by Diem, J. C.
Coming to a four-way intersection, I looked left then right. Large, rubbery bodies blocked both directions. Looking back, I saw a worm edging slowly towards us. It was hanging back rather than attacking, but it could charge us at any moment. Rows of teeth were ready to rend and tear at the slightest provocation. We only had one way left to go and that was straight ahead.
I didn’t want Sam to be behind me where the worm could snatch him up. I shifted him to the front and put my free hand on his shoulder. He started walking and I kept my pace to match his. My dagger was glowing softly, warning me that danger was near, but not imminent.
A large open space appeared ahead. I figured it had to be one of the nests Sam had spoken about. The smell of worm was overpowering. Reaching the opening, I guided Sam to the side. He put his back to the dirt wall and stared around. A hole about fifteen feet wide in the center of the nest cast enough light for him to see what we were up against. The opening was forty or so feet high and it didn’t have a slope leading up to it this time.
Bones from various types of critters littered the ground. Some were from hellhounds and others were from hellcats. Others I couldn’t identify at all. I was pretty sure a couple had once been nags. Stark white, the bones had all been picked clean.
Tunnels branched out every few yards or so, and every single one was blocked by a worm. They didn’t have eyes or ears to see or hear commands, but something was controlling them.
Another worm was coiled up across from us. It was larger than the others and stood about fifteen feet high. It was impossible to tell how long it was. Its head was hidden from me and it seemed to be asleep.
The prince sat on the worm with his feet dangling over the edge. The raven was perched on the worm a few feet away from him, watching me slyly. Heaving a sigh, the prince folded his arms across his chest. Twelve feet tall, his horns curled all the way to the back of his head and almost met at the tips. His armor was black and was made of metal. Strange symbols covered his exposed flesh. “I had hoped that you would take the piece of object that I left on my throne and leave this realm,” he said in a deep, guttural voice. “Alas, you could not leave well enough alone. Now I will have to kill you.”
“We both know you’re the one who will be dying today,” I responded.
“Perhaps,” he said and shrugged a shoulder. He didn’t seem terribly concerned. “I will not make it easy for you. Be warned, if you continue on your quest to end my life, my death will come at great cost to you.”
“I guess that’s a chance I’ll just have to take.”
He raised a hand and I braced myself for an onslaught of worm attacks. Instead, I heard chittering noises and the fluttering of wings. Bugs rose from behind the slumbering worm. They were similar to the ones from the swamp. Around the size of my fist, they were black and their legs were hairy, but not as long as the bugs from the swamp. They only dangled about six inches below their bodies.
Sam wisely camouflaged himself against the wall as my axe spun into action. Morax had faced these things before and he knew what to do. If the bugs landed on me, they’d begin to bite. It wouldn’t take long before I’d become weak from blood loss. Relinquishing control to him, I watched on like a spectator as he sliced the creepy beetles out of the air.
There were dozens of them and they just kept coming. Morax used the axe in ways I hadn’t mastered yet. Alternatively cutting with the blade and using the flat of it as a bat, he finally managed to finish off the last of them.
Morax retreated and the pain of the wounds that I’d received came crashing down on me. The bugs had been small compared to me, but their teeth had been sharp. Bleeding from too many places to count, my clothes sported holes where my gray flesh showed through.
Clapping his hands sardonically, the prince slid to the ground as I fought to get my breath back. “Impressive,” he said and called on his weapon. It was an axe similar to mine, but far larger. Limbering up with a series of complicated twirls and whirls, it became obvious that he was far more experienced with it than I was. “I hope for your sake that you are just as skilled at killing demons as you are at swatting bugs.”
His sneer sparked my anger. Morax hadn’t exhausted himself, but I was meant to fight the princes alone. It was what I’d been made for and I wasn’t going to back down from him. “I’ve managed to kill five Princes so far,” I said nonchalantly. “I doubt you’ll be any different from them.”
