by G. Bailey
“Why are they coming this way?” Trex asks from just behind me, and I shrug.
“They will try to trade you things, it’s what they do. They didn’t always trade humans. That was just a few of their kind that were evil, and they were all killed because of the actions of a few. I’m sure you killed many of their families,” I say, patting his arm as I walk past, and he glares at me, not liking the truth. “They are harmless and still people–don’t kill them or I’ll have to kill you, myself.”
“Fine,” Trex growls, going back to the rock, as I put my dagger back in my belt and go to my bag. I push all the stuff back into it, and check to see I have four breakfast bars, three protein bars and some random snacks left. I have two bottles of water, which isn’t the best when we have a hot desert to cross, but it will have to do.
“I miss bacon, and real meals,” I groan, shoving it all back the bag, and doing it up. At least my bag is lighter now and I don’t have to carry any arrows, I lost them all in the river with my bow. At least I have my daggers, it’s something.
“I have bacon rasher crisps. I don’t usually share them, but you look desperate,” Connor says, opening his bag, and going through it as I go to his side. He pulls out the small packet of crisps, and hands them to me. I smile as I take them, flashing back to memories of stealing them from shops as a kid.
“I used to steal these as kid. There was this little corner shop just outside the demon underground. When I was starving, and my friend couldn’t get me food, these were the easiest and cheapest thing to steal,” I tell Connor, but I don’t really know why I even told him. “I guess it’s why I became obsessed with bacon.”
“I’m sorry you had a life like that,” he says.
“Don’t be. I had a friend, who was like a sister, and a roof over my head. There were demon and human children in far worst places than I was,” I say, knowing from everything I saw, I was lucky. Kids don’t last long on the streets without being sold or killed. I was so lucky to have a guardian in a way.
“Who was your friend?” he asks.
“Hali’s mum, and she died what seems like a long time ago,” I tell him, looking away as he places his hand on my arm.
“She would be proud of you for protecting her daughter. Maybe one day, you can tell me about her? I would like to know,” he says, moving his hand away, not pushing me into an answer, and standing up.
“Maybe. Anyway, thanks for these,” I say, practically inhaling the crisps from the moment I open them. I look over to see Azi leaning against the wall, still glaring at me like he has been all night, and over to Nix who is talking to the traders. I watch as he holds his hands up in the air, shaking his head, and I realise that they might not speak English, and he could use my help.
“I’m going to check on Nix,” I tell Connor, standing up, and putting the empty wrapper in my trouser pocket. Connor looks over at Nix and nods at me.
“I don’t understand you,” Nix is saying when I get closer, and the demons stop talking to him to look at me instead.
“Artis? Artis?” The demon on the right repeats over and over. His eyes on the daggers on Nix’s belt.
“Non artis. Vos should relinquere,” I tell them, explaining that we don’t want to trade. The one on the right nods, huffing, and walking away with his friend following.
“Hearing you speak Latin is kinda sexy, love,” Nix whispers as the traders turn around, and start walking away slowly. I hear a little meow, and then I spot the cage in the back of their trolley underneath some metal rubbish.
“Is that a tiger?” Nix asks, leaning forward to look.
“Yeah, only a baby by the looks of it. Shame it’s down here. Animals like that need to be on earth and not in hell,” I say, feeling sorry for it, but there is nothing we can do. Nix looks at me, smiling widely, and then back at the traders.
“Could we trade for it?” Nix asks, and before I can stop him, he shouts for the traders to come back. “I’m going to trade for it.”
“What the hell are we going to do with a small tiger where we are going? Other than hope it doesn’t bite us?” I harshly whisper at Nix, who shrugs, pulling out a gold dagger from his belt. The trader’s eyes widen when they see the dagger, practically drooling with excitement.
“The tiger for the dagger,” Nix holds it up, showing them what he means without having to speak Latin. The traders nod happily, watching Nix walking around them, and lifting the small metal cage out from the rubbish. The tiger is a baby like we thought, about the size of a small child, and the cage is too small for her or him as it’s squished inside. It has white fur, with black lines around the fur on its face being the only pattern I can see. It’s cute, I’ll admit that, but this is still a bad idea. We are going to have a fight on our hands and we are trying to rescue three princesses from hell. I guess three princesses and a tiger now. That sounds like a fairy tale waiting to be written. The traders quickly snatch the dagger from Nix when he gets back, and one licks it before putting it in his cloak and walking away. Gross. Connor and Azi walk over, looking at the tiger in the cage, and Connor groans.
