Morpheus was talking to another group that stood by the fireplace.
“My sister has been having some troubles lately,” Bianca explained, glancing at her red manicured nails. “But I might receive some news this evening.”
I moved closer, trying not to miss anything.
“Tell us about your plans. There have been rumours that Master Rodriguez won’t be reelected,” a short stocky demon said. He was on his third glass of Scotch. This whole party was some sort of gathering place. Bianca looked like a blond bimbo with boobs. I didn’t believe that she would be strong enough to even scratch Lucifer, but everyone here seemed mesmerised by her.
“Plans … there are so many of them, but let’s not talk about that. My friends, you have spread the word about Lucifer’s weakness, now let’s hear what the newbies have to say. Demon in the red dress, speak up!” Bianca said, and then pointed straight at me.
I nearly choked on my champagne, as I’d just taken a sip. Suddenly everyone was staring at me. I thought about something worth saying. Either way, I had to turn into a mongrel hater, because I wasn’t ready to die in here.
Chapter 16
“Knights gallop out at times from charging troops, intending, as they leave the rest behind to claim the honours of an opening duel.”
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Everyone’s attention was on me, and I had to come up with something meaningful to say. Bianca’s power enchanted me faster than I expected, the flaming sparks heating up my blood. Now wasn’t a good time to have a drink, but I finished my glass of champagne anyway. Bianca was assessing my power; her perfect eyes hovered up and down my body. I felt Morpheus’s eyes on me, too, but I didn’t dare to look at him. This could work. I just needed to come up with a random witty line that cherished the uprising.
Everyone was waiting, and silence stretched out for minutes. A bead of sweat gathered on the nape of my neck and ran over my spine. I was tough, but not with words.
“Lucifer seems weak, and he is losing his followers quickly. Mongrels might be doomed, but they can be useful,” I said, wanting to sound like I knew what I was talking about. Bianca’s blank expression told me that this wasn’t going well. Maybe she wasn’t just a blond bimbo with expensive taste. Still, I doubted that her magic was advanced enough to challenge one of the most powerful demons in Hell.
The tension was palpable. The demons here could easily turn into a pack of vicious wolves if I wasn’t careful with my next choice of words.
“What’s your name, demon?” Bianca asked, raising her left eyebrow.
“My name isn’t important. Mongrels aren’t intelligent enough to figure out what they want, and if you promise them something better than what the current order offers, they will follow you,” I snapped, acting like a proud, pure demon.
“I don’t think mongrels can be of any use, but do continue,” Bianca said, sounding curious. “The dark lord is powerful, and he influences many. My sister tried to distract him with her power, but she failed miserably.”
Right, I thought that it was a good start. At least she was talking about Alexis. A bit of energy burst through me; Bianca was caressing my wards. She was suspicious, but Morpheus’s charm tightly sealed my abilities.
“There is an epidemic of mongrels on Earth. Imagine what would happen if you could control them,” I mused with a cheeky smile. I figured that I just had to add a bit more oil to the fire. Bianca was a fool if she believed in anything I said. There was a beat of silence. Her expression didn’t change, and I was starting to worry.
“Epidemic, ha. Finally, someone has pointed out the obvious. Lucifer could have sorted this out centuries ago, but he’s busy with the mess in the underworld,” Bianca shouted, shaking her head.
Everyone was nodding, agreeing enthusiastically. Someone handed her a glass of wine. I figured that it was the end of my discussion with her for now. She continued sipping the wine and told everyone to enjoy the party. Whatever I said seemed to make an impact on her because she didn’t ask anyone else in the room to express their opinion. I wrapped my fingers tighter around the glass, knowing that Bianca was most likely aware that Alexis was in trouble. I kept sipping my champagne, walking around and watching her from a distance. She was enigmatic and probably a born leader, although to me she was a fake Barbie doll.