His sneer turned into a snarl and he swung his axe at my face. His reach was longer than mine, which meant I’d have to get in close to be able to wound him. Ducking beneath his blade, I lunged forward. He skipped back a step and my axe missed his stomach by an inch.
My new size, speed and strength made it possible for me to hold my own against the prince. So did certain other aspects of my demonic form. His fist came hurtling towards me. Instead of trying to dodge it, I lowered my head and his knuckles smashed into my horns. Bone crunched and he grunted in pain. I moved like lightning and swung my blade before he could leap back. It sliced into his arm, drawing first blood. His healing capabilities were far better than mine and he healed almost instantly.
Eyeing me with new respect, he grinned fiercely. “This is going to be more of a challenge than I had expected. How very entertaining.”
I wasn’t feeling particularly entertained. I just wanted to get this done. Sam’s strength had run out even before the bugs had all been cut down. He crouched against the wall, struggling to stay awake. He’d exhausted himself using his abilities and we were surrounded by worms. Once I cut their master down, things were bound to become chaotic, just like the canyons above us.
₪₪₪
Chapter Forty-Seven
Using his extra reach against me, my foe swung low this time and sliced my thigh open. Stumbling backwards, I almost tripped over the skull of a dead creature. I kicked it aside and the empty sockets stared at me accusingly.
Blood sheeted down my leg, soaking my jeans. He hadn’t hit an artery, but the wound was deep and it was going to sap my strength away. A fresh surge of anger rose through me, giving me a burst of energy. Leaping forward, I knocked his next swing aside and hacked at his left arm. He tried to catch the blade on his armor, but it cut through it like it didn’t exist and lodged in a bone.
Yanking his arm away, he pulled my weapon out of my hands. His eyes flicked past me and I turned to see a worm hurtling towards me. I dove out of the way just before its teeth could snap around my legs. It withdrew back into the tunnel just as fast.
Chortling in glee, the prince stopped laughing when my weapon disappeared from his arm and reappeared in my hand. Another worm slithered out of its lair and I barely managed to evade it. The prince swung his axe and it clanged against my weapon. Bright red sparks flared, momentarily blinding me. He punched me again and this time I didn’t catch it on my horns. My cheek shattered on the impact and I was sent flying backwards, directly into the maw of a worm.
Teeth closed around me as I landed in its mouth. Unlike the leviathan that had tried to eat me in the shadowlands, this thing didn’t have a tongue. The lining of its mouth was ridged and made my footing unsteady. A puckered orifice blocked the passage a few yards away. The orifice began to open. I knew that if it swallowed, I’d disappear into its guts.
Its hide was too tough to cut through, but its mouth was vulnerable. I chopped into its gums and it flinched as the blade dug deep into its flesh. A few more blows were enough to make it spit me out. I landed at the prince’s feet just as he swung his axe downward with a triumphant snarl. I tried to roll out of the way, but I didn’t quite make it. The blade bit into my left arm, severing it at the shoulder.
My shriek of agony rang around the chamber. Sam cried out in fear for me and the prince threw back his head and laughed. The raven cawed in glee at seeing my life’s blood pumping onto the dry soil.
My anger turned to rage, which swiftly changed to wrath. Dropping the axe, I picked my arm up and held it against my shoulder. Like magic,
it became reattached and all of my wounds healed. Eyes widening, the prince backed away when I grabbed my axe and stood. “You have incurred my wrath, Prince of the third realm,” I intoned. “Prepare to pay with your life.”
One of his Wraith Warriors appeared and strode over to him. Reaching his side, he put a hand on his master’s shoulder. Turning to mist, he was sucked inside the prince. Filled with fresh energy and more power, he would become even more dangerous now. But so was I. With my wrath spreading through me, I was invincible. Any wound that he inflicted would heal in moments. I’d just demonstrated that I could reattach dismembered limbs with ease. Raziel’s dampening effect on my healing abilities stopped working once my rage was in control.
Intent on my foe, I still remained aware of my surroundings. A worm slithered towards me and I turned to slice into its mouth with my axe. Flinching in pain, it hastily retreated, leaving a trail of black blood behind.
