by Amber Cook
Adira's eyes lifted to him, the irises turning into a fiery crimson color. "The only way to win the game is to become the very thing one despises. At least I am willing to admit it. I am willing to slaughter anyone who stands within my path, whether they are human or demon. If needed, I would defy the very gods. What is your reason?"
Zen's fingers unclenched, but his face was still venomous. For a few seconds, he looked like he might have answered Adira's question, but his lips pursed. "I don't need to answer a demon."
"Why are you here? Why did you find me? Was it to taunt the fact that you can control me? Was it to feed your ego?" Adira shook her head, sighing as she spoke. "For the first time in years, I am tired. If there's no reason for you to be here, then leave. Hearing your voice alone is enough to give me a headache."
There was a shuffle, and Adira lifted her head past Zen. Immediately, her face pulled in further disgust. "Why would we want to leave you?"
Zen spun towards that voice, his lips pulled. "Why are you here?"
"You were taking too long," Brynx said, stepping to the side of Zen. "Adira, how lovely to see you."
Adira's nose and lip pulled in disgust, and she flashed him her teeth. "Go to hell."
"Oh, I would love to see it at least once in this lifetime. Maybe we can arrange it. I'm certain they would welcome us both at the same time."
"What do you want? If it's to talk mindlessly, then leave me alone. I've had enough talking for the day."
"I just want to have some fun." Brynx said, his voice slightly honeyed.
Adira's eyes darkened and, she flipped him off. "Piss off."
"What a tongue you have. If you weren't a demon, that might even turn me on." Brynx began to fumble with the lock on the bars, sliding a key into it. Adira watched his every movement out of the corner of her eyes. She watched the very way he inserted the key, the amount of pressure he applied onto it, and where he placed it back onto himself. Any information she could obtain would be vital in escaping.
The cell doors creaked as they were pushed open, and Adira leaned away from the two of them. If she were to dart, could she make it? Even with the shackles latched around her wrist, could she fight them off?
"Well, are you coming?"
"What are you going to do to me?"
"It would ruin the fun if we spoiled it."
It wasn't like she had a choice. If she refused to go, she knew they would become more violent. Her injuries were just beginning to mend. She needed to do everything in her power to reserve her energy.
Adira shakily pushed herself onto her feet, looking up at the two of them. Zen would not look at her, but Brynx was not shy with his eyes. She felt disgusting standing before him.
"What are you waiting for?" She snarled, "Permission? You've never asked for that before."
Brynx reached forward, grabbing her by the bicep. He was startled to find that the muscles felt so thin, even though he knew that was a lie. He knew what she was capable of. "I apologize; I forgot who you were. Ladies first, of course."
Adira's eyes lowered to his clenched hands, and she stumbled forward. Her skin crawled as her toes smeared into the splattered droplets of blood on the ground. All she wanted to do was press her tongue against it, but she did not look down. She kept her head high, looking past the two of them. "Is this your way of apologizing for locking me in this hellhole?" She said, pointing down the hallways. "If you would kindly show me the exit, I will be out of your hair."
"Hardly believable. After all, would you really leave without the Fifth Pillars Orb?" Adira's eyes narrowed, and Brynx couldn't help laughing. "Exactly what I thought. As long as the Fifth Pillar's Orb is here, you won't leave."
"And where is here exactly? Where is the Fifth Pillar's Orb?"
"It's being guarded, of course. After all, this is the first time we've had our hands on such a weapon."
"A weapon?" Adira asked. She supposed they would view it that way and not what it truly was. They didn't realize that the Orbs were the direct power of each Pillar. Without them, even the Pillar's leaders would have issues. "I guess that is what it is."
Brynx offered a small smile as he began to pull her forward. "Is there something you aren't telling us? Don't worry; all will be told soon."
"Yes, you all keep saying that, but nothing has happened."
"Hm..." Brynx nodded his head, his whole demeanor changing. He suddenly seemed joyful.
Adira was practically dragged behind Brynx, Zen trotting beside the two of them quietly. He didn't look at Adira, his eyes cast away as he clutched his arm to his chest. The hallways that laid before her seemed never-ending, stretching for miles. She knew that couldn't possibly be true, but that didn't stop her mind from imagining it. Every hallway they turned down branched out into more sections, forming a maze. Even if Adira tried to memorize every step she took, she knew it would be pointless. She wouldn't be surprised if the hallways could very well change their appearance.
When Brynx finally stopped walking, he tugged her to an abrupt halt. She nearly fumbled over her own feet but caught her balance. The hallway was larger than the rest, and the distance seemed shorter. Adira could have sworn she could see the end of it, but she thought her eyes were playing her.
In a world of pale light, the single chair in the room stood out in bold contrast. She had expected other people to be around, but there was no one. It was only the three of them.
"What are you waiting for?" Brynx said, gesturing her forward.
"I was expecting something more. After all, this is The Halls."
"Take a seat, won't you?" It wasn't a question but a demand. If she fought against him, he would beat it out of her. Adira winced as he began to drag her again until she was in front of the chair. At first glance, it appeared normal. She might have even seen something similar to it in the Demonic Realm, but she didn't believe that. She didn't believe something like this could just be so easy.
