by Diem, J. C.
My carriage materialized as we approached the road. Shouts came from the far side of the river as the demons that had remained with the convoy of vehicles spied us. Sam stuck his tongue out at them cheekily before clambering inside.
One of the curtains that covered my image on the door had become dislodged. I straightened it out then heard the flapping of wings. Looking up, I saw the raven circling overhead and scowled at it. It didn’t try to attack me, so I ignored it and climbed inside. Talons scraped on the roof as the bird landed on it a few seconds later.
“What was that?” Sam asked fearfully.
“It’s just our ugly little one eyed friend,” I said sourly as I pulled the door shut. The nightmares took off and the raven shifted overhead.
Sam stared up at the roof in disbelief. “Is that horrible thing hitchhiking on our carriage?”
“It sure looks like it,” I said unhappily. There wasn’t much I could do about it. It would just fly off if I attempted to shoo it away. It would no doubt come straight back again. It was taunting me in an effort to make me do something stupid. Fortunately, I wasn’t dumb enough to fall for its tricks.
Slouching back, my wounded legs were so long that my knees pressed against the other seat. By contrast, Sam’s feet dangled a couple of inches above the floor. Eventually, he succumbed to sleep again, but I just continued to brood. I had no doubt that the prince of this realm knew I was coming. He’d sent his Wraith Warriors to stop me. When that had failed, he’d caused the bridge to collapse. I wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, but it had been done sometime during the past few days.
Previously, I’d relied on stealth to get me into the palaces. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be possible to sneak our way in this time. Examining Sam critically, I saw him from a demon’s point of view. Small and thin, he looked as weak and useless as he seemed to feel. I knew he had an inner strength that he didn’t even know he possessed. He’d been underestimated by everyone during his entire existence. I wasn’t going to lose my faith in him now. He would help me gain entrance to the palace and to accomplish my goals, even if we didn’t know how yet.
₪₪₪
Chapter Forty-Two
I judged that a week and a half passed before I spied the red beacon at the top of the palace far ahead. Our ruse had failed again a couple of days ago. Another convoy of carriages was following us now. I was sure the first one would eventually find a way around the river of lava and catch up to us. Sam had a perpetually worried look on his face. He remained tense, expecting another delay that would force us to detour from our path.
His fears were unfounded and we continued on for another couple of days without being delayed. Every now and then, the raven paced up and down on the carriage roof above us, reminding us that it was still there.
When we were within a few hours’ journey from the capital city of the realm, I saw that it had the same layout as usual. The palace squatted at the top of a hill with tiers of buildings stretching out beneath it. Smaller towns encircled the city, making it difficult for us to get close without being noticed.
Mountains were more numerous here and so was lava. Small and large streams of the molten substance cast an eerie orange glow over the horizon. The smell of sulfur had grown stronger, but we were used to it by now.
“Do you think the Prince will be in the palace this time?” Sam asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Not if he’s smart,” I replied. “He knows he’s going to die once I get my hands on him. He’d be stupid not to try to hide.”
“I suppose we will need to search the palace anyway.” His tone was wistful and I sympathized with him. Just because the prince might be gone didn’t mean the building would be empty. He’d have left his minions behind to try to kill us, or to at least slow us down.
“It’s all part of the adventure,” I said and forced myself to grin. He didn’t recoil from the sight of my fangs this time. After more than three weeks in this realm, he was used to my hideous face. I hadn’t grown much bigger and there hadn’t been any radical new changes to my appearance so far. I was feeling hopeful that this was as far as I would transform. Maybe I wouldn’t become a Demon Lord after all.
I would not hold out much hope of that, Morax told me. Your images on the doors of this carriage have been an accurate reflection so far. They are depicting that you will become one of us and that is what shall transpire.
Gee, thanks for the pep talk, I thought back at him sarcastically. You really know how to lift my spirits.
He gave a mental shrug. It is better to be prepared for the worst, is it not?
I couldn’t argue with that logic and let the argument die. Neither of us wanted me to transform into a lord. The only way to avoid it was to kill the prince, find his piece of the object of power and return to Earth as quickly as possible.
We rumbled through another town and shouts of alarm rang out. Our disguise had failed again and another carriage scrambled to follow in our wake.
“Do you have a plan for how we are going to reach the palace without being swarmed by demons?” Sam asked.
“Nope. I was hoping you’d come up with something.” We stared at each other, but neither of us had any bright ideas. “We’re going to have to wing it,” I said at last.
Sam gulped in fear. “Your instincts have kept us alive so far. We will have to trust in them to keep us safe once more.”
I held in a shudder at that prospect. I’d much rather have a concrete plan, but no one was offering any suggestions.
Checking on our progress periodically, I watched the city grow closer with each passing minute. Towns spread out around it with only small gaps in between. The volcanic rocks had been cleared away, leaving nothing to give us cover to sneak up to the city this time. The few petrified trees were too spindly to hide Sam, let alone someone with my bulk.
Unlike the previous few realms, these towns weren’t deserted. Soldiers and servants swarmed the streets. They had to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed by my nightmares. The rumbling wheels gave them warning of our arrival.
