We walked in awkward silence, Gage occasionally humming under his breath, Eli and I avoiding looking at each other. I got the distinct impression that he blamed me for the attack, though he refused to say a word about it. We walked up the hill and went through the broken wall where I had been found. A half dozen demon men were hacking at the monster I’d killed with machetes, trying to pull the stringy meat away from its body. It smelled rotten and I gagged as we passed, but no one doing the butchering seemed to notice.
“There was an animal,” I said, looking around. The dim light of dusk had returned after the attack. “When I was injured out here. Like a big wolf. And it was pitch black. There was no light at all.”
“They say everything went black the same time Erebos did,” said Eli, carefully looking toward the horizon. “Some sort of magic.” He watched Gage out of the corner of his eye.
“It wasn’t us,” I said.
“Okay,” said Eli, sounding unconvinced.
“A wolf?” said Gage.
“Yeah, but bigger,” I said.
“How big?”
“Maybe up to your shoulder?” I said. “Give or take.”
“There are no wolves in Hell,” said Eli. “No mammals. You must have been hallucinating.”
“I wasn’t seeing things,” I said.
“Maybe it was a dream,” said Eli, glancing at me. “Can we continue on? We have hours before we should stop.”
“Whatever,” I said.
As we walked along the ridge, I heard whispers. I looked down to see what must have been the top of Sheol, the resting place of the dead. Every ghost I touched came here to rest until the day of judgment. Most thought that day would never come. Now that the Creator was AWOL, I figured that was probably true. I suddenly remembered the dream about my mother, but I couldn’t recall much else except that I was supposed to find her. That would have to wait until after finding Lucifer. Lucifer was the only one I should think about right now. There was nothing more important. Still, my mind went to the Yuki-onna and I felt a pang of guilt. It was my duty to help the people of the World, but I'd been willing to leave them there. Everything felt upside-down. The Creator had probably given me some power to help find Lucifer, but I hadn’t learned to control it yet. It was all new. And if I was right, the Grace were releasing the odd monsters. Perhaps they were controlling Matthew. The first thing I needed to do was to stop them from whatever it was they were doing. Releasing a god that Ash considered indestructible. I remembered Ba'al. He thought he was unbeatable, but I'd killed him all the same. I could kill this other god too, no matter what the Creator said.
But all this would wait until after I found Lucifer.
Let them burn.
“You okay, sis?” said Gage, nudging me gently with his elbow.
I started, shaken out of my thoughts. “Yeah, fine,” I said.
“You got that mournful look on your face.”
“I don’t have a mournful look.”
“You have a look,” said Eli, glancing back at me.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“We’ll find him,” said Gage. “Don’t worry. All the other stuff can wait.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “I mean, I’m feeling really bad about the Yuki-onna. But I was thinking about this dream I had. About Sheol. I was talking to my mother.”
“Maybe a dream is just a dream sometimes,” said Gage.
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “But I think I’m supposed to go see her.”
“No time for Sheol,” Eli said. “We need to get to the Backbone as quickly as possible.”
“Why?” said Gage. “Ain’t like we’re on a schedule or anything.”
“Maybe I just don’t want another monster attacking my home,” Eli snapped. “Ever think of that?”
“Maybe you could go a little easy,” said Gage. “Niki’s the reason you and me and everyone that survived isn’t dead. Cut her some slack.”
Eli was quiet for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was flat. “I’m sorry, we don’t have time for Sheol, Niki. I need to get back to bury my brothers.”
“Okay, Eli,” I said. “It was just a dream, right?”
We were nearly past Sheol when a wave of nausea hit me like a punch in the gut. I doubled over, retching what little food I’d eaten, grabbing onto some large rocks for support. When I was finished, I was on my knees in the red dirt. Gage rushed over to help but I waved him off.
“I’m fine,” I said, my throat raw and dry.
“The hell you are,” he said. He turned to Eli. “We need to stop for a while.”
