“This and that, well, mainly I need to bring you to justice. The royals want to see you behind bars,” she sang, and then giggled sweetly.
Zachary moved slightly, and Alexis pulled Cornelia closer, eyeing him intensely.
“The basement, Max, show it to her. I bet she wouldn’t want to miss that kind of surprise,” Paul said unexpectedly, taking a step toward me. I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he was talking about, but then Ricky sent me a silent message to let him carry on.
I was pretty confused, and Ricky, too, had no idea what Paul was planning.
“Rodriguez confiscated your wings a while back, Watcher,” Alexis said, sounding bored. “There is nothing in the basement that would interest me.”
“I heard you were after Lucifer’s parchment. I have it. I have been guarding it since I got to Earth,” Paul said, staring back at her. It was funny that Paul came up with such a terrible lie. The basement was empty, and after what happened in the forest, Alexis wasn’t going to fall for yet another stupid trick. My clever escape must have stuck with Paul somehow.
Alexis laughed and wrapped her well-manicured fingers around Cornelia’s throat.
“The mongrel whore tricked me once, but I won’t fall for it a second time,” she added. I just had to go with her. There wasn’t any other option. Alexis wasn’t bothered about anyone else, but her dream of taking Lucifer’s place was still deeply rooted in her heart. She was too greedy to let it go. “But fine, we can play your little game. I need more excitement in my life. Show me the basement, ex-Watcher.”
Alexis got up, holding Cornelia’s hand and tossing her red hair behind her. The little girl was very anxious, staring back at her uncle who was barely standing.
I couldn’t believe we were actually doing this. Nothing good could come of it. Paul was putting the little girl’s life at risk.
“You and the ex-Watcher are going first,” she ordered, pointing at me.
“Do anything to her, and I will tear you apart myself,” Zachary snarled, clenching his fists.
“If this is a lie and the basement is empty, I’ll strangle the little one, so start praying your friends here aren’t planning to trick me in any way,” Alexis said, and I knew she was crazy enough to keep her word.
Zach glared at me, and I knew what he was thinking. This had to work. Whatever Paul was trying to achieve, we needed to protect his niece. I wasn’t ready to risk anyone’s life, but I followed Paul to the entrance of the basement. Emma was upstairs, and she seemed fine. That bitch must have broken Ronan’s wards to get inside and then she sealed them back together, so we wouldn’t suspect anything.
Paul unlocked the door to the basement and we started walking down. Ricky and Zach were left behind. Alexis was right behind us, dragging Cornelia along with her.
“What the hell are you planning?” I hissed to Paul, nearly missing a step. He didn’t respond, which only made me more frustrated. Maybe he was hit in the head too many times when he was captured; he must have lost his mind. Either way, I was too worried about Cornelia to even attempt to bring up my magic.
“Right, ex-Watcher. Let’s see what you have,” Alexis said, looking around. I had been in the basement before, but there was nothing else here apart from beer barrels and stacks of bottles.
“The parchment is here. Give me one moment,” Paul said and pushed a small old dirty rug away. Under the floor there was trapdoor. Paul played with the lock for a bit, then pushed it away. Intense waves of magic were released, and I felt it moving through me. It was too dark to see what was inside the trapdoor, but as more time passed, soft, luminous light seeped underneath our feet, slipping across and connecting with my demonic soul. I didn’t think that Paul was serious; the old legend about a parchment that could give someone an unlimited power to defeat Lucifer was just a myth. Even Ronan had admitted to it when I told him how I managed to escape from Alexis. The energy suddenly pulsated like it was a living being spreading around us, and I knew Alexis sensed it, too.
She pushed Cornelia aside and placed her hands on her hips.
“I told you, I don’t have time for games. What’s inside?” she demanded, looking at Paul. The basement was only three meters by four meters, and Alexis was standing close to me. I knew I could tangle her with my power. She wasn’t expecting it from me, but I was afraid of hurting Cornelia. She was so little, and Zachary would never forgive me if I let something happen to her.