Brynx shoved her forward, causing Adira to topple onto it. A moment later, he harshly jerked her by the shoulder, causing Adira to face him.
"Are you not going to chain me down?" She hissed between clenched teeth.
Brynx shook his head, delight on his face. "There is no need to."
"What do you mean?"
Adira's eyes widened as she winced, a sharp pain spreading up her arms. She had not even seen Zen slide the needle into her pale skin until it was too late.
"W-What did you give me?" She croaked as her knees began to wobble beneath her frame. Although it had been only a few seconds, she could already feel its effects taking hold of her. She threw her hands out in front of herself to catch her plummeting body.
"There is still so much that we don't know about your kind, but there's one thing I was able to figure out. One of your weaknesses; the blood of lambs."
Adira's eyes widened as he spoke those words. She couldn't stop a small smirk from forming on her lips. Ah yes, these humans were quite some pests. She would have never expected them to figure out something so novel as that, and yet they had. They had found something that could even harm something like her, even if it only weakened her. "You bastards."
"I was worried it wouldn't work on you, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. Now, Adira, let's have a chat. Let's figure out your true name."
Chapter 12
One question stood above all. How could you kill something that was supposedly un-killable? In his thirteenth book, Legion focused on this one question. The thirteenth book was never allowed out into the public. The only people who knew about its contents were the Pillar's leaders and Adira.
How would one figure out what harmed their own kind and killed them? Was it even possible? Lower-ranking demons would never know the truth, but it was different with the leaders. It was said, when a demon was removed, to put it politely, from the Pillar's leadership, their memories would stay with the Orbs. When a new leader ascended the throne and took their roles, they would obtain the predecessor's memories.
&nbs
p; It was in those memories that a few things were realized. Demons were killable, even the Pillar leaders. It would take more than a simple rune or incantation to send them running, but it was possible. Any human that figured out these 'weapons' were killed before information could be dispersed.
Although humans believed in a god, the demons knew the truth. There was something that ruled down upon them from above. Although they have never seen who it was, there was no denying the power this creature had. Although Legion could not remember how exactly it came about, he noted that lambs' blood could harm demons. It was equivalent to dead man's blood. Either blood could be injected, feed, however one pleased, into the body of the demon and harm them. For low-ranking demons, it could kill them depending on the amount. As for higher-ranking demons, Pillar leader's for example; it was not that easy. One could pump them full of lambs' blood or dead man's blood, but it would be useless. All it would do was stun the host and cause its human body to degenerate. One small dosage would last twenty human minutes at best. Legion also noted that when the effects of the blood wore off, whoever had subjected the demon to it better be prepared. Any sanity the demon had would disappear in an attempt to slaughter the one who harmed them. The only way, at this point, to kill them was by revealing their true name.
Legion noted that the attacker might as well kill themselves. Demons kept their true names guarded from the day they were born to the day they died. If their names were revealed, they would have already been dead. Depending on a demon's true name to save them should be a last resort. There was no guarantee that they would ever be able to find it.
✽✽✽
The cold yet familiar feeling of metal pressing against her wrists was nearly unrecognizable. Even she was unable to lift her eyes as she was dragged to the middle of the hollow room, strung up by the shackles that lay limply from the wall. In hushed tones, Adira had heard stories about what dead man's blood and lamb's blood could do to a demon, but she had never believed them until now. She could barely fight to lift her head, let alone her eyes. Her whole body felt like lead, and the world around her was nothing more than a blur. She had to strain her eyes even to make out the fuzzy outlines of their figures.
The stories Adira had heard and had read from Legion could not compare to what she was experiencing. Granted, she knew demons could either respond to it two ways. One; the effects of dead man's or lamb's blood could consume them at once. At least if this happened, they would be spared a prolonged death. Two; the effects would start as nothing more than a numb, dull throb that would intensify rapidly. Adira had gotten the latter.
She wasn't certain how long it had been since they had slid the needle into her arms. All she knew was that she was no longer standing, and she desperately relied on the metal bound to the wall. Already, sweat had sprung to her brow and slowly rolled down her sickly face. She knew that the pain would be like this, nothing more than a dull thrum that settled into her intestines before it got worse. But, once the lamb's blood finally latched down, there would be no stopping it. She could only hope that her body's weakened state would be able to hold.
After a few moments of straining her eyes, she could make out the blurred features of Brynx's face. There was a devilish smile, pure happiness, on his face. Adira wanted to feel venom towards him, but it was hard to muster the feelings. Everything felt so numb and void. "Do you like this? Do you like seeing women like this, kneeled before you?"
"I would hardly call you a woman." He purred, inching towards her. Adira's eyes lifted as she felt the cold surface of a blade kiss her neck. The pressure was not harsh enough to fray her flesh, but it was a warning. "I just want to have a nice talk."
"Usually, when men want to talk to me, they do not drug me with lamb's blood. They usually simply have a few drinks with me."
"And how does that usually turn out? Are they usually dead within the hour?"
