Pretty in Orange

by J B Trepagnier

  Roman let out a little growl and buried his face in my neck. I loved it when he did that. He’d always trace his nose from my ear down my shoulder and then tease me with his fangs. Skoll started nibbling on my other ear.

  “I’m not even a Vampire, and this morning was sexy, killer.”

  I flashed the binding around my arm.

  “This is supposed to be effective in two hours. I want you to mark me, and then I want to deepen my bond with Roman. But we also need to revisit Bael. The other elementals are alive, but there was no address on Rathmore’s hard drive. My father is paying men to manipulate them into thinking they are in love. We have to get them out.”

  “Then we will,” Amduscias said from the hallway. “The physician has advised me we all need to eat well-balanced meals, even before he gets the results on our blood tests. I’ll send word to Bael, but we must eat lunch first. Bael sent over a box of devices he says we can contact all of Hell on, but I don’t have the slightest on how they work.”

  “I’ll show you,” I said.

  “What’s wrong with a letter or a carrier raven?” Skoll asked.

  “This is much quicker. I’ll show you, and we can eat lunch.”

  Each device had our name on it, and they were unlike any cell phone I’d seen topside. They were the same rectangle, but it just felt sturdier, like dropping it in the kitchen would not destroy it. I powered mine on, and it wasn’t any operating system I was used to. Still, the apps had names on it, and I could see Skoll, Roman, and Amduscias were in my contacts. There was also a group contact called elementals where I had Briar and Azura’s number and the number of what looked like every elemental in Hell. There was a good bit of them.

  Roman had already gotten the hang of it and had discovered search engines.

  “I thought computers had all the information known to man, but you said this was a phone.”

  “It does some same things a computer does, just with a smaller screen.”

  “So, if I press on Bael’s name, what happens?” Amduscias said.

  “It calls Bael, and you can speak to him through the receiver.”

  “I need to do that if you have information on the other elementals. Let’s see how this goes.”

  Amduscias jumped when he heard the phone ringing in his ear.

  “That is a most unpleasant noise. Hello, Bael. Yes, Serafina is teaching us how to use all these devices. We watched movies last night. Fergus had access to Rathmore’s hard drive. The other elementals are still alive, but we don’t have addresses. Can we come by after lunch? Yes. Of course. Do you think Purson and Balam will help? Yes, I’ll do it. You know I know my duty.”

  Amduscias pulled the phone away from his ear and just stared at it.

  “Do I need to do anything special to this device?”

  “If Bael hasn’t already hung up, press the red button, and it will disconnect the call.”

  “Bael wants to have a feast and introduce all of you to the seven kings of Hell. If Purson and Balam agree to help us, we can find those women and get them out. Purson can find lost objects and people and Balam can make things invisible. Between the two of them, we can get them out. It’s not up to me if we allow them in Hell, and I know you want them away from your father. I can’t claim them like I claimed all of you. We don’t know these women. They might be horrible people. We didn’t have time to get to know them in Scorchwood.”

  “I understand. I want to make a home here, and I don’t know them either. I’m coming to understand how things work here. You’re only allowed in if you are being tortured, or a demon claims you. And demons only claim people they have a connection with.”

  “Are the rest of the kings like you and Bael?” Skoll asked.

  “The kings are all honorable. It’s the other Dukes who do all the plotting. I don’t think they will be invited tonight. I’ve always been a favorite. If they invite any other Dukes, it’s because they are more trustworthy.”

  “Who are the ones who aren’t, and why hasn’t anything been done about the ones who plot?”

  Amduscias just laughed.

  “Because demons never get caught. The only reason I got arrested topside was because I was trying to help them win their silly little war, and torture was too extreme for them. On the surface, they are always helpful and doing their duties.”

  “You mentioned duties on the phone. What are your duties here?” I asked.