“Let me get it for you. It’s the parchment. I have been keeping it safe for years,” Paul explained.
Alexis hesitated for a second, looking from me to Paul, probably thinking that this whole thing was going way too easy. Her hands turned into flames and she looked frustrated.
I could tell that Paul was definitely planning something. I had a knife in my boot—a knife that could easily wound her, and then I just had to use my magic to finish her off. The plan looked simple enough in theory, but in practise, this was much more complicated.
“Fine, go and get it,” the bitch ordered, and Paul went down on his knees. He stuck half of his body inside the door-trap. Alexis moved closer, burning with curiosity. I smiled to Cornelia, trying to keep her calm.
A heady tension filled the basement, binding all of us together. Seconds dragged, and a pounding power rushed down my spine unexpectedly. Alexis must have sensed it too, because she leaned even closer to Paul, trying to peer to see through what he was doing. To anyone from the outside, Paul must have looked comical. I suspected he’d hidden a weapon or something else in there a while back.
“How long does—”
Alexis didn’t finish her question, because a moment later, Paul pushed himself backward, and he head-butted her really hard. She slammed on the ground. I was ready to launch myself on her. It would have been too easy if she had passed out, but that bitch was made from steel, so I wasn’t counting on it. All the lights went off all of a sudden and the complete darkness sucked all of us in.
“Max, summon the gates of Hell!” Paul shouted at me and spilled something on Alexis’s face. The reborn demon screamed with rage, holding her eyes. Smoke started streaming between her fingers. I didn’t waste any time tapping into my source, feeling tingles all around my body.
Alexis screamed like someone was pulling off her skin, stumbling on her feet and spreading her violent magic. Cornelia started crying, so I grabbed her, concentrating on my anger.
“Max, what are you waiting for?” Paul shouted again, and I pushed Cornelia into his arms, knowing he had to get out before the energy of the gates sucked him in, too.
I managed to unleash the rage that bubbled under the surface of my skin. I only had a few more moments before Alexis figured out the right healing spell. The floor began shaking and the glass bottles rattled loudly all around me. Soaring heat wafted around the room and the ground underneath my feet began splitting.
Paul grabbed Cornelia and got to the stairs, telling me to finish that bitch. There wasn’t any time for hesitation. I just had to hold on to all that pain that she had put me through in the past, to the time when I thought there was no hope. The gates of Hell opened a second before Alexis was able to see again.
The incredible force started pulling her toward the pits, and she screamed trying to stay on her feet. She started throwing spell after spell toward me. Paul moved his sword across both entrance walls, so it protected him and Cornelia from being sucked inside the entrance, too.
Energy was pounding through me and the heat was becoming unbearable. My whole body reacted, shuddering with pressure, and I screamed. Then she was sucked inside the pits, vanishing into the dark, fiery hole.
Seconds later, I jumped after her going back to Hell, knowing this time I had to kill her for good or gift her to my father. Either option sounded good.
I was expecting to land on the hard surface or at least crash painfully the same way it happened just several hours ago. Instead I plunged into cold water, disappearing beneath its surface.
I fought to
swim back outside, but the water was freezing cold. The air in my lungs ceased and I couldn’t feel my limbs. This was Hell. I didn’t accidentally open another passage, so where did that water come from? I started kicking my legs and holding my breath and finally reached out for the top, gasping for air.
I tried to tap into my source, but some other force pushed me underneath again. My throat was tight, and water was seeping into my nose and mouth. I was getting tired as I attempted to swim back up, kicking my legs as hard as I could.
“Hmm, someone has her magic back. I wonder how this happened. I can go back and forth to Hell, but you’re going to stay here forever!”
Her voice rang in my head when I finally managed to tear through the water, taking another deep breath of Hell’s air.
