“Good luck,” Rachel said, waving us out the doors. “Try not to get thrown out of any windows this time!”
I opted to let Nikolas drive, since I’d taken my own car close to the celestial guild one too many times, and it wouldn’t do to forget my name was on their list.
Settling into the passenger seat, I looked at Nikolas. “So I assume they’re expecting me. What exactly do I have to do?”
“We’ll get to that later,” he said. “You have questions about the nature of my arrangement with that realm, right?”
“Obviously,” I said. Where to even start? “You were born on Earth, right? To a human mother? What…?”
“She died,” he said. “Then Javos took me in, as he used to do with many warlock orphans at the time. This was before he became leader of the local warlock community.”
I frowned. I saw Javos as many things. Kind parent to orphaned warlock children was definitely not one of them. “So… how did Zadok wind up living in the tower on Babylon?”
“Because they claimed him first,” he said. “My mother couldn’t take care of both of us. So she chose to keep me, and let the demons take him.”
“That’s why he hates you?”
He gave a nod. “Perhaps it’s jealousy, in a way. I got to experience what it might be like to be human, and he didn’t. But the demon in him has always been… dominant. He never learnt the discipline that those of us who live in your realm must practise to keep our natures under control.”
“No kidding,” I said. “Okay, so Zadok got given the tower, you got the rest of the castle.”
“Technically, it’s on loan from my father,” he said. “And I never said I had absolute control. They respect and fear me, so they allow me to act as though I own the place. That is all.”
“They let you lock an arch-demon up…”
“They didn’t know. It’s not unheard of for demons to wander in. Zadok makes frequent attempts at coups.”
“And he wants me on his side to take the castle,” I said. “That’s where this is going. Right?”
“In his mind, yes,” he said. “However, we’re going directly into the castle itself without him realising we’re there. In that time, you and I are going to convince the others that supporting the pair of us over Zadok is essential to their survival.”
“Hang on,” I said. “What do you mean, convince them? I thought they wanted to see my magic. Nobody there has any claim on me, and they sure as hell didn’t put this mark on me.”
“No, but if you’re assumed to be an enemy, they may try to take you off the playing field themselves. I’d prefer not to cause a disturbance that might draw other demons into that realm, so our task is to convince them that you’re on their side. Otherwise, one way or another, they’ll find some way to contact you themselves, and it’s likely to be unpleasant.”
I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. “I thought Zadok was the one who wanted to call me in. He managed to summon me once already. What did you do with that pentagram of his?”
“I have it secured in a place it cannot be used, least of all by him. However, I must warn you that the other warlocks are not disposed to trust outsiders. I’d advise you to keep that celestial mark of yours under wraps.”
I blinked. “You didn’t tell them I’m a celestial?”
“If I had, they’d attack you on sight.”
“And they might do that anyway, right?”
“If they do, I’ll personally see to it that they never live to do so again.”
A chill raced down my back, a tingle that went straight to my demon mark. There never wasn’t a risk where demons were involved. It wasn’t like this was the first time I’d been to a demon dimension. Part of me was drawn to the shadows… to him. Why else would the demonglass tower keep appearing whenever I looked in the glass?
The truth about the war is in that realm somewhere. I know it.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I said. “Just you know, every time we go into that realm, things have a tendency to spin out of control.”
“Precisely why I’m not going to promise it won’t be dangerous,” he said. “You’ve seen what lives there—and that’s only the open part. Demons come into the castle on a whim, and even I can’t prevent them from doing that.”
“Any demigods?”
“For the most part, no. Zadok is the only other demigod who lives in the castle.”
Hmm. “So the warlocks chose that dimension? Or were born into it?”
“Many reasons. I’d advise you not to ask. They have a tendency not to react well to personal questions. And there’s a reason I’ve never brought any of them into this dimension. However, once you’ve won their respect, they’ll follow you.”
