I saw something shiny in his right hand and didn’t move.
“It will be a pleasure to mark your pretty face, girl,” he snarled and attacked. My instinct as a fighter took over. I clenched my fingers over his wrist, twisted and shoved him over my back. He slammed on the ground and I twisted his arm around, so he had no choice but to drop the knife, swearing at me.
I might have lost my magic, but I still had my fighting skills. The adrenaline was already kicking in when I had him pinned down on the floor. There was so much going on in his eyes, and he tangled his massive body, using his legs to free himself. I started elbowing him until he stopped resisting and didn’t move again. Blood poured out of his nose and mouth when I got off him, wiping the sweat off my face. There was no point wasting time, so I kicked the other door and found myself in a narrow corridor with a set of doors on my right.
“Ricky, are you in there?” I shouted, walking up and down. I started punching one door, then the other.
“Max, is that you?”
Finally I heard the familiar voice when I reached the last door. I had no doubt that it was Ricky.
“I haven’t got my magic, so you have to be with me,” I said, knowing that I had to get Zach or Ronan in here.
I should have taken Zach’s gun. He bought one in some random shop in East London after we saw Andrej. It would have been useful in here.
“The doors are charmed,” Ricky said.
I turned around, and then I thought I saw someone standing on the other side of the corridor, blocking my way.
Scorching heat made me a little dizzy, but I clenched my teeth. I already knew who showed up to surprise me. I could smell his filthy attitude all the way from here.
“This time around, Miss Brodeur, you won’t escape. And it’s just you and me.”
It all happened so fast. One second I was backing away to the wall, and the next raw flames were all around me, licking my skin with unbearable heat. Right underneath my feet the floor split, revealing the fiery pits. The strong energy was already pulling me down. My heart skipped a beat and panic invaded every cell in my body. I struggled to remain standing upright, trying to take a few steps back, but there I was greeted with fire. I had nowhere to escape.
“Max! Are you all right? What is going on out there?” Ricky was shouting, banging his fists against the door. The entire building started to shake and I possibly had only a few seconds left on this earth.
My knees gave out and moments later the gates sucked me down. I screamed, and with my last attempt I grabbed the edge of the rock wall of the opening. I managed to hold on to the world outside with my right hand as the incredible heat savaged my body.
I screamed. Tears rolled down my cheeks. My legs were burning and I couldn’t take it anymore—so I let go. Then I was falling down, passing the darkness, as my life started flashing right in front of me.
I hit the ground hard and faster than I expected, bruising my elbow, but the gravity must have been on my side, because for some reason I didn’t break any bones. Coughing and spewing dust, I tried to lift myself back on my feet. After only a few days I was back in hell, back to the area governed by Berith. The ground was dry, and I couldn’t breathe. The air was filled with smoke from the fire all around. I started coughing again, as my lungs started literally burning.
I kept hearing agonising screams around me and remembered the humans that were drowned in the large pools filled with lava and blood. It was difficult to get that image out of my head.
“At last you belong to me,” said the voice, and I felt cold fingers on my neck. A split second later Rodriguez was penetrating my memories and thoughts. “This is the place where you belong and I’ll take what’s mine.”
My knees gave out and I slammed on the ground. He was suddenly grabbing, moulding and stealing my good memories away, like they never mattered. I was losing the most precious thoughts, those moments when I gave birth to Summer and memories about Arthur. He loved me, I knew he did, and what he had done to save our daughter’s life was noble and brave. The old demon was trying to find out where I had hidden my little girl; that’s all he was after. He wanted to use her to return to the palace, to gain the royals’ trust again.
I screamed, writhing on the ground, trying to take a breath, but I couldn’t. Everything was hurting me, my muscles and mind.
“Once and for all, she’s going to be mine,” he was saying, laughing. “And you will be stuck here in the pits like a worthless human.”
“Cease your energy, demon. I have seen enough.”
It was another voice that had spoken. Suddenly Rodriguez was gone from my head and my mind was at ease. The thick smoke from the fire was gone too, and I could finally take a full breath of fresh air. I lay on the ground, sensing him standing a few meters away, watching me. I was in hell, but this wasn’t meant to be my end yet.
Chapter 27
“Before me things create were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I shall endure. All hope abandon, ye who enter here.” ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I stood up, breathing hard and staring at my father, who was approaching from the other side. Heat radiated from the pools of fire and blood that surrounded us. The old demon had made an error. He brought me back to hell, thinking that no one would interfere, but he didn’t realise that my father must have sensed the moment when I crossed his gates.
“I have told you before, Morpheus, this is none of your business,” spat the old demon, and wiped the sweat off his face.
This was the only appearance that my father most likely had ever taken, and I didn’t believe that anyone had ever seen him in his true form. Even his most trusted demons had no idea how he really looked.
I knew that the time in hell worked differently. Ricky and Paul were waiting, but I wouldn’t want to miss this show. This would surely be Rodriguez’s end. I had been looking forward to this since he and Alexis had kept me prisoner in that cramped cell.
