by Riley London
“Trinity...” I repeated the name. “Where is she? Is she in Hell with my parents?”
“No. She is on the surface, too.” Abaddon continued. “However, she was raised alongside your parents, spending her formative years in the palace. She managed to somehow go unnoticed for some time, but once she was discovered, her parents sent her to safety, as well.”
“And why would she not be my parents’ favorite child? She spent so much time with them.”
“Yes. Too much time with them.” Abaddon explained. “Trinity is the spitting image of your father, both in form and personality.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She is...problematic, to say the least.” Abaddon looked away from me. “But I have not come to badmouth your sister. As I said, I’ve come to gain your favor. Will you allow me to present you to your parents?”
“You killed my friend.” My response was stoic. “I saw his body, burned to a crisp.”
“I assure you that I have taken many steps to avoid such an outcome.” Abaddon said. “If someone close to you has perished, then it was not by my hand or by my orders.”
“Did you know that a direct descendant came after me? She tried to kill me in my own bed.”
“She was no descendant of mine, and even so, are we really to blame for what our children do?” Abaddon shook his head. “They don’t always listen, taking it into their own hands to determine what’s for the best. Ashmedai should’ve kept a better watch on her.”
Shit.
Benjamin was right.
If the direct descendant hadn’t come from Abaddon’s lineage, then the Princes of Hell must’ve been working together. How else could Ashmedai have gotten permission to create such a violent demon?
And why would Abaddon have given Ashmedai that kind of permission in the first place?
I kept my questions to myself, unable to imagine that Abaddon was going to tell me the entire demon game plan for taking over the world, although I wished that he would.
“I don’t believe you.” I swiftly changed the subject. “About not being behind the attacks.”
“But you should.” Abaddon continued. “It’s a misconception that demonic spirits are prone to lying. I only lie when it’s necessary. The truth is often so much more brutalizing.”
I still didn’t believe a word he was saying, but in that moment, I decided that I was going to concede.
I didn’t want to risk losing against Abaddon in a fight, because I knew that if I lost, I’d also be losing my school, my friends, my Charlie and whatever life I’d made for myself in the past few weeks.
I would’ve been losing the only sense of home that I had left.
And I’d already lost enough homes for a lifetime.
“Fine. You have my favor. When are you going to present me to my parents?”
“When it is the right time.” Abaddon nodded. “If you grant me this favor, I will leave this academy and not look back, not until I need you.”
“Okay.” I nodded, as I agreed to his terms. “Now, please. Leave.”
“As you wish, Daughter of Lilith.” Abaddon turned to leave my side.
But as he walked away from me, another question popped into my head. “Wait! Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Back there, in the hall. You said something about Charlie?” I brought a hand to my head, as I tried to remember what Abaddon had said. “Something about him being my heart?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“He is your heart. You have connected him to your very soul. Whether through magic or through the angels, I do not know.” Abaddon explained, in a plain tone. “But I do know this for sure. He will not perish, until you perish.”
“Charlie can die?”
“Only if you do.” Abaddon attempted a final grin. “Goodbye, Celeste Venoix. I’ll be speaking with you soon.”
I didn’t bother to greet Abaddon goodbye, but I watched him walk until he reached the end of the quad.
And then, he disappeared into ashes.
Epilogue
A young girl sat at a piano, as she hummed a small tune.
She then began to softly play the corresponding notes, but there wasn’t any sheet music in front of her.
We will bring them to their knees.
We will slice their children’s throats.
We will steal what we can from their coffins,
We will leave them all in smoke.
She confidently sang the song, as her fingertips floated across the piano.
“You play just like your father.” Lilith appeared beside the girl, as she placed her hand in the center of her back. “Beautiful, but much too measured. There’s no need to be perfect at all times, Trinity.”
“I’m playing just like father taught me to play.” Trinity continued. “I wasn’t aware that you were much of a musician, mother. I imagined that you did your best work with gardens and herbs.”
“Flattery will not distract me.” Lilith smiled down at her daughter. “Even if it comes in the form of snark. Try to play it again. This time, from your soul.”
The music started up once more, but after a few notes, it came to a complete stop.
Trinity then stood up from the piano, before she politely nodded towards Lilith. “If you will excuse me for a second, mother. It appears that something has come up.”
Lilith then left the room, her every step seeming more graceful than the last.
Afterwards, Trinity glanced around the room, her eyes growing wide. “I know that you are here. In this moment. Do you hear me, sister?”
She began to walk towards every corner of the room, her eyes continually searching. “I feel you. Do you feel me, sister? Do you feel me, too?”
She came to a sudden stop in the center of the room, before she closed her eyes. “Each day, we grow closer and closer. And soon, I will find y—”
I woke up, jumping away from my pillowcase.
What the hell?
Was that just a dream?
But it looked like a memory...
How could I be remembering something when I wasn’t even wearing the necklace? Sure, I had the necklace tucked away in an innocuous dresser drawer, but I hadn’t worn it since before Abaddon’s visit.
