by Diem, J. C.
My hands were shaking too much for me to try to paint the rune this time. I talked Sam through it instead. He did a respectable job of marking out the symbol. He took my dagger from me and made a small incision on my palm. I placed my hand on the rune and it flared to life.
Far behind us, the hounds were still confused about where we’d disappeared to. Maybe the scent of the rats drowned out our smell. It had been pretty rank moving through their lair.
Pulling the door open, I was almost knocked off my feet by strong wind. I looked up to see dark, ominous clouds forming over the pit. “Uh oh,” I said and Sam crowded in beside me to see. “I think the Hellmaster knows that the Prince is dead.”
The last time I’d killed one of his lieutenants, he’d sent lightning after us. This time, it looked like he’d sent a tornado.
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Chapter Thirty-Three
It might just be a show the master of hell was putting on for the benefit of his minions, but the storm was very real. The ominous clouds began to spin as the tornado picked up speed. I was torn between braving the elements and staying put in the tunnel. Wild baying and hollow howls as the hounds picked up our scent again dissuaded me from that idea. Morax was a fearsome fighter, but not even he could take on thirty or so hounds without sustaining severe injuries.
I decided that I’d rather be torn to pieces by a gigantic whirlwind than to hide from the hellhounds in one of the cramped tunnels again. “Come on,” I said to Sam and pushed him outside. I scraped my dagger across the rune to lock it from the inside then stepped out and struggled to pull the door shut. It took both of us fighting against the wind before we managed to get it closed.
Sam kept hold of me as we made our way past the moaning, wailing souls. Loose dirt was being drawn into the vortex that was growing stronger by the second. Lesser demons were pointing up at it in confusion. Weather was an unknown phenomenon to them. This was the first tornado to ever occur in hell and they had no idea what to do.
The souls were far more familiar with the repercussions of the storm. They covered their heads with their hands and tried to flatten themselves down. Sam kept his back to the wall as he sidled towards the ladder and I copied him. My hand was clutched in his tightly as we hurried as fast as we could around the thick press of souls.
Two soldiers still guarded the only escape route, not that any of the souls had a hope of being able to flee. They were tightly chained to each other, which would have made it hard for them to climb. The guards stared up at the roiling clouds in awe that was tinged with fear.
Wind plucked at me with insistent invisible fingers, inviting me to play. It was an invitation that I wasn’t about to accept. It grew stronger, snatching at me now with greedy hands. Sam lurched forward and grabbed hold of the ladder just as the tornado descended and havoc broke loose.
The chains that were holding the souls together snapped as if they were made out of paper. Their bodies were sucked up into the vortex. Lesser demons desperately tried to run and had nowhere to run to. Sam hauled me towards him and I held onto the ladder with a panicked grip. The two guards saw us, but were torn away before they could react to our presence.
Looking up, I saw the epicenter of the tornado high above us. It had spread out to cover part of the city as well. Gargoyles that flew too close to the unnatural disaster were drawn into the vortex. Whirling around and around, they were spat out to fall to the ground far below.
My feet left the ground and my hair whipped around me wildly as the wind did its best to pluck me off the ladder. Sam held onto me grimly with his legs wrapped around the rungs. His expression told me that he would never let me go, no matter how badly the Hellmaster wanted to punish me for killing another one of his princes.
Either running out of power, or realizing that I wasn’t going to be pulled into its clutches so easily, the tornado finally began to lose steam. The clouds stopped spinning and the wind died down. Sam motioned me to start climbing and I didn’t need to be urged twice.
Once the tornado began to wane, bodies started to rain from the sky. Souls and lesser demons alike splattered on the hard ground. The human souls remained, but their torturers shimmered then disappeared. They’d been so badly wounded that they’d been sent back to the first realm. They’d stay there until another Demon Lord took them through a gate as part of their entourage.
Wincing at every splat that I heard, I refused to look down to see the carnage. The souls were immortal and would eventually recover their usual twisted shapes. At least their incessant wails had finally stopped. It was eerily quiet as I finally reached the top of the ladder. I climbed off and waited for Sam to appear. Gargoyles still flew over the city, so we raced over to the wall and melded against it before we were spotted.
Demons were streaming out of the city in droves. We heard their panicked voices shouting questions at each other. Some of them weren’t even sure what they were running from. Others invoked my name like a curse. The tornado had frightened them almost as much as I had. In his quest to make them believe that he was angry that the prince was dead, their ultimate ruler had alienated himself from his lackeys even further.
I waited until we were a safe distance away from the pit before I mentally called for my carriage. The nightmares appeared moments later and pranced to a halt a few yards away. We clambered inside before any of the gargoyles could arrow in on us.
Sticking my head out the window, I waited for the nightmare to turn its head before I spoke. “Stamp your hoof once if you know where the swamp that took over a city is located.” It lifted its lip in a sneer then they took off at a gallop.
Falling back onto my plush leather seat with a chuckle, I saw Sam grinning at me. “You have the strangest sense of humor of anyone that I have ever met.”
