by Riley London
“I try not to think about it.” I shook my head as memories of Garry, happy and smiling, floated through my head.
“It was discovered that the incident was Trinity’s doing. She’d forged a set of amber chains all by herself, and left them at the scene. She’d been the one to burn the building down too,” Abaddon commented. “It was as if she wanted you to have a sense of animosity towards the princes, despite us not harming you directly.”
“At least not back then. Belphegor harmed me pretty damn directly.” I chuckled, but there was no joy in it. “Why would she want me to hate you guys anyway?”
“Now, that I do not know.” Abaddon sighed. “Perhaps she thought that with a common enemy, she could convince you to make an unwise decision. You wouldn’t be the first person swayed by the desire for vengeance.”
A common enemy.
Trinity must’ve wanted me to associate Garry’s death with the Princes of Hell.
No.
Wait.
Trinity must’ve wanted me to associate Garry’s death with Abaddon. Of course, she didn’t know that I’d been in contact with the demon already, so I knew he was innocent. But that wouldn’t have stopped her from trying.
Why the hell did she want to drive a wedge between Abaddon and I? It wasn’t like we were friends.
Were we?
It was an odd moment of reflection, as Abaddon started to walk again. No, we weren’t friends, but we weren’t enemies either and I didn’t see myself ever raising my sword against him, unless the awful images from the amulet came true.
“We have arrived.” Abaddon’s tone seemed to perk up, as he crossed over the final set of stones in our path. “Welcome home, Celeste Venoix.”
“...Celeste?” My mother’s voice was low, as she stared over at me. “Can it be?”
“Abaddon, what matter of trickery is this?” My father gave Abaddon a stern look. “Why would you upset your queen so?”
I stood by Abaddon’s side, unsure of what to do with myself. He’d walked us right into the throne room, moving past what seemed to be royal guards, with swords prominently displayed in front of their bodies. They hadn’t stopped Abaddon from walking through the palace halls, and I wondered if it was because of his own status as royalty.
Or maybe he’d just had an appointment with the king and queen.
“It is not trick. I assure you.” Abaddon waved a hand toward me. “This is your daughter. The lost Princess of Hell.”
I awkwardly offered a wave toward my parents. “Hey. Yeah, I’m real. I’m—”
“Celeste.” My mother’s words came out broken, as she rose up from her throne. She came dashing toward me with her arms already outstretched. “Oh, my Celeste. My first. My love.”
I was in her arms within seconds, and I found myself returning her embrace. “Mom.”
It was such a strange word on my tongue, but it still felt right. I hugged her even tighter, as the realization finally hit me in full force. “Holy shit. Mom. You’re here.”
“You’re here, too.” Lilith gave a contented sigh. She then pulled away from me, bringing a hand up toward my hair. “I knew it. I knew that you were going to look just like me, even when you were an infant. Even down to your eyes.”
Lilith smiled wide before she took in a breath. “And you’re as beautiful as I always imagined.”
“That’s one way to give yourself a compliment, isn’t it, my love?” Lucifer laughed, shifting down from his throne. He walked up to me too, with a grin plastered on his expression. “Ah. You are her spitting image indeed. Were you also gifted with the powers of magic and healing?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I’ve been going to the Angel Academy—”
“The Angel Academy?” Lilith placed a hand over her heart as her jaw fell wide open. “My God, Lucifer. They’re trying to corrupt our baby. Make her into a proper little angel.”
“And what have they taught you so far at the academy?” Lucifer asked. “Have they taught you how to fall to your knees and beg? Have they taught you how to ask for mercy?”
“No. They’ve just been teaching me stuff about biblical lineage, languages, stuff like that.” I shrugged. “And they’ve been teaching me how to fight.”
“How to fight?” Lucifer’s interest seemed to be piqued. He produced a long thin blade, apparently out of thin air, holding it out in front of him. “Will you show me what you know?”
“Right now?” I suddenly got nervous, not prepared for a show-and-tell session.
“Yes.” Lucifer smirked, and Lilith moved a little out of the way.
“Uh, all right.” I reached for my blade at my side, sliding it out of its scabbard. “Auxilium.”
Even though I’d spoken the prayer, no golden glow appeared across my sword.
“Prayers don’t work where we are,” Lucifer said, lunging toward me. “You’ll have to fight your battles on your own!”
I expertly ducked and rolled away from my father’s attack, landing squarely on my ass. I didn’t even have any time to think before he came at me again, his weapon nearly impaling my left arm.
Once I was able to get my bearings, our blades crossed each other, again and again. The clanging sound of metal didn’t seem to disturb anyone around us, they continued to passively watch our battle.
Was this normal?
Was this the way that fathers typically greeted their daughters, after not seeing them for decades?
And yet, despite the strangeness of it all, it still felt right.
I continued to go to war with my father, neither one of us letting up on our technique. However, once he’d sliced downward faster than I saw it coming, my sword was knocked right out of my hands. My father still used his weapon against me, not stopping his assault even when my palms were empty.
That’s when I decided to try something completely out of the box. I knew that my father had just said that prayers didn’t work in Hell, but what about the glow I seemed to have inside of me? I took a moment to concentrate, calling on the electricity, the power that I believed flowed through my veins. A moment or so later, my palms were glowing gold.