  Amduscias just gave me this wicked grin. “You know how I could manipulate the sound system in Scorchwood? I can make music play with no instruments. I can make instruments play themselves and drive people mad. I am Hell’s composer. Once I get started again, you will hear music wherever you go in Hell. I think up the tunes in my dreams.”

  “That’s kind of sexy,” I said.

  “Kind of?” Roman said. “We are dating Hell’s composer. It’s totally sexy.”

  Alozan just appeared from the shadows.

  “Lunch is ready. Doctor Bogthon gave me a list of foods for all of you based on your species to get you back up and running after being in Scorchwood for so long. Up you go. I’ve had the gardens prepared to eat outside.”

  As much as it was still strange that Alozan was so worried about pleasing me, I loved that she was spoiling Amduscias, Roman, and Skoll. I knew all these outside meals were for Roman, and I appreciated it.

  We were all cooked different meals. Even Roman had a goblet of blood. I had blackened fish with tomatoes, roasted potatoes, and thick, homemade strawberry yogurt. I didn’t understand a single thing on my plate or why Doctor Bogthon wanted me to eat it, but I cleaned my plate because it tasted amazing.

  Alozan finally came out to explain.

  “Our nutritionists in Hell found this was the best diet for you when you fell ill. Roman, there are herbs in your blood that should get some color back into your cheeks. Skoll, we tried to give you as much rare meat as we could. Serafina, you might be a fire element, but we found eating foods that balanced all four elements helped our elementals recover faster. Amduscias, I need not explain your plate.”

  I had no idea what the fuck she meant about these foods balancing the four elements, but if they wanted to serve me this again, I’d lick my plate clean like a savage and ask for seconds. I was being rude. I had a problem with that sometimes, and I wasn’t used to being waited on.

  “Alozan, this meal was amazing. Thank you for having it prepared for me.”

  Skoll tipped his wine glass at her. “This meat was perfect.”

  Roman just grinned. “I don’t know what herbs were in the blood, but it accentuated the taste. Where did the blood come from? It’s fresh and demon?”

  “Would you have preferred another supernatural? I can get it for you.”

  Roman’s mouth just hung open.

  “How did you get this blood? Was someone hurt?”

  Alozan just gave him a gentle smile.

  “When Amduscias was taken to Scorchwood, we know it was a popular remedy to bleed people to heal them. In the present time, both here and topside, we know giving people blood can save their lives. Not just Vampires. Everyone, even humans, receives blood sometimes. It’s given in a vein instead of drinking it, of course. People willingly donate their blood for this. It’s stored in a blood bank. When we knew you needed extra blood, we just drove down and bought some.”

  Roman just shook his head. “That is stranger than little talking green men.”

  “All of this is just going to take time, Roman,” I said, kissing his cheek. “All of you were locked away for so long with no access to the outside world. They could have provided television or books, and they didn’t. This will all eventually seem normal to you. Hell is new to me too, and I’m not used to some things here. We can explore it together.”

  Amduscias just sipped his wine.

  “A lot of Hell is unfamiliar to me now too. What do you say we grab the horses and take a tour?”

  Alozan immediately jumped to attention.

  “Sir,
the stables and the horses are still there, but everyone travels by automobile now. You have several to choose from. Bael picked out the best for you for when you returned.”

  “How am I expected to take them on a tour of Hell in an automobile if I don’t know what it is or how to steer it?”

  “I know how to drive,” I said. “I can teach you.”

  “Nonsense,” Alozan said. “Balmaz will drive you and take you on a tour. He’s a younger flame demon. His mother was Agarith.”

  “Was?” Amduscias demanded. “What happened to Agarith?”

  “Killed by a warlock topside. She said, before she left on her mission, she didn’t want her son going topside on dangerous missions. She was leaving for a dangerous warlock. Think Magus Rathmore bad. She made Bael promise to take care of her son if anything happened to her. Poor Balmaz was only ten, and he’d lost both of his parents to topside missions. Bael raised him like he was his own, and we took him into our house as a driver when he turned eighteen. I think there’s still a part of him that wants to take over for his parents, but he knows those that killed them were brought down here for torture, then killed.”

