“Get out. Beelzebub is waiting,” he barked in a harsh voice, unlocking the cage. I felt exhausted all of a sudden, drained of all my magical power. The rain suddenly felt heavy and toxic. I hated it, but I knew the weather in this part of Hell wasn’t going to improve anytime soon. I didn’t dare compare it to London, but it was dark, wet, and depressing in the Circle of Gluttony. The Watcher grabbed my shoulder and started dragging me over toward a tall, square tower. I passed other demons. They were all trying to walk through the muddy road. Somewhere ahead I spotted a river with brown water, but it was difficult to make out anything else.
Everyone here looked miserable and sad. Some tried to shelter themselves by standing near a few stands with food. I heard some screams and moans nearby, but I couldn’t see who was screaming, because moments later, the Watcher pushed me inside a tall tower that suddenly appeared right in front of us. I wanted to stop and ask where they were taking me, but the Watcher pushed me through the tall Gothic-looking door and barked at me to start moving.
I wiped the water from my face being greeted by silence. Right in front of me there were stairs that led up. I sensed demons nearby, powerful demons from Beelzebub and Lucifer factions. My heart thumped quickly behind my ribcage. The Watcher kept pushing me to hurry up. My legs were aching like crazy, but I kept climbing, in some ways glad that I was taken to the next circle. This way, I was getting closer to getting the hell out of here. At least that was my plan.
Finally, we reached an entrance, and I was pushed through to the large open-plan room with random red chairs and a long wooden table. The entire space was lit by an enormous fireplace.
There were three demons standing in the room. The Watcher pushed me right in front of them. When I looked up, for a long moment, I thought I was having hallucinations.
Rodriguez, my long-time enemy, was one of the demons who greeted me, and he had a delighted look on his face.
Rage filled every nook and cranny of my body. I hated Rodriguez with a passion, and now he was here, as if he was expecting me to show up.
Next to him stood the one and only Beelzebub. As with Mammon and Asmodeus, I recognised him easily. I knew what each of the major demons in Hell looked like. Except Lucifer, of course. No one on Earth had ever seen Lucifer, and those who had weren’t alive any longer.
Beelzebub was short and fat with masses of curly black hair and a long moustache. He was dressed in a long white cloak and reminded me of a priest. I opened my mouth to say hello to the third demon, but I quickly realised that this would be a huge mistake. Cyril was an employee of the faction on Earth, and no one knew that we actually knew each other. I had no idea what he was doing in Hell, especially standing alongside Beelzebub and the head of the Lucifer faction. He and Paul had saved me from Rodriguez’s hands several days or weeks ago. I still wasn’t quite sure about the timing in Hell. Rodriguez had wanted to execute me, and no one was supposed to know about it.
“Well, well, well…who do we have here?” Rodriguez asked, folding his arms over his chest. I tried to keep a straight face, but fear paralysed me from head to toe. My throat was burning raw, and my clothes were soaked right through to the point that I felt uncomfortable. I hadn’t eaten since I woke up chained in a cell in the first circle, and now my stomach was growling painfully loud. This meeting was going to be brutal. My demonic senses were all over the place.
“Hey, arsehole,” I snapped and then spit on the ground near Rodriguez’s feet, trying to pretend that I wasn’t scared.
Rodriguez approached me and grabbed my cheeks, pulling me closer to his face.
“You’re nasty scum, and you’re going to burn alive in the pits,” he whispered, but loudly enough so everyone gathered around could hear him. “You killed the prince, and soon the whole world will know that you’re a murderer.”
He squeezed my face harder, and I would have killed him with my stare if that were possible. I had never trusted him, even when we met for the first time in his office. Over time that feeling became mutual. Now the old demon hated my guts.
“If you would have listened to anything Ricky told you, then you’d know it was Alexis. The same bitch who kidnapped Prince George,” I snarled at him. Yes, maybe it was my fault that he followed me all the way to Purgatory, but Arthur had given his life to save his daughter. To me he was a real hero.
