“Do you not want to kill humans?”
“Oh, there are a fair number of you I’d like to kill. You’re a rather annoying species in all honesty, but you serve your purpose.”
“What is that?”
“To help end this war.”
I tilted my head to study him. “Why would you want to end it? Aren’t demons supposed to want to walk the earth and stamp humans out?”
“No, not all of us,” he replied. “We are fighting against those of us who would wish to see you all enslaved and begging for mercy. There are also creatures living in Hell that have been locked away for many millennia and should never be set free. We must make sure they stay that way. Now, River, what else can you do, besides see things?”
“Nothing,” I lied straight-faced. But then maybe it wasn’t a lie; I wasn’t sure about the curtain fire, and static electricity on someone’s fingers would be of no interest to a demon. There was also that one dream, but I was certain that had been a fluke too.
“Hmm.” His gaze raked me from head to toe and back again. “Would you tell me if there was something else you could do?”
“Will you tell me why I’m here? What is with the fliers looking for people with abilities? What exactly are you all searching for, and what will happen if this person is found, whoever it is?”
“I can’t give you those answers.”
I hadn’t expected anything different from him than I’d gotten from Mac, but frustration still caused my gut to clench. “If I am the person you’re looking for, will I still be kept in the dark?”
“No, you will be informed of what you need to know then.”
My fingers played with the edge of the goblet as I admired the rubies and tried to think of questions he might be willing to answer. I may not be able to learn everything, but I would learn as much as I could. “Is Hell as bad as we’ve been led to believe?”
“Better and worse. Depends on what you’re there for.”
I lifted my head to meet those seemingly fathomless black eyes. “Were you sent there?”
“I was born there, all demons are in one way or another.”
“Was it horrible for you?”
A small smile quirked the edge of his mouth. “What is Hell for one may not be Hell for another. It is my home; I miss it.”
“Did you, ah… did you hurt people?”
“People as you think of them are not there, their souls are. Every soul within Hell belongs there.”
“But did you hurt them?”
His fingers tapped on the table as he studied me. “They are there to be punished; therefore, they are.”
My hand wrapped around the bottom of the goblet. I took another sip of the liquid to wet my parched throat. “I’ve broken many of the commandments in my lifetime; perhaps we would have met one day anyway.”
“It’s not all about the commandments,” he replied. “The souls of the people who are sent there did far more than covet their neighbor’s goods.”
I tilted my head to the side as I pondered everything I’d learned so far today. “So there really is a Heaven and a Hell.”
“There is,” he confirmed and finished off his drink. He poured himself another glass of wine and sat back in his chair.
“Are angels going to come down and help us?” I felt as foolish asking that question as it sounded, but then I was sitting across from a demon, so why couldn’t white-winged beings swoop down to beat back the demons looking to enslave us?
“No.”
“How can you be so sure?” I demanded.
“Because your idiot human species didn’t rip a hole into Heaven. They ripped it into Hell and set almost everything inside free.”
I was going to have to start wiring my jaw shut if I kept talking to this guy.
CHAPTER 12
River
“I imagine you would all be floating around on clouds if things had gone the other way,” he said.
I blinked at him, managing to close my mouth again, but felt it starting to unhinge once more. How did anyone respond to that revelation? Humans had ripped a hole into Hell? I didn’t like the taste, but I had a feeling I was going to need more wine, so I took a big gulp of it.
“What do you mean humans ripped a hole into Hell? How?”
“Poking around with things they shouldn’t have been. I don’t understand the science behind it, and most of the people who knew exactly what they did to make it occur, are now dead.”
“Did they die in the war?”
“No. They died when they tore open the gateway and a horde of demons slaughtered them.”
I didn’t ask if he was one of those demons; I preferred not to have that answer. “What do you mean? I saw the planes, and I saw the bombs on TV. Another country attacked us.”
“No,” Kobal replied. “No nation attacked another one. Your own government released those bombs in an attempt to stifle what they’d set free in your country. The same bombs were dropped by other countries on the other side of the world. Your country wasn’t alone in their ignorance. Multiple countries were messing around with things they had no business messing around with. The bombs killed some of us but ultimately they didn’t work. Hell absorbed the radiation that didn’t have any effect on us anyway.”
I propped my chin on my hand to keep my mouth closed; it would be a lot easier than trying to figure out a way to relocate my jaw later. I couldn’t comprehend everything he was telling me. My mind spun, and the wine curdled in my stomach.
“Why are you telling me all this?” I whispered.
“You would have learned it all today anyway, if you had agreed to go with the others. It’s part of your first day of training.”
My stomach still felt sour, but I lifted the goblet and downed the contents in one swallow. I hated the tremor in my hand when I set it back on the table, but I couldn’t stop it. “So Luci—ah, Satan is walking the earth right now?”
“Call him Lucifer, I do,” he said with a smile that couldn’t hide his dislike of said demon.
“You said he hated that.”
“He does.”