“I have watched you abusing your position for many years before you were assigned to the royals,” Lucifer said. “It’s unfortunate that you chose that path, Master Rodriguez, but it’s time for you to pay for those sins.”
He frowned in confusion, probably because he still had no idea that Morpheus had always been Lucifer, the master of the underworld. He must have been getting his orders from him in the past, but Rodriguez had never spoken directly to the dark lord. My father must have been using other demons to shape his rules. That incident in Paul’s pub indicated that Rodriguez had met his boss on a number of occasions before, but even then he didn’t know who Morpheus really was. Lucifer found a clever way to control his most trusted advisors, and they had absolutely no idea what was going on this entire time.
“The girl is mine, Morpheus, and I have paid a high price for her. The election is over and only the dark lord can question my choices. I heard that he’s still in power,” Rodriguez replied, brushing away the dust off his clothes.
“He’s the dark lord, you moron,” I said, laughing.
“Yes, I’m Lucifer, and I have been using this body to visit earth from time to time,” my father added with amusement in his voice, and then the fire appeared right behind Rodriguez, and we all started hearing snippets of conversations that echoed around.
The dark lord will punish us for this. His blood is in her veins.
I remembered Rodriguez saying this when he was with Alexis. It was funny how karma worked.
Take her to my chambers and tell Rodriguez that I caught her. He will be pleased.
His and Alexis’s voices echoed a few more times in the background. Lucifer was reminding the old demon about all his previous sins, his betrayal. There was no way that he could talk his way out of this.
Seconds rolled by and the old demon went pale. He glanced from me to Morpheus and then swallowed hard, shock masking his sharp features.
“Master, forgive me. I was only—”
“Spare me the details, Rodriguez,” my father said. ?
??I just wasn’t expecting this from you, and frankly, I’m disappointed. I sent my daughter back to earth with a task and you interfered. The votes have been counted and you have lost. There are other candidates that are much more competent than you. You have failed me, and it seems that death will be too good for you.”
Seconds dragged and I waited for something to happen. I thought that I was going to enjoy seeing Rodriguez go down, but right then he looked so pathetic that I pitied him. I was surprised that I didn’t hate him any longer.
“I have served you loyally for decades. Alexis poisoned my mind,” the old demon said, begging my father to spare him.
I shook my head, not believing that he still dared to lie.
“Sadly, nothing can change what’s about to happen, demon,” Lucifer said, and then Rodriguez was lifted above the ground, and flames of fire surrounded him quickly. This time around he wasn’t going to escape. He screamed, tangling his hair, and then vanished in the thick black cloud of smoke. The intense smell of burning flesh spread through the air and that made me instantly sick. It was over. Rodriguez was gone.
“Rodriguez was sent to the pits, to the lake filled with lava and blood. That’s how the demons and evil humans suffer, and they will continue to suffer there for eternity,” Lucifer stated, sounding nostalgic.
I had no idea how to react. Deep down I was relieved that I didn’t have to deal with that old demon anymore. I had failed to bring Alexis down, failed when she had taken my magic way. None of this was important right now, and yet I wanted to see pride in my father’s eyes. These unexpected emotions were so human.
“Thank you,” I said, not feeling very grateful after all. He stared at me with the same intensity, as the silence continued to stab me in my gut. My feelings remained indifferent. I didn’t want to believe that he was ever planning to fulfill his promises, but now he had proven me wrong. “So what’s the true outcome of the election?”
“I have won with over seventy percent of the votes. A few demons that were representing their faction on earth had already been replaced. Beelzebub and Mammon have escaped to earth when they found that they had lost too. They didn’t get enough votes in their circles.”
I was so overwhelmed by what happened with Rodriguez that I’d kind of forgotten about the outcome of the election. Lucifer had won, and that surprised me. It looked like his influence in hell hadn’t been jeopardised and he dealt with the uprising accordingly.
Maybe it was easier that he stayed in power after all.
“So what is going to happen to me now?”
“Your demonic energy will float through your system again when you return to earth,” he said. “I had made a mistake sending you with Hades.”
I looked down at my feet and took a few deep breaths. Too many questions were floating in my head. The time worked differently in hell and I didn’t want to waste another second of it, but I couldn’t just ask him to send me back. There were a few things that still needed some clarification.
“I don’t understand. Alexis took my magic away,” I said. That bitch had broken me, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit to that. In the past I had taken my magic for granted when I should have cherished it.
“I’m gifting your magic back to you, Maxine. Bring Alexis back to hell. Nothing has changed in that respect.”
I stood there staring at him and wondering if this was happening for real.
“Hold on, what are you—”
I didn’t have the chance to finish my question, because all of a sudden a bright light blinded me, and when I took another breath, hell was gone. I was back in the dark basement and someone was banging at the metal door. Disoriented and filled with even more confusion, I waited for Rodriguez to appear in front of me, but nothing happened. Then I felt it—my energy rushing through my veins, burning slowly in the pit of my stomach. I touched my face and closed my eyes for a second, waiting and praying for this to be real. Several seconds later it was still there. I didn’t imagine it—I had my magic back, and this was the most amazing feeling that I ever experienced. My heart pounded loudly in my chest as the blue flames rolled over my arms. My senses and vision returned to normal. It was so good to feel like myself again.
