by Ivy Asher
He has a scythe just like me. We’re similar, but so very different. I can feel it, just in the air. His scythe has magic completely foreign to me, but I recognize how powerful it is even standing clear across the other side of the room.
All the pieces fall into place as my mind catches up to what exactly this means. Gatekeepers are the ones who created the Hellgate. They’re the ones who are supposed to protect it. The ones who built the original portals into Hell that the Gate Guardians watch over. But the Gatekeepers died out a long time ago. Or so we thought.
The presence of the scythe confirms what I probably should have figured out when he created the little sun and fused the portal magic into cuffs. No wonder Morax has kept him all this time.
He wants Toreon to make a portal to Heaven. This next move isn’t just Morax attempting to take over Hell. He’s aiming for Heaven and then the Mortal Realm too. He’s going for the big trifecta, all in one ugly swoop.
Morax carelessly announcing what Toreon is makes Vudu tense up and Toreon’s face harden. But I see the raw vulnerability that flashes through Toreon’s gaze before he shuts it down and lets the outrage he’s feeling take over.
I wish I could look over and share a holy shit look with Medley and Delta as they reel with this news too. But there’s no way to communicate a what the hell without giving ourselves away.
“I want all the Brogue demons with the Gatekeeper,” Morax orders, and the red-skinned demons immediately move to surround Toreon.
Their large bodies block him from my view, and my chest aches as though he was just ripped away from me.
“You will not let anything interfere with him or his portal. When the Sins and Lucifer are nothing but ash, we will join you, and then we will take on Heaven and the hosts that have plagued us our entire existence,” Morax goes on, looking around the room as he draws himself up, gaining the attention and crazed devotion of his followers as he looks at each of them in turn. “We will finally do what we have been planning for so long. We will take all the realms and make them ours. No more rules of balance. The greater species will prevail!” he exclaims, and all the demons in the room roar their approval, my ears pulsing with their unrepentant enthusiasm.
Not if I can help it. That thought rings through my mind, and I take a deep, fortifying breath as I square my shoulders.
I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re going to take the Ophidian and his murderous followers out. I’m going to rescue Toreon. Then we’re all going to get out of there and hide away before anyone else can decide they want to pick up where Morax left off.
Morax turns to look at Vudu. “Pave the way, Terra demon,” he orders, and my eyes shoot over to the gentle giant.
Vudu nods and walks forward, while Toreon watches his friend with a frown.
Vudu’s arms swing at his side as he stalks over to the wall, making guards scurry out of his way. Stopping in front of the stones, Vudu raises both hands in front of him, the gray plated armor on his shoulders shifting with the move as his back muscles bunch.
With both of his palms pressed against the wall, I watch as something crackles beneath his hands, and then Vudu seems to part the wall like someone parting curtains. My eyes widen a fraction before I school them again, and Vudu steps away, showing a long, dark tunnel behind the facade he just peeled back like an orange rind.
Morax grins. “Excellent. And you’ve finished it?”
“Just one last section left,” Vudu confirms, and my mind whirls. Was this how he was planning on sneaking Toreon out?
Morax makes a pleased hum. “You have been busy.” He jerks his chin up. “Go clear the way.”
Vudu bows dutifully before turning on his heel and instantly stalks into the tunnel. The tunnel is the perfect height for his large body, which comes as no surprise, since apparently, he built it. I watch as he disappears from view after only a few steps, his body being swallowed by the shadows.
Morax turns to the red-skinned demons again. “The Terra demon will clear the last part of the tunnel, and you’ll lead the way to ensure our entry point into Nihil is clear before escorting the Gatekeeper inside. Don’t fail me,” Morax growls, and with that, the Brogue demons surrounding Toreon lead him into the dark walkway.
I hold my breath and send out a silent plea that Vudu and Toreon will be okay. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shateel strutting toward Morax, decked out in a shiny bronze dress, her snakes slithering around in a live updo that makes me feel like I have something crawling over my skin.
