I didn’t believe that it was just a dream. Maybe in some way my subconscious had taken me back to London, to my beloved friends. They were hoping that I was still alive somehow.
Grief shattered my demonic soul. Only now it hit me harder than before, that Arthur was truly gone. One tear dropped down my cheek and sadness spread through me like a poison. Memories from the past were vivid, and I was reliving them over and over again. I knew that this wasn’t the right time to break apart. I was determined to survive in here and get back to Earth, then later on, tell my daughter that her father was a great man.
Ricky was right. Zach and the rest weren’t able to do anything for me. Hell had me, and now I was most likely in the hands of Asmodeus. The Circle of Lust was full of surprises. I knew that Hell treated mongrels like dogs, but what I saw earlier was a punch below the belt.
My dream ended when Ricky revealed that he had a plan. I didn’t want him to put himself at risk again. Zach was right: he only just recovered from that deadly curse. I could only hope that Ricky wasn’t intending to make some sort of deal with someone important down below, because we both knew how badly that ended up for me.
Lucifer knew about Summer from the very beginning, but he left me to live my life. I didn’t understand why he suddenly changed his tune. There was a reason for it, and I just needed to figure it all out. Morpheus had all the answers and I needed to find him. I wasn’t prepared to die without finding out first what kind of mess I had gotten myself into.
Torches lit the chamber, and there were Roman columns around, and a large slate marble floor covered every square inch of this space. Several metres away from me there was a pool filled with water, the steam drifting around it.
I wiped the sweat off my face and tried to lift myself on my feet. Some sparks of electricity escaped through my fingers, but I felt weak. My left leg looked fine, although back in the Hell town I was certain that I shattered my bones when the Watcher dropped me. I hit the ground pretty hard. Maybe someone took pity on me and healed me when I was knocked unconscious.
I concentrated on the energy around me, tapping into my source. I needed to be ready for anything. Ricky’s ex-wife had tried to lie to the Watcher. I hoped the bitch paid for it.
I noticed that whoever left me in here didn’t chain me up. I was free to walk around, and for a split second, I considered taking a dip in the pool. The water looked so tempting and I was sticky with sweat. My clothes were dirty, first covered with dust as I walked miles from one circle to the other, and then from the ash in the forest.
Right now, I had no idea where that Watcher had taken me. In some ways I was done with surprises. I thought about Dominica. She said that no one in Hell was free, that all demons had roles, jobs to do. Maybe I had prejudged them all too soon. Life on Earth was certainly easier.
Moments later the large door in front of me opened up and a few demons walked in.
“Impossible,” I whispered to myself.
“Oh, Miss Brodeur, we were wondering when you were going to wake up,” the demon who approached me said. I recognised him, and I wasn’t even surprised that he looked the same as in the drawings. Demonic books were filled with pictures and drawings of all the demons, from the six circles of Hell, apart from Lucifer. No one knew what the prince of Hell really looked like, and some of the descriptions were misleading and over the top. One author pictured him a lone wolf with three heads, another as an old man with a beard.
Asmodeus was much better looking than Mammon. He was tall, slim and dressed in black shirt and slim-fitted trousers. He had a square jaw and bright green eyes. For a demon, he was very good looking and I felt this urge inside me. I wanted to be lost in his arms, and I needed him to kiss me.
Get it together.
The voice of reason told me that he was using his power to get me to submit to him. I found it off that Asmodeus took time from his busy schedule and showed up here to deal with me. First Mammon, now him. I didn’t like this sudden attention, because these demons were standing directly below Lucifer. They were like gods in Hell: each represented their faction, each was important in their own way.
“What do you want from me? I’m not like other mongrels in here. I don’t belong to anyone,” I insisted, as the heat from his stare was making me uneasy. I needed to control my own urges. I heard once that he had never left Hell and he tortured humans by unleashing their greatest desires. His energy was tingling in my system, and I was becoming shamefully aroused.