  “Are demons like supernatural police?” I asked.

  Everything I thought I knew about demons and Hell was getting turned on its head. Demons had always been made out to be evil guys based on everything I’d heard growing up topside. No one here was like that, but why did they want everyone to believe that so much?

  Amduscias just smiled. “No, we wish to be left alone. I don’t think that much has changed since I’ve been in Scorchwood. We don’t want people coming into our paradise unless someone can vouch for them, or we need to torture them. Twilight demons are harmless. They can travel by any star to any realm. I’m not sure what they do now, but they used to make maps for Hell based on the stars.

  “One of the smaller female twilight demons wanted to go topside to make a map so any demon that visited wouldn’t get lost. She wasn’t a fighter. She was probably Charley’s size. A coven of evil warlocks captured her a tortured her. They figured out runes and spells to summon us from Hell. Their warding didn’t work, and we could break out of their protective circle at any time.

  “Since they light candles when they summon demons, they almost entirely summoned flame and smoke demons. We had to fight back so they didn’t torture another innocent demon to find out more about our kind and find a way into Hell. Let’s just say summoning a demon went very badly for almost everyone who tried that that witches and warlocks hesitate to do it now. Only the nasty ones try to summon us to do their bidding now.

  “Smoke and flame demons became trained warriors. Not all witches and warlocks summon demons to do evil things. Some are heartbroken and just want us to scare their exes. That part is a lot of fun. Some are scared and just want protection. They are just desperate. Those demon summonings end up being fun for us, even if we still want to be left alone.

  “It’s when people want us to do things that would land them with a life sentence in Scorchwood because they think they won’t get caught if we do the crime that we become somewhat of the police you talk about. Those people usually get an invitation to Hell for a little torture so we can find out if it involves anyone else, then we kill them.”

  “Ask him about the Fae, my Ena. Have the Fae ever used warlock magic to summon a demon?”

  “Fergus wants to know who else is summoning demons. If my father has this vast network that includes even humans, couldn’t he have summoned a demon?”

  “A shadow or flame demon would have reported being summoned by a Fae prince. If he found a way to summon an unconventional kind of demon, most all of them would report it. As far as I know, there’s no way to summon a fire born demon, but if any would work with him, it would be more power-hungry Hell royalty. There would be no proof, and they would never strike directly.”

  “Would the Fae want to invade Hell, Fergus? Maybe the prison was the first step. Maybe they just don’t want to sacrifice Fae lives to do it.”

  “The Fae realm has its issues, but it’s just as beautiful as Hell. Before I left to come to you, there was nothing in Hell that they didn’t have something similar in the Fae realm. The Fae aren’t conquerors. When they came to Earth, it was to share, not start a war. They only fight when it comes to the monarchy, and that hasn’t happened in a long time. If they wanted something from Hell, they would ask, not whatever this is in Scorchwood. I need to go back to the Fae realm, my Ena. It would give us answers.”

  “Can you wait until the other elementals are safe?”

  “I agree, my Ena. Those women have been through enough. Share what I found out with the kings of Hell and see if they have a solution.”

  I was about to scream. Why was my father doing this? Why didn’t he stop when he realized he framed his own daughter? When was this going to be over?

  Chapter 28

  Amduscias

  T

  his driving tour of Hell was just as new to me as it was to everyone else, and I was born here. So much had changed. There were new businesses, and the old ones I knew had been updated. It was all tastefully done. If there was one thing Bael hated, it was gaudiness and noisy colors. Some old roads were still pressed stone, but some newer roads were much smoother.

  I would say this. I loved the automobiles Bael had put in the garage and added to my castle. We were driven around in this sleek black car that looked like a big, metal panther. Serafina agreed to teach me to drive. Depending on what they said at dinner, we would start after lunch tomorrow. As much as we needed to stop this Fae plot, we also needed to learn the modern world and get used to not being prisoners anymore. That part would take time.

