Into the Abyss

by Brenda K. Davies

  “Who are you?” she demanded of me.

  “My name is Magnus, and I’m a friend of yours.”

  “A friend? I have no friends. Not since the war. All I have is my family.”

  Her voice trailed off as she frowned at the rock walls. “Am I at the wall?” she asked.

  After the gateway opened, humans and demons built a wall dividing the central areas of the country devastated by the opening of the gateway from the outer regions of the country that weren’t as severely affected. Erin volunteered to work the wall when she was sixteen and had stood guard there. Months ago, she left the wall behind to join us in eradicating what remained of our enemies in the Wilds.

  “No. This is not the wall,” I said.

  When Amalia moved closer, she drew Erin’s attention to her.

  “We can help you,” Amalia whispered.

  “How? I’m not… something is wrong.” Erin dropped her head into her hands and slapped at the sides of it as if she were trying to batter the answer into it.

  “Don’t.” Grasping her hands, I stepped closer and held her palms against her temples as her shoulders heaved with her breaths.

  Erin was strong, capable, loyal, and one of the most intelligent humans I’d ever come across, but her brain wasn’t processing any of this right. Unlike Mara, who was convinced it would get better or she could change something, Erin knew none of this was right, but she couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and it was screwing with her mind.

  “I can only live where there is light, but I die if the light shines on me. What am I?” Erin murmured.

  “What does that mean?” Amalia asked.

  “It’s a riddle,” I explained. “The skelleins are always trying to stump her with them, but they haven’t succeeded yet.”

  Erin’s head lifted, and her eyes bored into mine. “What am I?”

  “I don’t know the answer,” I admitted.

  “A shadow. I’m a shadow of who I was. A shadow in this place that is nothing but shadows, but there are no shadows here,” Erin babbled. “It’s not real. It’s all real. But it’s not right. Something is wrong here. Not right. No shadows. No shadows in this land.”

  I could feel her mind unraveling further as she struggled to grasp what was real and align it with what the jinn had done to her.

  “We hurt without moving,” Erin whispered. “We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size. What are we?”

  “I don’t know the answer, but I am your friend,” I said.

  “This place is lies and shadows.”

  Erin jerked on her hands as she tried to free them to batter herself again, but I wouldn’t let her go. When she lifted her head, her eyes were more dazed than when she first ran into us. I felt her grip on reality loosening as the Abyss worked its way deeper into her mind.

  “What are we?” she shouted in my face.

  “We are here!” I yelled back at her, uncertain of what else to do. “You are here with us. Listen to me, Erin. Hear what I’m saying to you.”

  “Erin,” she murmured and licked her lips as clarity slipped back into her eyes. “I am Erin, and you are…?”

  “Magnus. You know me.”

  “I know you. I know we are trees.”

  “Trees?” Her mind was jumping too fast for me to keep up with her.

  “Yes, trees, that is what we are.”

  It took me a minute to comprehend trees was the answer to her last riddle. “Yes, trees.”

  “Unless it’s a calamut tree, and then they can move.” Her forehead furrowed, and she bowed her head. “Calamut trees, I remember them now.”

  “Those trees came from Hell,” I said.

  “Yes. They did. You came from Hell too. Death also came to Earth from Hell.”

  “Death has always been on Earth.”

  “Not on horseback,” she murmured. “Now, Death rides.”

  I realized she was talking about Death the horseman and not actually dying.

  “Erin?” Lifting her head, she blinked at me.

  Recognition lit her eyes. “Magnus.”

  I grinned at her. “Yes.”

  She smiled back at me before vanishing.

  “What? No!” I grasped at the empty air in a failed attempt to grab for her. Rage vibrated my body when I whirled on Amalia. “What happened?”

  Amalia gawked at me before looking at the space where Erin had stood. Her gaze traveled over the rock walls before returning to me. “She’s not here.”

  “No shit.” I regretted the hostile words as soon as they left my mouth. This was not her doing.

