Down in Flames Read online

  I was done playing by his rules.

  One of the ogres charged at me, swinging a giant axe with all the force he could muster. I ducked, the axe missing by a foot, and teleported a fraction to the side, causing him to lose his focus. When he realized he had missed, the demon roared in fury and swung at me again, but I repeated this technique and shifted far enough to thwart his new attack. The beast let out a colossal roar as we danced around each other, him attacking, and me Blinking away just in time. The taunting worked. He was tiring quickly and furious that he came no closer to touching me. I laughed at his pathetic efforts. He might have been bigger and stronger, but I was smarter and wasn’t going to let him get the best of me.

  Using my favorite trick, I made eye contact with the creature and began to infiltrate his mind. I knew that it was working and he was under my control when his expression shifted and the glint in his eyes grew softer.

  When three more guards came charging into the area to help him, I jumped on top of a window ledge and clung to the rim inside before climbing to higher ground.

  “Attack the ogres coming after you,” I suggested telepathically. “Otherwise, they will harm you and we’ll both be thrown in prison.”

  The beast whirled around, completely entranced by my connection and began to smash away at the very demons who were sent to capture me. Confused, they had no option but to defend themselves and began attacking him as well.

  Good, now go take care of each other for me.

  One of them reached up and tried to the grab me by the ankle as I ran across the ledge, but I shot the last bolt from my quiver down at him and buried it right between his eyes. Blood spewed from everywhere and he cried out mightily in pain. Although he was temporarily blinded from the carnage, his tug on the edge of my pant leg managed to bring me to the ground.

  I landed awkwardly, but sprang up instantly and caught sight of the rack of weapons fastened to the wall. My eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to me and I reached toward it, pulling the screws and metal hinges off the support that was holding them in place. In a matter of seconds, it became unhinged, and every sword, spear and dagger that had been hanging off it went flying through the air. Twenty or so razor-sharp weapons imbedded themselves in the demon’s backs and they went crashing to the ground.

  Those ogres kept coming, one after the other, and I kept dealing out the carnage, slicing and thrusting at everything that came my way. I was smaller and lighter than them, giving me the advantage as I performed acrobatic feats around their bodies. As one ogre toppled, I bounced off his body to jump on the back of his friend and stab him in the neck. Another tried to pry me off, making me lose my hold and slip on the slick blood pouring out of the wound. Screaming with rage, I pivoted around and jabbed at him repeatedly in his chest and arms. He threw his hands up to protect his body, but he was no match for my savagery.

  It was one occasion where the unforgiving brutality of Aidan’s training served me well.

  “Take her down!” Belphegor ordered from the balcony, sounding panicky for the first time since the melee began. “We can’t let her escape!”

  There was a brief lull in the fighting while they raised the portcullis doors to let in more guards. I watched them with a smile, panting as they came running toward me with their axes in hand. A grin spread across my face as I raised both my arms in a come-hither gesture and let my eyes roll back in my head.

  Killing them would be delicious.

  I didn’t have the chance to fight before I was shot in the back with an arrow – many arrows, in fact. The tips were filled with tranquilizers and I became paralyzed after six or seven of them had struck me from behind. That’s when I realized it was the archers Belphegor had been talking to, not the soldiers on the ground.

  It was the only way they could have beat me.

  Moments later they grabbed me from either side and dragged me screaming to the cell where I was captured.

  “You will pay dearly for this,” Belphegor snarled.

  HJ

  “Wake up swine,” one of the jailers called to me when he passed.

  I groaned, blinking my eyes awake and sat up blearily inside the dank and dreary cell. One of my eyes was swollen shut, but I could hear the sound of something dripping in the background. It was the darkest, smelliest place I'd ever been. The damp stone walls and corridor were lit by a pair of torches, and there were barred metal doors on either side of that corridor.

  My arms were bound at my waist by a straightjacket with rusted metal shackles. Even my wings had been wrapped tightly with bandages that hyperextended the ligaments in a painful way against my back. The weight of my body put pressure against the straps and I could barely move. The glamour had worn off and I didn’t have the strength to return to human form.

  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been down here, but it had to be over a month, based on the rudimentary system of time I was able to calculate. Sweat matted my hair in a tangled braid and my wrists were bruised and bleeding from being chained up so long.

  I hissed from pain as the swelling caused an open cut to make contact with the metal.

  The worst thing about it though, was the smell. It stank of ash and brimstone and filth in a way that stings the nostrils and was terribly unpleasant. One of the gates opened in the chamber outside and Aidan, wearing a heavy black cloak for travelling, stepped in to have a look at me. The dim light of the torches cast long shadows across his face, accentuating his high cheekbones and pale, blond hair. Underneath the fabric of his outerwear I could make out the gold embroidery of a formal vest, and I rolled my eyes at the ostentatiousness of his attire. He sighed, glancing briefly at the injuries and muttered, “Ah, Wynn. I see we’re back to the drawing board again.”

  I snorted, gazing up at him from the chains in which I was bound. “I’d rather be here than sleeping in a palace chamber across from you.”

