Down in Flames Read online

  “Wynnona, what a pleasant surprise. How are things treating you in Avernus?”

  “I’m living in a dystopian nightmare that's trying to destroy my soul on a daily basis. Yourself?”

  “As well as can be expected.”

  I smiled thinly and walked toward her slowly. Asmodea sighed, waving her hand to pull me sliding across the floor. Sathanus giggled as I stumbled to regain my balance when the force of the momentum stopped.

  I hate it when they do that.

  “Darling, why don’t you give Miss Hendricks and I a moment alone so we can talk,” the spider told her briefly. “It will only take a moment.”

  Sathanus shrugged and stepped away from the toys that she’d been playing with and skipped down the steps. Before she disappeared into the corridor, the child called back to us over her shoulder. “Okay, but don’t have cake without me!”

  Asmodea and I watched her leave, and then she clasped her hand in front of her as a sign of welcome. “So, tell me child, what brings you all this way?”

  “Aidan sent you a present. He asked me to give you this as a token of gratitude for your continued support.”

  I offered her the bloody package and she hissed and clicked excitedly. Dropping it into her grasping hands, she greedily opened its contents and started eating the bloody meat, picking it apart with her mandibles with surprising grace. The spider queen relished it and picked each piece from the gruesome package and swallowed them whole like candy.

  I looked away in disgust, but when she finished, Asmodea made sure that I was watching and wiped her finger through the bloody stain and brought it to her lips. She smeared the red blood across her mouth like lipstick.

  “Do you know why they call the seven of us ‘deadly’?” she asked me haughtily.

  I shrugged.

  “Things that can be defined as ‘dangerous’ are common, able to cast a wider spread of damage. ‘Deadly’ on the other hand, is rarer, but when you do encounter it, the results are more likely to be lethal.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her, intrigued, pondering that for a moment. “That’s an interesting distinction.”

  “Maybe to you,” she laughed.

  Just like that, I knew my visit was over. I’d delivered the package, it was time for me to leave. I bowed dramatically and backed slowly towards the door. I turned and started walking out the gates with the sound of her laughs echoing throughout the hall. I left feeling anxious and discouraged, which was a common problem by this point. The Demon Lords had won, I’d given up. After luring down into the depth of Hell, here I was acting as a lowly messenger running errands for my master. I wanted to go back to the palace in Avernus and rest, but there was still one place left I had to go – the Land of the Lotus Eaters.

  Instead of riding there on my viney transport, I decided to use the faster route of the kingdom portals. It was hidden behind one of the crystal arches, but since I knew where to look it was not a problem. I walked through the palace confidently, the crystal walls and ceiling echoing every step I took down the secret corridor. It was cold and beautiful, reminding me of a museum – I hated it. Eventually, I found the portal beneath the purple and fuchsia crystal in a quiet alcove of the courtyard.

  The large crystal arch led into a small, enclosed conservatory with a quiet sitting area. I waved my hand across the barrier in between and the vision changed to Abaddon’s palace courtyard. Cracked marble pillars lined the perimeter of the mosaic floor and on edge was the dead remains of a topiary garden. The spell was cast and I stepped through, being teleported to the other kingdom. When Abaddon first brought me here in my trial, the land of Sloth was a beautiful Mediterranean palace, with a courtyard overflowing with Lotus Blossoms, like the hanging gardens of Babylon. The tenants lounged comfortably on chaise couches and were tended to by servants, bringing them fruit and wine. A pleasant hum filled the air, hypnotizing them into quiet submission. I ran through the garden path and into the forest beyond to find the Myrra Lily. Mom came with me and was attacked by the sentient tree, we barely made it out in time.

  As I thought back on that occasion I remembered the glowing ribbons of light that flickered throughout the trees. Could those have been some ley lines?