“You’re lucky I can still laugh about any of this. You could have ended up with some moody girl who mopes about constantly feeling sorry for herself.”
Or someone who is so afraid of small spaces that they go completely insane with terror when they are forced to enter a narrow tunnel, Morax added dryly.
Who invited you into this conversation?
My snide thought didn’t bother him at all. This is the thanks I get for saving your hide from the hounds?
I struggled with my conscience, then gave in. Thanks. It came out grudgingly, but it was sincere. If he hadn’t stepped up and taken over my body and forced me into action, I’d have ended up as dog food. I knew he’d really just acted to save himself, but I still owed him one.
I am sure I will think of a way that you can repay me one day.
Owing a Demon Lord a favor was a disturbing prospect. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to come good on it anytime soon. The only thing he could possibly want from me was to be freed from my mind. I’d be doing us all a favor if I managed to pull that off.
As we headed across the wastelands, we regularly passed near or through villages at first. After a few hours, they became fewer and fewer until we left any trace of civilization far behind. At a guess, we’d been in hell for nearly three whole days now. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed on Earth.
Sophia had told me that time passed differently here. It went faster, but actually seemed to be going slower. I just hoped we weren’t gone for so long that Zach became alarmed by my absence. It would be difficult to explain where I’d disappeared to if I remained absent for too long.
I didn’t feel any different yet, but I was concerned about what effect being here was having on my body. The longer a living being spent in hell, the more twisted they became. Sam was absorbed with looking out through the window, so I quickly lifted my jacket and t-shirt. I looked down at the scar that ran across my abdomen and winced. The tendrils had spread a tiny bit. I didn’t feel any pain at the moment, but I was sure it would come eventually.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-Four
With nothing to do but wait until the carriage carried us to our destination, I fell into a doze. It deepened in
to true sleep and I was sucked into a strange dream. After a few seconds, I realized I was a passenger inside a young woman’s head. She was creeping through a city that had archaic buildings that looked like they were from ancient Rome or maybe Greece. I watched through her eyes as she left the city behind. A quick peek inside her memories told me her name was Hannah. Then I became immersed as her thoughts took over.
It was dangerous to sneak out of the city at night, but the lure of meeting my love was too strong. We were betrothed to be married, but that was still several weeks away. I wanted to be joined with him now. We’d arranged to meet beneath a large tree in a nearby meadow. It was where we’d first encountered each other a year ago and it was where we would consummate our love.
Once I was free of the buildings, I ran to the meadow. The moonlight was just bright enough to illuminate the tree in the distance. I was only halfway across the field when a man appeared in front of me. He was tall and had dark hair and skin. I’d never seen him before, but something in his expression told me to be wary of him.
Before I could flee, he caught me by the arm. I tried to scream, but bright red light flared around me. When my vision cleared, the meadow was gone and had been replaced with a sandy beach. I saw a dark doorway carved into a nearby cliff face. The strange man dragged me towards it.
Tears of terror blurred my eyes and I struggled to get free, but he was too strong. He hauled me into a dark, narrow passageway that had yellow moss on the walls. He stopped after a while and his body shuddered. Black fog was expelled from him. When it solidified, a monster was staring down at me.
My mind came close to breaking and I was numb with horror. Twice my height, he had a hideous face, large horns and cloven hooves. Most of his body was covered in black metal armor. His chest was left exposed. What I could see of his skin was marked with strange symbols.
The man that he’d hidden inside was no longer needed and he cut him down with a glowing red sword. The body fell and lay there with wide, staring eyes. I cowered when he turned his attention back to me. “You are a very beautiful woman,” the creature said as he studied my face. “I have not had a human with such pale hair and green eyes before. Let us hope that you will last longer than the others.”
I was a virgin, but I wasn’t completely without knowledge and knew what he was referring to. Screams issued from me and I couldn’t stop them. His gigantic hand came towards my face and I fainted from sheer terror.
When I woke, I was in what looked like an enclosed chariot. The monster that had captured me took up the entire seat across from mine. His horns brushed against the roof. Wings that I hadn’t noticed before were tucked behind him. Although I could hear the wheels of the chariot, I couldn’t hear the horses that were presumably pulling us. Their hooves made no sound at all.
I slipped in and out of consciousness and eventually woke to find myself in a circular chamber made of cold black stone. My clothing was gone and I was naked.
“Good, you are awake,” a deep, guttural voice said. It was the demon who had stolen me from my beloved. “I prefer my conquests to be awake when I take them.” His smile was wicked and I began to scream even before he undressed and climbed on top of me. My mind broke as he took my innocence and I went somewhere far away.
I found myself standing in a field. The grass was so long that it brushed my fingertips. Turning in a circle, I saw a hill and headed towards the top. It ended in a cliff with an ocean far below. Waves crashed on the rocks and I contemplated throwing myself over to end my misery.
“You have been chosen for an important destiny, child,” a hollow voice said. I spun around to see a woman dressed in a black cloak with a hood that hid her face. She was about my height and size and seemed to be wreathed in moving shadows.
“Who are you? What do you mean?”
