by Nicky Graves
I grabbed the nearest woman and took her to the transition realm. The line to the front was long and filled with puddles. Everyone was drenched and miserable. My shoes squished as we slowly made our way to the keeper’s door.
I glanced back at the reaper behind me. “Do you know how to get to the demon realm?”
“Never been there,” he said. “You’re that new reaper, huh?”
“Yes. Do you know who would know?”
“Why do you want to go there?”
“I have to find something I need. So, do you know?”
He shook his head. “No. Ask the keeper. He’d know.”
The keeper might know, but he wasn’t the talkative sort. I doubt I’d get any information from him. But I would try.
When it was our turn, I rang the bell on the counter and then ushered the woman through the door.
“Door three,” the keeper said as he stabbed his fingers at the typewriter.
“Do you know where the demon realm is?” I asked.
He didn’t respond, just kept typing.
“Sir?” I asked.
“Door three,” he repeated.
With a sigh, I opened the door for the woman and scooted her inside. I then shut it. On my exit, I asked again. He didn’t respond.
I shifted back to the ship and was able to transition nine more souls. On each trip to the transition room, I asked the keeper if he knew the location of the demon realm. Each time, he ignored me. When I returned with my final transition, I figured I could ask him one more time. According to Boomer, I annoyed people. Maybe if I annoyed the keeper, he’d stop typing long enough to answer my question.
When I stood in front of him, I said, “Let me guess. Door three.”
He didn’t look up at me. “Door three.”
“Is there a door to the demon realm?” I asked. He didn’t respond. Perhaps he needed more persuasion. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll put this soul in door one.”
“Door three.”
I faked going to door one. Before I could even place my hand on the knob, he shot in front of me. Very nimble considering he looked to be about a thousand. “Door three!” he bellowed.
“Okay,” I said. “I just want to know where the demon realm is.”
“Door three!”
“Fine,” I muttered. I shepherded the soul to the correct door and opened it for the soul to pass through. “I wasn’t really going to put a soul in the wrong door. I’m just looking for the demon realm.”
As soon as I closed the third door, the long hallway twisted and I was flung down it, not stopping until I banged into a door headfirst.
“Ow!” I groaned as I rubbed my forehead. “That was uncalled for.”
I glanced at the door that looked like all the rest, except for the number hanging on it. Seventy-one. I wondered if the number was significant. The keeper had flung me to this door for a reason. Was it the demon realm? Or was it some place even worse? I had ticked the keeper off, so I didn’t trust whatever was behind this door.
Still . . .
Hesitantly, I opened the door to peek inside, but before I could get a look, the light went out all around me. I was enveloped in darkness. Something wrapped around my waist and yanked me through the doorway.
I fell through darkness.
There was nothing I could see to give me a reference as to where I was falling or how much it would hurt when I finally hit bottom. Adrenaline coursed through me as I continued plummeting at a speed that hurt my face from the air current.
And then my body stopped. Just stopped. I was suspended in the darkness. My legs dangled uselessly as I tried feel for anything around me.
Where was I?
Was this purgatory?
I had learned a valuable lesson. Don’t annoy the keeper.
But now what?
“Hello?” I asked the void, hoping someone could hear me. Hopefully, a friendly someone.
“Yet another reaper that annoyed the keeper,” a low voice drawled.
“I only wanted to know where the demon realm was located.”
“Looks like he steered you in the right direction.” The voice was closer.
It was useless trying to move. I had no idea where to go, and my limbs just flailed around in the air.
“I’m in the demon realm?” I asked.
“Yes. You are in the dark lands. I’ve been expecting you, reaper.”
“I have a name. And why were you expecting me?”
“Many reasons.”
“Why don’t you turn on the lights and you can tell me the reasons,” I said, sounding much braver than I felt. The fact was, I was terrified. I could barely think with the sound of my heart drumming in my ears.
He laughed. “Light does not exist in the dark lands, but I can do something better. Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
“Kind of hard to do when we’re in the demon realm and I don’t know who you are.”
“Then you can stay in the darkness.”
“No, wait. Fine.” With trepidation, I closed my eyes. He covered my eyes with his hand and then pulled away.
“Open them,” he said.
I blinked open my eyes to find a man standing in front of me. His eyes were the deepest shade of emerald, and his hair was like the color of a wheat field. He was young and didn’t look as though this dark place was his natural habitat. With his carefree locks and lazy smile, I would have assumed he might have spent his time surfing. He was not what I had expected. Skulking monster, yes. Surfer, no.
I glanced around me. We were in a cave of some sort, and my feet were hovering a few inches off the ground.
“This is the demon realm?” I asked again, wondering if I had knocked my head into the door too hard.
“Part of it,” the man said.
“Are you a demon?” I asked. He looked human like Ranger, but Ranger was only half demon, so I couldn’t really compare.
“I’ve been called many things, but no, I’m not.”
“Who are you?”
He smiled. It was a dimpled smile that would have put me at ease if I was on Earth. “You may call me Lucifer.”
