by Shuler, Tara
Aztos clenched his jaw, and growled, “Yes, Father.”
Instead of walking out of the room, Aztos simply seemed to dematerialize. It should have been disconcerting to Beth, but once again, the impossible seemed quite normal.
“I apologize for his rude behavior,” Azmond said. “That was unacceptable. I do hope you will forgive him. He is under a tremendous amount of pressure at the moment.”
Beth scoffed. She wasn’t in the mood to forgive Aztos, no matter what he was going through.
“I just want to go home,” Beth told Azmond.
“I understand. Unfortunately, that simply is not possible. Your mother made this bargain. It cannot be undone.”
“Why not? If you made the deal with her, just let her out of it.”
“It is not that simple. Any deal made by someone in my position is also a bargain with my Master, and he does not take such matters lightly.”
“Your ‘Master?’ Who is your Master?”
“I believe you know him as Lucifer.”
Beth stood motionless for a moment, barely breathing.
“Lucifer,” Beth breathed, suddenly feeling lightheaded. “You mean… like Satan? The devil?”
“One and the same,” Azmond agreed. “But I would not use any name other than Lucifer in his presence. He is not partial to the others.”
Beth had taken all of the other happenings quite well. She had dealt with a strange man appearing in her bathroom out of nowhere. She had stood strong through being transported to another location instantaneously as though it were no big deal. She had even taken the news that her mother was a witch and had betrothed her to a man – a demon – she’d never met without too much shock.
This, however, was a revelation that even Beth could not stomach. Her head began to spin, and her stomach lurched with sudden nausea. She began to sway back and forth.
“Allow me to assist you,” Azmond said, appearing at her side in a flash.
Azmond wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her, and he helped her sit on the stairs.
“Thank you,” Beth whispered weakly.
“I understand this must be a great shock to you. I hope that now you understand the gravity of the situation.”
“If Lucifer is your Master… does that mean you are a…”
“A demon, yes.”
Beth felt as though the wind had been yanked from her lungs. Her throat tightened, and she could hardly draw a breath. She gulped forcefully.
“My mother made a bargain with a demon… and she offered me as a wife?”
“I am afraid so.”
“Why? Why would she do something like that? I thought she loved me!”
“Your mother wanted nothing more than to attain greater power as a witch. She would have sacrificed anything to achieve it – even your immortal soul. Had I asked, she would gladly have offered it.”
“I can’t believe she never told me she’s a witch!” Beth gasped.
Azmond let out a bellowing guffaw.
“What’s so funny?” Beth growled.
“You have just learned your mother made a bargain with a demon for you to marry that demon’s son, and you are angry at her for not telling you she is a witch?”
“I’m angry at her for a lot of things,” Beth said stormily. “But this was something simple she kept from me my whole life! It’s who she is, and she never even told me!”
“I understand this is difficult,” Azmond said, his voice once again gentle.
“Difficult is hardly the word I would use,” Beth snarled. “So… what would happen if I refused to marry Aztos?”
“You cannot refuse.”
“Okay, but what if I did?”
“If you attempted to refuse, then the burden of keeping the bargain would fall back to your mother.”
“What does that mean? She’d have to marry Aztos?”
“Your mother is already married,” Azmond pointed out. “Demons do not marry tainted women.”
“Tainted?”
“We only marry virgins,” Azmond clarified.
Beth’s face flushed red, and her cheeks burned. Somehow, it was infuriating that Azmond was so certain she was a virgin. She skipped her chance to ask how Azmond knew she was pure, and she went back to her prior line of questioning.
“So what would happen to my mother if I attempted to refuse?”
“You would not wish to know.”
“That bad?” Beth groaned, and then she sighed. “Just tell me.”
“Your mother would lose her soul. When a human makes a bargain with a demon, it is also made with Lucifer. In the event that deal is broken, Lucifer takes immediate control of their immortal soul.”