I didn’t want to know anything more about Hell.
Not even about my sister who’d been raised there.
“Bad dream?” Zachary asked, from across the room.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“You want to talk about it?”
“Do you actually want to hear about it?” I smirked.
“Maybe.” Zachary shrugged. “Start talking, and if I lose interest, I’ll tell you to stop.”
“That’s sweet of you, Zachary, but I think I’ll just keep this one to myself.” I replied.
“Was it about what happened at the dance?” Zachary suggested. “Abaddon’s not coming back anytime soon, Celeste. If you told him that you’re not interested in ruling Hell or whatever, he doesn’t have anything else he needs from you.”
Oh.
Right.
I’d told Zachary, Benjamin and Charlie that Abaddon only wanted to guarantee that I would never try to claim my rightful place on the throne, and as long as I made no claims about being the Princess Of Hell, then he’d leave me alone forever.
Of course, that was a lie.
Abaddon would come back for me any day now, when he needed to use me as a bargaining chip in some burgeoning war.
But I didn’t want the others to worry about something that they couldn’t stop or control. Besides, something told me that the only person who even had a chance of stopping Abaddon would be me.
Which is why I was taking my summer classes so seriously, needing to become the best version of myself that I could possibly be.
“You up for a training session?” I asked.
“Celeste, it’s like, midnight.”
“So, is that a no?”
<
br /> “Oh, please! I invented that appel move!” Zachary laughed, as he avoided my oncoming sword attack.
I lunged at him again, this time using all the strength in my body.
But he avoided me, once more, and I fell towards the training room mat.
“Ow.” I winced, then whispered, “Sana eam.”
And the recent injury to my body suddenly disappeared. I got right back on my feet, and I came after Zachary again.
“Don’t make your moves so obvious.” Zachary warned, as he used his wooden sword to bat my own right out of my hands. “Predictability will get you killed.”
“Predictability will get you killed.” I repeated Zachary’s words in a mocking tone, as I positioned my feet against the mat below. I balled my fists up in front of me, as I grinned over at him. “How’s this for predictable?”
“Hand-to-hand? Are you sure?” Zachary dropped his fake weapon to the ground, before he subtly crouched, getting into his own fighting position. “Because I’m not going to go easy on you.”
“No one asked you to go easy on me.” I kicked my leg out, swiping Zachary behind the knee.
He wobbled for a moment, before he steadied himself. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“That’s kinda’ the whole point.” I chuckled, as I gave Zachary a swift kick to the underside of his jaw. I then moved a few feet away from him, not wanting to give him the opportunity to grab at my ankles and pull me down with him.
Zachary fell backwards on the mat, before he rolled over onto his side. He pushed himself to his feet, then came running at me like a madman.
As he ran, I thought about the speed at which he was coming at me, his general size and weight, and if what I was about to do next was completely insane.
Yep.
It was.
When Zachary had finally reached me, I jumped as high as I could go. As soon as his body made contact with mine, I pressed my foot against his chest, using the force of the hit to propel me even further upwards.
And then, my legs were wrapped around his neck.
Perfect.
Zachary grunted and groaned, as he tried to pull me off his frame, but I wasn’t going to budge.
“Tap out if you think I’m the greatest fighter ever.” I playfully requested, as I rested my elbows on the top of Zachary’s head. “Come on. Tap out, tap out.”
Something that sounded like the word never came out of Zachary’s mouth, and I sighed in response.
“You’d rather pass out than just admit that I won?”
Zachary did his best attempt at nodding.
“Fine.” I released Zachary from my grip, and once my legs were free enough, I flipped back towards the mat, managing to land more gracefully than I’d planned.
“I win.” Zachary said, in between his desperate gasps for air.
“What? How could you say you won?” I shook my head. “I had you. You would’ve died if I didn’t let you go.”
“But you still let me go.” Zachary grinned. “You should’ve just let me pass out, but you’re still playing things way too nice.”
“Is that allowed in the training room? Letting the people we train with pass out on us?”
“Do you think your enemy cares if you pass out or not?” Zachary asked. “Do you think a demon is going to give you the opportunity to tap out?”
“No, but—”
“You have to take this more seriously, Celeste.” Zachary warned. “And don’t be afraid to break a bone or two. It’s fine. It’ll heal.”
“Okay. I think I’ve got it.” I smiled over at Zachary.
And then I reached for his arm, before I snapped it right down the middle.
“Ah! What the—Sana eam! Sana eam!” Zachary cried out, and his arm instantly healed. “No fair. That was a low blow.”
“Oh, really? Do you think your enemy is going to warn you if they’re about to break your arm?” I beamed. “You have to take this more seriously, Zachary. And don’t be afraid if you get a broken bone or two. It’ll be fine. It’ll heal.”
“And so, the student becomes the teacher...” Zachary marveled, as he stared down at his arm.