He smiled and a sudden throbbing between my legs made me realise that I desired him. I needed to run my finger over his jaw, touch his lips. He was handsome, but his energy became suffocating. I felt like my throat was getting smaller, and oxygen wasn’t getting into my lungs. I had tossed Berith to the pits, but right then, I was losing complete control of myself.
“You’re more valuable than you think. Someone lost you there in Purgatory,” he stated, caressing his smooth jaw and assessing me with his eyes. His irises were gold, not green like I thought before.
I sucked in a deep breath, telling myself to get it together. I couldn’t be fooled by his power; it was all a game to him. Asmodeus was one of the most sadistic of all the seven demons in Hell.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I told him, swallowing hard.
No one knew that Morpheus was on Earth, guiding me and helping me to destroy Alexis’s power. On top of that, Purgatory was inaccessible for humans, and yet Arthur had died there.
“Of course you do, Miss Brodeur, and I’m here to find out how useful you can really be,” he said, not losing that enigmatic smile. “Word in Hell travels fast.”
“I’m just a mongrel girl. We both know it,” I insisted.
“A mongrel girl who everyone is talking about, a mongrel who escaped from Mammon’s castle. Everyone is nervous about the upcoming election. You’re the person who can change the fate of many demons.”
I wanted to disagree with him. If I was so important, then why wasn’t I standing in front of Lucifer right now? He asked for me, and I didn’t believe for one second that he could just lose me in Hell.
Magic rose within me, causing my heart to pound even faster than before. Tingling intensified, and warmth began spreading everywhere. I really wanted to kiss Asmodeus, but that tiny bit of self-control kept me in line. His energy was influencing me quicker, because his chamber was so humid, and I was extremely thirsty.
“Well, I’m no one important, so they shouldn’t be concerned about me,” I said, not knowing if I meant to talk about that deal I made with Morpheus back in London.
“Come sit with me,” he suggested and a Watcher with the giant wings of a bat pushed me forward.
Two chairs appeared by the steaming pool with a small table. Asmodeus sat down and gestured for me to do the same. His black shirt was tight, and I noticed that his body was well defined; his strong muscles flexed, displaying through his shirt. Maybe it was just an illusion, but from my point of view he was handsome, less creepy than Berith at least.
“You must be thirsty, Miss Brodeur,” he said, and a second later a pitcher of ice water appeared on the small able with two glasses. I greedily watched as Asmodeus poured some ice water into the glass and then handed it to me.
I grabbed it and drank it in one go. I had never tasted such amazing water. That made me feel a lot better, although the invisible attraction to Asmodeus was concerning.
“You’re a beautiful demon, Miss Brodeur. Your human mother must have had good genes,” he pointed out, watching me intensely. “I would like to take you as a lover, but I’m aware that you’re much more valuable than that.”
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, thinking that the whole world had gone crazy. He didn’t just tell me that he wanted to have sex with me?
I shifted on the chair as heat shot down my chest. This was bad. I needed to keep myself in line. It was his magic. I didn’t really want him.
“That’s a human expression, I presume, but no. I don�
�t joke when it comes to serious matters,” he said. All right, it was crazy that I was seriously feeling the sizzling attraction between us. My heart belonged to Zach, and the past few months, we’d grown really close. Arthur and I had drifted away from each other, but there were still feelings between us when he died.
“So, will you let me go? I have a daughter, and I need to get back to her on Earth,” I said, trying to be straight with him.
“Of course,” he said. “But under one condition.”
Right, of course there is a condition.
“What is it?”
“Tell me, what are Lucifer’s plans? There are rumours that he’s preparing for an uprising, that he acquired other allies in Hell.” Asmodeus said, leaning closer to me. He smelled like fire and a fresh summer day, pleasant and soothing. I really needed to stop fantasizing about what could happen between us, because he was just about to decide my future.