“Rodriguez, calm down. No one is throwing anyone to the pits yet, at least not until we find out why this mongrel rat is so important,” Beelzebub said and nodded to someone behind me. Some demons ran over to him, carrying a huge tray filled with food. The obese Beelzebub chose a few things and shoved them inside his mouth. My own stomach growled, and I instantly wanted to punch him.
I glanced at Cyril, who looked tense, staring back at me with mixture of surprise and admiration. I saw it only for a split second, and in that moment, I knew that he was still on my side.
“I finally know all your dirty secrets and now understand my past mistakes,” Rodriguez said. “You will rot here in Hell, and once I find that bastard child of yours, I’ll drown her.” He turned to Beelzebub. “This mongrel scum is only valuable because the dark lord must have found out about that illegitimate child with royal blood. You should be taking her to the pits, master.”
“Be careful what you wish for, demon. I’m the only authority in this circle, and you aren’t even supposed to be here. Asmodeus has revealed that she can influence the election, influence the dark lord. That mongrel knows Lucifer’s plans, and for now, I need to keep her alive.”
I laughed, shaking my head. The demons in Hell were all delusional, believing that Lucifer would have revealed his plans to me. None of them realised that we had never actually met.
“You’re all deluded. I don’t know shit. The deal I made was with Morpheus. Lucifer wanted my soul, and for some reason, I ended up in Mammon’s castle. None of this makes any sense,” I said, knowing that now I really needed to find a way out of here, ideally without sustaining any more injuries. Rodriguez was itching to get his hands on me, but Asmodeus must have sold me to Beelzebub for a fair amount.
Cyril spoke up. “Gentlemen, Miss Brodeur must be telling the truth. Master, you have paid a very high price for a mongrel. She was also in Mammon’s hands before, but she managed to escape,” he pointed out. “She is indeed valuable.”
Rodriguez didn’t have any business in Hell. His job was focused around royals on Earth. Arthur was dead, and he was supposed to be fixing things in the palace, trying to console the royal family in these sad times. He must have already informed the press. I still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Arthur was dead.
“Cyril, you’re here with me, and you weren’t supposed to talk,” Rodriguez shouted. “Maxine Brodeur was a threat to the royals from very beginning, and you have done nothing to stop what happened to the prince.” He looked like a giant lion with his hair standing up. And this time around he wasn’t even attempting to break my wards or get into my head. I suspected that his abilities weren’t working as well in Hell as on Earth. That was a pleasant surprise.
“Let the boy talk, Rodriguez. Mammon is fearing the worst. There have been talks about an uprising. You know what that might mean to all of us,” Beelzebub pointed out, looking at Rodriguez sharply.
“The election is a joke. The dark lord won’t step down, and there isn’t anyone powerful enough amongst other circles who could challenge him. I should personally escort Miss Brodeur to the Circle of Pride.”
Beelzebub laughed, and I glanced back at Cyril who looked amused, too.
“You’re losing your mind, Rodriguez. The whole of Hell is on lockdown. Asmodeus took a great risk transporting her here,” Beelzebub said. “I won’t allow anyone to get out of here.”
I could have sworn I noticed a tiny smile on Cyril’s face when the fourth greatest demon said that.
“Name what you need, and I will get that for you, master. We both know that life on the outside comes with advantages,” Rodriguez said through
gritted teeth. He was obsessed with me for some reason, and I didn’t doubt even for one second that he was ready to murder my child.
I understood his position. As a head of the faction on Earth, he was supposed to prevent what happened between Arthur and me. No one cared that he took over his position after I got knocked up by the prince. It was just a small insignificant detail.
“No, Rodriguez, you’re too greedy. Besides, everyone knows that my circle is the most unpleasant one. Mud, rain, and constant anguish. I’m proposing a snake challenge instead,” Beelzebub announced, clapping his hands. Cyril moved an inch and Rodriguez looked relieved.
Snake challenge. That didn’t tell me anything, but judging by everyone’s face, I presumed this was going to be painful. My head was dizzy, and I needed to fuel my body with some real food. I could be tortured and beaten, but I had to get some food into my belly and fast.