Morax looks around at the Abdicated. “Go.”
They begin to file out, moving around him, just as Shateel reaches Morax. “Ready, my Liege?”
Morax turns with a nod. “Do it.”
The Abdicated block my view as they begin heading toward the tunnel, but I’m able to see Shateel placing her palms on Morax’s face, and my stomach drops. Shit. She’s disguising him.
An Abdicated wing blocks my view, and I try to casually move so I can watch Morax and Shateel, but it’s no use. I’m at the back of the room, dealing with a dozen or so Abdicated bodies between me and them in the dim light.
Craning my neck to the side, all I’m able to see is his wings ripple with change, right as another large body steps in my way, hiding Shateel and Morax from sight.
I move to step to the left for a better vantage point, but a hand comes down on my shoulder, keeping me still. I don’t look back to see who stops me. I’m supposed to be brainwashed and mindless with no goal other than to carry out Morax’s plans, so I simply just freeze in my tracks and stare at nothing, hoping whoever stopped me doesn’t grow suspicious of my movements.
“Finished,” I hear Shateel say, and then I catch a glimpse of her sultry walk as she heads into the tunnel with the others, while winged Abdicated surround her.
Panic flares through me.
“Let’s go.” The hand on my shoulder moves down to grip my arm, and I see that a trio of guards with black chest plates are standing behind us, one for each of my sisters and me. With a tight grip on our arms, they start tugging us forward.
My eyes flare, searching wildly around, but I lost my chance. There’s no way I can see what Morax looks like now. I don’t even know what all the other Abdicated in the room looked like, so I can’t even rule faces out when we get to this party.
How are we going to tell the good Abdicated from the bad?
Trepidation sinks into my every muscle as we’re led to the tunnels with the last of Morax’s followers. How the hell are we going to trick the Ophidian if we don’t even know what face he’s wearing? He could be anyone. He could even be the guard holding me now.
That thought makes my blood run cold.
Maybe Delta or Medley were able to see him, but there’s no way for me to check in with them. I can’t risk looking their way, not with the ominous hand gripping me.
What ifs and foreboding despair flood my mind with warning. I try not to heed any of the alarm, but hopelessness floats in my chest all the same, and that hopelessness reminds me of the years I lived as a human.
All my life, I have been trying not to see monsters.
I have actively ignored them, hid from them, even tried to medicate against them. But all of that is behind me now. I’m not that hopeless, lost woman. I have to face what I am and where I am. I may have tried to ignore the monsters of my past, but the Ophidian is the biggest monster of them all, and in order to face him, I have to know his face.
I’m jostled and shoved forward by the armored demon behind me. The movement stokes my anger, and I use it to chase my fears and worry away. My sisters and I will have to be very, very careful, but there’s no turning back now. I wouldn’t want to turn back even if I could.
I pull a calming breath into my lungs and release it slowly.
Maybe we won’t survive this, but if giving my life is what it takes to end the monster, then it’s worth it. The Ophidian needs to be stopped at all costs. And if it comes down to it, I’m ready t
o pay the price.
23
I never considered myself someone who’s afraid of the dark. Things didn’t go bump in the night for me. They didn’t need to, because I saw the scary things in the light of day. But right now, as I’m being forced to walk through a pitch-black tunnel, I practically feel the shadows and menace closing in on me.
There’s something incredibly unnerving about walking down a narrow space like this, without any light, surrounded by enemies and the scent of earth and evil. I’m trying to have faith in Vudu’s ability—I know he would never plan on taking Toreon through here unless it was safe—but it doesn’t make it any less creepy and unnerving.
The walls, noise, bodies, our breath, it’s all so close together, the tunnel not quite wide enough for two people to walk side by side. I feel the rough dirt and stone wall whenever the guard holding my arm jostles me. I pull my wings closer against my back, trying not to touch the walls and make my sudden claustrophobia even worse.