Adira's eyes lightened, and she offered him a slight smile. "It's almost as if our mind is one, after all." Brynx surged forward, snatching her face into his fingers. Adira hissed from the sharp pain that followed as his fingernails dug into her cheeks. "Now, now, Brynx. Is that any way to treat your guest? Even I am more gentle than you."
"Shut up, you and I are not the same. We could never be."
"You say that, and yet the truth is in front of me." She whispered, turning her eyes to Zen, who stood behind him. "We have a name for people like you who mess with god's judgment," Adira smirked as she saw their eyes widen. "Yes, that's right. Did you expect some horrible thing to happen to me because I said his name? Don't get ahead of yourself. Just because you got lucky with the lamb's blood doesn't mean you'll have the same luck all the time."
"We call you all Changelings. I've heard a few other names thrown in, but I doubt you would like them. The moment you become a Changeling, you are no longer human. The moment demon blood enters your system; you become something else."
"But that doesn't make us like you." He gritted out, and Adira's nose wrinkled in disgust as she felt droplets of his saliva land on her cheek.
"You say that, and yet have you not been changed? The moment the demon blood entered your system, were you not given strength? A strength that could never be obtained by humankind? Yes, you are not fully a demon, but you are not fully human. To believe otherwise is a testament to how stupid your kind is. But, there will come a day when you regret it. The strength you receive will not be without punishment, and there will come a time that the gods will have their retribution. No one is allowed to play with the rules and the world's essence, except for the gods. What purpose could you all even have for becoming demons? Would you really give it all up, just for a taste of our power?"
As Adira's spoke, her eyes shifted from Brynx and Zen. She was waiting for an opening, something to attack and latch onto. As that last sentence slipped from her lips, Adira could sense the air around her change. It wasn't like she had a purpose for saying such things, she was just throwing them out, but there seemed to be something. Why were they all doing this? There had to be a reason.
Even beneath the haze of the lamb's blood, Adira could feel the Fifth Pillar's nimble fingertips against her nape. She was startled, at first, beneath its touch. It had been so long since it had brushed its fingers against her milky skin. Her eyes lifted towards its figure. The Fifth Pillar only offered her a thin smile, its fingers gently caressing her chin. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Brynx and Zen look at her in confusion.
"What do you all hope to accomplish? What reason is there to throw your humanity away? The amount of blood you consume to become a Changeling is limited. Even if you took a larger dosage than most humans, it wouldn't change the results. A demon's power does not come from their bloodline, but by how many souls they consume. I doubt any human would consume human souls. So why throw it all away? Why obtain strength that is meaningless?"
The Fifth Pillar lowered its face to hers, its nose gently prodding into her cheek. Such a gesture was filled with warmth, but all Adira could feel was frigidness. With her slackened head, the Fifth Pillar's caressing fingers shifted her eyesight. She saw the Orb, gently peeking out of the folds of Zen's shirt, and her eyes widened. It was as if the Fifth Pillar's Orb was telling her she had been thinking of the wrong thing. They were not becoming Changelings to obtain power, at least not in terms of what she was thinking. No, they were becoming Changelings to try and master the Pillar's Orbs.
Even though her face was already pale white, Adira could feel the blood rush from it. She swallowed deeply before her eyes narrowed. Zen followed her line of sight, quickly covering the Orb. Adira looked up at them in disbelief. "You...You want to control the Fifth Pillar's Orb. No, you want to figure out a way to control them all."
As those words came out of her throat, Adira could barely grit them out. She felt like she was choking on poison. "You want to create...another me."
Brynx and Zen exchanged a brief glance. Adira couldn't make out their expressions, but the air arou
nd her felt tense. She couldn't believe it. These humans were really trying to create another version of her.
"Why would you want that?" She croaked out, and this time Zen stepped forward.
"We've been able to create weapons to use against your kind, but they are useless against your Father. There's a war coming, Adira, and we have to do anything within our power to live."
"And that means putting someone through the same pain as myself? You have no idea what the Orbs do to their host. You have no idea the pain and misery I experience every day by their hands."
"What are you talking about?" Brynx asked, and he turned towards Zen. "Do you know anything about the Orbs?"
"I..." He looked down, which only fueled Brynx's rage.
"What are you not telling me? Don't forget, Zen; we are on the same side, not this demon."
Zen's fingers curled by his side. His eyes lifted to Adira before he returned to Brynx's, nodding his head. "She told me that the Orbs consume her body. To stay alive, she needs to consume souls or one's life force. If she does not eat, then they will consume her soul."
Adira limply nodded her head, her striking eyes pinning Brynx down. "Not as easy as it sounds, correct? Just because you have demon blood racing through your veins does not mean you have been graced with our timeline. Humans will always die sooner than demons." Adira gestured towards her chest, towards the rotten flesh that encompassed the Orbs. "This body is failing. It has been this way for many years. If I were not a demon, if I were a human, the Orbs would have killed me within the first minute of touching them." Adira's eyes narrowed as she focused on the Fifth Pillar's Orb that peeked out of Zen's shirt. "I can only assume the reason you are allowed to touch the Fifth Pillar's Orb is that you are not entirely human. Even then, only one thing comes to mind. You must have struck a deal."
