“You can’t just kill Pikes,” Jamana said. “There are rules. Katrina is a runaway. She has to be punished.”
“Yeah, I don’t really care about that,” Alex said firmly. “I’m going to free her and kill every demon that gets in my way.”
Jamana raised her hands diplomatically. “I’m not saying otherwise,” she said. “But we need a plan.”
“He goes in with his sword, kills Pikes, frees Katrina and then-”
“And then what?” Jamana interrupted Natasha. “And then every demon in this town comes after us. They come After One and Two as well. You can’t fight them all off single handed,” Jamana said.
It was a fair point, Alex thought. If Pikes was here, it was possible Corcin and the others might be here too. Glancing at the crowd of demons, Alex spotted Magnamus leaning against a wall a few meters away, his arms folded across his chest. He didn’t seem to be taking any pleasure from watching Katrina be tortured, but nor did he seem to care for her suffering.
There was the demon crowd too. Sure, one against one, he doubted any would dare come at him. But as a crowd, and especially a crowd that was in a frenzy, it would quickly turn into him and the girls being chased by a violent mob.
There was One and Two to think about as well. Both Pikes and Magnamus knew where he was staying. If they couldn’t catch him, they might make for the inn and try to use the girls as bait. He knew Pikes would hurt the girls if it meant hurting him. The demon would probably hurt them just because he was a sadistic bastard.
“What do you think we should do?” Alex asked.
“We wait till it’s calmer. Eventually, these demons will leave. Then, we sneak out, free Katrina and then make a dash for it. I’ll get some horses ready to help our escape.”
It was a sensible plan. But a difficult plan to swallow as Katrina cried out in pain once more as Pikes struck her with the whip.
“How long will it take you to ready the horses?” Alex asked.
“I could do it right now,” Jamana replied cautiously.
Alex paused to think. He couldn’t wait around till the wee hours of the night, hoping the demons would clear out. The sadistic bastards could be here all night, and more than that, there was only so much abuse Katrina could take before her body gave up.
Alex glanced back at the crowd of demons. There were about fifty or so, including Pikes and Magnamus.
“What do you think?” Alex asked.
“Always up for killing demons,” Lucifer replied somewhat sleepily.
It was something Alex had noticed about Lucifer. Of late, the voice in his head seemed to be more tired. Maybe tired wasn’t the right word. Because Alex felt power like he’d never felt before. Whatever it was that was going on, Lucifer talked less but gave him more strength. It was perfect really.
“Get the horses now,” Alex told Jamana. “Bring them here with One and Two. I’m going to free Katrina now, and then we’ll make a dash for it.”
Jamana opened her mouth to protest, but Alex’s jaws tightened, signalling that this wasn’t a debate. Noticing, she lowered her head subserviently. “Of course,” she whispered.
And with that, Jamana left them, walking briskly down the road. Alex assumed she was going as fast as she could without trying to attract any attention.
“I never thought I’d say this,” Natasha said. “But I think I like her.”
Alex liked Jamana too. Which is what worried him a little. What he’d just asked her to do was against the rules of hell. Being a demon, there wouldn’t be too many places for Jamana to hide. Alex had a plan for that, but he wondered how plausible that plan was.
He wanted to take Jamana back to earth with him.
But if shit hit the fan and he ended up having to kill demons, including Pikes, would he ever be able to leave hell? He couldn’t exactly waltz up to Keira and demand she send him back. If Keira was even still alive, he wondered as an afterthought. They still didn’t know what the outcome had been of the battle in the Valley of the Two-Headed Kromos.
Katrina cried out in pain again and those thoughts left Alex’s mind. He moved towards the crowd of demons and pushed to the front row. What he saw revulsed him in equal measure as it did rise his anger.
Katrina was no longer being whipped. The demons had taken off the bar around her ankles. Her hands were tied to the pole. A demon held each of her legs and pulled them apart, spreading her pussy and almost tearing her in half. A demon stood in between her legs, his leather trousers by his ankles.
