To Hell And Back (Hellscourge Book 2)

by Diem, J. C.

  “Do you hear that?” Sam whispered. We paused and I tried to hear whatever had alerted him. It was faint, but I heard panicked screams and the stampede of running feet.

  “I guess word has spread that their Prince is dead,” I said. Hearing a prophecy about the scourge of demonkind was one thing. Knowing that I was real and that I was prowling around somewhere in their city had freaked them out completely. Now they knew what it felt like to live in fear. A small smile curved my lips upwards.

  Sam continued on until we eventually felt a puff of stale air. I breathed it in then wondered what had generated it. In the short time that I’d spent here, I hadn’t felt any type of wind at all. Weather didn’t seem to exist in hell.

  We emerged from the hallway into an alley at the base of the hill where the palace crouched. The light had dimmed and we looked up to see angry clouds hanging over the city. I’d been wrong about the weather. It was so dry here that I’d been doubtful that it had ever rained. Lightning flickered then raced down to smash into a building nearby. The wind picked up and howled, pushing us backwards, as if it was trying to warn us away.

  Sam’s expression was terrified. “We need to run!” he shouted over the gale.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you so scared?” Sure, lightning was dangerous, but the chances of it hitting us were minimal.

  “This is not a natural storm!”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because there has never been a storm in the entire existence of hell before!”

  Realizing what this meant, I didn’t need any further urging. The raven had reported in to its owner and the new master of hell was pissed. I’d killed one of the eight princes and he was making his displeasure known by throwing lightning at us. Sam had been right, maybe taunting the Hellmaster through his pet bird hadn’t been such a great idea.

  Lightning blasted again, landing closer this time. The smell of ozone permeated the alley and clung to us as we sprinted for safety. Heading downhill, we picked up speed as we raced down the slope. Terrified demons were now seeking shelter instead of trying to flee. They either didn’t see us or they ignored us in favor of trying to escape from the lightning.

  A group of lesser demons raced ahead of us. Lightning blasted from the sky, the flash was bright enough to almost blind me. It missed us and hit the lackeys instead. They were sent flying in all directions with their sackcloth on fire. Scorched and smoking, they lay on the ground, stunned. We raced past them as they shimmered then disappeared. They’d been sent back to the first realm. They’d have to wait for a captain or a lord to ferry them through a hellgate before they could leave the first realm again.

  We came to the end of the alley and entered a wider street. At the bottom of the slope, I saw the wide stone archway of a gate. I’d become so turned around that I wasn’t sure which direction we needed to head in. Escaping from the city seemed like the best plan, so we angled towards the exit.

  Linking arms, we sprinted along the road. The streets were rapidly clearing as the unnatural storm picked up in fury. Constant blasts of lightning stabbed down, hitting demons and buildings alike. The hell spawn wouldn’t die from being struck by the electricity, but I bet it didn’t tickle either.

  Running so fast that it was hard to keep our balance, we neared the gate. I dared to hope we would make it out, then blinding white light and sizzling pain hit us. We were tossed through the air and landed several yards apart. Landing on my back, I stared up at the roiling clouds blankly as my brain tried to remember how to work.

  “Violet?” a voice said. My ears were buzzing and sound was muted. A hideous face came into view. His heavy brow was wrinkled in concern, pushing his squinty eyes down even further. “Are you alive?” Tears welled in the dark brown eyes as he took my hand. “Please don’t die.”

  Smoke rose from my clothes and I could smell singed hair. “Am I bald?” I whispered.

  “What?” He leaned in close to listen.

  “Is my hair all gone?”

  He leaned back and examined me then rolled his eyes. “Your hair is fine. If you are conscious enough to worry about your appearance, then you must be alright.”

  Sam helped me to sit up and I touched my hair to make sure he wasn’t lying. It was still there and I couldn’t feel any missing patches. “Thank God,” I said in heartfelt relief. I could apparently heal my flesh while I was in hell, but I wasn’t sure how easily I could regrow my hair. It was the one thing about my appearance that I was girlishly vain about.