  Amalia recoiled before her eyes narrowed and deepened to a livid, red hue. “I mean she’s not in the Abyss.”

  “Not in the Abyss?”

  “Yes. Is that too difficult for you to comprehend?”

  I glared at her, and she glared back.

  “Are you saying she’s free of this place?” I inquired.

  “Well aren’t you the cleverest of demons!” she retorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

  The motion pulled the material taut over her breasts. Some of my annoyance ebbed when my gaze fastened hungrily on them. Despite my frustration with this place and her kind, the sight stirred me. We were supposed to be doing something, but all I could think about was drawing her nipple into my mouth and feasting on it.

  If I stepped into her now, pressed her against the wall, and lifted her skirt, would she let me take her? When I recalled her actions when we were crouched behind the rocks earlier, I thought she might. She was irritated with me, but she wanted me too. However, such an action might get us both killed in this place. Although, we hadn’t encountered anything deadly to us yet.

  A quick rutting would get her out of my head, and I’d be able to concentrate on what was going on around here more when I found my release. But I couldn’t do quick with her. No, I wanted to savor every inch of her supple body.

  What color will her eyes be when I’m inside her?

  Never had I craved a woman so much I ignored any form of danger, but for a brief second, I forgot we were in this place as my mind became consumed with wicked fantasies about the things I longed to do to her. Amalia was a temptation that might lead to my ultimate downfall, but what a downfall it would be.

  What is it about her?

  I was determined to find out the answer, but first I had to learn what became of Erin.

  “Erin is free of the Abyss?” My voice was more guttural than normal, but then my growing erection was pushing uncomfortably against my pants.

  Amalia lowered her arms and glanced around her. “Yes, I think so. I believe her moment of realization might have been enough to free herself from this place. Unlike Mara, she wasn’t trying to fix something; she was trying to understand and break free. I think she’s back with your friends.”

  “We need to return and make sure she’s there. Can you take us back?”

  “Yes.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Amalia

  Magnus stepped through the portal before me, and I followed. We reemerged into the clearing we’d left behind. Night had descended while we were gone, no bodies remained, and no one was here.

  “Do you know where they went?” I asked.

  “Yes, this way.”

  A small jolt of happiness went through me when I realized he trusted me enough to reveal to me where the others hid. No one who wasn’t a jinni trusted the jinn, but he’d just shown more faith in me than I’d ever expected from him. It was such a stupid thing to be so pleased about, yet I found myself smiling as I followed him through the woods.

  Magnus continuously surveyed the area for any hint of a threat as we wound our way through the trees in a course I suspected was meant to draw forth or lose any enemies who might be lying in wait. After at least a mile, we arrived at the entrance of a cave.

  Standing four feet tall and only three feet wide, I would have missed the entrance set into the gray rocks surrounding
it if he hadn’t pointed it out. The vines hanging over the rocks were brown and barren now, but they would completely cover the entrance when they were in bloom.

  Taking my arm, Magnus led me into the cave. Because it was too narrow, I had to walk slightly behind him, but he kept hold of me. His finger caressed my flesh, and I got the sense he couldn’t get enough of touching me as we walked. With every step he took, the bunch and flex of his muscles kept my eyes riveted on him. I didn’t know what it was about this demon, but he captivated me even during those times when as I was contemplating punching him in the face.

  A hundred feet in, Magnus ducked to avoid banging his head on a low-hanging rock, but he rose to his full height on the other side of it. Afterward, the cave started to widen out until we could walk next to each other.

  I stayed close by his side as we wound deeper beneath the earth. The further we went, the more the damp air caused a chill to creep over my flesh and the less light penetrated until we were in complete darkness. Unable to see anymore, I relied on my other senses, and Magnus, to keep me from walking into a wall.