My father came at me again with his weapon and I used one of my hands to swipe down at its blade. The blade then split into two and my father’s eyes went wide. “You...you destroyed my blade. With...with your hand?”
I nodded. “It’s a little trick that I picked up.”
“Oh, my child,” Lilith squealed with excitement. “You are more powerful than you know! You are—”
“The embodiment of God’s gift.” Abaddon finished my mother’s sentence for her. “Yes, she’s a very special child, indeed. I’m glad you are pleased with her.”
“We are. Thank you, Abaddon, for returning our daughter to our home,” Lucifer replied.
“And now, despite the joyous occasion, I must express more somber news,” Abaddon continued. “It is time for you and Lilith to abscond from the throne.”
“What a silly thing to say.” Lilith’s head snapped up toward Abaddon. “So, why are you saying it?”
“The Princes of Hell have determined that you two are no longer fit to rule. You’ve broken our initial covenant by having natural children, producing potential heirs. And since you can no longer be trusted to hand down your crowns, in due time, we must ask that you leave immediately.”
“And where are we supposed to go?” Lucifer asked. “If we are so hated in Hell that our own princes would rebel against us, where are we supposed to be safe?”
“Consider the surface,” Abaddon suggested.
“The surface?” Lilith said as if she’d just been insulted. “And what are we supposed to do on the surface, with all of those...humans? How dare you suggest something so beneath us!”
“It was good enough for your children, was it not?”
“If I would’ve had it my way, they never would’ve spent a day up there,” Lilith explained. “It was you and those other princes, and your lust for power. That’s what
scared me into sending my children to live among savages. And now, you bring my child home to me, only to demand that I hand it over to you?”
“That is the nature of the bargain, yes. I have given you back your child. And now, you will give me the throne.”
“You will never have our throne.” Lucifer turned toward Abaddon. “Not without spilling our blood.”
“I am willing to do so,” Abaddon answered. “And so are the rest of the princes. However, I do not wish to fight with you, Lilith and Lucifer. So, please. Relinquish the throne, and we can handle this without a war.”
“Ah, but a war is easy.” Lucifer took on a defensive stance.
“Then it’s a war you shall have.” Abaddon took on a similar stance too, his eyes focused on Lucifer.
“No. No!” Lilith screamed, before she took my hand into her palm. “We will leave the throne to you, Abaddon. Just let us have our family in peace.”
“Lilith.” My father’s voice came out as a warning.
“Lucifer, Abaddon is correct. We broke the covenant that we made with Hell. And now, we must pay the price,” Lilith continued. “We can find another place to live here. I can conjure one for us all. But we cannot replace our daughter. We cannot replace our children. I would rather rip out both of my eyes, than to see any harm come to our Celeste.”
“You’re not thinking clearly, my love.”
“And you are not thinking at all,” Lilith hissed back at my father. “She’s just returned to us, Lucifer! How could you be willing to sacrifice her life so quickly? All in the name of winning some war?”
“Listen to your wife,” Abaddon suggested. “She speaks the truth.”
Lucifer shifted out of his defensive stance, looking between Lilith and me. “Lilith, are you absolutely certain?”
“Yes,” Lilith answered, but her gaze was focused on mine. “Oh, yes. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
Chapter 16
“Focus.” My mother stood in front of me, with a frosty stare on her expression. “Focus, my love.”
“I am focusing,” I mumbled. “Just give it a minute.”
My mom and I stood in the middle of our living room, or at least what looked to be a living room. We’d moved to a different side of Hell, gathered in our own cave. I’d watched as my mom changed what used to be nothing but rock into something more familiar, with furniture and tabletops. Her magic flew out of her fingers in sparks, except instead of gold, the sparks were a deep red. She’d told me afterwards that she didn’t like to call on her magic too often, since it left her vulnerable and exhausted.
It had been about a week since I’d been back with my family, and despite missing Charlie, Benjamin and Zachary quite dearly, everything else seemed to be going just fine. It was so weird being back home, but Lilith and Lucifer were my parents and they acted just like it. My father would often offer me bits of wisdom in-between his meditation, which Lilith explained helped him to keep a pulse on the surface above.
And my mother seemed to both love me and expect the world of me, emotions that I hadn’t ever had thrown my way before. I was trying my best to live up to her expectations, because I hated letting her down, even though I hadn’t known her long.
“If you were able to snap your father’s blade in two, then surely, you can do this,” Lilith encouraged. “Knock everything else out of your mind. Call your gold to your hands.”
“It’s...not working,” I admitted, before letting out a loud sigh. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m tapped out.”
“Tapped out?” Lilith hummed. “So, your power does not come from within you?”
“I think it does,” I explained. “But it has to be charged up first? And I’m not sure how that part really works.”
“That’s enough for the evening.” Lucifer appeared beside me. “Come, Celeste. Let’s speak of other things over dinner.”
“Dinner...” The word felt familiar, and suddenly my stomach growled. “Shit. Dinner. When was the last time I ate something?”