“Latin really isn’t so difficult, once you’ve gotten it down.” Benjamin smiled over at me from his seat at the library table. “I bet we could get you fluent in just a few afternoons.”
“Yeah, I don’t really see that happening.” I admitted, as I returned his joyful expression. “I’ve never really been one for studying.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just never been my thing.” I shrugged, before I thought about the question a little harder. “Well, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because I never had time for it? Most of my time was spent just trying to learn a new family’s name, whether or not their pets liked me, how I was going to fit in at a new school. Studying stuff just wasn’t the most important part of my day.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through something like that.” Benjamin offered me a sorrowful look.
“It’s okay. It’s behind me now.” I smiled. “I’m here, aren’t I? And I’m 21 on top of that, so I’ll never have to go through the foster care system, ever again.”
“She must’ve loved you.”
“What?”
“Lilith. Your mother.” Benjamin continued. “She must’ve loved you, or else she would’ve let you stay in Hell, at her side. To give up a child to the surface...”
Benjamin shook his head, before he returned his attention to his textbook. “Sorry. It was an errant thought.”
“It didn’t sound so errant to me.” I leaned towards Benjamin’s side of the table. “Why are you so impressed by Lilith’s mothering skills? It’s not like she actually raised me or anything.”
“I’m just...being self-centered.” Benjamin sighed. “We don’t need to discuss every thought that comes into my head, especially the indulgent ones.”
“Benjamin.” I reached my hand across the table and pressed it on top of Benjamin’s own. “What were you thinking about?”
Benjamin took in a deep breath, then looked over at me with those ocean blue eyes. “You never had parents. Well, I did. And sometimes, I think that you are the more fortunate of us both.”
“Benjamin.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say, as I gave him a concerned look. “What’s going on with you?”
“My whole life has been dedicated to one purpose, serving the Academy, serving humankind.” Benjamin continued. “I’ve always been told that I was born for it, meant to serve out my time among the angels and make my family proud.”
“I feel like there’s a but coming.” I replied.
“There is.” Benjamin shot me a half-smile. “Celeste, until you arrived, I never considered my own happiness. Not in anything I did. My own joy, my own desires, were never at the forefront of my mind, and emotions weren’t how I made my decisions. And yet...”
Benjamin’s gaze met mine. “You make me want to be...happy.”
“Oh.” I replied. “That’s good then, isn’t it?”
“No, because I don’t know how to be happy, because being happy isn’t part of my programming.” Benjamin shook his head. “I’ve never had anyone put my happiness first, not my parents, not myself. And perhaps that’s why I’m so fixated on Lilith’s sacrifice. I wonder if my parents would do the same for me, if they would let me leave the academy, if that’s what it took for me to survive.”
“Wait. You’re thinking about leaving the academy?” I said in disbelief. “But Benjamin, you’re the one who convinced me to enroll here in the first place.”
“I’m not thinking about leaving the academy. Not seriously.” Benjamin sighed again. “I enjoy being of service, Celeste. Perhaps I just wish that I could find something that wasn’t for the benefit of others, something that was just for me.”
“Have you ever considered taking up a hobby?”
“And just what kind of hobby do you think would fit me, Celeste?” Benjamin smirked.
“Well, you’re
pretty patient. How about fishing?”
“I’ve never enjoyed being surrounded by a body of water. It’s never made me peaceful. I just wonder about how many souls have been lost under the surface.”
“Okay. How about writing?”
“Angels are not known for their contributions to the arts. We’ve gone over this before.”
“Uh, okay. Video games?”
“I dislike the idea of violence being reduced to something that only happens virtually. Humans should be more empathetic to their surroundings.”
“The games don’t have to be violent, Benjamin. There’s plenty of non-violent ones, too.”
“I work enough with my hands, as is.” Benjamin replied with a grin.
I leaned back in my chair, as I racked my brain for more possibilities. “You ever gone on a hike?”
“Several times, while hunting for demons in the Great Mountains.”
“That’s not a hike, Benjamin. That’s just more work.” I frowned. “I think that’s your problem. You don’t know how to do anything except for work.”
“It’s important work. I’m not going to apologize for being attuned to it.” Benjamin replied.
“Yeah, but you need to have a way to get your mind off of—” I snapped, as an idea popped into my head. “Car racing.”
“What?”
“Yeah, car racing.” I chuckled between my words. “You should totally get into car racing.”
“Isn’t that extremely dangerous?”
“Not for you. Not for an angel.” I shook my head. “It’s the perfect way to take your mind off whatever you’ve got brewing up there, and it’s something that literally has no ulterior motives about it. It’s simple. You reach the end of the track or the flag or whatever, and you win. That’s it.”
“Wouldn’t I need to enroll in some kind of human league? How could I even get into this hobby without—”
“Ha! Enroll.” I chuckled again, this time under my breath. “You leave that part to me. I know some people who can help get us started.”
Benjamin didn’t look so convinced, as he returned his attention to the textbook in front of him. “We should probably get back to studying prepositions.”