Over the years I’d heard many rumours about Lucifer. Some demons gossiped that he kept slaves in his quarters and had over a hundred lovers on Earth. He resided in the farthest and deepest parts of Hell that other demons could rarely access. Alexis was lucky that she’d gotten close to him.
Morpheus was busy talking to a group of demons in elegant tuxedos. I had no idea how long he wanted me to stay here, but I didn’t want to drink. Alcohol was slowly affecting me, and after my meltdown on the terrace, I had to be careful. My feet were bloody aching, and Zach was most likely pissed off that I hadn’t been in touch since yesterday.
Once Bianca disappeared, a few other demons were eager to have a conversation about their delighted host.
“So, what do you think about Bianca? She is amazing, isn’t she?” a female demon asked with blue hair and purple lipstick.
“Of course. It amazes me that she doesn’t care about the protocol and isn’t afraid to speak up. As far as I know, Lucifer has people everywhere,” I said, hoping to find out how Bianca managed to attract so many demons sharing her views. She must have inherited a lot of gold in order to finance such a lifestyle.
“She has connections and uses her attractiveness to influence a few important demons. I have never known anyone so charismatic,” the girl with the blue hair said, and her eyes gleamed with admiration. Right, so now everything was clear. Bianca had slept around in order to get to this position. I didn’t know why I was even surprised. Demons and humans were very much alike.
“What about her sister?” I pressed, hoping that maybe I could get some useful information after all.
“I heard that Alexis was Lucifer’s right-hand lover. She assisted him with all his plans and aspirations. I have no idea what happened, but then she got banished to the pits, and somehow ended up with demons who were plotting an uprising against him. Rumour has it that he scarred her demonic soul, and that’s why Alexis hates him so much,” the blue-haired demon whispered, glancing around like she was afraid someone would hear her. “Alexis’s and Bianca’s father took care of lost souls. He was campaigning to be the head of Lucifer’s faction not long ago.”
I nodded, trying to process everything I was hearing. I presumed that it hadn’t been easy leaving the side of one of the most powerful demons in Hell. It wasn’t the first time that a woman had her heart broken, but I guessed Alexis took it badly, and now she was trying to avenge herself.
“Does she know where Alexis is?” I asked. Suddenly I was overloaded with information. I had to do something, rather than stand here and wait for the blond bimbo to reveal her plans.
“You heard her, she might know something today. Isn’t this exciting? Alexis is much more powerful than Bianca, but her soul has been damaged, and she is going to be dead soon.”
The blue-haired demon made a face and I felt energy rushing through me. It belonged to Bianca, who showed up in the living room once again. Her crystal-blue eyes moved around the crowd, and the tension escalated. Something was just about to happen. Other demons stopped talking and waited.
“You … you and maybe you, too, come with me,” Bianca ordered, pointing at the tall demon with broad shoulders, the woman with the blue hair, and then me. Obviously, Bianca liked what I said and was ready to share her next secrets with me, whatever they were.
I glanced at Morpheus who looked pleased that I had been selected. He stood with a group of male demons. Most of them were disappointed that they weren’t picked. My skin itched with soaring power. Too many demons were trying to use their abilities in such a tightly concealed space. Bianca gestured for us to follow her.
A moment later, our group left the swan
ky living room and entered a long hall. As we were moving through the corridor, I spotted personal photos on the walls. I saw Alexis in a few with the man who looked very much like her father. In one of the photos there was Bianca with a dark-haired demon who also looked familiar.
“Oh, my Lord, I’m so excited that we’ve been chosen. Now Bianca will reveal her master plan to us. We’ll become her close associates,” the girl with blue hair whispered behind me. I had no clue what that meant, but I didn’t care. As long as I was getting closer to catching that rotten bitch, the circumstances didn’t matter.
Bianca was humming under her breath until we reached the black metal door at the end. She unlocked it and gestured for us to go inside. The next room was a dark chamber. A tall demon with broad shoulders shuddered with excitement. The room looked like it was a prison cell. It had tiny windows that couldn’t have been reached from any standing position, secured with metal bars. The odour of sweat, blood, and urine circulated around, and I had to keep on breathing, hoping that my nausea would pass eventually.