“We will try this my way. One bite and the mongrel girl will tell us everything that we need to know.”
“Fine, but if that won’t work, then I will just rip her wards apart. I’ve been meaning to do that for a really long time,” Rodriguez added, smoothing his long beard and staring down at me with open hatred.
Beelzebub clapped, and then I saw a real cobra appear right in front of me. It hissed and started crawling toward me. I had nowhere to escape; the Watchers were guarding the doors, and Beelzebub could simply break my neck with the wave of his hand. My heart skipped a beat, and then I just closed my eyes, waiting for the worst. The cobra bite was deadly. It was time to come to terms with that.
Time to finally accept that I was about to die.
Chapter 7
“Two spirits—each one leaning on the next—thus talked about me on the right–hand side, then laid their heads back, to have words with me.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I wasn’t afraid anymore. After everything that happened, I was done with running away from my destiny.
I sensed that Rodriguez, Cyril, and Beelzebub were watching me from the other side of the room. The snake was slowly crawling toward me. A bead of sweat ran down my back and I sucked in a deep breath.
The snake was at least five meters long and had black and gold stripes that ran along its length. It was a beautiful creature, and its eyes were fixated directly on me. Waves of my magic were running through my system. The fire, I could treat it with my flames, but then what? Beelzebub would get to me before I even blinked. He wanted the snake to bite me, probably to release some kind of poison that would untie my tongue.
My fingertips were warm, but the fire didn’t appear like I expected. The snake crawled closer; it was just by my feet.
“What if she dies from the venom, master? Then she will be truly useless to you,” Cyril said, his voice tight. He couldn’t show that he cared about me. I understood that, and I didn’t want him to put himself at risk.
The snaked hissed and revealed its forked tongue, stopping about a meter away from me. Then it rose upwards, staring directly into my eyes. Okay, I was officially freaked out, but I had nowhere to run. This wasn’t the way I was supposed to die in Hell, bitten by a cobra.
“She won’t, she will suffer greatly with pain, but then we will know everything. Lucifer would approve of my methods. He himself sent for her.” Beelzebub chuckled, rubbing his palms together. I swallowed hard, watching the cobra’s eyes.
I focused on burning it, waiting for my energy to obey me. The cobra’s eyes were deep charcoal grey, and demonic energy circulated through the length of its body. It crawled closer, suddenly only inches away from my face. Small dots of sweat appeared on my forehead, and my breathing sped up. I waited for the pain to come, waited for the deadly bite. Seconds dragged, then minutes rolled in and nothing was happening. My throat was so tight with fear I’d forgotten about the hunger now.
“What’s happening? Why is the snake not attacking?”
I heard Rodriguez’s furious voice and then looked around, opening my eyes. The cobra started backing away from me. My body relaxed slightly, and my heart jackhammered between my ribs. Something was wrong, and I wondered why it didn’t bite me.
“No idea. That challenge always works. It must be the girl’s blood. It looks like my cobra refuses to taste the dirty muddy blood,” Beelzebub said, scratching his square jaw.
Then I suddenly felt the pain inside my skull. It grew with every beat of a second, penetrating me slowly, like an invisible long sharp needle. My knees turned into paper and I went down, grabbing my head screaming with agony. It felt like someone was literally trying to drill through my skull.
It lasted for longer than I thought it would. And when it was over, I just lay on the cold marble floor breathing like an asthmatic, unable to lift myself up. I started seeing Summer walking up to me; she was trying to reach out to touch me. I wanted it all to end. It was too much.
“Let me take over, master. My tortures are always much more effective,” Rodriguez requested humbly, and I wanted to spit into his face again.
Beelzebub disagreed, sounding annoyed. “No, Rodriguez. We have to talk about other business now. Your Asian boy will escort her to my prison. She’s mine. I paid several barrels of gold to have her.”
They started arguing with each other, but I wasn’t listening anymore. Rodriguez was furious, and he was taking a huge risk disagreeing with Beelzebub. A demon who was much stronger and more important than him. I needed some time out. I no longer cared what was going to happen to me.