“Immediate? You mean… she would go to Hell? Like… right away?”
“Yes. You must marry Aztos by midnight tonight, or your mother’s soul will be cast into The Pit by Lucifer himself.”
Beth shivered. The thought of her mother burning in Hell forever, despite the bargain she’d made, was too much for Beth to bear. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She still loved her mother too much.
“I will marry Aztos,” Beth relented, her voice barely audible.
“I am delighted to hear it,” Azmond said. “Please, allow me to show you to your room. You will have a servant to assist you in readying yourself for the wedding.”
Azmond reached his pale, bony hand toward Beth, and she took it. It was hard and icy, but it wrapped around hers gently. Azmond led her up the massive wooden staircase, and down a hallway. He stopped before a door, and he motioned toward it.
“This will be your room for tonight. I will have a servant come to assist you at once,” Azmond said.
He turned to leave, but Beth stopped him.
“Wait,” Beth said quickly. “What is he like?”
“My son?”
“Yes.”
“He is not unkind. Despite what you may think of my kind, we are not all evil, nor are we all cruel. Like humans, some of us are kind, and some are not. Aztos is a troubled soul, but he is not a monster.”
“I see.”
“You will come to understand him in time,” Azmond assured her. “You will see that he is not the man you met today.”
“I hope you’re right,” Beth muttered.
Once again, Azmond turned away. After taking a few steps down the corridor, he disappeared.
Beth turned toward the door. She opened it and entered the dark room. She felt along the wall for a light switch, but she was unable to locate one.
“May I help you, Miss?” Beth heard behind her in a charming British accent.
She jumped, startled. Placing a hand over her chest to still her rapidly fluttering heart, she took a deep breath. She turned to see a pale young girl who appeared to be about thirteen staring up at her with timid eyes.
“Is there a light switch?” Beth asked.
“A what?” she asked. “Oh, you mean for electric lights? We don’t have electricity down here.”
“Down here?”
“You do know where you are, right?” the poor girl asked, looking frightened.
Beth thought for a moment, and then gasped aloud.
“Are we in… Hell?”
“Yes, Miss. I’m sorry. I assumed you knew.”
Chills broke out all over Beth’s body. It wasn’t something that had even occurred to her.
“I thought Hell was supposed to be full of flames and stuff.”
“It is, Miss. But not all parts of it. Lucifer and the demons live here, in New Abaddon. The fire is in Infernus, the place known as The Pit. That’s where Lucifer tosses the lost souls.”
“Are you a demon?”
“Oh, no, Miss. I am one of the lost souls.”
“Then how are you here?”
“Some of us are taken as servants by the demons,” she explained. “I am one of the lucky ones.”
“What did you do to end up in Hell?” Beth wanted to know, unable to understand how such a sweet, innocent girl could lose her soul.
“I murdered my stepfather,” the girl said with a nonchalant shrug, as if she’d just said she had stolen a pack of gum or cheated on a test.
“Seriously? What for?”
Her eyes glistened, and she quickly looked at the floor.
“He raped me. That, I could have dealt with. But when he started doing it to my little sister...” she gulped, swallowing back the tears. “She was only five.”
“Oh, my God,” Beth whispered.
“Shh! Don’t say that here!” the girl chastised harshly.
Beth thought about what she’d just said, and then she realized what it was the girl was asking her not to say.
“Oh, sorry. I forgot where I was for a minute. So you went to Hell for murdering a man who was raping you and your baby sister?” Beth asked, fuming. “That hardly seems fair.”
“Murder is against His law, and there is no justifiable excuse.”
“Oh. That’s hard to believe.”
“Well, that’s why Azmond pulled me from The Pit to be his servant. He didn’t believe I deserved to be there.”
“Wow. That was actually… nice… of him.”
“Yes, it was. Azmond can be kind when he wishes to do so. Here. Allow me to light your room for you,” the girl said, pushing past Beth and into the darkened room.