I had made a deal with Morpheus, not Lucifer, so how was I supposed to know what his plans were? Someone had saved me in that cave in the underworld when Watchers were just about to toss me down to pits. Maybe it was Lucifer, but I’d never met him.
“His plans? I don’t know anything about that. A female demon in a different part of Hell had been plotting an uprising against Lucifer, but as far as I know, that demon is now dead.”
“No, Maxine, dear, I’m asking about his plans toward me and the other six demons. Watchers like talking about what is happening around here. They spread rumours. Lucifer must be aware that his system is not working anymore. I have been serving him loyally for centuries.”
“I don’t know anything about his plans. I have never even spoken to him. How—”
“The pits are awaiting, Miss. Brodeur. I’m a patient individual, but we both know that your magic is much more advanced,” he pressed, drilling me with his beautiful eyes. There were a lot of things that I knew, but Asmodeus was wrong. I was from the outside. I knew nothing. Morpheus didn’t talk about his boss.
“You might as well send me there then, because I can’t tell you something I don’t know,” I snapped, losing hope that my time in Hell was going to be extended.
“Call the Eurynomos, Ariel. I need to test Miss Brodeur’s magical skills,” Asmodeus announced. Eurynomos, was that some kind of magical weapon that he wanted to use on me?
I was just about to find out.
Seconds later the chairs disappeared, and I was alone again, standing in the middle of the chamber. Asmodeus was gone.
The fear inside me started growing like vines that had crawled their way up a building. There was no warning, but I knew that shit was just about to hit the fan.
A cold shiver passed down my spine when I heard a loud raspy sound coming from the corner of the chamber. There was someone watching me from there, and I was a hundred percent certain that it wasn’t a demon.
“Asmodeus, get a fucking grip. I don’t know anything,” I repeated, thinking that Lucifer’s buddy actually gave a crap about my life. My body started to shake when the creature, who presumably was Eurynomos, took a few steps toward me. Its body was covered with shiny, sticky dark skin. Some kind of oily substance was dripping from him down onto the floor. I backed away to the wall, glancing around but failing to see any way of escape. The being opened his mouth wide, then screamed, and that shriek was agony to my ears. Its smell was horrendous—it reminded me of a body that was left to rot in the heat. It had large white eyes without any irises.
“You need to show me what you’re capable of, Maxine. This Eurynomos is starving,” Asmodeus’s said.
The creature let go of another high-pitched roar and attacked. I wasn’t fucking prepared, and I didn’t even have the time to tap into my source. The creature pushed me into the warm steamy pool. Before I knew it, the Eurynomos was sitting on me, wrapping its black hands around my throat.
I started coughing, kicking my legs as he opened his mouth, revealing sharp pointed claws instead of teeth. The water was getting into my nose and mouth. Memories of Arthur resurfaced and the skin around my neck was burning raw.
I spit the water out, and then I remembered I didn’t have to follow any rules here. The creature let go of another loud shriek arching its ugly head backward. That gave me a split-second window, and I treated it with a fiery blast. It screamed when the flames covered its cheek, releasing me. I scrambled out of the pool, taking long deep breaths. My throat felt like it was on fire, my knees threatened to give out, but this was my opportunity to fight back. Summer was waiting for me on Earth, and I was planning to find her, no matter what.
I charged my energy, releasing the satanic vibes that were beneath my skin. My hair stood on end, and I felt myself rising above the ground at least a few inches. Water was dripping down on the marble floor. I combined my spells, and the turbulent energies gathered over the centre of my palm. I pushed it out, and the fire covered the creature’s body. The impact threw the Eurynomos out of the steamy water, and it slammed on the floor.
It started burning, squeaking and screaming. I kept breathing in and out, feeling its heart as it began shrinking. This was the end of the Eurynomos, and the beginning of a new Maxine Brodeur.
Chapter 6
“That brightness follows from their inward fire, that fire from vision. And their sight extends as far as each, beyond their due, has grace.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
As soon as the Eurynomos vanished, two Watchers appeared at my side, each grabbing my arm, and started dragging me toward the door.