“She said she’s fine,” said Eli, looking off toward the Wastelands. “We need to go.”
“Are you guiding us, or sending us toward something, Eli?” said Gage, narrowing his eyes. “Because you’ve been acting damn strange ever since we left.”
“He’s always like this now,” I said, flinching at the pain in my throat.
“You can’t blame Niki for everything that’s happened to you,” said Gage. “So either help us and act civil, or piss off. We’ll make our own way.”
Eli laughed. “You? You have no idea what life is like here.”
“Shut up, Eli,” I said. “You lived in a walk-up apartment with a dishwasher until last year.” I took the hand that Gage offered me and struggled to my feet. “Bobby’s right. You’re acting weird. Even more than usual. I know you hate me, and you hate Lucifer even more. Are you setting us up?”
“You saw into my mind,” said Eli. “You tell me.”
“I only see key events,” I said. “Why did Dorana tell you about the Grace?”
“What?” said Eli.
“She could have told anyone,” I said. “Or she could have waited for me or Lucifer. Why did she tell you?”
“It was coincidence,” said Eli. “I just ran into her.”
“Do you know her?” I said.
“No,” he said, but he looked uncomfortable. “But she knew me. She said she saw me in a vision.”
“What kind of vision?” said Gage.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Eli. He looked at me. “Are you feeling better? I thought you wanted to rescue your new boyfriend.”
“What kind of vision?” I said, echoing Gage.
Eli glared at me. He looked like he would spit in my face if he could get away with it. So much for playing nice.
“Why are you helping me?” I said. “You hate me. Why are you here?”
“I don’t hate you,” Eli hissed. “You made your choice.”
“My choice? You mean Lucifer?”
Eli looked away. “The seer,” Eli said, his voice low. “She said I was going to die. This was the only way to stop it. I have to make my pilgrimage, she said. It was the only way he wouldn’t kill me.”
“Who wouldn’t kill you?” said Gage.
“Lucifer.”
Gage and I looked at each other, then at Eli, who sat heavily on the ground.
“I didn’t ask for this life,” said Eli.
“You went searching for this life,” I said. “You blame me for leaving you, Eli, but you always forget. You left first.”
“I came back for you.”
“And asked me to live in Hell,” I said. “To get married and live in a demon’s castle. To pop out little demon babies.”
“And what are you doing now, Niki?” said Eli, not looking at me.
“Lucifer didn’t ask me to give up anything,” I said. “He waited for me. He would have waited forever, I think.”
“He’s the devil, Niki. You’re sleeping with the devil.”
“Better the devil than some half-ass demon,” said Gage, anger in his voice. “Get over yourself, Cooper. Why are you helping us? What did she promise you?”
There was the sound of feet scraping against dry dirt and I turned, sucking in breath at what I saw.
“Perhaps you’d rather ask me,” said Dorana.
She was swathed in a silky black fabric, her hair rustling in the
dry wind. Behind her, two women stood tall and thin. Their eyes glinted black in the dim light. They wore the same black dresses as Dorana. I stared at her. There was an odd gleam in her eyes, a sort of lack of focus.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Gage,” said Dorana, nodding at Gage.
“What is this?” I said. “Who are these women?”
Dorana arched an eyebrow. “I think you know the answer to that. You’ve seen them, after all. If not in person, at least by reputation. And there is the matter of the boy’s drawings.”
“Why are you with the Grace?” I said, glancing at the two women, who barely made eye contact. They preferred to stare off into the distance.
“Protection,” said Dorana. “There are monsters out here, you know.”
I looked at Eli. He avoided eye contact.
“Oh, he had little choice,” said Dorana. “We have quite a lot of influence over the minds of men.”
“We?” I said. “You’re not one of them, Dorana. I know you.”
“Oh, Dorana’s not quite herself right now,” she said, her eyes flashing black for an instant. “But her visions have been quite useful. We never could have left the Pit without her. For a seer her mind is surprisingly pliable. As though she had suffered some immeasurable tragedy. She helped us find the boy, too. And he is going to make all of this possible.”