  Now that I’d been taught a lesson, the clouds ceased to boil and the lightning died. The clouds broke up and disappeared as if they’d never existed. A sly croak came from above and we looked up to see the raven circling us.

  Voices shouted from somewhere up the street as we were spotted by a group of lesser demons. They scattered in terror when they realized who we were. My blond hair had instantly given us away. My hair tie had fallen out at some stage and I hadn’t even noticed.

  “Come on,” Sam said and heaved me to my feet. “We need to leave before they call the hounds, or worse.”

  I didn’t want to know what could be worse than the hellhounds. Deeper voices shouted orders as captains and Demon Lords arrived. My legs didn’t want to cooperate as we ran through the gate. We wouldn’t make it far before we would be caught. Feet pounded on the cobbled street behind us as leather clad soldiers came in pursuit.

  I need you! I sent the thought out, hoping it would be heard. Responding to my desperation, my steeds materialized ahead, complete with the carriage that we’d left near the entrance to the catacombs. We raced towards it and Sam yanked the door open. He shoved me inside and the hellhorses began to run even before he hauled himself in after me.

  In seconds, we were moving at a full gallop. I slumped in exhaustion and put my head back against the plush seat. I’d never been struck by lightning before and I definitely didn’t want to repeat the experience. Eventually, the white spots before my eyes vanished and the ringing in my ears went away.

  Opening my eyes, I turned to see Sam watching me in concern. “Are you well?” he asked.

  I nodded and straightened up. “I feel fine. I don’t think any permanent damage was done.”

  His concern didn’t lessen. “The Hellmaster knows that you are not just a myth now. You have killed a Prince and you have fulfilled part of the prophecy. He will now be on his guard.”

  “You mean he wasn’t already on his guard before?” I said in disbelief.

  “It is not just the master of hell that we need to worry about,” he added. “The Princes will hear of this and they will know that their time is now limited. Each realm that we enter will be fraught with danger as they attempt to delay their inevitable demise.”

  “I guess having them hunting me down will just add to our thrills and giggles,” I said with a shrug. There was no point panicking about something that would happen in the future. I’d known it wouldn’t be easy to traverse through hell in search of the metal pieces. I had to have faith that Fate was on our side. Otherwise, I’d have no hope at all and I might as well give up right now.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Galloping tirelessly, the nightmares left the marked trail after what felt like a few hours. They crossed over the arid, cracked ground as they made their way back to the gate that we’d used to enter the eighth realm. Without a map or any other means of finding our way, we had to trust that they knew where they were going.

  We passed a few towns until we eventually reached the village where we’d stolen the carriage. This was the sign we’d been waiting for and we knew we were getting close to the gate. Sam stuck his head out through the window to keep watch for it. He looked back periodically, checking for pursuit before swinging back to face the front again.

  Seeing him stiffen, I pushed my window up and poked my head out. The hellgate was just visible on the horizon. Something seemed different and it took me a few moments before I realized that dozens of f
igures were lined up in front of it. Most were small, but a few towered over them. It wasn’t until we drew closer that I could make out a hundred or so lesser demons, several captains and a lone lord.

  As we thundered closer, a face formed in the gate. “Open up!” I shouted. The nightmares were showing no signs of slowing down. If the gate didn’t open immediately, we’d be smashed to pieces.

  With a reluctant groan, a crack appeared in the gate. It swung open, moving slowly and ponderously. Instead of attacking us, the demons merely shifted aside to let us through. We swept past them closely enough for me to see their scarlet eyes. I pulled my head back inside so I wouldn’t be decapitated by the iron gate. Sam ducked back inside as well and we both scrambled to look out through the back window.

  Demons started pouring through the opening in our wake. They raced after us, brandishing their weapons. The soldiers were herded by the captains with the lord bringing up the rear.

  “Don’t let them through!” I shouted to the gate, but it was too late. The last one crossed into the shadowlands and they let out howls of triumph and glee.