My father had given me my magic back, without asking anything in return. I was shocked, but very relieved too.
Ricky was still banging at the door, shouting my name and asking what the hell was going on. It was time to get him out of here.
“Ricky, step away from the wall!” I shouted, placing my palm on the rusty metal frame.
Waves of electricity began floating over the surface of my skin and I squeezed it with excitement. It felt amazing to sense that drilling rush of energy again. I shut my eyes and concentrated. My power suddenly blasted through me, and Ricky’s cell shook and the door’s hinges rattled loudly. I backed away to the side when the lock melted.
Before I knew it I was hugging Ricky closely, my emotions running high.
“On Lucifer, I thought that I was going to be stuck here forever,” he said, lifting me off the ground. “It’s so good to see you, girl.”
“You too, but we haven’t got time to chat. We need to get the hell out of here,” I told him, suddenly feeling pumped with excitement.
Ricky’s clothes were filthy and he looked like he had been beaten up on a regular basis. His face was covered with bruises and it was swollen in places. He must have lost a bit of weight too. I was suddenly really glad that Rodriguez was suffering in the pits.
“Are you all right to run?”
“Come on, Max, don’t insult me,” he snapped, so I rolled my eyes and we started walking towards the exit.
Zachary was waiting for me in the same spot, and he didn’t look too good, squeezing his left side, leaning over the wall. Lucifer must have adjusted the time to the one on earth, because I hadn’t lost any extra minutes in here.
“What the hell happened to you? Where is Paul?” I asked, staring at the blood that was pouring down his clothes.
“A huge guy slashed me with a very big knife. I’ll be all right. I managed to get Paul out,” the detective replied, but he looked really pale.
Paul approached me, and Andrej’s men gathered behind me. A few of them were missing.
“He probably needs to get to the hospital. That wound looks nasty, mate,” Andrej said, pointing his gun at Zachary. Obviously he had no idea that he was the same person that disrespected him earlier on.
Paul was in much better condition than Ricky. There were other demons on the way and we had to get back to the car as soon as possible.
“We need to get him out of here, Andrej,” I said.
“I get it, darling. Olek, help the man out,” Andrej ordered. The large Russian put Zach’s arm around him and I supported him from the other side. Zach complained a little, but he looked too weak to walk on his own.
We managed to get outside the building and there I saw Ronan. He wasn’t alone. He was fighting with his son—Nameless Thief.
Both men were using magic. Ronan was throwing red balls of light while Thomas was defending himself with his machete. It must have been the one that Zara used when she stabbed Ricky, because his weapon seemed to be resisting Ronan’s energy. I had no idea where he came from. He was supposed to be with his clan underground. I glanced around, waiting for Alexis to appear too, thinking that maybe this was yet another trap. Nothing happened, but that unease stayed with me. Nameless wasn’t even meant to know that we were going to be here tonight.
Andrej whispered something in Russian, staring at the magic that was happening right in front of his eyes. I didn’t think that demonic rules mattered right now. There were a lot of dead humans around, and Andrej had lost a few of his men too. I had a feeling that authorities were on the way and we couldn’t just be stuck here in case more than one policeman invaded this place.
Despite his age, Ronan was still very powerful, but Nameless seemed quicker. The waves of electricity shot down over Ronan’s body. I screamed when
my mentor went down.
“Get my gun, Max, and finish that son of a bitch,” Zach hissed at me. The gun was tucked into his back pocket and I grabbed it, feeling its weight in my hands. I got to Ronan when he was trying to lift himself up.
Nameless stared at me and his father. He had that empty and detached look on his face. His eyes gleamed with unexplained power, as he held his machete above his head, feeding it with more rippling energy.
We had only a few moments to react, and I was ready to burn him down to the ground for everything he had done, but instead I handed Zach’s gun to Ronan and said, “It’s your call and your son.”
Nameless spit on the ground, glanced from me to Andrej’s men, and hesitated. Ronan grabbed the gun without even thinking about it. Nameless decided to make a run for it. He dropped his magical machete and soon he was going to disappear around the building, this time probably forever.
Then Ronan fired a shot. He was a demon and he wasn’t supposed to know how to use the gun.
Everything happened so fast, but it seemed slow motion when I saw Nameless going down to the ground, just before he reached the gate. He was shot in the back of his head and he was dead by the time his body slammed on the ground. Ronan had fired a perfect shot, killing his only son.
Nameless was a mongrel, therefore a mortal, and his father didn’t even blink before he killed him. I stood by him, and the strong harsh wind ruffled my hair. Goose pimples broke over my neck and in the looming silence I began to question if that was really necessary. It must have been tough for Ronan to pull that trigger. His only son had betrayed him and now he made a choice to end his life.
Nameless sold his own people to Alexis. He paid a high price for it.
“What the hell was that magical shit? I always knew that there was something fishy about you!” Andrej shouted, smiling widely and using his gun to scratch his head.