Sam stuck his head out through his window only briefly before drawing back inside. “We are nearly at the city and the gate is being guarded by hundreds of demons.”
I’d seen that for myself and I still hadn’t come up with a plan. If I was going to trust my instincts, then that meant I’d have to act on impulse. Grabbing Sam and the backpack, I pushed the door open and leaped out moments before the carriage left the outskirts of the town. With my best friend and the backpack bundled under my arm, I ducked into the closest building while commanding my nightmares to continue on.
Moving silently through the small house, I looked out through a window in time to see the back of my carriage as it entered the next town. The raven was still perched on the roof. We’d exited on its blind side and it hadn’t seen us leave the carriage. I could feel the ground trembling as the convoy of vehicles thundered towards us. They’d be here soon and I wanted to be gone before they arrived.
“That was quick thinking,” Sam said with a grin as I put him down and handed him the backpack. “We were lucky the raven did not see us.”
It would discover what we’d done soon enough. When the nightmares reached the city gate, they would disappear with my carriage. This time, we wouldn’t be ejected from it once it went to the nowhere lands. The raven and soldiers would figure out that we’d bailed from the carriage and they would be on the alert. “Climb on my back,” I told him. “I’m going to make a run for it.”
I yanked a curtain from a window inside the house and draped it over my head to hide my bright hair. Sam clambered onto my back. I left through a side door and made my way over to the six-foot-high wall that encircled the town. All eyes were on the path that my carriage had taken. Climbing over the wall, I hunched down and sprinted for the next town.
Hearing an uproar, I knew the nightmares had reached the gate to the city and had done their disappearing trick. The demons standing guar
d would be sure to spread out and start searching for us now.
Skirting around the wall to the town rather than traversing through it, I saw an open stretch of land to the ten-foot-high wall that surrounded the city. We’d be without cover for a few hundred yards. Mentally crossing my fingers, I was about to break into a run when I saw my feathered nemesis circling overhead.
Cursing beneath my breath, I watched it glide back and forth as it scoured the ground for us. It had to turn its head from side to side since it only had one eye. Waiting for it to turn and head in the opposite direction, I sprinted as hard as I could. Sam clung to me tightly. Wind streaked past us from the force of my speed.
Reaching the wall, I vaulted over it and darted between two small black houses before the raven could spot us. Shouts of frustration came from the demons that had been guarding the gates as they searched for us.
“Do you think you can outrun them and get to the palace before they know we are here?” Sam whispered.
“I can try,” I replied and headed for the door.
Alternating between stealth and speed, I swiftly made my way up through the tiers of buildings. The upper levels where the captains’ and lords’ dwellings lay were almost deserted. Everyone was focusing their search on the lower tiers. Each time I caught sight of the raven, I ducked back under cover.
I only had to kill half a dozen lesser demons during my race towards the palace. I’d left their bodies lying out of sight inside their homes where they hopefully wouldn’t be discovered anytime soon.
Reaching the thirty-foot-high wall that encircled the palace, I took in the grand building in silence. Sam gaped at it over my shoulder. It was seven stories high and sprawled out to take up most of the hill, leaving only a small yard between it and the wall.
I couldn’t see any gargoyles, wyverns or any other winged creatures standing guard on the roof. There were also no demon guards. I was about to take a step through the opening in the wall when Sam pointed over my shoulder towards the doors. “Be careful,” he warned me quietly. “The Prince is using a different type of guard to watch his palace.”
Squinting at the entrance, I saw slight movement and narrowed in on it. A pair of black hellcats lay on either side of the wide double doors. They were so still that they’d blended in with the rock. I saw the one on the left twitch its tail and realized that had been the movement that I’d seen.
Now that I was aware of them, I saw other hellcats scattered around the yard. Clearly bored, most lay on the ground, sleeping. Around the size of a lion, they were a mixture of several different big cats. They had short manes, light spots on their coat and the heads of cougars. The hellcat on the right yawned, revealing fangs that would have been at home on a sabretooth tiger.
Listening hard, I couldn’t hear anyone inside the palace. “Where are the normal guards?” I asked Sam.
He shifted uneasily before answering me. “Hellcats are notoriously vicious. They will hunt down anything that moves and they are relentless in their pursuit.”
“You mean they even hunt down demons?” I asked. “Don’t they just disappear back to the first realm once they’re badly wounded? They wouldn’t be much of a meal.”
“The hellcats do not just hunt for food,” he said bleakly. “They also hunt for sport.”
A chill went down my spine and I realized why the palace was empty. The felines would attack anything that moved, so the building had been evacuated. As their master, the prince would be safe. He had dominion over every creature in his realm and nothing could harm him. His minions wouldn’t have that protection and neither would we. We had to find a way past the cats or we’d both be torn apart.
₪₪₪
Chapter Forty-Three
As I was studying the hellcats, a question came to mind. “Why are they just lying there when there’s a whole city full of prey for them to hunt down?” I understood why the upper tiers were so empty now. The demons were keeping their distance so they wouldn’t become chew toys.