In the far corner of the room I spotted a creature, a mongrel. His clothes were ripped, and his face and arms were covered with fresh open wounds. He was unconscious, his head lay flat on his chest, and for a split second, I wondered if he was alive at all. A Watcher in his true form stood by him, obviously playing the role of his guard.
There was something very disturbing about this scene. Bianca licked her manicured fingers and laughed. Obviously, some things stayed in the family.
“Marvic, wake him up. I see you have been busy with our guest. Have you been trying to entertain the poor man?” Bianca asked the Watcher. He smiled, but there was no warmth in that smile. I bet he enjoyed torturing the poor mongrel and was glad that his mistress approved.
The Watcher spread his enormous wings, strained his muscles, and kicked the mongrel in his stomach. I was forcing myself to keep it together, knowing that this was my chance to finally locate Alexis.
A loud agonising scream spread throughout the chamber, and the mongrel finally lifted his head. His hair was soaked with blood, and his eyes were swollen. I could barely sense his energy in the room. The Watchers must have broken this poor bugger’s wards.
For a moment he looked around the room, until his eyes set on Bianca.
“What do you want, witch?” he snarled.
“Oh, Conrad, that wasn’t very nice,” Bianca stated, caressing her chin. “I was hoping that you’ve been enjoying your stay in my humble palace. Tell me, have you been useful enough?”
Conrad spit on the floor and glared at her with pure disgust.
“You set me up for failure, mistress. The demons on Earth aren’t keen on sharing information,” the mongrel rasped, but then his eyes focused on me for longer than was necessary. My energy spiked, and my blood pressure rose. He must have sensed something, but I didn’t believe that he could see through the spell.
Bianca looking down at her nails, yawning.
“I need to remind you that I have your lovely human wife and babies down in the pits. Marvic here needs only one word from me, so stop acting out and start talking,” Bianca said and gestured toward us. “My demon friends, this is why mongrels are useless creatures, and that’s why their population has to be reduced to a minimum. Conrad meant to find my dear sister. I sent him to Earth to track her down, but it looks like he has failed yet again.”
“You stupid bitch, I have what you need, but I want to see my family first!” Conrad shouted, spitting blood everywhere. Okay, I couldn’t take this anymore. This was one example of how unjust the whole faction system really was. Bianca nodded to the muscular Watcher smiling widely, and a second later, Conrad was burnt with hot metal. His screams were terrifying, and I wished that I could do something, anything to ease his suffering.
“Talk, dear, or Marvic will start torturing your son in front you. Where is Alexis? What’s happened to her?” Bianca screamed, losing her sweet tone of voice all at once. Her eyes gleamed with dark, twisted power.
“She has the child, and she has the Warlock witch,” Conrad said, breathing hard. He was in pain, the chains digging into his skin. I waited, not breathing at all, hoping he could tell me that my daughter was all right.
“Have you given her the message? Have you told her that I’m ready to help her?”
“My task wasn’t easy. I had to go hungry for days. The human world is tough. People don’t care if you’re on the street. You sent me there with nothing!” Conrad shouted, exposing some of his infected wounds. Snippets of excitement moved around the group. Two demons along with Bianca wanted to see his blood being spilled. I was shaking deep inside, ready to reach out for an invisible sword and cut off their heads.
“You asked for it, Conrad. I guess I have no other choice,” Bianca said calmly and then snapped her fingers. A second later a little mongrel boy appeared in front of us. He couldn’t have been more than five.
“No … Nicolas … You twisted evil bitch!” Conrad roared, staring with desperation at his petrified son. The boy lifted his eyes and screamed.
“Papa!”
I couldn’t look at this, and I knew if Bianca tried to do anything to the child, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. Her cruelty made me sick.
Bianca went up to the boy and wrapped her well-manicured hands around his tiny neck. The child squeaked, and Conrad shook violently.