“What’s your name?” Beth asked, watching the girl light the candles in the sconces that adorned the walls.
The girl’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open slightly. She froze, her hand holding a lit match above a candlewick.
“My… name?” she whispered.
“Yes. You do have a name, don’t you?” Beth asked.
“I…” she started to speak, but she paused and looked thoughtful. “It’s been so long since anyone asked, I think I’ve forgotten.”
“No one asks your name?” Beth said, her pity for the girl growing by the second.
“No, Miss,” she answered. “It must have been a hundred years since anyone asked my name.”
“Think hard,” Beth said. “Maybe you’ll remember.”
She shook her head solemnly and went back to lighting the candles. Just as she lit the last one, she gasped.
“Catherine,” she said. “I believe my name is Catherine.”
“That’s a lovely name!” Beth gushed, and the girl blushed. “I’m Elizabeth, but people call me Beth.”
“Beth… that is such a pretty name.”
“Thank you,” Beth said with a smile.
“May I be so bold as to ask you a question, Miss?”
“Of course.”
“Why are you marrying Aztos?”
Beth’s face fell. For a moment, she’d almost forgotten why she was there.
“My mother betrothed me to him in exchange for stronger powers. She’s a witch.”
“Oh, my. I am so sorry for you.”
“What’s done is done. There’s apparently nothing I can do about it.”
“Well, it’s too bad it has to be Aztos.”
“Why?”
“Well, he’s… he’s not like some of the others,” Catherine said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Some of the demons aren’t so bad, but Aztos… he’s got a very dark soul.”
“He does? His father doesn’t seem to think so.”
“That’s because Aztos is always on his best behavior when Azmond is around. He’s afraid of his father.”
“Why is he afraid of Azmond? Azmond doesn’t seem like such a bad guy.”
“He isn’t… for a demon. But all demons have a dark side. Azmond can be quite dark at times. I hope you never have to see that side of him.”
“What does he do that makes Aztos so afraid?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that, Miss. Azmond takes him into another room, so I’ve never seen what happens. But I’ve heard the screams.”
“Screams?” Beth asked, shuddering.
“Yes, Miss. I can only imagine what terrible things Azmond does to Aztos behind closed doors. But I’ve seen Aztos’ face when he comes out of the room, and I can tell you I’ve never seen anyone more frightened.”
“Oh, my Go… goodness,” Beth gushed, catching herself before saying the forbidden word.
She couldn’t believe it, but she was starting to feel some sort of pity for Aztos. No matter what he was like, she hated to think of what might have happened to him behind those doors.
“Yes, Miss. It’s terrible, isn’t it? It’s been happening since Aztos was very young.”
“You mean, since he was a child?”
“Yes, Miss.”
Beth felt weak and nauseous. She sat down on the edge of the bed, grasping one of the tall bedposts and leaning weakly against it.
“Poor Aztos,” Beth whispered.
“Don’t feel too sorry for him, Miss. He probably deserved it.”
Catherine looked disgusted as she thought of what kind of creature Aztos had become.
“Why do you say that? What has he done?”
Catherine’s face flushed, and she turned away.
“I can’t speak of it, Miss.”
“Has he hurt you?” Beth demanded incredulously.
Catherine quickly changed the subject.
“Would you like to choose a dress for your wedding, Miss? There are many to choose from in your closet.”
“Catherine, answer me,” Beth insisted. “Has Aztos hurt you?”
“Not the way you might be thinking, Miss. He has struck me, though.”
“Aztos hits you?” Beth growled.
“Yes, Miss, but only when I deserve it.”
“Deserve it? What in the world could you do to deserve to be hit?”
“Sometimes I’ve very slow, Miss. I get so tired sometimes. When I don’t come fast enough, or when I bring the wrong thing, he gets angry.”
“That’s no excuse to hit you!” Beth shouted.
“Please don’t shout,” Catherine begged. “They’ll hear you.”
“Oh, believe me. Aztos will hear about this!”
