Iniquity (The Ascent Book 1)

by Melody Winter

  “Here,” he pulled a large book from the shelf, “this should provide you with plenty of reading if you want to know where I came from.”

  “Why don’t you tell me?” I ignored the book as he plonked it on the desk. “I’m sure your version will be more interesting than anything in a book.”

  “Depends what you want to know.” He sat in the chair at the other side of the desk.

  “What’s it called, the place you come from?”

  “Muspalta.”

  I drew my eyebrows together and concentrated on Erebus. “What’s it like there? Is it like here?”

  He shook his head. “It’s a barren land, rocks and cliff faces, great expanses of dry, dusty desert.”

  “A desert? You have a sun?”

  His mouth slipped into a lopsided smile, and he tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “No, we don’t have a sun. We have the bellies of volcanoes, though. Their red glow provides us with limited light.”

  “So it’s dark, like it is here?”

  “Not quite.” He patted the book he’d placed on the desk. “It’s all in here,” he said. “Drawings, diagrams, text passages from thousands of years ago. Our previous attempts at trying to come above land and rise to power.”

  My mouth dropped open. “You’d tried to come before . . . and failed?”

  “Each volcanic eruption that happened on land, each tsunami, earthquake, shifts in the ocean. All of those events were previous tests of our power.”

  “But why did you want to leave?” I edged nearer the desk, leaning on my elbows as I looked across at him.

  “Human emotions.” He eyed me wearily. “The strong ones, Athena.”

  I drew in a deep breath.

  “We discovered long ago that we can feed from human emotions. We always did, even when below, but many of us used to venture to land.” He pulled the book toward him and started flicking through the pages.

  “Paymon said he came to land before you all ascended,” I said.

  Erebus nodded. “Demons like him came back to Muspalta more powerful and ultimately stronger than those who stayed. It caused a divided world, until those that were in power decided that coming to land was what all of us should do—live on earth, rather than under it. There are thousands of years of history plotting our ascent. It really is quite interesting.”

  “Maybe for a demon,” I muttered, quietly rejoicing at his permission to read all about their rise to power. This was what I wanted—information.

  Erebus grinned and closed the book. “Take it, you’ll learn all you need to from it.”

  I feigned a sigh and reached across the desk for it. “Can I take it to my room?”

  He nodded. “It’ll keep you busy whilst I’m out riding Samael. And I shall be out for the day tomorrow. Things to do.”

  I managed a polite smile, halting my question as to where he was going—I didn’t care—and tucked the book under my arm before heading toward the door.

  “Good night, Athena,” he said just as I reached for the handle.

  I bristled but managed to reply with a polite ‘Good night’ before leaving the room.

  I trudged upstairs, weary and drained of constantly trying to keep one step ahead of him. He may not be feeding from my weak and pathetic emotions, but he was exhausting me with his endless dance of words and unexpected actions.

  Odin was perched on the screen in my room when I entered. He opened one eye and then closed it again, letting out a quiet croak.

  I threw myself on my bed before flicking to the beginning of the book. This would tell me things I didn’t know, perhaps I’d find their weakness, maybe there’d be a way to send them back to Muspalta. I prayed there would be some reference to why they hid the light and how they did it.

  I opened the first page and saw the all too familiar sign of the pentagram and circle. Placing my hand next to the diagram, I compared it to the mark on the back of my hand; they matched perfectly. I quickly turned the page.

  I took a sharp intake of breath as I cast my eyes over the title on the next page. He hadn’t done what I thought, had he? My suspicions were confirmed as I flicked through the rest of the book. The diagrams were the only useful thing for me to see as the whole book was written in demon language.

  I rubbed at my forehead and suppressed a laugh that was building in my chest, but was soon laughing out loud. Erebus knew I couldn’t read demon language and yet he had told me to enjoy reading it. He knew exactly what he’d done.

  I was still chuckling when I reached to the end of the bed and felt for my book hidden under the mattress. It was still there, hiding itself as well as its secrets. I trailed my finger over the title on the front. ‘DNMGO’

  From what I remembered when I asked Erebus about the words written next to his list, the ‘D’ was still a ‘D’ in our language. The thought that this was a diary was confirmed even more in my mind. I chewed on my nails as I tried to remember any other letters he’d told me. An ‘L’ was an ‘E’. Not much to go on, but it was a start. I recalled his nickname for me, Gem, which was the demon pronunciation of the end of my actual name. Athena ended in an ‘A’. So was the ‘em’ sound, an ‘M’, translated from an ‘A’?

  As I looked at the word on the front of the book in my hand, it all fit into place. The first letter of the title was a ‘D’, the third was an ‘A’. This was a diary, and I was sure I knew who it belonged to—the woman who Paymon had killed all those years ago. Would she have known anything about the reason for hiding the sun? And who was she?

  Its faded pages represented another part of demon history—a private one, one that could teach me so much more than a history book. Maybe it’d allow me to understand things from a demon’s perspective. Whether I liked it or not, living with a demon meant I was in the right place to find out.

