To Hell And Back (Hellscourge Book 2)

by Diem, J. C.

It was your command that the weapon responded to, Morax said. I played no part in the battle that occurred in this room.

  Sam sent me a strange look at my baffled expression at the conversation that he couldn’t hear. What do you mean?

  The Demon Prince has triggered the beginning of the end. He has unleashed the wrath of Hellscourge upon the nine realms. His tone was bleak. In the background of my mind, I heard an uneasy murmur coming from the rest of the legion.

  Lying on the gigantic stone bed, the dying girl moaned. Putting my own problems aside for now, I hurried over and took her hand. She’d lost so much blood that her flesh was cold. Sam kindly folded the black sheet over her to hide her nakedness as well as her terrible wounds.

  Eyes that were so similar to mine searched my face. “Please, help me,” she beseeched in a bare whisper.

  “I will,” I promised. “I’ll get you out of here and I’ll take you home to your family.” She was too far gone to be saved, but it was worth the lie just to see her relief. “Close your eyes,” I said. “When you open them again, everything will be okay.”

  Trusting me completely, her eyelids fluttered shut. Her chest rose and fell and didn’t rise again. Her grip went lax and a tiny smile touched her mouth. Even when her body gave out and she expired, her smile still remained.

  Sam gasped in wonder when pure white light emanated from her. Freed from her body, her soul hovered in the air. To my horror, it was drawn to me just like all the demon souls that I’d ingested. Letting go of her hand, I backed away, but it followed me relentlessly.

  “Do not run away from her,” Sam said sorrowfully. “If you do not take her with you, she will become like the wicked souls that are trapped in hell. She does not deserve that fate.”

  She didn’t deserve to be trapped inside me either, but maybe he was right. It wouldn’t be much fun being penned up with my legion, but it was better than the alternative.

  Giving in to the inevitable, I stood still while her soul settled over me. I didn’t feel the same awful sense of invasion when she sank into me. There was no barrage of memories of all the horrible things that she’d done. There had only been love and joy in her life until she’d been kidnapped by the Demon Prince. Just like the witch from so long ago, he’d taken everything from her, including her virtue. She had stood as a proxy for me since he couldn’t have the real thing. She’d paid the price for his monstrous lust.

  I don’t blame you, she said from within my mind. None of this is your fault.

  If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been brought to hell to suffer all the horrible things that he did to you.

  You didn’t choose this fate, she replied firmly. It was chosen for you. I only ask that you make the demons pay for destroying my life. The Prince feared you and now I see why. You will be the death of all of the rulers of these realms. She’d picked all of this up from skimming my mind.

  What is your name?

  She hesitated before responding and I sensed her sorrow at the life that had been stolen from her. Heather.

  Already, the legion was circling her. I didn’t have to see them to know that they would take great pleasure in tormenting her. Morax, I’m putting you in charge of Heather’s health and well-being.

  I felt him come to attention. I am not a nanny that you can delegate to look after stray human souls!

  No, but you are the leader of the legion and I expect you to control them. If any harm comes to her, I’ll find a way to make your existence inside me a misery.

  Believe me, he growled, it already is.

  Heather gave a whimper and my anger flared, making everyone inside me pause. Leave her the hell alone, or pay the price.

  One of the other Demon Lords spoke and I could hear the sneer in her tone. What can you possibly do to us?

  Test me and you’ll find out, I vowed. At my mental glower, they subsided into silence.

  Thank you, Heather whispered then she, too, faded.

  “Did I miss something?” Sam asked.

  “Just having a friendly discussion with the legion about Heather.”

  “Who is Heather?” he asked blankly. I pointed at her corpse and understanding dawned. “Ah. So you can communicate with her as well?”

  “Yep. She’s settling in with the rest of the group. I’m sure they’ll be nice to her.”

  His brows rose in disbelief. “Nice? That is not a word that is usually associated with demons.”