  We were driven to Bael’s castle, and all seven kings of Hell were waiting. Zepar was there, and I didn’t know why. He was a Duke like I was, but if something was afoot, I usually suspected him. The legion he commanded was small and not very strong. Why Zepar and not a Duke with a more powerful legion if they were planning an attack? What’s more, Bael and all the other kings knew I didn’t like or trust him.

  Zepar just gave me an oily smile, and when he kissed Serafina’s hand, his lips lingered long enough to piss all of us off. Skoll growled a warning, and Roman bared his fangs. Serafina just called fire to her hand because she didn’t like it either, but Zepar was fire born and immune to fire. He just smirked at us and gave her a brief bow as he backed away.

  Balam just shook his head. Balam could answer any question, and he already knew where this would go if Zepar kept this up.

  “Stop it, Zepar,” Balam snapped. “The lady doesn’t like it, and Amduscias has claimed all these people. You know the rules. Behave.”

  “Why is he here?”

  “Zepar has been living topside for the past four hundred years. We called him home to report if he’s seen or heard anything about the Fae.”

  “Unlike you, I kept my head down and ran a respectable business. I’m a billionaire topside.”

  “Isn’t that special?” I snapped.

  “Why don’t we sit and eat?” Bael said. “We can share information.”

  Thankfully, they sat Zepar as far away from me and my group as possible. I didn’t like the way he looked at Serafina. Zepar said he had learned nothing major, just that the portal had often been opening, and Eiltan Sunshadow was coming through. All he knew was that Eiltan was meeting with doctors. He had paid little attention to it because he didn’t think he needed to.

  Zepar was lying. Why was I the only one who sensed his deception? He was plotting something. Whether it was a solo plot or with Eiltan, I didn’t know, but he was planning something. I caught Bael’s eye, and he gave me a small nod. Bael knew he wasn’t telling the truth too.

  Bael just changed the subject.

  “My beautiful girl. Amduscias says your friend has information about the hard drive.”

  “Yes. The other elementals that were framed are still alive. They were brought to Fae safe houses and assigned a man to make them th
ink they were rescued. The men are supposed to be tricking them into falling in love and getting them pregnant. It was decided Scorchwood wasn’t the right environment for those women. I want to get them out.”

  Purson straightened his spine. “If you can give me something to go on, I can locate them. One of my powers is locating lost things. I also think we should bring in Bathym.”

  That was also an excellent idea, but someone needed to be there to explain to these women what had happened to them.

  “Bathym is a Duke,” I explained. “He can move people from one country to another.”

  Purson was always a gentle king. He gave Serafina a slight smile.

  “I’d be happy to find them, but where are we moving them to?”

  “I don’t expect you to allow them in Hell with no one to claim them. I know how that works. There has to be someplace we can keep them.”

  Zepar just gave us this oily smile.

  “They can stay at my estate topside. Maybe I’ll claim them. Maybe I won’t. I have to get to know them first. They can have the entire east wing and total privacy.”

  Serafina’s eyes darted to Zepar and then to me. She wasn’t sure about letting them stay with him either. She’d always had good instincts. Zepar knew she didn’t trust him. He just raised his wine glass to her.

  “They would never see me. I’m away on business all the time, and I have top-notch security. But they would need someone to explain all this to them. You would have to go topside again to meet them.”

  “Where is your estate?” Balam asked.

  “I have one in Canada, and I have one in California. If the little lady is worried about me around them, they can stay at the one in Canada. I can get them papers.”

  “We still need to locate them first. What do you know about the missing women?” Purson asked.

  “There are five of them,” Skoll said. “They are all distinct elements, but none are fire. One liked to use her blanket to suck her thumb instead of for warmth, and the prison was cold. Another twirled her hair when she cried. One hid in the shower when she was scared, which was often. It upset a girl who came early her socks might not match later on. The last one smelled like she had some sickness.”