“You said respect, not trust,” I said. “They’re on the demons’ side, right? So that means they might stab me in the back.”
“Correct,” he said. “Your power, however, far outranks theirs.”
“Right,” I said, doubly glad I wore my anti-warlock trap and carried weapons. “So you introduce me, I demonstrate my magic, and that’s it?”
“Precisely.”
We pulled to a halt in a street parallel to the guild, where we’d crossed over before.
“I’ll make it up to you later,” Nikolas said, leaning over to me, his lips inches from my ear. Just far enough away to avoid my demon trap. “Ready?”
I nodded, opening the car door. He’d better be right. I’d gathered he’d removed Zadok’s pentagram following the battle on Babylon’s bridge, but the images were all too clear in my mind. Where the gods were involved, was any victory permanent?
Shadows folded over Nikolas and me, and the next second, we stood on earthy ground outside a pair of wide oak doors. The castle behind it was a fearsome sight, silhouetted against the perpetually violet-coloured sky. Stars studded it like tiny gems, stark beauty in a realm as cold and merciless as any of the demon realms. Zadok’s tower stood apart from the main castle, separated by a bridge, with a river surging beneath. The sun never seemed to rise here. The realm existed in darkness, beneath a giant luminous moon that appeared much larger than Earth’s sun. Cool night air wrapped around me, chilling my blood, calling to the magic within my demon mark.
Nikolas unlocked the main doors with a key, pushing them open. The entrance hall had nothing on Pandemonium’s palace, but the dark flagstones seemed to go on forever. Shadowy corners and staircases, with a long balcony overlooking the hall. And warlocks… everywhere. At least fifty of them, ranging from fork-tailed succubi to horned roak demons. Or half demons, anyway. They’d been expecting us, all right. And they were covered in shadowy auras to match Nikolas’s, talking amongst themselves in Malthric, the demonic language of this realm. Though I might not be able to make out every word, I got the gist—they were eager to get the measure of their unexpected visitor.
A large muscular man, his bare, tanned chest covered in swirling tattoos, strode up to Nikolas. He wielded a long spear in one hand, and his forked tail lashed the flagstones.
“Why did you bring a celestial in here?” he demanded.
So much for keeping my identity a secret.
“Not exactly,” I said, but my words were drowned in outraged shouts from behind him.
“No celestials here,” one of them roared. “Crush her bones and boil her blood!”
“Don’t be too hasty,” I said, taking an alarmed step back. I couldn’t watch all of them at once. And even knowing what a formidable force Nikolas and I were didn’t take away from the fear of being faced with so many powerful warlocks at once.
“This is Devi,” said Nikolas loudly. “She’s an ally.”
“Prove it,” growled the large demon.
I’d expected the demand. Pushing my right sleeve up, I held the demon mark high. “No celestial bears this mark,” I said loudly in their own language. “Nor this magic.”
I didn’t want them all to know I could steal magic—yet. I highly doubted it’d improve
the situation for them to know I had the ability to rob them of their demonic power. But Nikolas had said respect and not trust for good reason.
Lightning danced over my palm, the echo of his own. Dark-edged sparks spiralled up to the ceiling. “This is no celestial power,” I told the warlocks. “I’m marked as a demon.”
“You aren’t one of us,” growled the fork-tailed demon. “You’re an interloper. A thief, and an impostor. If Castor has really chosen to ally with our natural enemies, then we will have no choice but to turn to someone else.”
Crap. Guess that means Zadok.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said loudly. “As you can see, I’m not a celestial. The arch-demons chose to mark me, and they have authority over all of you.”
“You dare to claim to work for the arch-demons?” growled the demon. Power pulsed from his aura, shadowy and dark. My demon mark itched, demanding I take it in.
Fine, then.
Power surged through my hand as I called his magic into me. My whole body trembled with the force of it, but I kept my hand steady. At the last second, I aimed the torrent of power at the wall. It trembled but didn’t break, but the message was clear.