  I WAS AWOKEN EARLY THE next morning by Odin hoping around my dressing table and throwing hair clasps into the air. I pulled the window open, yawning as I shooed him outside. I was tired and my bones ached. I crawled back into bed and didn’t wake until my stomach churned with emptiness.

  Heavy drops of rain hit the windows, reminding me of the miserable weather that always hung around.

  I knew I should get dressed, change from my short, flimsy nightdress into something more decent. But if Erebus was out, I saw no reason to.

  Picking up the diary, I headed downstairs. All the rooms were lit, and I made a quick detour to the kitchen to grab some bread and butter before searching for Erebus’s notebook.

  I rummaged in the desk drawer, my fingers finding pencils, pens, a pair of gloves, and a pot of ink. But his notebook wasn’t there. Huffing, I headed to the library.

  I selected the shelf where Erebus found the book on Muspalta, reasoning that if there was a book on demon language it would be in the same place. I lifted a lit candle to the books and ran my other hand along the spines searching for anything that looked promising. The first three books I pulled from the shelf were all useless. But the fourth one was exactly what I’d been looking for.

  “Perfect,” I muttered as I rushed to sit at the central desk. I opened the translator and the diary and set to work on deciphering the foreign language. First, I swapped the letters that I’d learnt last night, ‘L’ to an ‘E’, ‘M’ to an ‘A’, and ‘D’ remaining as a ‘D’. I had to concentrate, and when I’d written the letters on several pages, I found myself yawning. Switching tactics, I started to read the book I’d picked from the shelf and attempted the translation of other letters.

  But demon language wasn’t just a case of switching one letter for another. There were rules about each individual letter and how they sounded. I decided it was only a small step up from the way cavemen used to talk—a series of grunts and unpronounceable words. For instance, the book told me that the letter ‘C’ could be pronounced as a ‘C’ or an ‘S’ or even a ‘K’, and when a word had a ‘W’ in it, it wasn’t spoken. This book was useful when translating English into demon language, but inc
redibly frustrating trying to do it the other way. Letters seemed to be missing, and I began to realise that a direct translation would be slow.

  Some words became obvious, others fit into the context of the sentence. I had no idea how long I sat at the desk. But my eyes became heavy with the constant thinking and searching of words.

  “We have been busy, haven’t we?” Erebus’s sarcastic voice trickled through my consciousness.

  I lifted my head from the desk and focused on him. He was standing to the side of me, the diary in his hand. He flicked through the pages, frowning.

  A heat rushed through me, and my stomach churned. “It’s mine,” I said reaching for the book.

  He spun around before reading aloud. “Paymon knows not what he feels. His powers should be used fully. He should torture the villagers to feed from them and become the greatest demon that ever lived. And we shall rule together, where I belong.”

  I glared at him, grinding my teeth. I’d tried for hours to translate it and managed only a few words. I tensed and crossed my arms. Why had I fallen asleep and allowed him to discover my secret?

  He’d obviously just returned from his ride on Samael. His hair and clothes were wet. Slithers of rain water pooled at his hairline, threatening to break loose and fall freely down his face at any moment. He scratched behind his ear as he read the diary. His hair became loose from the ponytail he wore, and I forced my eyes away from the muscle in his neck that a curl rested upon.

  “This certainly isn’t your diary,” he said as he picked up the sheet of paper that I’d studiously worked the translation on.

  “That word means ‘fire,” he said, “not ‘flame’.” He chuckled for a few moments, inspecting my effort. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”

  I huffed. “I asked Paymon and you to teach me your language. You both refused. This is the best I can do.”

  “Whose diary is this?”

  I shrugged, feigning indifference. “I think it belonged to a woman who Paymon lived with when he first came to land.”

  Erebus frowned and flicked to another page of the diary before shaking his head. “She was seriously deluded. She thought that Paymon and her should challenge the Master. Here . . .” He placed the book on the desk and read a sentence as his finger trailed beneath the words. “With our combined powers we will be invincible, no demon or vampire will be a match for us.”

  “What was her power?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the jumbled up letters before me. He had my full attention; I couldn’t pretend otherwise.

  He turned a few pages before sighing and then closing the diary. “She doesn’t say.”

  I lifted my hand toward him, waiting for him to hand me the diary.

  He grinned and then pulled it to his chest.

  “Tell me all you know about this diary. It’s not yours, how did you end up with it? Why have you got it? And why do you want to know what’s in it?”

  “So many questions,” I said as snarkily as I could.

  “I gave you answers to your questions last night. I think you could at least do the same for me.” He raised an eyebrow. “It should be returned to her, whoever she is.”

  “Well, it can’t. She’s dead.” I pushed the chair back and stood up.

  “Dead?” His eyes narrowed. “Did you kill her?”

  “Me?” I wanted to laugh at his question. “Just how do you think I killed her? I have no idea how you kill a demon.” I wanted to add that if I knew, I’d have put my plan into action and killed him the morning after our forced marriage.

  “We’re not easy to kill,” Erebus said as he perched on the edge of the desk and folded his arms. “Tell me what you know, Athena.”