“I’d prefer not to piss off the king of Hell if I can help it right now.”
Kobal’s fingers tightened on his goblet, and his muscles rippled in such a way that his tattoos appeared to move. “Lucifer is not the king of Hell, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“But—”
“No, he is not walking the earth right now,” he interrupted brusquely. “He remains in Hell, gathering his troops and trying to figure out a way to free the abominations who have been trapped behind the seals for many millennia. Thankfully, for all of us, he hasn’t been successful at it and won’t be if we can find a way to defeat him. Demons were not meant to walk freely on this earth; there were strict rules set in place for those who did come to earth in the past. However, this is not where we belong, and our battles against Lucifer and his followers, who we call the Craetons, never should have become a war that the human race fought too. Thanks to the actions of humans, there is no longer a choice in this. They upset an intricate balance, existing since the dawn of time, and are now reaping the consequences of their actions.
“All demons enjoy and thrive on agony and vengeance in our own way, but there are those of us who will punish any human they come across. There’s a reason why humans were only able to freely cross the boundaries of Heaven and Hell as souls before. If the Craetons have their way, they will murder or enslave every human they encounter.”
“Why wouldn’t they kill us all?”
“If all humans were to die, there would be no new babies for souls to be born into. We have no way of knowing what would become of those souls. They may simply vanish, which is something no one can risk.”
I blinked at him; my throat was beyond parched as my heart hammered in my chest. “Aren’t souls supposed to last forever?” I croaked out.
“Yes, in a way. A soul’s sentence in Hell depends on their crime or crimes. When their tim
e is up, they’re sent back to Earth to start again, in a new life. The soul would be theirs once again to do what they would with it, a fresh start. They are reborn with no memory of who they had been before. If they were sent back to Hell, they remembered.”
He said remembered in such a way it caused goose bumps to erupt on my skin. I didn’t want to know what they remembered.
“The same for Heaven,” he continued. “Souls float around with their harps, or at least that’s what I imagine they do, until all of their loved ones arrive. Once they’re all reunited, those souls have a happy little reunion. Then the oldest of those souls one day are sent back to Earth. However, all souls must go through this transition of life and death.”
“How come souls don’t get to stay in Heaven with their loved ones?”
“That’s just the cycle of our dimensions; it’s the way it has always been. And just because a soul makes it to Heaven once, doesn’t mean they won’t eventually make it to Hell a time or two also. Humans are able to create new souls—you’re the only species who can—but new souls are born into this world every day then make their way to one of our planes. Without this life cycle, we don’t know what could happen, but there is a reason things were balanced the way they were before.”
“I see.” Lifting my necklace, I pulled at the shells lining it, moving them back and forth as I tried to digest his words. I had a feeling that later, I’d probably do a whole lot of banging my head against the wall and maybe some hugging myself, but right now, I felt strangely calm. I must be in shock; that had to be it. Kobal’s gaze went to my necklace, and his forehead wrinkled as he stared at it. Releasing it once more, I leaned toward him. “It seems like all of the religions got at least a piece of it right.”
“They did, but anything or anyone that is 100 percent certain they’re right, is bound to be wrong.”
I couldn’t help but smile over his words. “Probably. So, if Heaven gets harps—”
“I’m not sure about that, but it’s the way I always pictured those bastards.”
My eyebrows shot up; apparently, the animosity between Heaven and Hell was real too. “Okay, so maybe no harps, but something with fluffy bunnies. What happens to the souls who go to Hell?”
“Angels and demons feed on souls in different ways, without them we will all starve and die. Demons inflict pain on a soul when they feed on them. I much prefer a fresh soul; there’s more vitality in them. They are more satisfying. Other, lower-level demons aren’t so picky and are used to having the leftovers from the more powerful demons, such as myself.”
Now I had a full-on shiver running through my body. “If you’re not in Hell now, how are you feeding?”
“Demons weren’t the only things set free from Hell. Some souls have remained in Hell, but though you may not be able to see them, many souls are also free now. They’re not being punished in all the ways they should be, but we’re still able to feed from them.”
“How often do you do that?”
“Once a week.”
It was all so strangely different. I’d almost believe I was dreaming if it hadn’t been the longest and most realistic dream of all time. “And you breathe our air?” I asked as I watched his chest rise and fall with his breath.
“We do,” he replied. “The planes were all an extension of each other until the humans caused this disruption. We are similar to humans in many ways except we are stronger, faster, and our senses are more heightened. We also do not get sick and cannot catch your diseases.”
“Why are you helping us with this?”
“I want my life back, we all do, and so do all of you. Lucifer must be destroyed, and as much as I don’t like it, your kind may be able to help us with that. We must work together in order to put wrongs to right, no matter how much I’d rather kill most of you myself sometimes.”
Wasn’t that a delightfully fun thing to learn about the demon sitting across from me? My eyes raked over him again, but despite his words, I still felt no apprehension toward this lethal creature. Folding my arms over my chest, I leaned back in my seat. “What were humans trying to accomplish when they tore into Hell instead?”