“Where are you taking me? I demand to speak to Asmodeus!” I shouted. I obviously passed his stupid magical test, so that must have meant something. Everyone, including Mammon, had been telling me I was special, but no one was ready to reveal why.
Now I had proven to the great Asmodeus that I was much more powerful than any other mongrel who had ever entered Hell.
“The master has other matters he has to take care of. You have been sold off,” the dark-haired Watcher said and kept squeezing my arm harder. They led me through the long torch lit corridors.
“Sold? What does that mean? Please let me speak to him. I have information that he requires,” I shouted, ready to use my energy against those two fuckers, but I quickly realised that I was outnumbered.
There was another Watcher walking behind me. I’d used up a lot of my power fighting with the Eurynomos, so I didn’t stand a chance even attempting to escape. I needed some time to recharge my batteries and heal.
The guards dragged me outside the building, to the town square, where yesterday Catherine was selling her mongrel slaves. Now the whole town seemed deserted and there was no sign of the scene. A few older demons were staring back at me. One of them pointed at me and whispered something to the other one. I didn’t know where the Watchers were taking me, and it looked like no one was going to give me any answers. That bastard Asmodeus simply sold me off.
The Watchers pushed me toward a horse carriage that looked a lot like a cage. I didn’t want to believe that this was happening to me; the head of the Circle of Lust found me attractive. Maybe he was only trying to scare me into talking. He said it himself: I was too valuable to let go.
The third Watcher opened the cage and, a second later, I was tossed inside. I quickly tapped into my demonic soul, but I realised that the cage was charmed, like the chains in the first circle.
“Off you go, Storm,” one of the Watchers shouted and slapped the black, beautiful horse. The animal groaned and snorted loudly and then off he went, galloping through the town square. I stood up and grabbed the metal bars, realising that I was most likely leaving this circle forever. I shook the bars in frustration, releasing my fire, but I only burned my fingertips. Hell had swallowed me up again. My future had already been decided.
The horse galloped through the empty streets, passing houses in the gloomy darkness. Demons walking on the streets didn’t pay any attention to me. Soon the horse rode through the Ash Forest in pitch-black d
arkness. I tried to whistle and shout to the horse, but nothing was working. The horse kept moving. The Watcher must have put the animal in a magical trance. Sometime later, I passed a group of demons standing by the side of the road. Some of them were holding billboards with an image of Asmodeus; others were obviously campaigning for other candidates. Surprisingly they were all shouting for the uprising to begin. I couldn’t hear anything else, as the horse kept speeding up from time to time, and the ride in the cage became uncomfortable.
I thought about Zach and Ricky. Those two were determined to get me out of Hell and, right in this moment, I was ready to accept any given help, especially from my friends. I was done being tossed around from demon to demon like a piece of meat.
Somewhere on the edge of the forest, I saw a few mongrels digging holes in the ground. Two Watchers were keeping an eye on them, one barking at a boy who couldn’t have been more than sixteen to hurry up. I couldn’t do anything about it because no one in Hell seemed to care that mongrels were also living beings. The horse kept galloping and soon I found myself in the wasteland again.
The animal was probably taking me to another the circle in Hell. Eventually I sat down near the edge of the cage and shut my eyes. It was pitch black, so it was difficult to figure if I was travelling back to Mammon’s castle or somewhere completely different. It was Hell, and I needed to get used to the fact that darkness was part of day-to-day living.
The bottom of the cage was dirty, and the blasting humidity was making me nauseous, but I had managed to drift off to sleep for a bit.
When I opened my eyes next, I was soaking wet. Rain was pouring down from the sky and the horse must have stopped, because the carriage wasn’t moving anymore. I stood up and saw lights all around, recognising the shape of old buildings. The temperature was still high, and the rain felt refreshing. A Watcher approached the carriage.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 75