“The Prince has ordered them to protect the palace,” Sam replied. “They will not be able to step beyond the wall.”
There went my idea of luring them away then doubling back. “How are we going to sneak past them?” I said in frustration.
“It is a pity we do not have any rats on hand,” Sam said almost to himself. “Hellcats go nuts when there are rats nearby. Giant rodents are their favorite prey.”
Sy spoke from the depths of my mind. The last time I was in this realm, I saw rats in an old, disused stable. They might still be there.
My curiosity was piqued and I had to ask. What were you doing in an unused stable?
I was meeting with a female scribe, he said with a hint of embarrassment. Fraternization is frowned upon by Dantanian. Our trysts have to be secret or we risk facing punishment.
I shook my head at how controlling his former master had been. He’d treated them like slaves from the sounds of it. Where is the stable?
Two tiers below us, he replied. I will guide you there.
“Sy’s been here before,” I said to Sam. “He thinks there might be some rats in one of the stables.”
I turned my head to see him staring at me incredulously. “I was just kidding about the rats.”
“It’s the only idea we have,” I said with a shrug, nearly dislodging him from my back. I wasn’t going to put him down while we were still in danger. We might need to flee at any time and he was safer clinging to me.
Following Sy’s directions, I made my way down to a set of stables. They were deserted except for gray undead nags. Their milky eyes watched us dully as we traversed through the wide doorway. We finally came to a stable that was in disrepair and was empty of nags.
Passing the stalls, I could smell the rank scent of giant rats and wrinkled my nose. They’d eaten their way through one of the walls into the side of the hill beyond it. I could hear them slithering through the tunnels and squeaking to each other deep inside. “I wish we had some cheese,” I said with a sigh. How were we going to lure them out? I was far too big to fit into the tunnel now.
“Cheese does not exist in hell,” Sam replied. “Like most creatures here, they eat meat.”
“Maybe I could kill a demon and use them for bait.”
He shook his head dejectedly. “Live bait will be best to lure them out. I will have to enter the tunnel and get them to follow me to you.”
Reaching over my shoulder, I grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him off my back with one hand. He dangled in the air several feet above the ground. “Are you crazy?” I said in a harsh growl. “They’ll eat you alive!”
“Not if I am fast,” he said with as much dignity as he could muster. “Can you think of any other way to draw them out so you can capture them?”
Wracking my brain for ideas, I came up blank and reluctantly put him down. “Give me the backpack,” I said and held out my hand. “It will just slow you down.”
Swinging the backpack off his shoulder, he handed it to me. “I will be back soon,” he said with admirable bravado. Dropping to his knees, he crawled into the opening.
Hunkering down, I watched him recede into the darkness and remembered that he would be blind in there. It just showed how brave he was that he was willing to endanger himself like that.
“Here ratty, ratty, ratty,” he crooned and I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my sniggers.
Squeaks immediately came from deeper in the tunnel as the rodents heard him. I heard the pitter patter of their feet as they came to investigate. “They’re coming, Sam,” I warned him.
“Uh oh,” he replied and I heard the panic in his voice.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in alarm.
“There is not enough room for me to turn around.”
“Then you’d better back out as fast as you can.”
He scrambled backwards, but the rats were moving faster and were rapidly closing in on him. He was still twenty feet from the exit when the lead rodent caught up to him
. He let out a cry of pain when it bit him on the hand. The rats went crazy when they smelled his blood. They tried to claw their way past each other so they could swarm over him and eat his flesh.
Reaching into the tunnel, I waited for Sam to be within my reach then I grabbed hold of his foot and dragged him out. Shoving the backpack into his arms, I plonked him on top of one of the decrepit stall doors where he’d be out of reach of the rats. I turned around just as they burst out of the tunnel. When I’d been human, they’d been knee high. With my new size, they looked tiny and harmless.
Bending down, I grabbed an armful of the wriggling, biting rodents. The rest fled when I kicked at them. Casting glares over their shoulders, they disappeared back into the hole.
“Let’s go,” I said to Sam. He jumped down from the door and scurried in my wake as I hurried back up to the palace. Striding up the cobbled driveway, I didn’t hesitate when the hellcats came to attention. I started tossing giant rodents in every direction and the felines’ eyes followed them.
Squeaking in terror, the rats hit the ground and started running. Every hellcat in sight sprang to their feet and went on the chase. Their scarlet eyes were hungry and intent on their prey. The two that were guarding the doors streaked past me so closely that their fur brushed against my legs.
Snatching Sam up, I sprinted for the palace doors and darted inside. A long hallway stretched out ahead leading to the throne room. Even at a distance, I saw two more felines guarding the throne. A glint of silver caught my eye. It was the metal object that I’d come here to find. It had been left on the seat of the throne. Unfortunately, the prince was nowhere in sight.
A low growl was my only warning that I was under attack. A hellcat sprang out of a side hallway and its claws sank into my leg. I held in a roar of pain when its fangs pierced my thigh. My dagger appeared in my hand and I stabbed the cat in the back of its neck. It instantly went limp with death and I nudged it aside.