Knowing the prince would already be on the attack, I turned and deflected his axe before it could chop through my neck. Sweat beaded his brow as he realized that I’d become a killing machine. Moving with grace and speed, I stalked him. Now it was his turn to trip over discarded bones. I leaped forward to chop one of his legs off just below the knee.
Falling over backwards, he raised an arm to defend himself and it joined the other limb on the ground. Two worms came forward and I leaped over the prince to put the coiled creature at my back. Knowing they’d have to go through him to get to me, he telepathically ordered them to back off. They had to be linked to him in the same way my hellhounds and nightmares were linked to me.
Blood pumping out of his wounds, he still managed a dry chuckle as I crouched behind him and put my blade to his throat. “I think you are forgetting something, Hellscourge,” he said.
“What’s that?” I asked, knowing it was another delay tactic.
“I have not one, but two Wraith Warriors.”
Alarm stole through me as the second warrior materialized. I wasn’t his target this time. Bending down, he seized Sam by the throat and hauled him into the air. Sam gave a strangled squawk of alarm and clawed at the shadowy arm that held him.
“Let him go,” I commanded, but I didn’t have any power over the prince’s minion.
“I told you that my death would come at a price,” my opponent said. To my horror, he leaned forward suddenly, slicing his own neck on my blade. His head toppled to the ground and his Wraith Warrior howled in rage. His shadowy blade appeared in his hand and he rammed it through Sam’s stomach even as he began to dissipate.
“NO!” I shouted and sprinted over to Sam. Dropping to my knees, I cradled his head on my lap.
Sam tried to smile up at me even though his skin was already turning black as the toxin spread through him. “Do not be sad,” he said in a low, agonized voice. “This was meant to be.”
“You can’t die,” I said brokenly. “I need you too much.”
“You are the best friend that I could have ever hoped for,” he said in a bare whisper then was wracked with a shudder. The poison changed his skin from brown back to the black it had been when I’d first seen him. A putrid smell emanated from the wound on his abdomen.
Desperate, I sent a thought to the only angel that resided inside me. Heal him, Raziel!
I cannot, he responded sadly. Not while I am in this realm. If we’d been on Earth, he might have been able to use me as a conduit to heal Sam. Since we were in hell, my best friend was doomed.
“I love you, Sam,” I said and began to rock him.
“Love you…” he replied then his words trailed off and his stare became fixed.
Throwing my head back, I howled out my pain and anger. My hounds materialized, drawn by my pain. They howled with me and their misery joined with mine. White light spilled out of Sam as something I thought was impossible occurred. As an imp, his soul had become entwined with his body. He’d managed to redeem himself to the point where his soul had become free.
You know what you have to do, Heather said sorrowfully. Don’t leave Sam here all alone.
I sobbed in fresh agony at what she was asking me to do. She’d been murdered in the eighth realm of hell and Sam had convinced me to absorb her soul. Now she expected me to do the same for him.
He is your friend and your companion, Morax said with far more gentleness than I’d thought he was capable of. He would want to continue to help you, even if it means he will become trapped in here along with us.
Heather and I will take care of Samuel, Sy said. We will keep him safe.
That hit me like a fresh blow to my heart. I’d gotten Sam killed and now I would have to live with that guilt. It was bad enough knowing he was dead. Having his soul inside me would be like a painful needle poking me constantly, reminding me of how badly I’d failed him.
Looking down at his bloated body, my tears splashed onto him. His soul hovered nearby, patiently waiting for me to make my decision. He said he loved me, but surely he would hate me once he became imprisoned inside my head. He was supposed to go to heaven and I’d denied him that chance.
My alpha hound nudged me and whimpered. I realized that the worms hadn’t attacked us as I’d expected. Instead, they’d disappeared silently. Hearing a strange sound, I cocked my head to the side. At first, I thought it was ash from the volcanos that was falling through the hole in the center of the room. Then I realized it was raining and that it was increasing in intensity. In seconds, a torrent of water was pouring through the opening. I’d seen enough flash floods to know what would happen. If I stayed here any longer, I’d be caught and I’d be sure to drown.