  “So ungrateful,” he scolded lightly. “One of these days you’ll start seeing things my way.”

  “Are you expecting me to thank you? To beg forgiveness and come sniveling back to Avernus?”

  He nodded. “Yes, as a matter of fact.”

  We stared at each other for a moment through the bars until I shook my head and sighed. “You still don’t know me very well.”

  “I know you, Wynn. I’m familiar with your temper tantrums. Yet I continue to be optimistic. I suppose I could transfer you to the dungeon in Avernus,” the Demon Lord mused to himself thoughtfully.

  “Okay.”

  “But I know you like it so much better over here.”

  “That works, too.”

  “I do hope you change your mind about this. It’s such a shame to see you chained in irons.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah, I’m sure it is. Supposing for a moment that I did decide to go with you. How would that work exactly? You'd deal with me yourself?”

  His eyes twinkled slightly when he responded. “Naturally.”

  “And there would be no repercussions?”

  “I never said that,” he replied with the hint of a smirk. “You knew the rules when you came down here. Acting out irrationally comes with consequences and you’ll need to be taught a lesson.”

  “So, what exactly would be the difference?

  “The scenery ... and my own personal touch,” he added gleefully.

  “I see. Remind me again how you used to punish me in the past?”

  “I’m not going to deny they’ve been creative. Even still, it wouldn’t have to be all bad. You know as well as anyone that I can be pleasant when the time is done.”

  “You can be many things, if it serves to get the point across. I’d rather take the torture.”

  Aidan stepped forward slightly and reached in towards me through the bars, running a gloved finger across my cheek. “Let the guards know when you’ve learned your lesson. I’ll have your quarters prepped and waiting.”

  Without another word, he turned and left with a snap of his fingers and the guard
s locked the door behind him. My stomach grumbled from the lack of food and I whimpered slightly. I was tired and sore, but there was nowhere to lay or even rest my head.

  For the past eighteen months, I had thought of little else except how to wreak my revenge on Aidan and escape. Even if I did manage to escape though, there was still a bounty on my head in the Mortal Realm. Ezekiel and the Guardians would be hunting me for forfeiting my trials. I wouldn’t make it very long before they found me, so I briefly wondered what’s the point?

  I was tired, and no one on the other plane even wanted my help to begin with. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that people would die if I didn’t warn them. Legions of soldiers in the demon army would pass into the Moral Realm and claim it as their own. How long could humanity survive like that?

  The clanging of the guards’ armor echoed noisily down the hall as I blearily watched them pass by. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move within the darkness. My field of vision was narrowed due to the swelling of my eye and face, but when I saw the darkened figure hiding in the shadows I knew exactly who it was.

  Charlene. What’s she doing here?

  Charlene’s shadow flickered in the darkness once again. She’d come all this way to help me escape. I couldn’t believe it.

  Her blonde hair was longer now, and twisted down across her shoulders. My heart rate increased at the sight of her obscured outline, her blood red eyes glowing in the shadows. She smiled at me and put a finger to her lips, gesturing to the prison guard. I nodded.

  Before I could move or think, she disappeared around the corner, emerging behind the jailer. She clamped her hand on either side of his face, snapping his neck so violently it separated from the spine and flopped grotesquely. The body hit the floor with a loud thud, alerting everyone around us. Another guard, startled by the noise and the sudden appearance of the pixie-like demon, sounded the alarm. Shocked and impressed by her moxie, I scooted farther back in my jail cell and waited for her to return. A few seconds later she teleported back with a set of keys and began undoing the complicated lock to release me.

  The heavy metal door swung open with a groan. Charlene hurried inside, knelt beside me, and undid the restraints around my wrists with ease. I was distracted by the glint of a ring on her left hand. My mind was spinning, not knowing what to think, but that could have been from blood loss. I pulled my arms out of the strait jacket’s heavy fabric. My hair was tangled in the clasp, but I ripped it and threw the offending piece of leather on the ground. I was free.

  “Are you able to walk?” she asked me nervously.

  I nodded slightly and told her, “Yes.”

  She helped me to my feet and clambered out the door before adding, “Good, because I can’t teleport inside the castle – its protected by magic. We have to get outside.”

  “I know,” I responded grimly. “I’ve been trying to use magic and it doesn’t work.”

  Charlene knew the castle better than I did; she had served Belphegor for centuries. The palace grounds were as familiar to her as the back of her hand. She led us higher in the tower up the stairwell, and I struggled to keep up with her.

  My head was throbbing with pain as I limped beside her down the hall, leaning against her for support. I hated that I was slowing us down, but my injuries wouldn’t let me move faster. The warning horn blared repeatedly in the distance. It wouldn’t be long before reinforcements came.

  Sure enough, as we rounded another corner, looking for the way out, a set of guards came rushing down the hall towards us. Charlene frowned, bracing me up against the wall before pulling a knife from the belt around her waist and sliding down the hall. She used the slick floor to sink to a crouch and glided at the incoming guards, slicing at their hamstrings and quads as she passed them.

  “Augh!”

  “Filthy wench!”

