by Sara Snow
It was obvious that he was getting heated for real. His teeth were grit together, his fists tightly clenched and the urge to egg him on further was just too good, hoping I could get the chance to finally get a swing in on this guy.
“Maybe you should go back to the factory with Eli,” I said.
“Don’t you try to change the subject, asshole,” he yelled. “You know that my father would want me to take his place, and you can’t admit it because you’re tired of being number two in this group!”
“Are you jealous because your dad liked me better? Or is it because Georgia likes me better?” I sneered.
Maybe a bit mean, but it sure got his attention. I was inclined to apologize for that one, but he lunged at me before I got the chance, knocking me onto my back. I managed to quickly flip him off of me and land the first punch, but he was fast on the recovery and knocked me in the head with a kick that sent me tumbling backward. Before I could recover myself, he planted his foot on my chest, and although my anger was only increasing, my will to continue this stupid fight just to get punched in the face over nothing was fading.
“You want to lead so badly, then fine. Let’s see how you do,” I spat. “I guarantee you I’ll be in charge again before the week is over.”
Jacob mulled it over for a moment, kicking off my chest harder than he needed to. He didn’t offer to help me up, which was unfortunate. I would’ve loved the chance to slap his hand away. It didn’t matter either way. I knew that I would be back at the head of the team once Georgia came back.
He headed for the door. “You need to go talk to your mom to figure out your cloud thing or whatever.”
“You’re the team leader, shouldn’t you know that it’s smoke? At least know what your team members’ powers are. I know it’s hard since you don’t really have any, but try to keep up, ok?” I snarled.
Jacob scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re a real piece of work.”
Well, he didn’t seem entirely satisfied with the outcome, even though he won, so I wasn’t really sure what to do with him at that point. He was clearly jealous of my close relationships with Kingston and Georgia and wanted to inject himself into an important role in the group. This feud was so childish and petty. But I figured that after enough time, he’d see things my way. When it came down to it, I knew he’d crack under the pressure that he didn’t yet understand. The idiot…
10
Paimon
“My King, you summoned me?”
I saw the shadow of Bebal cast across the floor as he pushed open the door to my chambers. “I did. The girl, my daughter. Have you seen her since her arrival?”
“I haven’t personally, King. The patrolmen have been keeping tabs on her as she wanders. They’re reporting her activities to me.”
Good.
I could picture her walking the halls, passing my guards and wondered if she knew just how well-organized they were in their reports. I was sure she and her friends thought they were clever after their first little foray into my crypt to try rescuing their vampire friend, but all they had done was give me an even better idea of how strong they were—just as I had allowed them to. If they thought they were lucky that the path to the crypt had been barren save for them and their little escort that night, then maybe I didn’t have much to fear from them. The thought gave me a chuckle. If only they knew how quickly I had cleared their path once they arrived, just to watch what they’d do when they discovered their friend dead. One could imagine my disappointment when they simply trudged out of the palace without so much as a retaliatory strike.
Aside from that guard that Georgia had turned to ash in the crypt, whatever his name was. Good riddance to that weakling.
“Let me know if she goes out wandering again. Have an extra round of patrolmen circling her chamber,” I instructed. “Ensure their discretion. Don’t let her suspect she’s being watched.”
“Of course.”
“Oh, and one last thing,” I said as Bebal turned to go.
“Yes, sir?”
“Let me know if she’s seen near the crypt.”
“You don’t trust her loyalty, King Paimon?”
“I have my suspicions,” I said, understating them. “Something tells me that she’s a crafty little one.”
Like father, like daughter.
Georgia
I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept so well, despite the fact that I was curled up in a bed in a demon’s palace. The bed was the exact balance of firmness and softness that I liked and my pillow was perfectly poofy. It was magically made from my brain, after all.
A knock came at my door, startling me. I hurried up from bed, swapping out my pajamas for the clothes I’d discarded on the floor. I flinched slightly when I pulled the door open to see a skeletal demon standing in front of my doorway wearing what I assumed was the standard-issue uniform around here—A black tunic with a deep red hooded cloak thrown over the shoulders, obscuring what appeared to be a very light breastplate with an ornate P embellished in the center.
“Good morning, Princess. Breakfast is served in the dining hall. I can escort you if you’re ready,” he said. His voice sounded strange, so much unlike Paimon’s, which was full of elegance and grace. This demon spoke very gruffly, with an almost supernatural echo making it seem incredibly inhuman.
“Oh, um, yeah, I’m ready,” I said, stepping out and shutting the door behind me. “And please just call me Georgia.”
I followed the demon in silence down a different hallway than the one I’d taken before, making a conscious effort to trace our path so I could start learning to navigate myself. I kept tabs on each of our turns, any rooms that we passed, really any landmark that could help me map out the winding hallways of the palace.