“They’re going to publicly rape her,” Alex mumbled. He glanced back over the crowd of demons. Jamana wasn’t anywhere in sight. She probably wouldn’t be for another half hour or so. But Katrina didn’t have that long.
“Fuck it,” Alex growled. “Stick by me,” he told Natasha.
He was about to step out of the crowd of baying demons when he realised Natasha still had clamps attached to her nipples with a chain fastened to them and leading to his hand. It might have worked well as a disguise, but that was no longer needed.
Alex pulled her close and gently took off the nipple clamps. Natasha winced as the blood rushed back into her pink little nipples. Alex caressed the tips and kissed her on the lips. “Everything’s going to be okay,” he told her.
And then, taking her hand, he stepped out from amongst the crowd of demons and into the circle of black stones.
“Stop!” Alex shouted.
Chapter 36
His voice was loud and clear and the demons heard it over the howling and baying. They fell silent as they took him in. Then, noises began to rise once more. Low growls, hisses of anger, dark mutterings.
Alex ignored them and stepped close to the pole and the demons that held Katrina. “Let her go,” he said, a warning in his voice.
The demon with his pants down stared at Alex with cold eyes. He was a big demon with red skin and three little red horns on his head. He had a big nose and large eyes. His ears were pointy and pierced. He was about a head taller than Alex, and had arms the size of tree trunks.
It didn’t matter though, and the demon seemed to know it. Alex had taken down much bigger. The demon glanced behind him. Alex turned his head to see Pikes standing with his arms folded across his chest, a knowing smile spread across his lips.
“There are rules in hell, human,” Pikes said. “Not even you are above them.”
Alex reached back and pulled out his longsword. It filled instantly with the heat from within him and flamed red. “Let her go,” he repeated. “And you can keep your head stuck to that disgusting neck of yours.”
If it were supposed to annoy Pikes, it did not work. He dropped the whip and reached for the two black swords that hung from his waist. As he unsheathed them, Magnamus stepped out from the crowd and stood beside Pikes.
Alex was under no illusions. He’d struggled against Judas and Nekrosis. Those two were Merculis Azarath’s finest. Standing before him were two of Satani’s fiercest. They would be as difficult to oppose, if not more.
“I’ve been waiting for you to do something like this,” Pikes said. “I’ve been waiting for a long time for the opportunity to grab you by your scrawny little neck and throw you into a pit of lava.”
Scrawny little neck? The fuck was Pikes on about, Alex wondered with a frown. He was tempted to feel his neck just to see if it were scrawny, but decided against it. Time and place. Also, he did not have a scrawny neck. Demon Hunters did not have scrawny necks. Period. Every Demon Hunter had the perfect human body.
“What’s the plan?” Natasha asked, her hand gripped his tightly.
“Place your hand on the ground,” Lucifer said.
“What?”
“Just do it,” came the response.
“Okay…” Alex said out loud.
Letting go of Natasha’s hand, he dropped to his knees and placed his hand flat on the ground.
“What are you doing?” Pikes asked, frowning.
Alex shrugged. “I have no idea,” he replied honestl
y.
But then he felt it. There was a little murmur beneath his palm. Little specks of dust and broken rocks began to float around his hand. Then, the ground all around him suddenly erupted. Sharp spikes of rock shot up, throwing demons into the air, even impaling some.
“Did you do that?” Natasha asked in shock.
“Did I?” Alex asked.
“No,” Lucifer replied. “I did that. Wasn’t sure if it would work in hell, but it looks like my awesomeness isn’t limited to my realm.”
“Why the fuck haven’t you been telling me you can do things like that?” Alex asked.
“Because I couldn’t for a long time. I’ve been getting weaker and weaker every time I inhabited a new body,” Lucifer replied. “But it’s different with you. Besides, you already know I can do things like this. I showed you, remember?”
Lucifer was right. He had shown Alex what had happened when God first came down to earth. Lucifer made his escape by having the ground open up and swallow him in a dark tunnel. Here, the ground had risen up and sent the demons flying in every direction. They were ruffled, but aside from those that had been impaled, they did not appear to be seriously injured.