  Blood spurted from their calves and they fell over, unable to walk or stand, yowling in pain and anguish.

  I can’t believe she came for me, I thought again. Touched that after everything we’d been through, and how awful I’d been to her in the beginning, she’d still come back for me. She didn’t have to do it, but here she was. The ring on her finger clued me in to some of what I’d missed in the world above, and it made my heart ache.

  “Thank you,” I muttered softly.

  She didn’t look down, too focused on looking for an exit, but her lips pursed into a line. “Don’t thank me yet. We’re both trapped until I find the way out.”

  Before I could answer, a guard came charging towards us and leapt on Charlene to subdue her. In his clumsy attempt, he knocked over an ornate candelabra, sending it flying into the tapestry across from us. The lit candles hit first and set the cloth on fire. In an instant, the small flickers became angry flames and set the room ablaze.

  “How are we going to get out of here?” I screamed at her above the roaring flames after she disposed of the guard. “We’ll never make it to the door.”

  Frantic, Charley glanced from side to side with a look of determination on her face, until her eyes rested on the window to our left. Knowing exactly what she had in mind I said, “No, are you insane? It’s a forty-foot drop, we’ll kill ourselves.”

  “You have wings, we can fly!” she shouted back at me.

  I glanced out the window and shook my head, “I’m not strong enough, we’ll never get far. I don’t like it.”

  “It’s the only way!”

  “There will be angels waiting on the other side,” I warned her. “They want to kill me for breaking the contract.”

  “I can shield you for a while,” she responded simply. “We’ll take care of that when they get there, but right now we need to move.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, climbing out the narrow opening, hanging down and clinging to the lip of rock that ran along the outside. Charlene climbed out after me and took me by the hand. We swayed perilously for a moment, our only safety was the grip of our fingertips. Her eyes flashed red for a moment and she transformed into her magnificent leviathan beast.

  The albino dragon grasped me with her claws and pressed back against the stone wall, taking flight across the landscape. As we took to the sky, I looked back at the burning ziggurat below.

  “Hold on, Wynn. I’m going to get you out of here,” she told me firmly as we sliced through the wind. Her wings beat against the air, flying high above the castle with my arm clutched tightly between her talons. I pointed towards the mountainside where the caves were located for the mines and shouted, “Over there! I have an idea!”

  The dragon turned and brought us swiftly towards the place that I had shown her and touched down on the ground outside. She looped her arm around me and helped me limp onward into the crevasse. In the distance, we could see the faint light of a magic stream flowing past the rock. Charley and I followed it, watching the dark red clay become speckled with diamond shards. The deeper we went the more encrusted with jewels the walls became.

  Eventually, we came to a path along the cave made entirely out of diamonds, white and beautiful, shimmering with magic properties. Below it flowed the stream I was looking for and Charley eyed me curiously. “What are we doing here?”

  “It a ley line to the surface,” I explained. “Fae should be able to ride it to the world above.”

  “I’m not fae!”

  “But I am,” I reminded her, dipping my arm inside. “Hold on to me.”

  Charley took me by the hand and nodded. “Okay, there’s just one rule when you leave the underworld.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t. Look. Back.”

  HJ

  I was panting and delirious when we finally made it out to the other side. Gingerly, she laid me on a doorstep and knocked boldly, demanding entrance. I fell to the floor — unable to stand, unable to think, unable to breathe. A moment later it opened, with Lacey waiting for us. Her long black hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her pale blue eyes were wide with expectation
. The lime green aura around her swelled with terror when she saw us and came rushing over to help.

  “Oh, God,” Lacey gasped. “Ryan, they made it!”

  In the corner of my periphery, I could barely make out his silhouette, followed by a slew of profanity. “Come on, let’s get her inside.”

  “What are we doing at Ryan’s?” I sputtered weakly.

  Charlene sighed, stumbling over to help carry me inside. “I can only teleport between realms when it brings me back to the exact same place I left. That’s why I was able to find you in Xibalba, it’s the last place I existed within the Demon Realm.”

  “So, I guess this is where you left from then.”

  She nodded stiffly as they lifted me carefully off the ground and took me over to the couch. Charlene lumbered after us, looking exhausted. It wasn’t until they brought me into the light they were able to see the extent of my injuries. Lacey grabbed a pillow from the bedroom and set a place for me on the couch. “Why are you always covered in blood?” she grumbled.

  All I could do was moan in response when my body fell limp against the lumpy cushion. Trembling, Charley stood up beside me, blood smeared across her hands, and started casting a protection spell. Her hands were shaking as she went wall to wall, window to window and imbued it with a cloaking shimmer. I was impressed by her preparedness, knowing that it would protect us from Aidan and Ezekiel’s scrying.

  “What the hell happened?” Ryan demanded frantically. His yellow aura was swirling frantically as her fear and anxiety escalated. Since the initial bonding with Charlene, tiny swirls of purple would mix inside it and bring new color from his soul’s companion. She saved his life that day, and since then their bond and love for one another had only grown stronger. “I thought it was supposed to be a quick in and out?” he argued.