I swam toward the edge with that one moment of freedom, coughing and spitting water on the way. Alexis stood a few meters away from the lake. She was trying to touch her necklace, the one she had stolen from Matilda.
She kept pressing it and pressing it, but nothing was happening. Then she narrowed her eyes at me, and I realised she couldn’t get back. I dragged her to Hell without a way out. Now I just had to kill her, but it appeared that Alexis had other plans.
She was ready to kill me instead.
Chapter 29
“The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened,
have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them —
even the wicked cannot glory in them.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
“Where is your father now, little mongrel whore? He isn’t coming to help you? Is he?” she asked, laughing, and then started stabbing me with her tranquillising spells. Her energy lifted me above the ground and then slammed me on my back, the dull, paralysing pain blinding me for a split second. Acrid smoke from the pits was burning my eyes, and I kept telling myself I needed to wait for a window to attack.
In Hell, Alexis didn’t have to follow any rules. The darkness and the heat. It was just the way I remembered Hell. My skin was burning, and my throat felt raw. Everything was falling apart, and I was supposed to fight, not lie on the ground, pitying myself.
“Shut up, you bitch!” I shouted back, spitting out dust that was in my mouth to be able to breathe again. She ceased her attack for a few seconds and I stood up, struggling to remain on my feet, glaring at her from the distance. She was smiling, standing gracefully on a rock, and behind her, there was something shining in the darkness.
My heart lurched with hope, because I instantly recognised it. The Watcher’s sword, not just any Watcher’s and not just any sword. This one belonged to Paul. He must have thrown it down when I jumped in after Alexis—sending me a message. Finish her.
“Lucifer! I dare you to come and save your mongrel daughter. Show yourself, you coward,” she roared, turning and glancing around. She was really playing with the devil, but this wasn’t his job. He gave me this task and I needed to complete it.
Only silence answered her, and I laughed.
I could see that Alexis was still in love with my father, and she was bitter, hurt and filled with resentment because he pushed her away. This was never about wanting to take his place. She was heartbroken.
Either way, I didn’t give a fuck. This was going to be her end.
I wasn’t going to wait for her to start torturing me again. My soaring energy came back, and first I threw a ball of flames at her, and then I launched forward. She dodged to the side to avoid the fire, and then she hesitated, not ready for my sudden act of violence.
After all, my physical strength was an asset, too.
We both slammed on the ground, and I grabbed her arms. We started rolling around, and I dug my sharp nails into her skin. It was a cat fight in Hell: two women tearing each other apart.
She laughed.
Huh?
Yeah, she started laughing, then pushed me, and I landed on the sharp stones. A fiery pain shattered my vision again and I tried to use my energy for a counterattack, but she was suddenly using my own magic against me.
I didn’t scream, but the pain was spreading across my forehead, burning my eyes and disabling me from the neck down.
Alexis darted and then launched forward again, and I pushed another burst of power at her.
I waited, but nothing happened.
Then she smacked me with the ball of energy, and my body started convulsing, my teeth chattering, and a sharp slice of pain shot up over my spine. It felt like she was pressing burning hot metal to my back.
“Feel it, mongrel whore, just a little bit more, before you die,” she said, standing a little further away from me. A stream of rippling power burst out of her.
Fear balled in my core, and the tiny voice in my head was telling me that she was stronger. My arms shook when I tried to lift myself up. Slowly, darkness began creeping on the edge of my vision. All of a sudden, it felt as if the skin on my left thigh was being torn apart.
“No one is coming to save you. The pits will devour your useless body and you will never die. Soon you will be one of many souls, little mongrel whore.” She laughed, causing more lasting pain that spread everywhere. I couldn’t move; my muscles were trembling, and the smell of burning flesh clogged my throat.
What the hell was wrong with me? Why wasn’t I fighting back?
These questions began surfacing in my head, but the pain was distracting me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and I felt blood in my mouth.
“Lucifer was only using you for entertainment. You never meant anything more to him,” I spat out, wanting to distract her.
