasn’t my favorite pub, but I still liked it because it felt like you were stepping back in time when you walked into it, and you couldn’t help but soak up the history of the place, imaging the people that had come and gone over the centuries. The place was fairly empty when I walked in as it wasn’t far off closing time. I found Monty at one of the corner tables, sitting with two young girls as he dazzled them with card tricks.

  "Evening," I said smiling at the two girls, the looks on their faces almost comical after Monty had shown them his last trick.

  "How does he do it?" one of them said to me. "It’s not right, no one should be able to do that stuff."

  "Well, he’s a magician," I said, looking at Monty. "He has special powers."

  "Oi got powers al' right," Monty said, coughing slightly as he smiled at me, causing me to shake my head at him.

  "We all know you have powers, Monty," I said. "Though I don’t think it’s the same powers the girls are thinking of."

  "Don’t be so sure," the other girl said, bursting into a fit of giggles along with her friend.

  "Anyways girls," Monty said, putting his deck of cards in his jacket pocket. "I have some business here with me mate, so if you would excuse us."

  "Are you coming to the party later, Monty?" one of the girls asked.

  "Satan himself couldn’t keep me away," he said. "Give me ten minutes with me mate and I’ll meet you’s after."

  Both girls smiled as one of them said, "Is your friend coming to?"

  Monty suddenly looked up at me. "You know what girls, I think he is. What do you say, Corvin? You up for some partyin'?"

  "Em…" I started to shake my head.

  "He’ll be there," Monty cut in. "Just give me ten minutes with him and he’ll be raring to go."

  "Brilliant," one of the girls said. "We’ll see you’s shortly then."

  I watched them go, dressed to the nines, their asses wiggling as they w
alked to a far table where they sat down and began to giggle drunkenly at each other. "Seriously," I said sitting down to a pint of Guinness that Monty had already bought for me. "You pick them younger every time."

  "What are you talking about?" Monty said. "They’re at least nineteen the two of them."

  I shook my head. "That’s what I mean."

  He frowned for a second. "You I think I should go younger?"

  "Jesus, no. Wise up."

  "I’m just fucking with you, bro," he said, slapping my arm, causing me to wince slightly as a pain went through my chest.

  I picked up my pint and drank about half of it in one go, then I sat back in my seat as if it had been a long night. Which it had, a very long night indeed. It was still frying my brain the fact that I was in Hell no more than an hour ago. "Anyway," I said. "What did you want to tell me?"

  Monty picked up some weird colored cocktail that he was drinking and took a sip before setting it back down again. "I did some more digging into that secret cult or whatever they are. I had no joy with the usual lines of inquiry, so I ended up hacking the Vatican computers."

  I stared at him. "You hacked the Vatican? Do you have a bloody death wish or something?"

  "Relax," he said like it was nothing. "I was careful, and I didn’t get far anyway. Their system is as tight as a duck’s hole, let me tell you."

  "Obviously, it’s the bloody Vatican."

  "Still, I managed to squeeze on in there a bit and get a look at some of their files." He shook his head. "I tell you bro, you wouldn’t believe some of the stuff they have on file. If the world found out about it, there’d be feckin' world war three."

  "Doesn’t surprise me."

  "Me neither, but anyway. I ran a serach on the serpent cult, and guess what I found?"

  I shrugged as I shook my head. "What?"

  "Nothin'."

  "Nothing? Nothing at all?"

  "The Vatican has files on every cult and order that has ever been, no matter how obscure. But when it came to the Order Of The Serpent…"

  "Nothing," I said, shaking my head, considering the implications of that.