24
Lucifer? I stared at the man in disbelief. I had been expecting horns and a pitchfork. Maybe a barbed tail. This beautiful man couldn’t possibly be the devil. Could he?
“I can take many forms,” he said, detecting my unasked question.
“Like what?” I asked.
He smiled again. “I use this one on females because they let their guard down. However, annoy me like you did the keeper and you’ll see another side of me. Now, I suppose you’re here to collect your friends.”
“Lawson and Ranger are here?”
“Follow me.”
Before I could ask him how to get down from floating, he walked away, and I fell to the ground in an ungraceful pile. I quickly stood and followed Lucifer.
He walked to the mouth of the cave, where it opened to a lush landscape with rolling hills and meadows. There was a small, medieval-looking town below us built out of weathered wood and thatched roofs.
“This is still the demon realm?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“I thought it was all dark and desolate.”
“It’s dark for those who do not belong here.”
“Then how did you make it so I could see?”
“I created this realm. I can create sight for it as well.”
“I thought you only presided over hell. Is this considered hell?” It certainly didn’t have the fire-and-brimstone feel to it.
“I’m everywhere. And hell is a creation in one’s mind. It is not my doing.”
There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I wasn’t sure how tolerant he would be. Right now, he seemed rather like a normal human. It made me ponder every preconceived notion I had of the devil.
We walked to the town. The cobblestone road shot straight through the rows of buildings that looked
as though one giant gust of wind could make them fall like dominoes.
“I can honestly say I didn’t picture this for the demon realm,” I said as we walked along the street.
“Thinking more along the lines of fire and pools of lava?”
I shrugged, not wanting to say that was exactly what I had expected.
“Are there more towns like this, or is this the only one?”
“Inquisitive, aren’t you? Boomer was right about you.”
“You know Boomer?”
He sighed. “I should really change forms so you remember who you’re dealing with. I know everyone. Whether they’ve met me or not. I sense trillions of life forms within seconds. Most blend together since they don’t amuse me enough to seek them out. But you caught my attention.”
“Why?”
“Do I even need to say it?”
I nodded.
He sighed again. “You are the daughter of my most ruthless stealer of souls. You are the heiress to the reapers. And your sweet old pops wants you dead. It’s quite a story, and I’m looking forward to witnessing the ending.” He stopped to look at me. “I wonder who will win in the end. Will it be Azrael, who is death himself? Or the daughter who defies all laws and probabilities?” He leaned in as if he was going to tell me a secret. “My money is on Azrael.”
“I may be a long shot. But if you give me the black stone, I can level the playing field.”
He laughed. “You couldn’t even hold on to the blue and red stones. I sense them on you, but you’ve managed to lose their essence. Do you really think I would hand over the black to you and your bumbling ways?”
“When you put it that way, I guess not. But if Azrael takes the black, then it could mean death for entire planets.”
Lucifer’s eyes flashed with fire. They then returned to their emerald shade. “Again, you forget who you’re dealing with.”
I decided it was in my best interest to stop asking questions.
Lucifer entered what looked to be a tavern. The sign said “Slaughter and Swill.” Charming.
I covered my nose with my shirt collar as I followed behind Lucifer. The bar stunk like a gym locker that held a hundred pairs of sweaty socks. And it was packed with demons. They turned their amber eyes in my direction. While most took the human form, not all of them did. And some demons had a mix of human attributes and demon. Dark creatures that nightmares were made of.
As I walked through, only a pace behind Lucifer, I couldn’t help but stare at the various horns that grew out of leathery skin. Some were big loops. Some were small and pointy.
Long black claws clanked against tankards of alcohol.
And no matter how different the demons looked, they all eyed me with the same hatred.
I now realized how stupid I had been to come to this realm. I had no business coming here, especially without backup. I should have at least found Treble and Wiltone first.
I attempted to shift out of the realm, but nothing happened.
“I could have told you it wouldn’t work,” Lucifer said. “But I’ll release you in a moment.”
He headed through a back door that led to a storage room. Walking through the stacked crates filled with booze, he then pushed through a frayed curtain.
My gaze fell upon Lawson and Ranger right away. They were floating inches off the floor and were pressed back-to-back with a rope tied around them.
“Why are they tied?” I asked.
“There are rules here.”
“And they broke them?” I asked.
Lucifer gave a nod.
“I can fix it,” I said. “Tell me how.”
Lawson looked up. “Riley?”
“Yeah.”
“Get back to the dead zone!” he ordered. “It’s a trap.”
“Too late,” I said. “I can’t shift.”
Lawson struggled against his bindings, which made Ranger groan. That’s when I noticed Ranger was hurt. His face was bloody and his leg was dangling funny.
“You hurt him?” I questioned Lucifer.
“Not me. The demons did. Like I said, there are rules here. Half breeds are not allowed. You should be grateful I intervened. He would have had a worse fate.”
“Why did you intervene only to then tie them up?” I asked. “It makes no sense.”