“One last chance, after him, there will be a few more children left. I’m glad that you have such a big family. After I’m done with this one, I could just pick and choose which one of your children I can torture next.” Bianca giggled, slowly suffocating the little boy. I tapped into my power, ready to wipe that smile off her face.
“Your sister has the child, but the Warlock protects her with magic. Alexis is going to her home up north. She wants to break the sleeping spell. Please let him go, I’ll do anything for you.”
Chapter 17
“Tremors strike here when any soul feels pure and rises, newly cleansed, to start its climb. And that cry follows as the soul ascends.”
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I took a step forward ready to release my vibrating power toward Bianca. Her well-manicured fingers were squeezing the boy’s neck, and I was already picturing what I could do to her. She was going to kill him, and I couldn’t just stand here. The Watcher glared at me, and at the same time, she released the boy, snapped her fingers, and Conrad’s son disappeared from the chamber.
I kept on breathing, tapping into my energy again and forcing myself to stay calm. The Watcher kept staring, and I wondered if he suspected something.
Matilda wouldn’t let Alexis anywhere near the antidote to her spell. I kept on breathing, taking small tiny breaths and pushing my energy down to my core. The Watcher had noticed my distress, so I needed to control myself better. Now I had all the information I needed, and it was time to disappear.
“Warlock? Why is my sister teaming up with a Warlock, and who is that child?” Bianca asked. The Watcher handed her a white handkerchief, so she could wipe her hands. I wished that Conrad wouldn’t have to say anymore. Bianca was stuck downstairs, but she had enough gold to send people to do any dirty job for her.
“The child is under the Warlock’s care. Alexis needed its blood for a ritual, but something went wrong, and the child was charmed and now it’s useless to her. Alexis is frustrated, because her immunity has been severely weakened,” Conrad continued, giving her all the information she needed in order to help her sister.
“That child must be important. I wish that I could leave and offer her my assistance. She’s probably so scared and alone,” Bianca said, and her voice vibrated with emotion. “She’s going to travel up north to some sort of forest, you say?”
“Yes, she will be travelling to the Warlock’s home. Your sister is running out of time. She’s seeking an alliance amongst other demons. She doesn’t want to fail.”
Now, this whole thing made sense. Alexis was hoping that she
could awaken Summer from the sleeping spell, and of course the answer was in Matilda’s remote cottage. Morpheus was right this time and I shouldn’t have doubted him.
“What else?”
“Nothing, there is nothing else. Your sister’s soul is dying, her soul is lost, but she thinks that child can save her,” Conrad squeaked, glancing around like he was searching for his son. “Now, release my family. You promised. They have done nothing wrong.”
Bianca made a promise, and she would be a coward if she didn’t hold to her word. An unpredictable smile spread over her face. A second later she walked over to him and ran her fingers over his sweaty arms. He hissed when she touched a long deep cut by his collarbone. Then she turned around, facing the three of us. The silence was unnerving, the escalated tension affecting everyone in the room.
“You see, my dear friends, mongrels can be useful sometimes. My dear sister is in danger. The dark lord scarred her soul. Made her rot from the inside out,” she said, staring at the blood on her fingers. “Lucifer favours mongrels like Conrad. He wants to give them rights!”
Bianca was starting to lose her plot. Lucifer had been oppressing mongrels for years; he had never given them any rights. Conrad was a perfect example of someone who lost everything because he was half demon. Even his freedom was just a bargaining tool.
Marvic spread his wings and passed something shiny to his mistress. Conrad looked at me then, his mouth parted. He must have recognised me from somewhere, because he was pleading with me to help him.
I was already thinking about my next steps. Ronan had washed his hands, but right now I needed to find him. Everything began in that small remote village, in the forest where I met Matilda for the first time. Alexis was heading over there. Watchers were complex creatures, but I was afraid that Alexis had disabled Matilda’s magic somehow. Someone else was helping her.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 61