I smelled the dining hall before I saw it, my mouth instantly watering. When we entered the room, I was speechless. What was laid out on the table was nothing short of a sprawling feast filled with all sorts of meats, fruits, vegetables—really anything I could think of. Demon guards stood at various points around the dining hall, but the only one sitting at the table was Rakshasi, who greeted me with a warm smile as she spooned at a piece of cantaloupe. There was an empty plate sitting next to her.
“Princess,” my demon escort said in dismissal as he stopped and stood at attention, gesturing me forward.
“Really, please don’t call me that. Just call me Georgia,” I said. “Tell all your friends, too. Everyone in the palace should call me Georgia.”
He didn’t look at me, simply keeping his straight neutral guard face. “Is that an order, Princess?”
It was a genuine clarification, and I sighed. “It… Yeah, I guess so. It’s an order.”
He gave a sharp nod. “Understood, Georgia. I will pass the order on.” He turned on his heel, leaving me to stroll over to Rakshasi.
“I thought you might be making an appearance,” she said, holding the empty plate out for me. “Sit with me.”
I gratefully took it and scooped a generous helping of anything that was in front of me onto my plate before sitting down next to her.
“No one else around here is going to eat?” I asked, shoveling some of the most perfectly ripe fruit into my mouth.
“They don’t, usually. There’s no reason for them to,” she said, taking a delicate bite of prosciutto. “Only on special occasions will most of them indulge. They do enjoy good food, but it’s not necessary for them.”
“Makes sense,” I said, wolfing down another bite.
We mostly ate in silence with only intermittent pleasantries exchanged—how I slept, how I was acclimating to the castle, how excited I was to be joining the Tenebris. Most of my answers were lies, of course, but out of what I assumed was polite detachment, Rakshasi didn’t pry too deeply, so I didn’t have to tell too many hard-hitting lies. After those lines of small talk were exhausted, we fell back into silence. There were still many questions I wanted to ask, but it had been so long since I’d eaten such an excessive v
ariety of delicious foods that I couldn’t help but spoon mouthful after mouthful into my face. She probably thought I was the most ungraceful princess of all time, and she would definitely have been right, but I didn’t really care.
When my plate was finally emptied, the demon who’d escorted me approached me and bowed.
“Georgia, if you’re ready, your father would like to see you in your chamber,” he said.
I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be going in for seconds, and reluctantly I rose from my chair. “I’ll see you around, Rakshasi.”
She nodded her farewell and I followed the skeletal demon back through the maze-like hallways until finally we reached my door, which sat open. My heart sank when I saw Paimon inside standing next to a large display of weapons, jewels, and clothes laid out atop clean towels on my bed.
“Good morning, Georgia,” he said with that same unnerving grin that was too charming to be genuine. “I trust you slept well?”
“I did. Thank you.”
He closed the distance between us, placing his hands on both of my shoulders to hold me at arms’ length. “Georgia, my daughter. You don’t know how happy I am that you’ve returned.”
“I’m happy, too,” I said, summoning my best fake smile. “I’m happy to finally be where I belong.”
Paimon gave my shoulders a loving squeeze before letting go, guiding me over to the display on the bed.
“Everything here will be yours, Georgia. These robes have been worn for thousands of years by only the greatest of demons and cambions before you. All queens and princesses of Hell, for whom the finest of clothing was created. The weapons here are legendary—some crafted by the most gifted blacksmiths that Hell has to offer, and others priceless spoils of holy war, claimed from our fallen enemies, some of whom are even Seraphim. There are rumors that some of these pieces were created by God himself to aid the angels. And the jewels…” He gestured to a hefty assortment of gems and stones as big as my fists. “My dear daughter, I’m sure you can understand the allure of jewels.”
I definitely could, and it wouldn’t have been true to say that these things weren’t tempting. As someone who grew up with nothing, the thought of having anything I could ever want at a simple request was tantalizing. I didn’t have to pretend very hard that I was happy to have them.
Paimon gestured to the demon outside my room, and he entered, beginning to wrap my gifts in their cloths again before taking them from the room.
“I will keep your new things somewhere safe for you so as not to clutter your space here,” he said sweetly, like he was doing me a favor. “If at any time you’d like to see or use them, all you have to do is ask.”
Smart. Keep the weapons away from me.
Paimon’s eyes unnerved me. The way they looked at me seemed so paternal and gentle, but I knew that behind the gleams of crimson, he was sizing me up. I couldn’t tell if it was as an ally or an enemy, but it made me wary regardless.
He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in to stand closely next to him while his hand rested on my shoulder. It felt so unnatural to be touched by him this way. It made my skin crawl, and I had to fight the urge to pull away, but in order to preserve the illusion of allegiance, I let him hold me there.
“You said that you’re getting stronger. Is that correct?” he asked.
“It is. I am,” I answered.
“You know, Georgia, of all of us, the one who controls fire is vital. For a reigning demon of Hell, fire is crucial.” He was beaming down at me like I was graduating from college or getting a trophy or something. “Do you know how special that makes you?”
I don’t feel very special, that’s for sure.
“If fire is so important, why don’t you control it? Shouldn’t the most powerful king control fire?” I asked, trying to seem like I admired his status.
