by Judi Calhoun
There was another heavy thud. I glanced over and it was Peter, he had jumped into the chamber. I figured it wasn’t an accident, like Jake. Peter stood up.
“I didn’t invite you” Belial sputtered, turning toward his minions he shouted, “SEIZE HIM!
Demons pounced on Peter, but as always, he was incredibly fast. Peter killed the demons. Killed them all. Ian slipped away, still clutching the bag with Emet inside.
Chaos ensued.
Belial released mom and ran for his life.
I grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her around the backside of the pit, ducking her behind the ornate throne. “Stay here!” I instructed. She nodded, still trembling.
Belial was back throwing large blue spears haphazardly defending himself against the seemingly unstoppable Mr. Peter Green.
I was untying Jake when Belial spied me. “Stop her!” His words were cut off suddenly as one of his own spears nearly took off his head, must be Peter.
I sprinted for my shield, which lay where it had fallen, I rushed back to cover mom, but she was gone. I caught Ian slipping into the darkness of the labyrinth, dragging her behind. Anger flared. I felt the bile rise up in my throat. He has mom!
Without thinking, I dropped the shield. I took off at a full run, bolting into the Labyrinth, ignoring the uneasy feeling inside. The darkness swallowed me up.
My alert senses turned raw. I reached out feeling nothing, hearing nothing, and seeing nothing.
Ian snickering voice echoed everywhere, all at once.
“Come out and face me, you coward!” I yelled.
“Always the foolish little martyr,” said Ian. “My only daughter, devoted to a faceless God. What a waste of talent. You could have it all instead of playing the fool.”
“I’d rather be a fool than a puppet,” I snarled.
A heavy object sailed through the air and hit me hard in the stomach. I cried out in pain. I should have taken my shield.
“I can see you clearly. You can’t see me and you dare call me, your father, a puppet!”
“I want my mom?” I demanded.
“Don’t concern yourself. The vampire Lorcan is taking good care of her. You remember him? He sampled some of your blood last week. Its such a pity he keeps coming back, isn’t it?”
Fear struck me. Lorcan! “If he hurts her…”
“I promise he will,” he laughed. “Are you ready?”
“Ready?” I asked. “Ready for what?”
Almost silently a whisper brushed my ear. A dark entity moved up against the door of my soul. Then whoosh, the door was shoved wide open; the force of it was so strong I grunted audibly, and bent over wanting to vomit. The evil intruder uncoiled and snaked inside. Black magic oozed into my veins under my skin, acrimony traveling my blood rivers, eliminating all pure thoughts. I swallowed hard, a bitter metallic taste turned very sweet in my mouth.
I had heard about the beautiful side of evil, finite in deception, bold as a temptress, luring the unsuspecting into her carnal pleasures. I wanted to give in so badly, even though I knew it was wrong. I gritted my teeth. “Make it stop!”
“Don’t fight it,” Ian whispered. “It’s your destiny as my daughter. It feels good doesn’t it? You can rule the world, just like me.”
I saw things in that moment. Images flashed in my mind’s eye. Everything I could ever dream or desire could be mine. Rightfully mine as Ian’s daughter. I craved that life, fat with unlimited worldly possessions. I could see myself attending the best schools, living in a high-towered apartment, driving expensive European cars, having any guy I wanted, (except, maybe one, Jake). It would be so very easy to give in.
I clenched my teeth so tightly I felt blood in my mouth. Fight it! I screamed inside, my head wanting to explode. My body shuddered violently from the raging tempest, and tears stung my eyes like acid rain.
“You know you want it. Give in,” Ian whispered. “Give in.”
“I will die first!” I said. “YESHER!” I screamed into the darkness. Instantly the storm was over.
Right beside me, Ian’s face materialized, hard and vicious. I gasped. His startling eyes were those of a madman. He latched onto my throat and hoisted me in the air, my feet dangling. “You refuse me!” He cursed in my face. “You’re not even worthy to die in the Master’s presence.”
I tried to kick him, and missed.
“I’ll kill you, just like I killed your father. Your death, however, will be painfully slow.”
He released me. I fell hard on the rock floor, pain shooting up my leg, I clutched my throat gasping, it hurt much more than my leg.
“It’s time we had some fun,” he said.
I choked when he grasped my throat again. He dragged me kicking and struggling, back to the throne room and tossed me on the ground in front of the pit. Jake and Peter were both bound and gagged, but mom was missing from the group. As if reading my mind, he said, “I want my wife to see this. Bring her out!”
The vampire Lorcan dragged mom from the shadows. I struggled to run to her. “Move one more inch and she dies.”
Lorcan violently jerked her head to the side, his fangs ready to bite. I sagged back against the floor feeling the weight of Ian’s foot on my chest. I hated that vampire all the more.
Ian closed his eyes, raised his head, and began to sing in some foreign language, filling the chamber with seductive song.
The serpents of Abaddon crawled out of the Pit, so many of them. Hunger filled their eyes as they circled me, searching for exposed skin, licking my hands and face, tasting flesh... raking fangs along my armor, testing it... attempting to cut it open. Suddenly the horror of it struck me. Ian was assaulting me with serpents so I couldn’t run away.
Finally, the closest serpent bit my left leg, cutting clear through the leather. I jerked hard. The excruciating pain pierced me like lacerations from a knife. The lethal venom flowed through my veins and into my brain. The torturous pain was equal to a million shards of glass, slicing me open slowly. I was out of my mind in agony. Somebody stop this PAIN! I hardened myself, grit my teeth and fought the overwhelming urge to scream. I was not going to give Ian the satisfaction of seeing me suffer, but he knew, because pleasure lit up his face.
After only a few minutes had gone by, I had been bit repeatedly. I lost the ability to move any part of my body. I stared at the blood flowing from the large holes in my hand. Without my sword, I was a prisoner of pain.
Ian sent the snakes away. He did not want them finishing me off. That would be his pleasure. A few serpents glanced back, a look of reprisal in their eyes; wanting to hurt Ian for not allowing them a kill.
Ian dropped down on one knee next to my tormented body, cruel amusement shimmering in his eyes. He tried several times to cut through my armor…nothing worked. Finally, his fingers ripped open the neckline, exposing the thin t-shirt underneath. I felt the tip of his knife dig into my chest, causing more pain and blood. At least I knew the pain would stop the moment I died. I prayed for death to come quickly.
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Chapter 26