  “Oh, what a shame I could not comply with your order in time,” the gate said with a smirk and an insolent wink. He swung shut with a clang.

  I shared a worried look with Sam as we left the demons in our dust. I didn’t know how they’d done it, but they’d somehow used me as an escape tool.

  “This is not good,” Sam said, summing up our problem succinctly.

  Before I could respond, the carriage disappeared. Instead of falling to the ground, we became magically seated on the back of my pet nightmare. It galloped towards the portal that would take us back home.

  We thundered into the narrow corridor and I could see the bridge through the opening. My heart stuttered when I saw Nathan waiting for me. We would be invisible to him until we left the portal. When we were only yards away from the exit, the nightmare skidded to a halt and bucked us off. I flew over the creek towards the hard stone wall, already wincing in anticipation of pain. Nathan shifted to intercept me and snatched me into his arms.

  Leo leaped forward as well and managed to snag Sam before he smashed face first into the wall. Brie watched from the sidelines. She wore a sour expression as Nathan checked me over for injuries.

  I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and became lost in their dark blue depths. “I am glad to see that you are safe and well,” he said. His words were innocent enough, but I could read the relief on his face. He hugged me to him and I didn’t have the strength to resist him. My chest was pressed up against his and I was agonizingly aware of how perfectly we fit together.

  I wanted the moment to last forever, but it ended far too soon when Sam spoke. “They will be here at any second,” he said, forcing me back to reality.

  “Who will?” Leo asked.

  “The demons,” I said grimly and turned to face the portal. “They were waiting for us at the hellgate. I’m not sure how they did it, but they followed us through.” They’d acted as if I was their leader and they were my entourage. The main difference was that a heck of a lot more than just five of them had managed to pass through the exit.

  Brie’s expression darkened and her dislike for me intensified. “How many are there?” she asked in a clipped tone.

  “At least a hundred lackeys, plus a few Captains and a Lord.” I kept my tone just as terse as hers. I hadn’t let them through on purpose, but I wasn’t surprised that she blamed me anyway.

  “We cannot take on that many,” she said flatly. “We should retreat to Sophia’s store before they arrive.”

  “I am afraid it is too late for us to flee,” Nathan said and I followed his gaze to the portal. A shadowy figure appeared in the opening. For a moment, I saw the lesser demon’s ferocious face and glowing eyes, then he leaped through. The moment he left the shadowlands, he left his corporeal form behind and turned into a roiling cloud. Reduced to an insubstantial soul, he was drawn straight to me.

  I wasn’t sure what the demons’ plan had been, but it had been a terrible mistake to try to follow me through the portal. They wouldn’t get a chance to search for a vessel to possess. My soulless body was far too tempting for them to resist.

  Even as the oily looking essence of evil drifted towards me, more and more of them left the shadowlands. One by one, they poured inside me, bringing a flood of horrible memories with them. Like Nathan had said, it was too late for us to run. Even if we had managed to teleport away, they would have followed me wherever I went.

  Weakened by the onslaught, my legs gave out, but Nathan didn’t let me fall. He scooped me up and held me to his chest as my vision grew dark. An endless stream of evil entered my body and mind until I was blind and nearly senseless.

  Fluttering on the edge of consciousness, I managed one thought before I passed out. Heather. She would be in even more danger now with so many new demons joining the ranks inside me.

  Spiraling down into darkness, I found myself standing in my mind’s version of the shadowlands. The new arrivals had no idea what had just happened to them. Howls of glee came from the milling mass of demons. I could only assume that they’d spotted Heather and were vying for the chance to cause her misery.

  Standing head and shoulders above most of the throng, Morax was trying to calm them down. The newest Demon Lord to join their midst took offense to something he said and a shoving match began. A piercing scream rang out and I saw blond hair flash in the dimness as Heather was shoved from demon to demon. The other lords stood on the sidelines, watching in amusement.