Alex had to make the most of this opportunity.
The ground had erupted in a circle around the black stones. Pikes, Magnamus and the demon crowd had been flung aside, but the demons standing on the black stone were still unharmed. The two that held Katrina’s legs apart released their grips and bolted. But the one with his trousers down was apparently made of sterner stuff. He pulled his trousers up and roared. As he charged, Alex readied his sword. As the demon came within range, he sliced its head off.
Not wanting to hang around for more, Alex quickly cut through the restraints that bound Katrina. As Natasha helped her girlfriend to her feet, some of the demons had recovered. They came charging at him, but they came in small groups of twos and threes. It was easy for Alex to fend them off and clear a path for Natasha and Katrina.
Once they made it out of the square, Alex sheathed his sword and collected Katrina in his arms. The poor girl was completely exhausted. She just about managed to open her eyes enough to see him, to recognise him. Her lips moved, but Alex couldn’t make out the words, so weak was her voice. She closed her eyes, but her lips spread into a smile.
“It’s going to be okay,” Alex whispered as he kissed her on the head.
With Katrina safe in his arms, Alex broke into a run. He made it halfway towards the inn when he spotted the horses in the distance. It was Jamana. She rode on one horse, One and Two rode on two other horses. And there were two spare horses.
Alex supposed that made sense. Katrina was in no state to ride by herself.
“Did you get any clothes?” Alex asked.
Jamana shook her head. It was obvious none of the girls had clothes on to spare. One and Two were dressed wearing the same two sheets of cloth they always wore, one around their breasts, the other covering their waist. Jamana was wearing a short leather skirt and a leather top that was cut at the midriff and had a plunging neckline.
And Natasha… The girl’s exposed nipples were red, sore from having the clamps attached. Alex pulled off his shirt and dressed Katrina in it. Then, mounting his horse, he gently pulled her up. They set off quickly, heading for the town gates.
Behind him, Alex could hear the demons giving chase, but on foot, they were no match for the hell horses. The growls and footsteps of the demons faded into the background. Alex felt good. They’d pulled it off without any of the girls being hurt.
His good feeling disappeared when the city wall came into view. Not only was the gate locked, a row of demons stood in front of it, spears pointed in their direction.
Alex had to give the demons credit. They were surprisingly alert. He supposed it had something to do with the city being at the front line of a war.
Alex didn’t get a chance to reason with the demons. A spear came flying at him. It was a good throw. Alex moved his head sideways and caught the spear by the tail. Knowing he needed to act quickly before spears were thrown at the girls, Alex dismounted with Katrina in his arm. He placed her on the ground gently before he threw the spear back at the demon.
It moved with such speed and velocity, it penetrated the demon’s armour and lifted him off the ground before it impaled him against the wooden gate. Alex charged at the remaining demons, his blazing sword lighting the way in the dark night. He sliced through the demons with ease, then stopped at the gate, looking for ways to open it.
“Hand on the ground, dude,” Lucifer said lazily.
Alex dropped to his knees and placed his hand flat on the ground. He felt the earth beneath begin to vibrate. There was a deafening sound as the rock cracked open and shot towards the wooden gate, smashing it into pieces. It wasn’t the prettiest way of opening the gate, but it was effective.
Alex collected Katrina in his arms once more and mounted the hell horse. They set off into the night, leaving behind the demon town of Riverie.
Chapter 37
The hell horses had abundant energy and big long legs. A single gallop moved them meters in front. They rode for the mountains, and they were making good progress. Alex was quietly relieved that the plan had worked without any hiccups. He held the reins with one hand, and the other, he had wrapped around Katrina as she rested her head against his shoulder.
Her eyes were closed, but her chest rose and fell steadily. The shirt that he’d given her to wear had hiked up to her belly button. There were dark lines and dried blood across her legs, all the way up to her vagina.
Alex glanced back at the diminishing wall of the town in anger. Once the girls were safe, he was going to go back and kill Pikes.