Fury surged around the warlock’s aura.
“You stole my power?” he roared. “You human scum.”
“That’s my ability.” No need to mention the demonglass. “I can use anyone’s power by proxy. Anyone. Arch-demons included.”
I doubted I’d be able to steal an arch-demon’s power if they were at full strength the way I’d done to Themedes, but you never knew. Some of the warlocks took a not-so-subtle step back.
“Liar,” hissed a female warlock with horns and a forked tail.
“Want to volunteer?” I held the mark and willed her power to flood into it, the way Nikolas and I had practised. Once again, the warlock’s magic flooded my mark. I didn’t have a clue what new powers I’d just taken in, but at that, all the warlocks lowered their weapons.
“Anyone else want a go?” I asked. “Once I take the power, I can’t give it back. It becomes mine.”
“Scum,” growled the female warlock. “Human scum. You drained my power.”
“Too bad,” I said. “I don’t make the rules. Now if you don’t mind—”
A third warlock threw a spear at me. I raised my hand, and the mark activated. A rippling curtain of light appeared in front of me, deflecting his weapon.
A shield. I can make a shield. From the aura around my hand, it was the power I’d stolen from the first warlock. Damn, that was useful. I’d see what I could do with it later.
“You might wield our magic, but you will never be one of us,” snarled the warlock whose power I’d used. His companion nodded in agreement.
“Then let me prove it,” I said. “Let me duel any one of you. You’ve seen what I can do.”
The warlock spat at my feet. “Deal. We’ll send our best. You send yours.”
He sloped into the crowd, who dissolved into arguments. I wasn’t fluent enough in Malthric to understand every word. But I got the gist: a fair number of them weren’t at all keen on the notion of having their own powers used against them.
“That went well,” I whispered to Nikolas. “You knew they’d do this, didn’t you?”
“I hoped that seeing your mark would be enough for them,” he said.
“I knew I’d get attacked at least once,” I said. “Because that’s what always seems to happen here. I’m allowed to use magic, right?”
“Yes, you are. The downside is that they know now, though anyone might have guessed during the battle a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah, I figured,” I muttered. “Doesn’t mean I can tell what their magic is by sight.” My gaze travelled across horned heads and dark auras, even a few with wings. The warlocks cleared a space in the middle of the hall, leaving one of their own behind. A warlock the height of a man, built like a tank, with curling horns entirely too similar to Javos’s. I’d never seen Javos use his power and it still terrified me. This guy looked to be made from the same mould.
Nikolas swore under his breath. Then he reached for my wrist. Power jolted up my arm, a shiver of electricity. Lightning magic… and a rejuvenating power that shivered in my very bones.
Did he just—?
He nodded sharply. “Good luck, Devi.”
The other warlock bared his teeth in a challenge as I stepped forwards, the crowd clearing a space on the flagstones.
Bring it. I raised my demon mark.
Chapter 7
The warlock and I faced one another. As much as I wanted to blast him with the power of heaven and hell combined, this wasn’t a fight to the death, and I might well bring the castle crashing down around us if I used the same power I’d used in the battle on the bridge.
The ground shifted beneath my feet. Aha. He’s an earth elemental power, then.
Luckily, I wore Rachel’s specially doctored boots, which could stick to anything. As the ground split in two, causing the other warlocks to back further away against the wide staircase at the hall’s end, I jumped aside, aiming for the nearest stone pillar.
My boots stuck to the pillar, giving me leverage to push myself higher. Kicking off from the pillar, I shot lightning from my fingertips. At the last second, he raised his hands and the earth rose to form a shield in front of him. Dammit.
I landed at a crouch in front of the earthen barrier, which parted, revealing spears in both of his hands.
“Deadly weapons aren’t permitted in a simple brawl,” Nikolas warned him.
“This is no simple brawl,” he said. “When the girl challenged me, she accepted my terms.”
“No,” snarled Nikolas. “I forbid it.”