  “They’ll have to learn how, or they’ll regret it,” I said, knowing my demonic hitchhikers could hear me.

  I wished we could take Heather’s body with us, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be a good idea to linger in the palace. Sadly, she would only slow us down. Crossing to the chest of drawers, I picked up the puzzle piece and slipped it into my pocket. We had what we’d come for and now it was time to leave.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Sam pointed at the corpse of the prince. “Are we going to just leave him lying there?” If any of his lackeys came to check on him, they’d immediately see that he was dead. It might buy us a little extra time if we at least attempted to hide his demise.

  “I guess we could put him back in bed.” I grimaced even as I made the suggestion. Heather was beyond caring about what happened to her body, but it still felt disrespectful to place the beast who had ended her life next to her.

  Working together, we grabbed hold of the prince’s body and dragged him over to the bed. We heaved him upward and tossed him onto it. The bed shuddered beneath his weight, but it was made of stone and managed to hold together. If I hadn’t had the legion inside me, I wouldn’t have had the strength to lift him.

  Sam picked up the prince’s head and positioned it so it was lying face down on the pillow to match his body. We pulled the sheet up to cover the fact that he’d been beheaded. “There,” he said with satisfaction. “Now it just looks like he is resting.” Hell spawn might not have to sleep, but even they rested sometimes.

  I carried his sword over to the other side of the bed and placed it on the floor where it wouldn’t be seen straight away. Black blood had pooled on the floor, marking the spot where the body had lain. I searched the chest of drawers and found a shirt. As was all the clothing in hell, it was black. I mopped up the mess as best as I could then tucked the shirt beneath the bed coverings.

  With one last regretful look at Heather, we headed for the door. There was nothing I could do about the two holes that we’d made in the wood during our battle, so I just kept walking.

  I could feel the flesh on my back knitting together as we made our way along the short hallway. I stopped at the stairs and turned my back to Sam. “How does my jacket look?”

  He laughed then smothered the noise with his hand. “Only you would be more concerned with your jacket than you are about your flesh.”

  “Leo and I had to fight hard to get this thing,” I reminded him with a grin.

  He examined it critically and gave me the good news. “Your clothing is healing at the same rate as your body.”

  “Thank God. I’d be devastated if my jacket was ruined.”

  Sam took the lead, holding my hand as we descended the stairs. Hearing voices approaching, we darted into the shadows next to the stairs. He blended us in with the stone wall just as a pair of hellscribes came into view. Instead of turning the corner, they entered the stairwell and began to climb.

  “I do not relish giving our Prince the news that Hellscourge and her minion have escaped,” the one in the lead said. It was the same female scribe that we’d seen talking to her ruler earlier.

  “Better you than me,” the second one muttered. “I just hope he has finished his debauchery by now. I hate having to wait while he ruts with his latest acquisition.”

  My rage flared again at hearing him casually dismiss the humans who had been raped to death at the hands of his leader. Dropping his camouflage, Sam shook his head in warning when he felt me tense up. He dragged me away from the stairs befor
e I could race upwards and take down the scribes.

  Moving as quickly as we dared, we scurried down the hallway. We had to press ourselves up against the wall twice as lackeys appeared. They didn’t notice us, but it was only a matter of time before they discovered that their feared leader was dead. Right after that thought, a despairing shriek rang out from above. It echoed through the hallways and every demon within earshot froze. Apparently, our ruse at hiding his corpse hadn’t been very successful.

  “The Prince is dead!” the female hellscribe screamed. “Hellscourge has killed him! The prophecy is true; we are all doomed!”

  Pandemonium broke out and demons spilled into the hallways. Lords and lackeys alike panicked and ran for the exits. If a being as powerful as a Demon Prince could fall, they knew that their lives would be even easier for me to extinguish.