  I let my shoulders sag and sighed. “Shall we go into the lounge and get comfortable? Then I’ll explain everything.”

  He cocked his head. “What a sensible suggestion. I’ll light the fire. You need to keep warm in that flimsy thing.”

  I resisted the urge to cover my chest with my arms and lifted my chin as an answer and acceptance of his suggestion.

  He chuckled and then left the room, taking the diary with him.

  I followed him to the lounge, my steps slow as I thought through the best way to play him for information.

  When I entered the room, the fire was lit and Erebus was sitting at the corner desk, rummaging in a drawer. I didn’t join him. I sunk onto the sofa and curled my legs underneath me, aware of my uncovered thigh showing.

  “The diary belonged to a woman who lived with Paymon,” I said. “She arrived in the village a few years after I did.”

  “Remind me again, how old were you when you came here?” he asked, still concentrating on finding whatever he was searching for.

  I focused on him, wanting him to feel the weight of my stare, wanting him to turn and see how I was sitting.

  “I was eight. The woman arrived when I was ten. She died when I was twelve. You’d have probably got on with her. She tortured the villagers, laughed at us for fearing her. She killed numerous times.”

  At last, he turned his attention to me. His eyes widened momentarily as he saw my thigh, and he swallowed before looking toward the fire. I suppressed a grin at his reaction.

  “I was secretly fascinated by her. She often came into the village alone, sought out the men who were not at the fields to torture them.” My pulse raced and I clenched my jaw, recalling the cries of terror that ricocheted around the village when she entered the house of her victim. “She reminded me of a princess in all her beautiful dresses.”

  “Like the ones you now wear?” Erebus returned his attention to me, although his eyes didn’t meet mine.

  “Sorry, do you want me to go and get dressed?” I asked, shifting on the sofa, ensuring more flesh was revealed.

  He shook his head before standing and removing his jacket. I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves as he approached, and continued telling him about the woman.

  “She was killed on one of the days she came to the village with Paymon.”

  Erebus sat down next to me, his gaze flitting from my bare thigh to my face, and I forced myself to continue speaking and not flee from his proximity.

  “I followed them to the back of the village near the lake. They argued in your language.”

  “Then how did you know they were arguing?”

  “Their raised voices and the way they stood. They were definitely angry with each other.”

  He rubbed his forehead with his hand. “They fought? And he killed her?”

  “Not really. They didn’t fight, he just blasted her with a ball of fire. It was quite unexpected. She never had a chance to retaliate. When Paymon left, I noticed the smouldering book on the ground, next to her dress. I picked it up.”

  Erebus shifted closer on the sofa, and my bravado gave out. I jumped up and stepped toward the fire, rubbing my arms with my hands. “I’m cold today,” I said.

  “I’m not surprised. I would suggest you put something warmer on, but I quite like what you’re wearing.”

  I raised my eyes heavenward. So predictable. He may be a demon, but he was still a male, and I’d had years of dealing with Thomas and the way his brain worked. Seemed Erebus was no different.

  But then he was behind me, his gloved hands on my shoulders, his body flush with mine, his stubble brushing my ear.

  I froze. This was more than I expected. My aim was to tease, to get information from him. He’d shifted the power, and now I was the one caught out . . . or was I?

  I turned around, taking my time with the movement. His hands dropped from my shoulders as I stood facing him. The top of his chest was at my eye level, and I stared at the smattering of fine hairs that peaked out from the top of his smock. With deliberate slowness, I reached for the loose ties of fabric at the neck of the smock and twisted them in my fingers.

  “Did you have a successful day hunting vampires?” I asked, ignoring the powerful urge to pull the ties as hard as I could and strangle him.

 
; His hands slipped along my sides and rested on the curve of my hips.

  “Yes,” he said, although the word was barely more than a whisper.

  Desperate to hide my revolt at the heat of his gloved hands through my nightdress, I continued twirling the ties between my fingers imagining the power shifting between us. It wasn’t always about who had the physical strength, sometimes it was about a person’s mental strength.

  “So how are the vampires you hunt different to those that work for the Master?”

  His hands tightened on my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh for a few moments before he seemed to realise. I looked up at him and was greeted by hooded eyes.

  “The ones who work for the Master are controlled by him, they’re nothing more than pets. They are grateful for the darkness that covers the land because it gives them freedom during the day. It’s something they never had. But many of the vampires don’t want to be controlled by the Master. Those are the ones I hunt.”

  I nodded, holding my breath, celebrating at this new found piece of information. I swayed against him, ensuring my hips brushed against his. “So the unregulated ones don’t work for him?”

  “No. They take advantage of the darkness but refuse to be controlled by his rules.”

  “So the Master controls the darkness?” My heart beat heavily in my chest.

  “Yes. He promised the vampires the darkness in return for their allegiance.”

  As a final gesture, I leaned closer to him and let my breath fan his neck. “But they didn’t all conform,” I whispered, satisfied I understood.

  “Athena,” he breathed.

  I removed my hands from his shirt and shrunk backward out of his grasp. “I’m tired,” I said, as I headed for the door, not waiting to see or hear his response. “Good night.”