  When I was in the Grove of Ancient there had been currents of light as well. They all seemed to hold the Realms together and connect in different ways. How did I not notice the similarities before? That recognition of that pattern made me all the more suspicious and determined to end Aidan’s plan. The ley lines affected everything, they were important and need to be protected.

  My foot stepped out onto the patterned tile of the castle floor and I felt my body being pulled through as well with mild pressure and a tingling afterglow. The beautiful, seaside villa wasn't like it had been. This time Abaddon wasn't trying to lure me into staying. I saw it plainly with my own two eyes for the awful trick the vision was.

  The lounging bodies were not basking in luxury, but instead were chained to racks with giant leeches sucking life and energy from them. Horrible, slimy creatures that dug their teeth into your skin and drank endlessly until you were nothing but an empty husk. The tails all pumped the blood and bile down the hall, leading to the queen’s throne.

  The scent of the lotus blossom was actually the leech’s enzyme that worked as a paralytic. The people they drained were too weak to move and slowly shriveled away into nothing because it was easier than fighting back.

  I followed the trail of suctioning veins that led to Abaddon’s throne room. Shadow waifs stood guard outside and let me pass. I greeted them with a nod and sauntered on.

  The Lady of Sloth sat on her throne, absorbing all the potent energy that came flowing to her through the grimy pets. Her black robes and hood covered her face completely, so that all I could see was a ghostly hand reaching out across the armrest and the ends of her straight back hair. “Well, if it isn't the Earthwalker,” she greeted me, sounding bored. “How may I be of service? I'm assuming Lucifer sent you?”

  Her soft, raspy voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it came to everyone that heard it clearly. The low hum of its vibrations was able to hypnotize a crowd at will with the art of illusionary magic – I’d learned to be cautious of its power.

  I bowed to her, as was customary, and approached the throne. “I'm afraid he has. My master hopes that you will reconsider your position and join him in his quest.”

  “Mmmm,” she acknowledged with a nod. “I'm sure he does. Has he informed you about this ‘quest’?”

  “No.”

  “I didn't think so. Tell Aidan I am comfortable where I sit and do not plan on leaving this palace for any reason. Why would I step away when I have anything I need right here? War is a nasty thing and an unnecessary risk. I am not the Lord of Gluttony, nor the Lord of Greed or even Lust, always wanting more. I am the Lord of Sloth and it will take much more for me to leave than what he has to offer. If that's all you have for me then I suggest you be on your way.”

  I sighed, bowing to her once again before I left and turned back towards the portal. As I walked past the marble pillars in the courtyard, I saw the mosaic tile was actually a giant picture depicting the Lotus flower blossom. Once I realized that, it sent a shiver down my spine and I picked up the pace.

  The portal between Stygia and Gehenna opened to me again as I passed my hand across the space between two of the pillars. I stepped through and came out on the crystal archway of Asmodea’s palace. With a tired sigh, I exited the palace grounds and started back towards Avernus.

  I was scared.

  What I had seen in the vision of Aidan’s past, and again in the model on his office floor, told me he was planning an attack. These errands he had me running maybe have been about ensuring loyalty, but that didn’t mean anything unless.…

  He’s going to invade.

  If he had found a way to flip the magic ley lines in the Earth that would alter the entire nature of our planet. Instead of life and nature flowing out of it, all they wo
uld bring is death and destruction. I had a pretty good idea of how he planned on doing it too. I didn’t have much to go on, but I’d spent time in the library while I was down here and read up on fairy lore.

  Fae, all the fae, were sons and daughters of Lilith – progeny of Mother Earth, who had been formed out of mud and clay while Adam still lived in the Garden of Eden. She was his first wife, but cast aside because her creation bound her to the Earth itself instead of to him. The magic of her being came from the same life force as the ley lines beneath the ground, its where her magic came from.

  Adam and Eve eventually left the Garden after partaking of the fruit and it sealed itself away from the eyes of man, but Lilith stayed behind. The Garden was her home, it was her legacy. Only someone who was born with the same bloodline could find it.