“One may think so, but I have dominion over the element of water. That means that there is only one who can stop the one who controls fire.” A wide grin spread across his face like a veiled threat. “Me.”
I nodded as if I hadn’t picked up on his dangerous tone.
“The others, Bebal and Abalam. They’ll be the ones leading at our sides, right? What about them? Do they control elements too?”
“But of course they do, my dear. Bebal controls earth and Abalam controls air. Together, there’s nothing our powers won’t be able to accomplish.”
I felt a bit bold. “So, what exactly are we trying to accomplish?”
Paimon smiled down at me, giving my shoulder a tight squeeze as he parted from my side. “In due time, Georgia. You will know in due time. But I can promise you, if you are truly with me, you will have whatever you want. Power, wealth, anything. It’s yours. Just be patient.”
Yeah, that figures.
Paimon ducked out the door, shutting it behind him. Now that breakfast was over and Paimon had his little impromptu meeting with me, I figured no one would be looking for me for a while and decided that it would be a good time to try and figure this maze of a palace out.
I waited a few minutes to ensure that Paimon would be nowhere near the vicinity of my room before slowly pushing open the door, peeking out to see if any guards were hanging around. Though the hallways were filled with much more life and noise than last night, no one seemed to be paying attention to me or my room in particular. I stepped out, closing the door as quietly behind me as I could.
Last night I had taken the left hallway, so I decided that today was going to be the right. As I passed through the corridors I tried again to keep a mental image of my route in my head. I passed various rooms and chambers as I explored the winding hallways. I kept my ears open for Rakshasi’s light and airy footsteps, hoping to avoid bumping into her. The notion of her spying on me was still present in my head, and I didn’t want to let her know that I was poking around again, lest she get suspicious.
It wasn’t before long that I came upon a rounded landing, my glittering, gem-inlaid door sitting in the middle of it surrounded by three connection hallways. Again, I didn’t remember turning around, and I didn’t think that I should have been able to get back here. I suspected that the corridors were enchanted too, designed to always lead me back here. I became a bit nervous, wondering if that would hamper my escape. I could feel my hands trembling at the thought of being stuck here.
No. I will find a way, I thought.
I decided to recharge a bit and returned to the room that Paimon seemed to desperately want to keep me in. I grabbed the remote control off the table and crawled into bed, curiously flicking on the TV. A news channel that I wasn’t familiar with appeared on the screen. The broadcast appeared to be in the middle of the weather forecast, but the radar looked funny to me. It wasn’t until they started showing live video footage that I understood why.
Videos alternated between showing tsunamis and tornados in various parts of the world and earthquakes in others. The newscasters seemed to be doing their best to stay calm, but the panic in their voices was unmistakable, and it unsettled me. I tried to change the channel, but each channel was showing the same emergency broadcast.
Of course, I had to remind myself that I had no way to know if this was real or if it was just another one of Paimon’s illusions designed to intimidate me or get me to crack and admit I was only a spy or whatever his plan was.
I shut off the TV and just let myself believe for a few minutes that it was the latter.
11
Olympia
Georgia’s room felt barren without her in it, and sitting inside made me sad. Carter seemed to feel it too as he sat across from me. Her absence was burning a hole in the warehouse, and every inch of it felt empty. Even when Jacob and Eli swung by to rest from their exploration at the factory, it wasn’t the same. Everyone seemed a bit more restless, a bit more on edge since she left.
I pulled my great grandmother’s mirror from my pocket and laid it out on the floor in front of me.
“I don’t know what sort of
magic Paimon has shrouding the place, so I don’t know how much we’ll be able to find,” I cautioned. I didn’t want Carter to get his hopes up.
“We have to try. By now, Georgia has probably convinced him at least a bit of her loyalty. He can’t be trying too hard to hide her at this point,” he said. “She’s persuasive.”
“Don’t we all know it,” I joked.
I took a deep breath and picked up the mirror again, focusing on the factory, trying to envision Georgia’s sweet face inside. I kept getting close, but just when I thought I was about to see her for real, it slipped away again. It was taking a bit of effort, and Carter seemed to be getting impatient, tapping his fingers rhythmically on his knee as I worked.
“Carter, I can’t focus if you keep doing that.”
He curled his fingers into a fist, his eyes fixed on my mirror. “Sorry.”
I returned my attention to the mirror and focused, looking as hard as I could. I pictured Georgia as she was walking out the door to go to the factory. She had hugged me tightly and told me to take care of everyone, and I almost cried right in front of her. I knew she was strong enough to do this, but the thought of her being in that horrible place made my stomach ache. But she had smiled so reassuringly, telling me that everything would be fine.
“You know I’m a badass, Olympia,” she had said with a wink.
And god damn it, she was right. I pictured that face, her cute little cocky overconfidence. I knew she was scared inside and was only being strong for the rest of us, but that look was so completely Georgia that it only seemed fitting that it’d be the last memory I had of her.