The land between the town and the mountains was completely flat. The surface was hard, but covered in a sheet of sand and dust. It was a silent night and the wind was still. So what was that dark shape?
Alex squinted as he stared at the cloud of darkness that surrounded the dark shapes. The shapes were moving. In fact, they were coming closer.
Alex recognised the shapes for that they were. Hell horses. And the cloud of darkness that surrounded them was the dust the horses’ enormous hooves kicked up. Alex alerted the girls. Their own hell horses picked up the pace. The chasing demons didn’t fall away into the distance, but nor did they come any closer.
Natasha took the lead once they reached the foothills. She knew the area well and led them through narrow paths between the mountains that twisted and turned. Alex was convinced the demons would never find them. He was half afraid they would never find their way out.
Eventually, they came to a small valley. It was more of a stream that ran through it than a river. But it was a stream of water, as opposed to lava. Natasha dismounted from the hell horse.
“Are we safe here?” Alex asked.
Natasha nodded. “This place is like a maze. They won’t find us here.”
“Where is… here?” Jamana asked, as she looked up at the surrounding hilltops.
“A safe place,” Natasha muttered, scowling. She held her hands out, and Alex gently placed Katrina in her arms.
Jamana climbed down from her hell horse. She took the beast by the reins and led it to the stream. Alex glanced at the water. The stream was shallow. He could see the thick slime-like substance that made the bed of the stream.
Alex decided he wasn’t thirsty enough to drink from the stream just yet. He did lead his horse there though and stood beside Jamana as their two beasts slurped up water noisily.
“Thanks for helping,” he said to her.
She smiled at him, but didn’t say anything. Even in the dark, he could see the worry in her eyes. She’d just broken the rules, and as a demon, there weren’t many places for her to hide. It was different for the humans. They were already fugitives. Natasha could take in One and Two and look after them. Sure, life would be a little harsher, but they would be free from the torture and abuse they currently received at the hands of the demons.
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Alex secretly hoped to take Jamana back to earth with him. She would love it there. He could just imagine the shock on her face when she sees blue skies, when she sees the sun rise, the moon shining brightly, the freaking stars in the night sky… Alex really missed the sky back on earth.
If he couldn’t take her back with him, he wondered if Natasha would help the demon. With that in mind, he approached her. She was sitting by the edge of the stream with Katrina. Natasha had taken off her white top. She dipped the cloth into the water before using it to gently scrub Katrina’s legs.
Katrina sat with her bottom on the rocky surface, her eyes closed, she leaned against a large boulder.
“She’ll be fine,” Natasha said, as she looked up at Alex. “It’s nothing she hasn’t experienced before. It’s nothing we haven’t experienced before,” she added quietly.
Alex had come to speak about Jamana, but Natasha had her hands pretty full at the moment, so instead, he asked, “What’s the plan from here? How long should we wait here?”
“At least the night,” Natasha said. “Maybe even longer. We can’t go through the mountains to our village. It’s too risky. The further we go in, the more dangerous it will be. There are things in these mountains that even your sword wouldn’t be able to cut through,” she said darkly.
Alex didn’t doubt her. It was hell. Was it a surprise that there were fearsome beasts roaming around? Fuck no.
“We should spend the night here,” Natasha repeated. “Tomorrow morning, we will leave the girls here and head back out to see if the coast is clear.”
Alex left Natasha to tend to Katrina. A few trees grew around the stream and he went to collect firewood. He returned with a bunch of broken branches from fallen trees collected in his arms.
Jamana lit a small fire close to a part of the hill that had a slab of rock rising up straight for three meters. It was as good a place as any to spend the night. Alex sat with his back leaning against the hard rock of the mountain, his legs sprawled out. Jamana was beside him, her head rested on his shoulder. One and Two both had their heads on his lap. The girls fell asleep, holding each other’s hands. Katrina and Natasha were a few feet away, both curled into balls and holding hands.
The Devil's Apprentice: Book 2: Descent to Hell Page 19