“All of what?” I said. There was movement behind her, but I didn’t dare tear my eyes away. “What is going on?”
Dorana smiled. “A new world. What would women such as you and I be able to accomplish in a world that isn’t against us? We know who you are, Niki Slobodian. We know a great deal about you. Your…Creator, do you call Him? He has put a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders, has He not? More than you can bear some days? First you and you alone are tasked with gathering the souls. He could have used the shinigama, did you know that? Yet, He chose you. Took everything from you. And now, when you most need Him, where is He? Where did the Creator go, Mistress Death?” She shook her head sadly. “He’s not coming back. He won’t save you and He won’t bring back your lover.”
“Where is he?” I said through grinding teeth.
“I assume you are not talking about your god,” said Dorana.
“Piss on God. I want Lucifer back,” I said. “What have you done?”
“Oh, he’s around, make no mistake. Like a lost puppy that one.” She covered her mouth to hide an odd giggle that sent shivers up my spine. “We didn’t kill him, don’t worry. But I’m afraid he’ll never be the man you love again.”
Her eyes studied my body almost clinically. “You’ll do quite nicely. You understand that all of this was for you. You’re the one we wanted. We assumed you would accompany Lucifer, but apparently he didn’t even tell you about us.” She clucked condescendingly. “I suppose he was trying to protect you. But he didn’t expect us to be so strong. So much stronger than him. It was easy to take everything from him.” She moved closer to me, the black-garbed sentries behind her watching her carefully. “It was righteous,” she whispered in my ear.
I smiled at her, her face so close to my own. “Then you’ll love this,” I said. Her throat was soft when I put my hands on it, and I used my body weight to thrust Dorana to the ground. She coughed as she hit, then gasped for air, the wind knocked out of her. Her eyes went wide as I kneeled on her chest and no one stopped me.
“WHERE IS LUCIFER?” I screamed into her face. My hand was still on her throat and I felt her get her breath back. “Tell me or so-help-me, I will goddamn rip your throat out.”
“Niki?” Dorana wheezed. “What?”
I blinked.
“What’s happened? Where am I?”
I took my hand from Dorana’s throat and looked up at the two women in black. They were standing behind Gage. One had a wicked knife pressed against his throat, the other had her hand held out in front of his face, a gray mist easing out of her palm and wrapping around Gage’s mouth like a snake. His eyes darted from me to Eli. I spun. Eli was smiling. His eyes were now black.
“Don’t move,” he said, his voice unnaturally high. “You’re looking for the power, but you can’t find it, can you? That little dragon just took the wind right out of your sails, didn’t it?” He took a step toward me. I thought I heard a noise somewhere nearby. A low growl.
“You are so very important to us, Niki,” he said. He closed the gap and took my chin in his large, scaled hand, squeezing slightly. “We need you, it’s true. But we don’t need your eyes. Or your teeth. Or your tongue. Or even your limbs for that matter.” He took out a long black knife from a sheath at his belt. “If you don’t want the human to die, then you’ll do as I say.” He rested the tip of the knife lightly on my skin just under my eye. His skin was touching mine, yet the visions weren’t coming.
“What did you do?” I said. “Why can’t I see into you?”
“I didn’t do anything to you,” said Eli. “It was your little god. I’ll bet He called it a gift, didn’t He?”
“What do you want?” I said.
“We’ve come for you, Niki. Was that not clear?” said Eli, his newly-black eyes glinting. “Did you get our message?”
“What message?” I tasted blood inside my mouth where he was shoving my cheeks into my teeth.
“What does Death fear?” said Eli. “I think we found it. You really didn’t have much left, did you? Poor thing. Just a man with some talent at Casting, and an angel that used to rule Hell. When we drain all the power out of your friend here, then you’ll have nothing to fear. Except for us, of course.”
“Let Bobby go, Eli. I know you’re in there. Please let him go.”