  If Lilith and her progeny are tied to the Earth by magic, they have that in common with the ley lines. One of the angels said that Aidan would need a key, made of the Earth itself. Could he have been talking about the fae?

  Maybe that’s why he was so obsessed with me, he needed my help because I was a descendant of the Whelan Curse – the Romani clan that had been touched by fairy magic. I had both fae and demon blood inside me, the perfect recipe for disaster. He was going to use me to make that happen. Furthermore, with the balance of power shifted, it would become a breeding ground for demons and his army could invade. It would become hell on Earth – literally.

  Someone had to stop him. Someone had to warn the Celestial Court what he was planning. And it was going to have to be me.

  But how?

  How was I going to stop the Demon Lord who had already managed to hold me captive? There was no way to kill an immortal being except maybe one. Aunt Nadia was the only person I knew of who had permanently killed a demon. She used a branch stolen from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden that had been whittled down into a stake.

  The Tree, I thought. Of course.

  It held the key to immortality and could both bestow and take away that precious gift. It was the only way. If I was going to defeat Aidan, then I would to have to make it there myself. That’s when I realized I needed to start plotting my escape.

  I had to get out of here. My time in the Underworld was finished.

  HJ

  The trip back from Stygia was long and exhausting, both physically and emotionally. I had to stop along the way to destroy some of the bug-like sentinel’s that attacked me.

  I arrived at the castle well into the evening and couldn’t wait to collapse in bed. The lights flickered along the filthy city streets as I floated past them. It smelled like garbage and vomit that had been left unattended for days. I sighed and held my breath, getting closer and closer to Aidan’s palace. The room I’d been assigned was really more about status than anything else. It was right across the hall from Aidan’s suite. The royal palace was the only place in Avernus that didn’t stink, or resemble the worst parts of living in overcrowded government housing. It was cleaner, and designed with modern amenities, but that created friction because the entire city knew I was receiving favoritism.

  Aidan wanted it that way. He also wanted me close by; every move he made was calculated.

  If I was forced to live in here against my will, then I would have preferred a quiet hovel in the dump. Instead, I had to live with him, which was worse.

  At the gates outside was a schizophrenic and borderline genius demon building elaborate statues out of bones. I tried not to look at her as I walked by. She was transfixed in a macabre haze. What upset me wasn’t that she made artwork from these tools – it’s that she loved it. All the time and care that she’d put into tying the bones together was almost enough to make me puke. Her disgusting, bloody artwork was regular to these parts, another fact of life.

  She made no attempt to make eye contact with me, but that was normal. “Hey, Neveah.”

  The demon grunted in response without taking her eyes off her work and continued molding the hideous masterpiece. As I walked down the hall towards my door, I met Kalrauko in the hall. “Good, you’re back. Master need’s you at the Gates now.”

  “I made good time,” I responded flatly. “What’s going on?”

  “Ezekiel is here. Mephistopheles is on the warpath looking for you.”

  The blood drained from my face as I remembered the avenging angel from my trial that had been so adamant I be destroyed. I felt a chill run down my spine as screaming echoed loudly in the distance. “Alright, let’s go.”

  With a skillful wave of his hands, he summoned a swirling vortex in the middle of the hall. We stepped through it and came out right at the Gates of Hell. Mephistopheles was pacing back and forth. The instant he saw me, the demon teleported so that he was gripping me underneath the arm and dragging me down the hall. “Ow, that hurts!”

  “Not now,” he hissed as he waved a hand across the wall to reveal the portal. “Get in there.”

  I stumbled through and came out on the valley floor in front of the Gates of Hell. The narrow opening was situated at the base between two mountains and had a huge metal gate that stretched like a wall from side to side. The black, volcanic rock that formed each of these geologic structures was cracked, with glowing red light shining out through the fractures.

  Aidan stood looking through the metal bars at a group of five heavily armed Guardians standing on the threshold with Ezekiel behind them.