Every once in a while, when the bodies in front of me align correctly, I can see a torch anchored in the wall up ahead, giving off a hint of light. I use that as a spot to focus on, counting my steps as we walk and trying to ignore the thought of this whole damn tunnel collapsing on us. Although, that would solve the Morax problem…but being buried alive isn’t the blaze of glory I was mentally preparing for.
Everyone is quiet as we make our way through the endless tunnel. My mind wanders to my sisters, and I hope Delta and Medley are doing okay and not freaking like I’m trying not to do. I tell myself that if they were in trouble behind me, I’d feel it, and that thought has me exploring our connections.
Tentatively, I examine the bonds I feel in my chest. I’m tempted to pluck each one like they’re fragile harp strings in hopes that the resonance might be used to reach out to Medley and Delta, but I’m not sure if that will work. I don’t even know if I can communicate with them this way, but what can it hurt?
If a strange demon can pop into my head and invade my thoughts and dreams, can’t I figure out how to use this connection to make sure my sisters are okay?
We’re tethered together, and although I might not be able to explain it, I can feel it, and my instincts are saying there’s something to this. It takes a few moments of concentration, but I follow my instincts as I mentally reach out and latch onto the links between us. I’m comforted when I don’t feel any fear or panic. Trepidation, yes, but the strongest underlying emotion that I sense between the three of us is determination.
I feed hope into the tethers, and in less than a blink, I feel shock and then eager excitement being fed back to me.
Holy crap, it worked!
I embrace the emotions of Medley and Delta and then feed my own determination and steadying calm into our bonds. Strength and love hardens each of us in that moment, and I release the connections slowly, feeling renewed and as ready as I can be for what’s coming next.
I’m not alone. My sisters are with me, and we’ll figure this out together.
On and on we walk in the dark. One hundred and seven torches. That’s how many I count as our group makes their way quietly through the tunnels. My legs ache. My lungs burn with stagnant air. After so long in the cage, this exercise is making me winded, but my adrenaline is pumping enough that I keep going, and the guard’s hold on my arm makes sure of it too.
Scuffed steps, eerie whispers, and the sound of wings brushing up against the walls is the only thing that I have to listen to for who knows how long. Even though I know we’re basically walking the plank into shark-infested waters, I’m begging for the end of the tunnel to come.
Voices up ahead wrench me to alertness, and then an unmistakable glow of power flares to life at the front of the line. My brows draw together, but before I can even wonder what’s going on, the ground begins to shake, and a loud noise consumes the tunnel.
Vudu.
We’ve reached the end. We’re about to pass into Hell’s core, Nihil.
Shit. I guess it’s almost showtime.
Unable to see much, and with the ground and walls shaking, I bump into the person in front of me when they abruptly come to a stop. The guard holding my arm is unsteady too, but he wrenches me back while barking at the other guards behind us to stop.
Clouds of dust fill the cramped air as Vudu uses his power to open up the last part of the earth. Only the light of his softly glowing power allows me to see his shadowed silhouette, his arms outstretched once again as he melds and moves the earth, manipulating it into the end of the tunnel.
It would be beautiful if it weren’t leading us to possible doom.
You’d think a demon moving literal tons of soil and rocks would look a little overexerted as he goes, but Vudu seems like he’s directing fuzzy bunnies for all the strain that’s present in his large frame.
A deep crimson glow follows his every move, and the ground in front of us parts as easily as a hot knife cuts through butter. Boulders and stones roll over each other to make way for their master, and it’s not the Ophidian they bow down to, but Vudu. He’s the owner, the captain, the king, and the earth listens to his every command.
I’m transfixed by what he can do, his control so great that he even ensures the dirt and dust that moved in the air doesn’t land on us, and he quickly waves his hand and makes every single particle reattach to the walls.
Slowly, our group starts to walk again, and when I pass under another torch, I blink down at my arm, double-checking that what I’m seeing is right. I’ve brushed the walls of this tunnel several times now, but where I should have collected smudges, all I see is a clean, dirt-free arm and wing.