“He’s too weak to talk to you,” said Eli. “Men are so easily manipulated, don’t you think? You should know. You had the devil himself wrapped around your finger. All tied up in knots when he realized who we were really after. He might even have cried. How touching.”
“Where is he?” I said, my voice no louder than a breath.
“I have no idea,” said Eli. “We let him go. Afterwards. If it was up to me he would have taken the form of an insect, but we all have our own forms. I am sure that some part of him remembers you. Now. Shall it be your eye, or your friend’s life? You decide.” He pressed the blade deeper into my skin and my vision went blurry on one side. The power in me was weak. Limp. It flared up slightly when I willed it to, but I had spent everything I had when I pulled the flame out of the flying beast. I was exhausted. I didn’t even have my gun.
I heard the growl again, but it could have just been a buzzing in my head.
“Don’t touch him,” I said.
“Your eye it is, then,” he said. “Do you think it will grow back eventually, or will you have a hideous hole where once you saw entire worlds?” He put pressure on the knife and I felt it pierce my skin, warm blood dripping down my face like tears.
The growl got louder and I realized it wasn’t in my head. There was a scuff of gravel and then Eli was screaming. I fell to the ground as the hand holding me was suddenly gone, and then the screaming suddenly stopped. I saw Eli on the ground, his eyes dead and unseeing, his throat ripped out, blood still spurting from his jugular.
I looked around, but didn’t see anything. Whatever had attacked him had disappeared just as suddenly. But then I heard the growl again. It didn’t come from behind me this time, and I saw the fear register on the two women who held Gage. They exchanged glances. There was a shriek as Dorana leaped up and tackled the woman holding Gage at knife-point, taking her to the ground and landing on top of her with a thud. Gage touched the spot the knife had nicked, looking at the blood as if it were the most interesting color in the world. The woman pinned under Dorana thrust upward with her knife, and Dorana grunted and fell still. The witch pushed the body so that it rolled away and brandished the knife as she got to her feet. Registering the carnage that used to be Eli, she slowly backed away, her companion following suit. Then there was a blur of black and she was on the ground,
again, a great and dark and shaggy beast atop her unmoving body.
Her companion started to run. The beast stopped and turned to me, blood dripping from its snout, teeth bared, as if a scene from werewolf movie, only infinitely more frightening because it was goddamn real. I could smell it from where I stood, like a tiger at the zoo. It suddenly leaped after the women, but I didn’t turn to watch.
“Bobby, hold my hand,” I said. I wasn’t sure it would work. Nothing else seemed to be working right now. But I closed my eyes and concentrated on the first place that came to mind.
I could hear the whispers before opening my eyes. Gage was still holding tight to my hand and when I looked at him, his face was ghastly pale and his eyes were wide.
“Niki?” he whispered. “Where the hell are we?”
“Sheol,” I said. “The resting place of the dead.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Niki, I shouldn’t be here,” said Gage, uncharacteristically twitchy. “Everything that’s happening, all this crazy shit that’s gone down, I have this weird feeling like I’m not supposed to know any of it. Ever since you…you brought me back in my apartment.”
I nodded. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Maybe I don’t want to get used to it,” said Gage. He didn’t say it in anger, but with a plaintive note to his voice, as if he wanted me to make it all okay, to make it all less strange.
“You don’t have a choice, Bobby,” I said.
“You should have left me there, Nik,” he said, his eyes sad. He motioned to the slabs that lined Sheol. “I’m supposed to be on one of these, aren’t I?”
“Hard to say,” I said. “Maybe.”
“Is my wife here?”
“Yes. Can you hear them?”
He frowned. “No. I don’t think so. But I can see them.”
“Do you want to see her?” I said.
“I…I don’t know.”
“You can. It’s up to you. It won’t make it better. Go find her if you want to, though. I’ll come for you when it’s time to leave.”
The Devil's Backbone (A Niki Slobodian Novel: Book Five) Page 9