  Sam drew me into an alcove and we waited patiently until the palace had emptied out. In just a few short minutes, we were alone. It was eerie walking through the deserted halls. Neither of us felt any urge to explore as we made our way back to the throne room. I’d only been joking when I’d told Leo I’d bring him back a souvenir. There was a distinct possibility that anything that we brought through a hellgate might end up being cursed.

  By unspoken agreement, we decided it would be safest to retrace our route through the catacombs rather than try to make our way through the city. Our dirty footprints marked the spot where we’d entered through the magic door.

  Sam delved into the backpack and withdrew the container of blood. It smelled even worse this time when he opened the lid and I tried not to retch. I dipped the stiff bristles of the brush into the liquid and started painting the rune on the wall.

  A low caw had us both spinning around to face the throne. The undead raven was now perched on the back of the black seat. It watched us through its one eye, cocking its head to the side to see us properly. Now that the throne room was devoid of demons, it seemed far larger.

  “What are you still doing here?” I said, knowing it could understand me. It opened its beak in a parody of a sly grin. “You’d better run off to your master to tell him that a spot has just opened up in his ranks. He’ll have to do a round of interviews for a new Prince of the eighth realm.” The raven ruffled its feathers in doubt. “You don’t believe me?” I pulled the piece of metal out of my pocket. “How do you think I got this?” With a startled squawk, it launched itself into the air and flew towards the window above.

  “Do you think it is wise to taunt the bird?” Sam asked uneasily.

  “I’m seventeen. Is anything that I do ever wise?” I countered.

  He diplomatically didn’t answer me and I went back to painting. A few seconds of silence passed then he wrinkled his nose. “Can you smell that?”

  “All I can smell is the blood,” I replied as I dipped the brush into the noisome fluid again.

  “It is something else,” he insisted and sniffed deeply. “It smells like sulfur.”

  Our eyes met a moment before a hollow howl rang out. It echoed through the hallways. Another joined it and then another.

  “Hellhounds,” we said together in matching tones of dread. The howls suggested that they’d picked up our scent and that they were on the hunt. Their steps were as soundless as the nightmares’. We wouldn’t know they were getting close until they pounced on us and tore our throats out.

  “Hurry,” Sam urged me in a whisper. He stared around fearfully as he tried to watch all directions at once. His hands were shaking, which made the container tremble.

  “I am,” I said and frantically dabbed blood on the wall. I could almost feel the legion wringing their hands in worry inside me. The hellscribe kept the image of the rune at the front and center of my thoughts so I wouldn’t make a mistake.

  “They’ve found us,” Sam said in a strangled moan a few moments later. I turned my head to see six monstrous, doglike creatures slink into the throne room. Similar to Rottweilers, they were far larger and uglier than any normal dog. Their heads were misshapen and they had way too many teeth. Like the nightmares, their bodies were black and their eyes were crimson. They split up so they could block all of the exits.

  Finishing off the last stroke, I dropped the brush. Realizing we were trying to escape, the hounds raced towards us. Their feet made no sound on the stone floor. I didn’t have time to reach for my dagger and bit my palm open instead. Slapping my hand on the rune, it flared to life. The door had barely managed to form, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Wrapping my arms around Sam, I threw myself backwards through the narrow opening.

  One of the hellhounds lunged forward and caught hold of Sam’s backpack. It pulled hard and we were yanked backwards. Sam’s eyes bulged in terror as hot, rancid breath washed over him. Drool dripped onto his shoulders as the hound worried him like a chew toy.

  Shaken from side to side, I braced us with both feet against the magical doorway. Holding on to my friend tightly, I pulled my dagger and sliced the straps of the backpack. Yelping in surprise, the hound stumbled backwards as we fell to the ground. Its red eyes glared at us and it growled around the backpack that was still clamped in its mouth. Then the doorway disappeared, sealing the pack off from us.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, rolling Sam off me so I could check to see if he was injured.

  “I have roughly a gallon of dog saliva running down my back, but I think I will survive,” he said gravely.