“They were working with governments on the other side of the world—”
“You said that before, so those countries weren’t bombed either by China and Russia like we were told?”
“No, and the civilians there were told your country is the one that bombed the countries destroyed over there. Whatever they were doing tore open an unnatural gateway into Hell on both sides of the earth. At the time, there were many nations working on the project, which ultimately destroyed everything you’ve ever known. And no, there is no giant hole going all the way through the center of the earth. Think of it as an open hole to another dimension. One opening is on this side, in what you used to call Kansas, and the other is in Hungary. The gates connect to each other. They opened at the same time and we’re counting on them closing simultaneously.”
I rubbed at my temples as I tried to assimilate everything he was telling me with everything I’d known to be true these past thirteen years.
“Why would they do such a thing?” I mumbled.
“Men trying to play at being God,” he replied simply. “Unfortunately, they got far more than they bargained for. Mac has informed me they were trying to do something good by expanding the universe to offer other opportunities to your increasingly overrun planet.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his words. At first, it started as a giggle, but then I was holding my stomach before progressing into a full-on, uncontainable body laugh. His head tilted as he studied me like I was some kind of strange creature. Perhaps, I was.
“What is so funny?” he inquired.
“The old saying…” I got out in between bursts of laughter.
“What old saying?”
“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Who knew it would ever come true?”
Perhaps it was the wine, but I slapped my hand on the table as I laughed loudly. He continued to study me, but I heard him chuckle too.
CHAPTER 13
Kobal
I twirled the goblet in my fingers as I watched her across the way. The lantern and candlelight danced over her raven hair, causing her thick, wavy locks to shimmer in the red and orange hues cast by the flames. Her amethyst eyes sparkled, tears actually escaped them as her musical laughter continued to resonate through the air. I couldn’t help but chuckle with her as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Oh,” she said with a shake of her head that caused her hair to fall in waves around her pretty face.
My eyes latched onto the scar above her right eyebrow. How had she received it? I dismissed the question. I didn’t care what had happened to her before coming here. All that concerned me was the possibility I might be able to use her to get what I wanted. To claim the only thing I’d ever coveted since I was born.
“I don’t know why that made me laugh so much. It must be the wine,” she said with another giggle.
Leaning forward, I took hold of her goblet and poured her another glass. I didn’t know what it was about this little human, but I found myself actually enjoying her company. Pushing the goblet toward her, I watched as she lifted it and took a sip. Her nose wrinkled again, but she didn’t make the same disgusted face she had with her first sip. Her lips, stained by the wine, had become a deep red color, and I found my gaze riveted to them when she pulled the goblet away from her mouth.
I had to fight the impulse to lean over the table and drag her toward me when her pink tongue slid out to lick the wine from her lips. Whatever it was about this human, she affected me in more ways than one.
She stopped laughing and lifted her eyes to mine. They sparkled with the wetness of her tears; the sweeping lashes framing them were spiky with water. She wiped at them again before settling back in her chair and studying me with a frown.
“So if you exist on a different plane that humans couldn’t get
into, then how did the stories of Heaven and Hell begin?” she asked.
Insightful, inquisitive girl, I realized. “Some mortals can see things they shouldn’t be able to,” I told her.
“Like me?”
She freely admitted her ability then. “Yes, and it would be interesting to know what you can see.”
Her fingers flicked dismissively beside her head. “Nothing of any interest to a demon I assure you, and nothing pertaining to me. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I saw things about myself.”
No, she wouldn’t. She would have fled before they ever showed up on her doorstep. “Some humans can see more than others; they can look past the veils of your plane and see what lies beyond to both dimensions. Some could even communicate with others outside your mortal coil. In Hell, we could see what you were doing on this side, not that we watched often; you mortals are mostly boring.”
She laughed again and sipped at her wine. “I suppose we would be boring to a bunch of demons and Lucifer himself.”
“There were times when I would look through. It helped to give me a better understanding of your world, once demons stopped entering it.”
“Wait… What?” she sputtered.
I chuckled again at the bewildered look on her face. I couldn’t recall ever being this amused by another before. “Demons used to cross into your plane, though the gates were closely guarded and monitored by those of my kind. The ones who crossed to Earth were to keep our existence a secret. If they somehow slipped up, they were punished ruthlessly and in the most gruesome ways when they returned.”
“Why would they return then?”
“Some didn’t. Some chose to stay on Earth and perish rather than return and live. Others believed they could get away with their indiscretion and no one would know. They were always caught. My kind has always ruled the guardians of the gate.”
“How many guardians of the gate are there?” she asked.
“I was the only one who could open a gate and allow demons to pass back and forth, before you humans went and fucked that all up. There are two other sub-guardians who guard the gate along with me.”
Good Intentions (The Road to Hell Series, Book 1) Page 9