“I am no longer loyal to you,” growled the warlock. “As you should know well, traitor to the shadows that you are.”
“Oh, I knew you were treacherous vermin,” he said calmly. “If you’d like to raise the stakes of this bout, then the consequences are on you.”
What the hell is he playing at? Maybe it was an invitation to unleash my magic to its full extent. If I was allowed to kill my opponent, I no longer had to keep my divine power under wraps. But using it would make me into a target for the others.
I fired lightning at the warlock instead, but a torrent of earth smacked into my chest with the force of a train. Gasping, winded, I stumbled backwards, my eyes watering with pain. Bloody warlocks. Another wall of soil rose, hitting me side-on. I stumbled onto my right leg, pain shooting up my left side. Ow. I was pretty sure he’d broken a rib or two.
The spear arced through the air, aiming at my chest. I dodged, but not fast enough, and the spear ripped up my already wounded side. Damn, that stings.
The warlock grinned at me. “Bye, celestial.”
Coolness sang through my right wrist, and the pain faded. The wound was already healing. Damn. I’d been right. Nikolas had intentionally given me some of his own regenerative power, knowing this fight would end in death.
The warlock’s eyes widened. “You—”
I grabbed the spear and hurled it at the warlock, propelled by Nikolas’s lightning power. Yet another shield of dirt rose, but the spear pierced through it. It’s a magical artefact. His own creation had been his undoing.
The spear sank into the warlock’s neck, and he fell back with a gurgling cry. Shock rippled through the crowd, murmurs that brushed over me. I grimaced and ran a hand down my side to check the damage. The healing power Nikolas had given me had sealed the wound almost the instant the spear had struck.
All around, I saw coins exchange hands. Some of them bet on me? It looked as though the huge fork-tailed warlock who’d started this whole bout in the first place had collected the lion’s share of the earnings. Seeing my incredulous expression, he shrugged. “I always bet on the underdog.”
“None of you are to challenge her again,” Nikolas said. The shadows of a pair of wings extended from his shoulder blades, and power rippled through the room, forked lightning
dancing between his fingertips. They didn’t know he’d weakened himself to give the power to me, but he was still a force to be reckoned with.
And so was I.
“She wins,” roared the muscular warlock who’d greeted us, and chaos erupted.
I stood rigid, unsure for a moment whether I was witnessing a celebration or a riot. The warlocks rampaged around, some of them dancing, others trampling on one another, mosh pit style.
Nikolas moved smoothly to my side. “It’s over,” he said. “You won.”
“I get a spontaneous warlock party?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Be flattered. They accept you.”
“I should bloody hope so.” I eyed some of the dancers, who were wrapped around one another in the corner. “Please tell me I don’t have to watch an incubus orgy.”
“You don’t have to watch.”
“Great.” I fixed my eyes on his face instead. “That’s what you wanted me to do. Steal their magic. It was a setup, wasn’t it? Divinities above, Nikolas. I thought you were better than that.”
His jaw tightened. “There’s no ‘better than’ when it comes to demigods, Devi. Would you have done the same thing?”
“No, because I’m not a demon. I don’t manipulate people.”
He spoke softly, his words almost lost beneath the pounding of warlock feet. “I suppose that time you summoned my brother was an accident, then.”
Crap. I’d forgotten all about that—and hadn’t realised he knew.
“That’s not the same thing, Nikolas. No lives were at risk.”
“Just a little white lie?” He smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes. “It’s so very simple to the celestials. Black and white—except when convenient.”
“Don’t be a prick,” I said. “I lied because I knew you’d start an unnecessary argument and Javos would flip out at me again. You lied because you wanted to use me to make a point to your fellow warlocks.”
“That’s not why I misled you,” he said. “You’re human, essentially. That means they were always going to try to break you. I intended to demonstrate that it wouldn’t be wise.”
Celestial Ashes: The Celestial Marked Series: Book Three Page 6