“Oh, but it will. Just give it time.”
As I walked over to see if I could help Ranger, I crossed a faded circle drawn on the floor. My feet lifted up off the floor, and I realized I had made another mistake.
Lucifer grinned. “You’re making this way too easy for me.”
I floated helplessly near Lawson and Ranger and watched while Lucifer retreated back to the bar.
I cursed as I struggled against the invisible force that held me hostage.
“Is he gone?” Lawson asked. “I can’t hear him.”
“Yes, he just walked out. Didn’t you see?”
“No, we can’t see anything. Wait, can you see?”
“Lucifer gave me sight,” I said.
“That’s not possible,” Lawson said.
“Well, then I’m hallucinating,” I said. “I could still be at Charlie’s, where I was drugged and handcuffed to Vance.”
“You were drugged and handcuffed?” Lawson asked. “By who?”
“Raven. She said she was following your orders.”
“I said to keep you busy, not handcuff you to Vance.”
“Why did you want to keep me busy? Because I’m useless and need protection?” I was too annoyed to admit that at this point I was useless and needed protection.
“I never said that,” Lawson said. “But, yes, I was trying to protect you. I will not apologize for that. I knew you’d try to follow.”
“Yeah, and I did anyway. Did you at least figure out where the black stone is located?”
“Lucifer has it,” Lawson said.
“Where?”
“We didn’t get that far. We’ve been stumbling around the dark lands and have been stuck here ever since.”
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.
“We don’t have one,” Lawson admitted. “Ranger is in bad shape and isn’t safe anywhere here. We shouldn’t have tried for the black stone. Not yet anyway.”
“So, how do we escape?”
“I don’t think we can unless Lucifer lets us go.”
“So we could be trapped here for eternity?” I asked.
“Possibly.”
Well, at least this time I didn’t have to go to the bathroom.
“But I doubt it,” Lawson added. “Lucifer has something planned, and we’ll know what it is soon enough.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Neither do I. Whatever it is, it won’t be good. Can you see if Treble will help us?”
“I would, but I lost him again.”
“How?”
“I told you. Your girlfriend drugged me. I have no idea where Treble and Wiltone are.”
“I’m sorry. I never told her to drug you.”
He didn’t deny that she was his girlfriend, which made my stomach clench unpleasantly.
“Next time, please bring me with you. Drugs won’t be enough to stop me,” I said.
“I’ve come to realize that fact.”
After a moment of silence, I asked, “Do you think Lucifer will summon Bornor on us?”
“I doubt it,” Ranger said through labored breath. “Not his style.”
“What is his style?” I asked.
“Coercion,” Ranger said.
I supposed they didn’t care if I thought he was hot. “Younger than I expected. A carefree look to him. Like a surfer. Green eyes.”
“He made himself into a person you would be attracted to,” Ranger said.
“Does he really have horns and a tail?” I asked.
“I’m not sure if anyone really knows,” Ranger said. “He’s always changing.”
Lucifer returned to the storage room. “Talking about me?” He s
tepped close to me with a grin. “Want to see me as I really am?”
“No, I’m good,” I said.
“Smart girl,” he said.
The ropes fell off of Lawson and Ranger.
“Time for a little fun,” Lucifer said.
“I don’t think I’m up for fun,” I said warily.
“Nonsense. What is the purpose of life if not to have some fun?”
Lucifer turned and walked out of the storage room. Our bodies followed his path out of the bar and back into the streets, which were now lined with demons. I suddenly wished Lucifer hadn’t given me sight. The bloodlust in their eyes was unmistakable.
25
As Lucifer towed us through the village streets, I attempted to ignore the taunts and sneers that were tossed at us. Several stones were aimed directly at Ranger, who was already groaning in pain from his previous injuries.
“Where are you taking us?” I asked.
“To the center of town,” Lucifer said amicably as he gave a nod to some of the demons whose amber eyes were hungry.
“Why don’t we go to the dead zone instead?” I suggested. At least then Lawson and Ranger could see and we’d be away from the demons. And hopefully I could find Treble and Wiltone.
The stones remained dormant inside of me, and I wondered if I could activate them like I had before. But last time I used the blue stone, I lost energy after keeping a flame ignited for a few minutes. I would need a lot more power if I was going to try to escape from Lucifer. It was better to save my energy and wait for the right moment.
“After this, you can go wherever you want,” Lucifer said.
“After what?” Was he really going to let us go? It seemed too good to be true.
“After you win the challenge, of course.”
“What challenge?”
He sighed. “I’m starting to understand Boomer more and more. We’re nearly there. All of your questions will be answered in a moment.”
When we rounded the corner, the town opened into a square with rough wooden buildings surrounding it. In the middle of the square, Azrael stood on a stone platform, raised above the demons who surrounded him. Azrael was dressed in full robes adorned with hissing smoke snakes. His scythe was poised in one hand as he looked among the demons. At least they eyed him with the same contempt as they eyed us.