Followed by Fire
Page 26
They never did.
The more Marumon evaluated them, the more disappointed He became. They were not the perfect beings that He and His brother imagined They would make in Their minds.
As time went on, they only seemed to get worse.
Marumon stood before a mass of them. All gawking, as they were meant to do when they came here after their lives had ended. The Netherworld was choking on them, there were so many. The few who managed to be reincarnated came back the same as his demons: cutthroat, shrewd, and dispassionate.
They held none of the qualities Ageshiem’s angels possessed.
Where had They went wrong? A low noise of disapproval rumbled in Marumon’s throat as He waded through them. Their bodies turned to mist at the edges when He walked past the figures, their heads turning to follow Him wherever He went.
He stopped before a feminine silhouette, His head tilting as he analyzed the soul. She gazed up at him wordlessly.
It wasn’t her. His heart told Him it wasn’t. He laid a hand on her shoulder anyway.
The soul’s existence flooded through his mind. Born into poverty, mother dead from the plague, sold by her father, guided into adulthood by those who used her. It was no wonder she turned out to be one of the few notable female serial killers in the land of Brigovia. She bathed in the blood of her victims, humming what little she remembered of the lullaby her mother sang to her as a child. Existence taught her to feel no remorse, as no one ever felt remorse for the things they had done to her. Brigovia took that clean-slate of a baby and made her a monster.
Marumon had made her a monster.
Ageshiem’s inability to accept His hand in birthing flawed creations brought an anger back into Marmon’s chest. He removed his hand from the soul and carried on traipsing through them. The cavernous expanse where he stood glowed, from both fire and the innumerable amount of spirits that clogged it.
Marumon had dragged His colossal body throughout the whole of the Netherworld since Balvonak first brought the news of Amadeia’s death. He thought, perhaps, He’d find her here. That amongst the assemblage of tainted, useless souls, He’d find His love had returned to Him.
His efforts were unsuccessful.
The Demon Lord closed His bleached eyes. Either the cosmic scales had decided that Amadeia Greenbriar lived a kind and flawless life, and He simply hadn’t found her amongst the cluster of spirits clogging His world…
Or, her brutality and slaughter forced her spirit to be sent to the Celestialworld with His brother.
His hands tightened into fists. Ageshiem would be so lucky. Marumon hoped that observing the angels would not change her spirit too much. She had already been perfect, just the way she was.
“I found another bone key.” Vahldod’s voice cut through the heaping pile of souls as he walked through them carelessly. Between his fingers, he pinched a ragged-looking chunk of an infant’s femur, whittled to showcase a resemblance to a key. “It wasn’t easy. None of the other demons wanted to give theirs up, particularly with the new hope that they’ll be joining the others on the surface world soon.”
Marumon straightened His posture and pulled in a heated breath. He spun, His open eyes falling on Vahldod. “Return to the surface,” He ordered, His powerful voice disguising an unexpected feeling of defeat. “Find the Greenbriar child. Kill Balvonak if you must.” The defeat in His voice adopted a fierceness. “I do not care what tactics you need to employ to return the Greenbriar child to the Netherworld’s gate. I only ask that you keep her alive. How much life she clings to is up to you. We need only to hold her body in the door to allow the rest of the demons their opportunity for freedom.”
Vahldod palmed the key, snapped his fingers and sent the Demon Lord a wink. “You got it, big guy.”
Spinning on his heels, the demon removed something from his pocket. A ring. His latest treasure, earned from a lonely human woman desperate to find love again after her husband’s passing. A decaying chunk of finger was still left inside it. Vahldod frowned, poking the withered flesh out. It fell to the floor and sizzled from the heat.
“There we go.” Grinning with satisfaction, Vahldod placed the ring over his own finger and held out his hand. A doorway to Brigovia rippled open, revealing the trees of Pinesguard’s forest on the other side.
Vahldod waited just long enough to hear the penetrating shriek of the Netherworld demons as they clamored toward the door.
God, he loved that sound.
Before they reached the exit, he slipped his body out, taking the object of their desire with him when the door closed behind him.
Oh, the sweet, sweet scent of Brigovian air. Vahldod held one arm out at his side, the other still dangling with little thought or care. It would heal soon enough. Broken bones always did.
He trekked through the forest, on his way to Pinesguard. It was time to go break some other bones. Bones that he had no intention of allowing time to heal.
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Coming Soon:
Embraced by Embers:
Book Two of the Incineration Saga
Other Books by McKenzie Austin
The Tree That Grew Through Iron:
Book One of the Panagea Tales
The Gods Who Harvested Men:
Book Two of the Panagea Tales
The Serpent that Swallowed Its Tail:
Book Three of the Panagea Tales