Someone lifted me back on my feet. My vision went slightly blurry and I felt dizzy, from lack of food as well as the torture. Rodriguez was shouting now, and the great Beelzebub was telling him that he didn’t take orders from anyone apart from Lucifer.
“Come on, Maxine, you have to walk. We haven’t got much time,” a soothing voice told me. I was taken away from the room, telling myself to get it fucking together. I couldn’t break apart right now, but I felt so drained and weak.
Soon after I left the dark chamber, I realised that it was Cyril who was guiding me out. He must have used his demonic magic on me, because I felt a little better. Outside I was able to walk on my own.
“Walk faster, demon. We have to get into the cell; the master wants to start his tortures straight away,” a Watcher barked, walking behind me.
Cyril was walking next to me and I sensed that he was tense. The Watchers would catch every word, so he couldn’t really explain what he was doing in here. Several minutes later we were moving down a wide wooden staircase. I needed to forget about my hunger for a moment and gather my strength. Cyril kept pumping his own energy into me and my vitals were getting better. The strength was returning.
Once we were outside, I felt more like myself again, minus the empty stomach. We were walking in the rain, through the muddy and wet road. The rain wasn’t cooling anymore, and the temperature must have dropped significantly, because I was suddenly freezing. Other demons were trying to get on with their tasks; some were talking, standing against a giant stand with old remedies and potions. Others were trying to shelter themselves with massive umbrellas shattered by strong wind. It was a miserable mess and I could barely see where I was going.
As soon as we were outside, the Watchers released their giant wings and started flying above us in the pouring rain. Cyril led me toward a steep hill, and at the bottom of it there was a river. I spotted some boats and other strange-looking shapes that were floating on the surface.
“Get ready, Maxine, this is our chance,” Cyril told me.
I was disoriented when he reached out for his sword and rose several meters off the ground. I stood there, rooted to the spot, trying to figure out if there was something wrong with my eyes. Cyril roared and attacked, cutting the wing of one of the Watchers, swinging his legs, suspended above the ground. The other one landed next to me and stumbled back on his feet. All of a sudden, I was glad that the road was muddy; this gave me a little advantage. I used my left leg and kicked him as hard as I could
. He went off flying, landing in a huge pile of muddy water.
Soon streams of light started busting out of the injured Watcher. He screamed, and his wings turned to ash.
“Come on, Maxine, we need to get out of here. We only have a brief window,” Cyril shouted at me.
I started sliding down towards the river following Cyril. We ran, hearing some screams behind us. My heart pounded in my chest, as we reached the bottom of the hill, literally covered with mud. Cyril managed to get to one of the boats and started untying the rope. The rain kept pouring down, and my senses were registering more Watchers nearby. We didn’t have much time, and surely, we couldn’t run on foot. It looked like the route through the river was our only chance of escape.
“No, you can’t leave with me, Cyril! Rodriguez will castrate you,” I shouted when he jumped into the boat.
“Don’t stress. I’m done working for Rodriguez and done with injustice. Who knows who is going to be my boss after the election?” He chuckled. “Get into the boat. The others are on the way.”
I looked back and saw a few figures in the sky. The rain had slowed the Watchers down, and I wasn’t planning to stay in Beelzebub’s circle one second longer. I got into the boat and Cyril pushed us off with the oars. The current was strong, so we started moving pretty fast, but the visibility was poor.
We heard some screams, saw a bouncing light above us. I blocked their magic with mine, feeding on Cyril’s energy. It looked like the Watchers must have changed their mind about flying in the rain, because a few of them were running toward the riverbank.
They were too late. We were already moving fast with the current, leaving the miserable town behind.
I wished that it would stop raining for a moment. I’d gotten rid of my jacket because I didn’t think I would need it. Now I was shaking with cold, as the ice-cold rain was pouring down. The sky was dark, and soon it was pitch black. I could only hope that we were safe on the boat.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 76