It killed me to ruin Sam’s chance to go to heaven, but I cared about him too much to leave his soul behind. In the end, my love for him overwhelmed my sense of guilt. “Okay, Sam,” I said softly. “It’s time to go home.”
His soul surged towards me and I closed my eyes tightly as I absorbed him. I saw his entire life pass by in moments, but the images were burned into my memory. I saw him when he was a small boy. He’d been happy and carefree. That had all been destroyed when the pirates had invaded his village. He’d been kidnapped and the captain had done unspeakable things to him. The next thirteen years of his life had been filled with misery until he’d defied the captain and had refused to rape a young girl.
The anguish he’d felt as a human was nothing compared to what he went through when he was taken to hell. Four long centuries of suffering flew past without him lingering on the horrors of being tortured. Then I saw the moment when Leo and I had stepped into the portal. I felt Sam’s gratitude and love as he relived every moment since that day. He’d only been free for a few short months, yet he felt as though he’d lived an entire lifetime.
From the moment we’d met, he’d been filled with hope that a hideous and unworthy creature like him could somehow gain redemption. I hadn’t turned my back on him as he’d expected. Instead, I’d offered him my hand in friendship and had gained his love. He’d silently vowed that he would give his life for me if it ever became necessary and now it had.
Unable to deal with my guilt and loss, I slammed a door shut between myself and the souls that resided inside me. Sam was among them now. I couldn’t face him yet and I wasn’t sure that I’d ever be able to.
₪₪₪
Chapter Forty-Eight
My alpha hound nudged me again and I realized I was kneeling in water. The tunnels were rapidly beginning to fill up as the Hellmaster unleashed his displeasure on me for killing another prince. I wasn’t sure why he bothered. There was no one here to see his display of power. He didn’t care about the rulers of the other realms. He just wanted to prove that he was powerful.
Leaving the backpack where it lay, I picked Sam’s body up and started slogging through the water. Even if I’d still been filled with wrath, I couldn’t jump forty feet into the air to escape through the hole in the roof of the nest.
My hounds took off ahead of me and I followed them through the tunnels to the close
st exit. Reaching the slope, I shifted Sam so he was lying over my shoulder then clawed my way upwards. Water was halfway up the slope now and it would soon reach me. Rain continued to pour down on me as I leaped upwards.
Again, I didn’t quite reach the edge, but I had too tight a control over the legion right now for Morax to assist me. Before I could fall back down into the hole, one of my nightmares materialized. It reached out and its teeth clamped down on my arm just hard enough to break my fall. With a flick of its head, it tossed me onto its back.
My hounds appeared around us as the nightmare took off at a gallop. I realized why they were here when a worm suddenly shot out of a nearby hole. They were evacuating the tunnels before they could drown. My hellhounds were going to keep them at bay.
Humping across the ground towards us, the worm banged against one of the precariously balancing spires of rock. The boulder that was perched on the top wobbled then fell. The ground shook when it landed. It was enough to dislodge other nearby boulders, which resulted in a domino effect.
Growling and snapping, my hellhounds warned the worms to stay away as the nightmare dodged between falling rocks that were far larger than us. The worms were nearly ten feet wide and thirty feet long, but even they shied away from the dogs’ ferocity. They might not have ears, but they would be able to feel the vibrations of their growls through the ground.
We were almost out of the danger zone and I thought we were safe. Then the worm that had been coiled up inside the nest erupted from the ground in front of us, showering us with dirt. It was over fifty feet long and I had a feeling it was their queen. She had been hibernating, but now she was awake. She was furious at being chased out of her den by the deluge of rain.
My nightmare reared up and I held on grimly, clamping down on its sides with my legs. A boulder fell beside us, missing us by a few yards. The ground was waterlogged and a wave swept towards us when the boulder landed. Nimble and swift, my shadowy steed dodged around the worm, letting her take the brunt of the wave.