Vudu’s power not only created the tunnel we’re traversing, but he made sure that not one speck of dirt marred any of us too. It’s a level of control and mastery of his abilities that I’m in awe of.
My respect for Vudu soars. I already knew he was selfless, but his planning and ability to carry through with his own plans rivals even Morax. He allowed himself to fall into the Ophidian’s control, be used and subjugated by the maniac, and created this massive tunnel that leads to the Core of Hell, all to save Toreon.
In a short amount of time, I’ve come to care for both of them. But maybe part of the reason for that is because...we might not have time to waste.
An abrupt blaze of red light has me shielding my eyes, and it’s followed by a whooshing breeze of fresh air, indicating that the tunnel is finally open on this side. The smell of sulfur invades the space, but instead of it being a scent that repulses me, I’m surprised to feel reassured by it, almost welcomed by it, like it’s the same as a freshly baked apple pie or something normal people recognize as the scent of home.
Right past the sulfur is something else. A certain taste in the air. The more I breathe it in, the more rejuvenated I feel. I catch myself taking in great gulps of it, as if I want to drink it down.
Whoa. Nihil air is intensely delicious.
Slowly, the red light from Vudu’s power fades into nothing, and the shaking and noises stop. With all the dust settled, I watch as my hulking Terra demon steps aside for the red-skinned guards to lead the way into Nihil first.
All I can see from the arched exit is another shadowed room beyond. Since we’re in the back of the line, it takes a while for us to make it through, but once we do, my eyes quickly dart around the space. And it’s huge.
Judging by the crates upon crates upon crates filled with what seem to be glass bottles, I’d say we’re in some sort of massive wine cellar.
It’s tense for a moment as the guards span out, quickly and quietly checking the rows, like a librarian running around the stacks to make sure no one is getting frisky against one of the bookshelves.
I look around covertly, not moving my head in case someone is watching—like Morax. As my gaze slips over each and every Abdicated, I try to see if I can catch a hint of him in the way they hold their bodies or in their expressions. I mean, I’ve been held captive by him for weeks, been tortured by hi
m for just as long. If I can catch him making a familiar gesture, maybe I can seek him out.
He might be able to hide his face, but he can’t hide who he is. Not forever, anyway.
After a few silent and still moments, all the Abdicated rigid and edgy, one of the guards finally calls out a quiet, “All clear.”
“Alright, you have your orders,” Shateel says to everyone, taking the helm.
I inwardly groan. Is Morax letting her call the shots so he can stay hidden? Well, fine. We’re staying hidden too. We may have different bodies and the look of complacent puppets dangling on his strings, but my sisters and I will beat him at his own game.
“Go. Make our Liege proud,” Shateel says, a gleam in her teeth that matches the flash in her serpentine eyes.
A small group of Abdicated breaks off and moves through the large space first, heading for the light that edges a door in the distance past several rows of shelves full of bottles and casks.
Dang, how much wine could one house consume?
This place is almost the size of a baseball field. It’s cool in here, which does help to remedy my clammy skin from the walk, and the tasty air seems to be sorting out any fatigue I was feeling, so there’s that. I’m feeling all spring chickenish, when ten minutes ago, I was more of a day-old bucket of extra crispy.
Light bleeds into the room when the Abdicated crack open the gargantuan door, checking to make sure the coast is clear. After a tense moment, they start to sneak through. One by one they quickly dart away, leaving the rest of us in the shadows. Several other groups of Abdicated repeat this slow process, and our crowd thins as each of Morax’s followers file out.
My eyes flick over to the group of over a dozen red demons guarding Toreon, and a few of them move, giving me a clear view of him. My heart picks up its pace, beating excitedly,, before I can wrap my darkness around the muscle and calm it down. I feel like some lovesick girlfriend at an airport, waiting for my person to walk out and scoop me up in a hug and promise to never be away from each other again.