  “Miss Hendricks, thank you for joining us,” he addressed me formally.

  Ezekiel and the other angels turned to look at me, their expressions cruel and hostile. Blue, angelic mist drifted lazily around them. It had been such a long time since I saw anything other than the demonic purple that it stuck out vibrantly in the dark surroundings. The Elder who was leading them, Ezekiel, was taller than all the rest. He stood about eight feet high, with golden skin and hair. His robes were made of fine silk and embellished with jewels, directly contrasting the Guardians’ more practical approach of gray capes and woven leggings. He sneered at me through the metal railing and looked me over carefully, “My, my, I see the child has grown since we last met.”

  I scowled at him, but said nothing in response. I remembered his presence at my trial, where he appealed to the Celestial Court to have me killed. He’d been the most vocal and outraged by my mere existence and looked down on me like I was something dirty that needed to be squashed. He was also the one I’d seen in the vision of Caleb’s fall, who mocked him for loving me and called him a traitor. Nothing about him resonated with “good” to me, even though he appeared on the side of light. He had already made up his mind about what was right and good. There would be no reasoning with him – I would have to keep an eye on that.

  “You’ve been training her, I see. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have garnished her with armor.”

  Aidan stepped forward so he was positioned right in front of me. “What do you want, Ezekiel?”

  The angel frowned, his blues eyes flashing beneath the hood of his cloak. “We have a deal, your majesty. The Earthwalker was given a year to prove that she could pass the seven trials. You whisked her away before judgment could be passed, and therefore she forfeited the right to live. She broke the sacred vow by shattering her necklace.”

  “As I recall, the only reason for the trial in the first place was her continued residence in the Mortal Realm. Miss Hendricks has not set foot above ground since I brought her here a year ago.”

  “You have a skillful way of twisting the law for your own devices. In this particular case, however, I’m afraid it won’t help. The Earthwalker must be destroyed once and for all.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” Aidan responded with amusement.

  The Guardians drew some weapons from beneath their cloaks and brandished them threateningly. I glanced at one of their faces and it was cold and unemotional. They were trained warriors, and everything they knew about me told them I was the enemy. I saw the hint of their faction’s sigil on one of their necks and it made me think o
f Caleb. He’d thought I was the enemy too, at first. That was before he got to know me.

  Aidan scoffed. “You come into my house, armed, and threaten to take away my favorite toy? No, I’m afraid that simply will not do. Miss Hendricks belongs to me now, and it’s in the Demon Realm she will reside.”

  “But she could return to Earth at any time!”

  “Do you have proof of that?” he challenged haughtily. “That’s a very bold accusation, and I’ve gone out of my way to keep Wynnona’s activities above board.”

  Ezekiel scowled at him. “You had best be careful, Lucifer. If your pet so much as sets one foot in the Mortal Realm, we will find out about it.”

  “Yes, and until then I believe your business here is done.”

  The tall angel looked over his shoulder to the others behind him and tilted his head to the side. “This isn’t over.”

  In a flash of light, they all dissipated in a cloud of mist, leaving Aidan and I alone at the Gates of Hell. He turned to me with a sigh, hands clutched carefully behind his back and said, “You’re late.”

  “I was attacked by rovers,” I told him bitterly. “I had to kill four of them on my way back from Stygia.”

  “Were you harmed?”

  I shook my head. “No, just delayed.”

  Aidan beamed at me with pride. “Then you’re forgiven. I trust you caught all that?” he inquired, looking back across his shoulder to where Ezekiel and the others had been standing. “I warned you about the Guardians before, but you ignored my advice and engaged in that fruitless relationship. I trust you see the wisdom of my council now. They’ve placed a bounty on your head, my dear, so whatever thoughts may be brewing in that head of yours, I suggest you put them to rest. Your place is here, with me.”

  I swallowed hard, looking down at the rocky terrain. “I understand.”