  We were at least half a mile into the cave when the scent of smoke wafted to me along with the murmur of voices. Flickering light lit the dark recesses when we rounded a corner of the cave. From around a bend in the stone walls, Raphael stepped into view. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and his shoulders hunched as if he were preparing to charge into a fight. Then, he relaxed and his hand fell away from the weapon.

  “Magnus,” he greeted.

  “Raphael,” Magnus replied.

  Corson arrived at Raphael’s side. “What happened?” he demanded.

  “Is Erin here?” Magnus inquired, and then Erin emerged from the shadows behind Corson.

  Erin grinned as she waved at us. “I had no idea what happened to you.”

  Magnus released me to embrace the small, slender girl. “I can say the same to you,” he said.

  A bolt of jealousy tore through me when they hugged, and I looked away before the emotion overwhelmed me. Staring at the cave walls, I concentrated on the differences between the stones of Earth and those of the Abyss. Within the Abyss, the rocks were wrong somehow; here, they were a foundation of the planet itself.

  “How did you get free?” Magnus asked Erin.

  Erin stepped from his embrace and glanced at me. I suspected the others had already informed her what I was and where she’d been.

  “I’m not sure. It was all so confusing in there,” Erin said. “One minute, I was eating dinner with my family, laughing and joking as we always did, and the next I was at Volunteer Day, waiting to step forward to go to the wall.”

  Her hands tightened on Magnus’s forearms. “My parents were so proud of me that day, and I loved it. I volunteered to make sure they would have enough food for them and my siblings, but I was scared, and I didn’t want to leave. Standing there, it was all so familiar, and I could feel my parents’ love, yet it all seemed sort of… off. You know?” Erin asked.

  “I don’t,” Magnus admitted.

  “I don’t either.” Erin released him and stepped back. “I just knew I shouldn’t be there.”

  “There have always been those with a strong enough mind to escape the Abyss,” I said. “Is there anything you desperately long for or would wish was different?” I asked Erin.

  They all gave me wary glances, but I didn’t need to see their distrust of me, I could feel it.

  “Don’t make a wish,” Corson said and rested his hand on Erin’s shoulder.

  My fingers dug into my palms as I glowered at him. I almost screamed at him that I wasn’t like the jinn who did this, I was trying to help, but I bit back the words; he believed he already had me figured out.

  “She’s not like most of the jinn,” Magnus said.

  My eyes flew to him, and a wave of relief washed over me. He believes me!

  What does it matter if he believes me? I knew who I was, no one could take that from me, and that was what counted.

  But then I realized it mattered because I desired this demon more than anyone I’d ever encountered, and I didn’t want him to see me as a monster.

  Crap.

  I wanted him, but this could all end horribly with the jinn and everyone else involved.

  “She has you believing that?” Corson inquired as he cast me a doubtful glance.

  “It’s true,” Magnus said. “Somewhere along the way, a jinni found their Chosen outside of the jinn population. Because of that, they have what they call…”

  “Faulted,” I supplied when his voice trailed off, and he glanced questioningly at me. “I’m a Faulted jinni. There are seven of us in total.”

  “And this Fault makes you different than the rest?” Corson asked.

  I chose to ignore the sarcasm in his voice when I replied, “Yes.”

  “And we’re supposed to believe you?”

  “You can believe whatever you want, but it’s the truth. Behind the seals, my Fault didn’t matter. Now, most of the Faulted live on their own, but I decided to stay with the other jinn because of my parents. I’m not sure how long that will last.”

  “Why, because it hurts you to hurt others?” Corson oozed venom as he asked this.

  “Enough!” Magnus snarled in a tone I’d never heard from him before. “I believe her.”

  My eyebrows rose as Corson’s gaze slid from me to Magnus.

  “You believe her?” Corson asked incredulously. “The jinn are nothing but manipulative monsters.”

  “We are not monsters!” I snapped. “Maybe the jinn don’t have to feed on others the way they do to survive, but in some of them, it is their nature to do so. And that nature is as interwoven into them as your bond to your Chosen is interwoven into you.