  Unable to help myself, I broke into laughter. I fell onto my side, holding onto my aching stomach as I laughed until I thought I would cry. He watched me in amusement until I finally managed to get hold of myself again. “You can have the first shower when we get back to Sophia’s place,” I promised. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “Gladly,” he replied and helped me to my feet. The wound on my back had healed completely by now. I felt my jacket to make sure it was intact as well.

  I now had two pieces of the mystery object. As an added bonus, I’d also killed one of the eight Demon Princes. For the first time, I felt a glimmer of hope that I might just be able to pull off the task that Fate had set for me. As long as I kept making the right choices, I had a shot at saving humanity and ending the perpetual war that raged between heaven and hell.

  My eyes adjusted to the lightless corridor after taking a few steps. Black stone was replaced by dry, gray soil as we entered the catacombs. It was easy to follow our own footsteps back along the twisting, turning route.

  Backtracking through the maze, we reached the main chamber where the metal object had been placed as a trap. The solitary ray of dim light still filtered through, lighting a now empty pedestal. Nothing ever changed in hell. The sun didn’t exist here. There was no night or day. There were no seasons to mark the passing of time. Clocks didn’t even work here, probably because time meant nothing at all. The only one who cared about the passing of hours was me. The longer I spent here, the more danger my mortal body would face.

  It might take months or even years before I would lose my humanity, but I wasn’t a normal human. I had a feeling it would take far less time for me to turn evil than it would for an average person. My crimson bracelet and dagger were proof of that. Speaking of my bracelet, I pulled my sleeve back and wasn’t at all surprised to see that a new image had become engraved on it.

  Angel magic might not work in hell, but my bracelet was still sometimes affected when I killed hell spawn. My friends’ bracelets didn’t have any markings at all. Maybe one day I’d be able to figure out what the symbols meant. For now, I had more pressing matters to worry about.

  As if reading my mind, a howl came from somewhere within the catacombs. “They’ve unleashed the hellhounds in here,” I said. Another howl sounded and then more followed it. It wasn’t just one pack, but several. They’d be able to follow the trail we’d made when we’d first entered and they’d be on us in minutes. We’d have to find another way out.

  “They might not be able to follow us if we mask our scent,” Sam su
ggested.

  “How are we going to do that?”

  He pointed at the pits that dotted the chamber. “The mud would probably be strong enough.”

  “You’re a genius!” I grinned and unceremoniously dunked my foot into the sludge. A hellsnake erupted from the depths, but I was ready for it. My dagger sheared it in two and it fell back into the ooze with a plop.

  I dunked my other foot then Sam copied me. We darted into the closest side tunnel, leaving damp footprints behind. I knew the hellhounds were intelligent, I just hoped they wouldn’t figure out our plan until after we had a decent lead on them.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  With no idea where the closest exit was, I chose tunnels at random. We came across another pit and I stuck my foot into it to bring the snake out. Crimson light flared from my dagger as I sliced its head off. We renewed the gunk on our feet then leaped over to the other side.

  Our ruse seemed to be working as we fled from the main chamber. The howls became distant and frustrated as the hounds realized that we’d managed to sneak away. I had no doubt that they’d figure out how we’d eluded them eventually, but I hoped we’d be able to escape from the tunnels before then.

  I knew we had to be close to an exit somewhere in the city when the dirt walls and floor began to angle upwards. They eventually changed to slick black stone as we left the caverns completely.

  Sam took the lead and I placed my hand in his as we trudged along the narrow hallway. He trailed his other hand along the wall, ready to hide us as we peered down the dim passage ahead. We came to a doorway and took a quick peek inside. It led to another hallway that angled to the left. I motioned for him to keep going.

  We passed several more doorways until we found one where the hall angled to the right. Going left would lead us deeper into the maze and by this stage, I just wanted out. It was claustrophobic being enclosed by the dense stone. I wanted to feel the air on my face again, even if it smelled a bit like sulfur.