“The last time you were on the surface,” Lilith replied. “It makes sense that you’d be hungry by now, even though we don’t necessarily have to eat down here. It’s a remnant of your surface upbringing.”
“Oh. Well, what do we have to eat?” I asked.
“Whatever you’d like.” Lucifer clapped me on the back. “You’ll be the only one dining tonight, and possibly forever. Food has no meaning to me or your mother.”
“Got it.” I nodded, glancing around the room. “Hmm. How do you two feel about rice bowls?”
“Indifferent,” my mother answered, with a wide smile at her lips.
“You should view your weapon as just another extension of your arm.” My father had his blade pointed at my neck, as we engaged in our usual spar of the day. “The same way you wouldn’t put your arm into an alligator’s mouth, should be the same way you approach every battle. Once you lose your sword, you will surely bleed to death.”
My own blade had been knocked out of my hands again, and I gave my father a thoughtful nod. “That’s something one of my friends at the academy used to say.”
“I cannot believe you’ve broken bread with angels.” Lucifer chuckled, as he moved his blade away from my frame. “Did they know who you were?”
“Yes,” I admitted, hopping to my feet.
“And yet, they decided to stay in contact with you?”
“Yes.”
“And they did not turn you in to the council?”
“No.”
“Are you sure they were angels?” My father grinned. “My experience with them has been colored by jealousy and petty politics. I’m not sure what I’d do if I came across a decent one.”
“You were a decent one,” I replied. “Weren’t you?”
“Yes,” my father answered. “So decent that I dreamed of a life outside of subservience and servitude. I wanted better for myself. I wanted better for you.”
“I thought you didn’t have me until you came to Hell.”
“I didn’t, but I always had a feeling that I’d have children.” My father returned his weapon to his side. “And I wanted them to know that their father was a great man. Maybe consider following in my footsteps too.”
“...Would you do it again?” I kept my question quiet, looking over at my dad. “Even though you lost?”
“The rebellion?”
I nodded without saying another word.
“Yes.” Lucifer’s reply came quickly. “Celeste, I don’t believe in living with regrets.”
That sounds familiar.
I thought back to my talk with...
Someone...
Huh.
I couldn’t remember the person’s name, although the image of a boy with ocean blue eyes and neat red hair filled my mind. He was handsome, but I didn’t know if I’d ever met him before in my life.
“You have to be decisive in your actions, even if the world is telling you that you’re wrong,” my father continued. “You do what’s right in your heart, and you’ll never make a mistake.”
“Got it.” I slid my foot back into a defensive position, before I pulled my sword out in front of me. “Ready to go again?”
“Celeste!” A voice called out my name, and I turned around to see a boy with brown hair and brown eyes running towards me. “Celeste! There you are! I found you! I finally found you!”
“Intruder!” my father bellowed, as he shifted in front of me.
I placed a hand on my father’s back, as I stepped around him, my sword already in place. “I’ll handle this one.”
My father smirked, letting me pass. “Make me proud, my child.”
“I always try.” I smirked right back, as I began to run towards the stranger at full speed. Eventually our paths met, but the stranger’s eyes appeared wide with terror.
“Celeste! What are you doing?” the stranger cried out. “You know me! You know me!”
“No. I don’t.” I used my elbow to hit the s
tranger in his jaw, knocking him right down to the floor. “Who sent you?”
“Who sent me?” The stranger brought a hand to his face, as he winced in pain. “Celeste! It’s me. Charlie! I came looking for you. You’ve been gone for so long—”
“I don’t know a Charlie.” I shook my head. “Maybe you’ve got the wrong girl.”
“Shit. Celeste. Come on.” The stranger sighed. “Charlie Collins. Your roommate. Your favorite hookup.”
“Finish him,” my father called out. “We don’t owe the uninvited any mercy.”
“I’ll try to make this quick,” I spoke down to the stranger, as I raised my blade. “Don’t worry. This’ll all be over soon—”
“White Russian! No vodka!” The stranger held up his arms over his head, in defense. “White Russian! No vodka! You were a bartender at Garry’s Funhouse! I used to make you breakfast, after your overnight shifts! You love your leather jacket so much that you never take it off, even when it’s a billion degrees outside! I love you, Celeste! And I’m always going to love you, even if you chop off my head!”
White Russian. No Vodka.
Charlie’s favorite order at the bar.
Charlie.
I steadied my weapon in my hand as a smile came over my face. “Charlie?”
“Shit. Celeste. You fucking scared the hell out of me.” Charlie let out a sigh of relief. “Fuck. Did you forget who I was?”
“I think so,” I admitted. “Sorry. I think it has something to do with being in Hell. I’ve only been here for a week or two, but it’s like...I don’t know. Maybe because I’m so disconnected from the surface, my memory is just—”
“A week or two?” Charlie interrupted. “Celeste, you’ve been gone for months.”
“...Months?”
“Yeah. You’ve been gone since winter break,” Charlie explained. “At first we thought that you just went somewhere to clear your head for the break. But then you were gone in January too. It’s February now and—”
“Shit. Shit!” I yelled. “How the fuck have I been gone that long? Why didn’t I notice?”