  “Besides, I don’t care if you like what the jinn do or not. Maybe people and demons shouldn’t yearn for things they can’t have, and then they’d never have to deal with the jinn. Maybe they should realize that nothing worth having comes by simply wishing for it. And if I were you, I’d watch what you’re feeling about bringing your Chosen back, because the jinn might be drawn to you too!”

  Folding my arms over my chest, I scowled at Corson as I tried to control the tumult of emotions rattling me. Not only were my feelings out of control, but so were those of everyone around me.

  “I believe her,” Magnus said after a protracted silence followed my outburst. “Because I know what caused the Fault in the jinn line.”

  I shot him a disgruntled look. “Do you now?”

  “You’re part fae,” he stated.

  CHAPTER 13

  Amalia

  His words deflated some of my exasperation as I gazed at him. So, he’d paid enough attention to me to figure it out.

  “The fae line has been dead for thousands of years,” Corson said. He still regarded me like I was a manticore looking to strike, but most of the antagonism had melted from his voice.

  “Over five thousand years to be exact,” Magnus replied. “That’s why I didn’t recognize it at first; I should have known what she was just from her eyes, but none of us have seen a fae before.”

  “How do you know that’s what she is?” Caim inquired.

  “I’ve read a lot of the scrolls the demons kept about our history. The demons who wrote those scrolls didn’t mention the fae often, as the fae weren’t fighters. Their empath ability and pacifistic nature made them easy targets for other demons, but they adapted enough to survive amongst demonkind. After a while, most demons let the fae be; what fun is it to attack someone who won’t fight back?

  “The fallen angels didn’t feel the same way and were the ultimate end of the fae. The angels didn’t care if the fae were fun to fight or not. They saw them as inferior because they were demons, so they slaughtered them.”

  My fingers dug into the skin of my forearms as my heart ached for those distant ancestors who never quite fit in to the environment they were born into. I knew well how difficult that must have been for them. But desp
ite their differences from other demons, the fae learned to survive in Hell until a group of vicious intruders eradicated them.

  I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at Caim who had his head tilted to the side as he studied me.

  “I think I dimly recall these fae beings,” Caim murmured. His eyes slid up to meet mine. “With their colorful eyes. They didn’t put up much of a fight against us.”

  “I’m glad you remember slaughtering my ancestors,” I muttered.

  Caim shrugged. “Only the strongest survived Lucifer. I take no satisfaction from killing; I never have. I simply did what was necessary to survive back then.”

  “And killing a species who didn’t like to fight was necessary?” I demanded.

  “Not at all,” Caim said. “Surviving Lucifer’s wrath was though. He wanted them dead, and nobody said no to him. Your fae or my life, the choice was not a difficult one to make.”

  “So when you turned on Lucifer, you did it to save yourself?” I inquired.

  Caim’s eyes and his sculpted face became a wall of ice. “No. I did that to save all of us. Turning against my brother was not an easy decision to make.” A muscle twitched in his cheek when he glanced at Raphael. Hostility shimmered in the air between them, but when he looked at me again, he smiled. “Your eyes betray your emotions.”

  My eyes were as much of a curse as my ability to feel the emotions of others as if they were mine. The rest of the Faulted hadn’t inherited the shifting eye colors of the fae—colors that revealed my every emotion to anyone who knew what each of the shifting hues meant.

  “I’m sure their eyes were another thing that helped aid in the demise of the fae,” I murmured. “I guess it’s tough to fight someone when they can figure out your every emotion by looking at your eyes.”

  “Yes, it would be,” Corson murmured. “And you trust her because she is part fae?” he asked Magnus.

  “No,” Magnus said. “I trust her because she didn’t turn on me in the Abyss, and she brought me back here when I asked her to. If she intended to kill me or set me up, she’s had plenty of opportunities to do so. I also trust her because I saw what the Abyss does to her.”