I sensed her circling around me, growing agitated and angry as my words were getting to her. There was no one else in here, and no one was coming to help me. This was my fight and only mine.
“Shut up, you whore,” she screamed, balancing fireballs in her palms. Drops of sweat broke over the nape of my neck.
I stood up and a slow, unnerving smile twisted her lips, and it felt like I was being hit with heated air.
Then I let out an inhuman roar and threw a ball of light down under her feet. The energy crackled over my palms, causing her to dance around. Blood was pouring down my left thigh, and I had several deep cuts on my face. I felt dizzy, but I needed to get to the sword.
Alexis screamed with fury, trying to use her magic to destroy my ball of light while I ran. My legs were moving, although my body screamed with painful spasms.
I managed to get to the rock where the sword was stuck between the stones.
“I’m immortal, a reborn soul, and you don’t stand a chance. The messenger sword won’t give you any advantage,” she yelled, sending a wave of energy that must have cracked my ribs the second I grabbed the sword’s grip.
I went down on the ground, but didn’t let go of Paul’s precious possession. Several breaths later, I was standing back on my feet and my heart pounded in my chest. When I held the sword in my hands, it was like taking a breath of fresh air for the first time. Pain and exhaustion eked away, and a low buzzing energy was slowly filling my system. Blood thrummed through my veins giving me the strength that I needed.
My eyes registered movement on my right. Alexis had vanished from the space in front of me. The wind picked up, and I tapped into my source until sparks of electricity started streaming down my arms.
“Any final words?” she roared, suddenly appearing right opposite me. I parted my mouth, feeling the warmth from the sword slowly diminishing.
Then Alexis rose a few inches above the ground and pounded her energy in my direction. In that moment I knew it was her last deadly spell. She launched herself at me with everything she had.
Time slowed down, or it was my mind showing me what she was truly capable of. I saw her demonic energy speeding towards me, and it was poisonous, deadly magic.
I heard her laugh in the background, so I did the only thing I could. I lifted Paul’s sword to protect myself and shut my eyes. I felt the energy hit the blade as searing heat moved through me, and m
y hands began to tremble. My whole body was suddenly charged with unbearable heat; my fingertips were burning, and I just had to hold on to it for a few more seconds.
I dropped the blade. Alexis won—she was stronger.
Maybe my precious time with my daughter was never meant to be. It was always just an illusion, a wish that could never have been fulfilled.
The end never came, or at least it didn’t hurt. Seconds rolled by and I heard a scream, so I opened my eyes.
Alexis was lying on the ground, and it looked like she was hit with her own spell. Her body was smoking and shaking. I dropped the sword and ran to her, forcing my tired body to move.
Half of her face was burned, skin torn, and I could see her raw flesh. I had my small knife in my right hand and was turning it around, knowing this was it––Alexis was going to die. She opened her right eye and stared at me for a moment. I hesitated, waiting for my father to appear to give me the go-ahead. A twisted smile returned to her face and then I remembered all the evil things she had done, so I made a choice.
She had suffered all this time when she walked on Earth with her heart broken, being humiliated by the greatest demon in Hell. Maybe Lucifer would want her in the pits, but I wanted her to die. I needed to end this once and for all. By killing her I would avenge Arthur, and all those other demons and humans she had murdered.
“Go to Hell, bitch!” I roared and stabbed her directly in her heart. She tried to lift her hand, but my magic scorched down, ripping her poisoned heart and soul apart.
Her body turned into dust in a matter of seconds, and I stayed in the same position, holding my bloodied knife in my hands.
I dropped on the ground, breathing hard with tears in my eyes. My battle with Alexis came to an end, and she was now gone forever.
I lay there for a while, trying to steady my heart, enjoying the silence for a long moment, contemplating everything that had happened.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but at some point, I turned my head to the side and saw a tall, dark figure coming toward me. Moments later, I lifted myself and stared at the gold sword that lay next to me.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 92