  I didn’t have to pull my dagger, it just appeared in my hand. It grew into the double headed axe that I’d grown used to and I started carving my way through the throng. Screams of pain were issued until I emerged into a clearing in the center. I was pretty sure I couldn’t kill them, since this was all in my imagination, but it seemed that I could cause them pain.

  Recognizing me, the newest Demon Lord tried to call on his weapon, but it wouldn’t obey him. He was in my head now, which meant that I was in charge. “What is this?” he said warily and looked around. He knew something was wrong, but he didn’t realize that he was trapped. “Where are we?”

  “Your soul has been absorbed by Hellscourge,” Morax told him. Crossing his arms across his massive chest, he looked almost bored as the newbies trembled in fear. “You are all trapped here, the same as us.”

  Whimpering in terror, Heather stood between two lesser demons. Her arms were wrapped around herself protectively. “Get away from her,” I said coldly. They obeyed and stepped away as if her flesh had burned them. “You’re supposed to protect her,” I said to Morax.

  He shrugged, but looked slightly worried. “That became difficult with the influx of so many of my brethren in such a short space of time.”

  “You’re supposed to be a Lord,” I challenged. “I guess you’re not as powerful as I thought.”

  His crimson eyes flared in insult and he straightened to his full height. “I am the strongest Demon Lord in existence, second only to the Princes of the realms.”

  “Yet, here you are,” the newest lord drawled. “Reduced to little better than a specter and doing the bidding of our most feared and hated enemy. You have become her lapdog.”

  Morax strode forward and grabbed his rival by the throat. The new captains leaped to his rescue, but I froze them all with a thought. Fingers sinking deep into the inky flesh of his opponent, my chief Demon Lord snarled into the newcomer’s face. “There is only one reason why I have not torn her mind apart in an effort to escape. If Hellscourge dies, we all perish with her.”

  Understanding dawned and his adversary’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Morax released him and shoved him back towards his lackeys. I unfroze them in time to catch their leader before he could trip over his own feet. There was already enough unrest. I didn’t need to rile them up again by embarrassing him in front of his minions.

  “No one touches Heather again,” I warned them all. “Don’t t
orment her or abuse her in any way. If I find out she’s suffered as much as a harsh look, I’ll make you wish you’d never been created.”

  “You speak bold words,” the new Demon Lord said with bravado. He was trying to save face. “What can you possibly do to us now that we are less than nothing?”

  “I was hoping you’d ask that,” I said with a small smile. Then I brought every single one of his lackeys to their knees. I imagined their intestines to be filled with razor blades and it became a reality. Screaming, sobbing and begging for mercy, blood burst from their mouths and dribbled down their chins.

  “Enough,” the lord said, shaken by the display. I let it go on for a few more seconds before willing the pain to stop. “You have proven your point.” Head bowed, he fell in beside the other lords. There were fourteen of them now, which was fourteen too many for my liking.

  I drew Heather aside and took her hands. She looked similar enough to me that we could have been sisters. “I wish I didn’t have to leave you here with them.”

  “It could be worse,” she replied bravely. “I could be trapped in here with the beast that stole my life.”

  We both shuddered at that possibility. It was doubtful that a being as powerful as a Demon Prince would ever bow to me if I managed to absorb one. He wouldn’t stop until he’d found a way to break free of his captivity.

  Even with Morax looking out for Heather, I didn’t feel confident that she’d remain unmolested. I couldn’t free her, but I could at least give her as much safety as possible. I’d managed to make my weapon appear and wondered just what I could do with this place that I’d constructed in my mind. I concentrated and a building appeared. It was a small white wooden house with thick metal doors and bars on the windows.

  Heather gasped in wonder and followed me inside. Beneath my direction, furniture appeared in every room. It looked familiar then I realized I’d unconsciously duplicated how my old apartment had looked. The couch and armchairs were dark green and were slightly worn. The dining table was small and could only seat four people. She wouldn’t need it, but I conjured up a queen sized bed for the only bedroom. Another thought had it covered in sheets and a cream coverlet. The color scheme was creams and greens, which I hoped would be soothing.