“I am Fate. If you agree to my request, you will be instrumental in saving the entire human race from eventual annihilation.”
I struggled to understand what she was talking about. Far away, my body was on fire from pain. “What do you want from me?”
“I merely need you to survive.” I could feel her studying me from the shadows of her hood. “In the distant future, one of your descendants will be in this very room, facing this Demon Prince. She will be the champion I will choose to save this world from the coming darkness.”
“The demon is raping me to death even as we speak,” I said bitterly. “We both know that I will not live through what he is doing to my body.”
“You will live,” she disagreed. “I will ensure that your body will be healed.”
“And my mind?” I asked. I was already teetering on the edge of madness. To return to wakefulness and experience what was being done to me would shred my sanity completely.
“The memory of this night will be stricken from you forever. I have arranged for you to escape and for someone to rescue you once you have left hell.”
My blood tried to freeze in my veins, but I’d lost too much of it for that to be possible. I was in hell, the dreaded underworld where demons roamed free. “What do you need from me?”
“I need you to choose between life or death.”
It was a simple choice, but my answer would impact on the entire world and every human who was living in it. I wanted to give up and fall into oblivion, but my conscience wouldn’t let me. Drawing on a strength that I didn’t know I’d possessed, I gave her my answer. “I choose life.”
Her expression was hidden from me, but I felt a fierce swell of triumph coming from her. “You are strong, Hannah. Your distant progeny will be even stronger. I have made the right choice and so have you.”
The dream faded and I woke to an agony so intense that I couldn’t breathe. With a final groan of satisfaction, the Demon Prince finished with me. He climbed off the bed and a knock sounded at the door. “Enter,” he commanded.
A hooded demon came in and slid a look at me. I didn’t have the strength to try to cover my nakedness. “You wished to see me, Sire?”
“Get rid of the body,” his master said as he casually cleaned himself of my blood with a cloth.
The smaller demon looked at me again and met my eyes. “I do not think she is dead yet, your highness.”
Surprised, the Demon Prince spun around to stare at me. A small amount of strength flowed into me and Fate spoke with my voice. “Several eons from now, you will die at the hands of a mortal woman. You will pay for your sick, twisted crimes.”
“You are not as weak as I believed,” he said, dismissing my words. “Wait outside,” he commanded his robed lackey.
Again, my mind slipped away as he used my body to satisfy his needs. I trusted in Fate to keep me sane and alive. She fed me her strength and cradled me through the abuse. When I woke again, I was only just clinging to life.
Nine days have passed, Fate told me. It is time for you to escape from this realm.
I am too weak. I doubt that I can even stand without help.
I have seen to it that you will have assistance. She fed me a little more of her strength. Are you ready?
I wasn’t, but I took a mental breath anyway. I am ready.
My eyes opened to the dim light of the bedchamber. The Demon Prince lay beside me, stroking a claw down my torso. I was covered in cuts from his talons, but they were nothing compared to the other wounds that my body had suffered. He noticed that my eyes were on him and smiled slyly. “Well, well. You are finally awake. I prefer to have your undivided attention rather than you just lying there in a coma.”
Fate spoke through me. “Your bestial actions have ensured your downfall, Prince of the eighth realm of hell.”
“Ah, she speaks,” he said mockingly. “It is a pity that you make no sense whatsoever.”
“In the distant future, a human unlike any other will be born. She will be the end of you and your fellow Princes,” Fate said in her hollow voice.
The demon gave a gravelly laugh. “No mere woman will be able to defeat me or my brothers. We
have earned our places as Princes through combat. We are the strongest warriors in Satan’s army.”
“Satan will fall and another will take his place. He will drench the Earth in blood and fire.”
His expression grew wary. He climbed out of bed and clad himself in the armor that he could draw into being as easily as he could call on his sword. “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am an agent of Fate,” she replied and his skin turned ashen. Hearing footsteps approach the door, I sensed someone was listening as she spoke again. “Hear my decree; Gold of hair, green of eye and bearing two opposing natures, she shall purge the nine realms of its leaders, leaving devastation in her wake. Hellscourge shall bring death to anyone who incurs her wrath.”
His brow furrowed in a dire frown at her proclamation. “Dantanian!” he bellowed.
The door burst open and the robed demon entered. “Yes, my liege?” He bowed his head submissively.
“I am weary of bedding this female and she refuses to die like all the others. I want her to be dismembered and for her body parts scattered throughout the nine realms.”
Picking up on his master’s nervousness, the lackey bowed deeper. “It shall be done.” He strode over to the bed and tossed the sheet over me. He bundled me over his shoulder and carried me from the room.
Dantanian didn’t speak a word as he made his way along a short walkway then down a long spiral staircase. Making his way out of the gigantic palace that was made of black stone, we entered a much smaller building that seemed to be a stable. Gray horses stared at me through milky eyes as I was deposited on the hard ground. Their bodies were thin and malnourished and they weren’t breathing. I shuddered and tried to remain still, hoping they wouldn’t come any closer. “Stay there,” Dantanian ordered me. “Do not move.” His scarlet eyes were alight with what seemed to be excitement.