“No, Miss!” Catherine gasped. “Please don’t tell him I told you! He’ll be furious!”
“Well, I can’t just allow him to do it!”
“It won’t do either of us any good for you to say anything to him about it. He’ll only be angry at both of us.”
“Let him be angry at me. I don’t care!”
“You won’t say that when you see what he’s like,” Catherine said grimly.
“We’ll see,” Beth scoffed defiantly.
“Please, Miss, choose a dress. We need to get you ready quickly, before Aztos and Azmond grow impatient.”
“Just choose one, Catherine. I don’t care which one. I’m going to take a shower.”
“A shower? Oh, you mean with running water? We don’t have that down here. I can draw you a bath.”
“There’s no running water?” Beth groaned.
“No, Miss. I’m sorry. It’s quite primitive down here.”
“I guess I’ll have to get used to it if I’m going to marry a demon,” Beth sighed.
“Oh, no. You and Aztos will most likely live back on Earth. Most demons do. They don’t like it here.”
“They live on Earth? With the humans?” Beth asked, clearly shocked.
“Yes, Miss.”
“Wow. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“You’re probably only here for the wedding. Demonic weddings must take place here, or the bond is invalid.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll draw you a bath right away, Miss,” Catherine said, scurrying off to fetch water and heat it.
Beth let her body droop backward onto the bed. She looked up at the ceiling, her mind wandering over the events that had just transpired. Not long ago, she was waking up in her comfortable bed, overjoyed at the prospect of spending her eighteenth birthday with her parents. Now, she was hours away from marrying a demon.
Chapter Three
After taking a bath in a very old claw foot bathtub, Beth p
ut on the dress Catherine had chosen for her. Catherine helped her style her hair, choose the right shoes to match her dress, and pick jewelry to accent the ensemble.
“I don’t know why I have to get all dressed up for this,” Beth complained. “It’s not like this is a real wedding.”
“Don’t say that, Miss. You have to please Aztos today, or he’ll be really angry,” Catherine pleaded.
“Like I care,” Beth scoffed.
“You should care. If you please him, your life will be a lot easier. Don’t make things harder on yourself.”
“The only reason I’m marrying him is because Azmond said my mother will go to Hell if I don’t. I really couldn’t care less if he’s happy, or not.”
“Please, Miss. Just don’t do anything to upset him.”
Beth rolled her eyes. She could think of far worse things than being struck by Aztos… like marrying him, kissing him, and… Beth gasped aloud.
“What’s wrong, Miss?” Catherine asked.
“I just thought about something horrible,” Beth said. “The wedding night.”
“Oh, I see what you mean. I’m so sorry.”
Then Beth realized that poor Catherine really did know what she meant. Although she looked to be only about thirteen, her stepfather had taken away her innocence. It made Beth’s blood boil. If Catherine could survive through something so horrible and be the sweet, kind soul she was, Beth was sure she could survive a night with Aztos.
Catherine froze, and she got a faraway look in her eyes. Just before Beth asked her what was wrong, she spoke.
“Yes, Master,” Catherine nodded and turned to look at Beth. “Azmond says they are ready for you.”
Beth stood up and cast a quick glance in the mirror. She really did look stunningly beautiful. Her long, brown hair was done up in a sleek up do, with a few wavy tendrils falling loose around her shoulders. Tiny white flowers dotted her hair, and the bodice of her white dress clung to her slight figure enticingly.
“Wait, Miss,” Catherine said.
She stepped over and opened a small box, which sat on the dressing table in front of Beth. She reached in and pulled out a glittering necklace, and she clasped it around Beth’s neck.
The necklace was a choker of diamonds. It fit tightly around Beth’s neck. From the front hung a pendant of a teardrop shaped sapphire, surrounded by dozens of tiny diamonds that sparkled in the candlelight. Beth had never seen anything so incredibly beautiful, and her fingers touched it gingerly.