“You bought a tiger. Are you being serious?” Connor asks.
“Another thing to protect, good job,” Azi sarcastically comments, but Nix doesn’t care or even bother replying to them. I look back at the rocks to see Trex sitting on them, watching us, and he doesn’t look impressed. I almost want to shout that I had nothing to do with this, just so I don’t have to hear his lecture. He is definitely going to have a lecture waiting.
“Let’s get you out, little girl,” Nix coos, and puts the cage on the floor, opening the locked door.
“Girl? How do you know?” Connor asks as we watch the tiger come out of the cage, stepping on the sand and watching us all.
“Just a guess, but she is too pretty to be a boy,” Nix shrugs. The tiger looks straight at me as Nix talks, and runs, jumping at the last second straight into my arms. She starts licking my face, and I pull her away from me, making her start to cry, so I hold her close again.
“She likes you,” Connor chuckles as I try to get the tiger to stop licking my chin.
“Can you blame her?” Nix grins, and I roll my eyes at him as I look down at her as she settles in my arms. I notice she has a collar on when she turns her head to lie on my arm, and I turn it around until I see the tag.
“She must have had an owner, she has a tag. Her name is Star, apparently,” I tell them, and they all step closer to inspect the tag. There isn’t anything else on it other than the name. The collar looks expensive though, with silver stars embedded into the black leather.
“Maybe I should catch up to them and find out where they stole her from,” I say, looking around, but I can’t see the traders anymore, they are long gone. “Or not.”
“They are likely dead, that means you will have to look after her,” Nix says, folding his arms. “Think of it as a present.”
“Er, nope. I don’t do pets, or cute animal sidekicks like heroes have in movies. I’m not the hero here, buddy,” I say, making them all chuckle at me as I scowl at them. I try to put Star in Nix’s arms, but she cries, crawling on my chest, and scratching me.
“Alright! Fine!” I say, glaring at the stupidly cute animal, and walking back to the rocks. Trex just raises his eyebrows at me.
“Don’t say a word. Not one word,” I warn him, opening my bag and looking down at Star.
“I will carry you, but you have to go in the bag in case I need to fight. Do you understand?” I ask, and then realise I’m talking to a tiger who can’t understand me. I’m surprised when she doesn’t fight me as I place her in my bag doing up the sides a little bit to hold her in. She puts her paws out, tilting her head as she looks up at me with a happy expression. I don’t know how to explain that I know she is happy, she just looks it. I would let her walk, but the sand is deep, and we don’t have any kind of lead.
“Here,” Trex kneels down next to me, offering Star a stick of jerky. She jumps and snatches it
out of his hand, lying down in the bag to chew it.
“Thanks,” I say, for Star. “Didn’t know you had a kind side.”
“I wouldn’t want her to starve, that’s all,” he grumbles at me and stands up, walking away to grab his bag. I lift my bag on my back, trying not to swear at how heavy Star makes it now.
“Let’s go,” I say, walking straight towards the pyramids, with a purring, cute tiger as a new friend.
Evie
“Why do demons end up with so many blondes in hell?” Connor asks, and I raise my eyebrows at him.
“Not another bad joke. You really aren’t going to make me laugh by telling me these. Hasn’t the last half an hour taught you anything?” I say, and he laughs.
“Nope. And the answer is . . . because they’re so hot! Get it,” he knocks my shoulder, and I just shake my head at him. “Okay, okay. What do I need to do to make you laugh, then?” he asks me.
“Nothing, I don’t know,” I mutter.
“I will find a joke that makes you laugh one day, blue,” he grins, and it makes me smile. No, he won’t, but I’m not going to burst his bubble. I look forward as we walk over a sand dune, seeing the entrance to the pyramid. There are demons everywhere, walking around the small market outside the entrance. We will have to keep our heads down to get through them and hope no one important notices us. I hold my hand up, waiting for the others to catch up to me. They all stop, sliding their bags off, and getting out their water for a drink. I do the same, reaching around Star who is sleeping in the bag, snoring loudly. I gave her some water an hour ago, so I know she is alright. Cute little tiger. I drink my water, pouring some on my face to wash the sweat away, before speaking.
“We are getting close, and we can expect there will be something waiting for us. Whoever took your princesses must know we killed and escaped their traps by now. Demons talk,” I tell them. Trex picks his axe up, holding it on his shoulder.
“We will be ready,” he says.
“Everyone be ready and keep your heads down. None of us look like demons, other than red eyes over here,” I point a finger at Azi.
“I will walk ahead,” Azi says and walks off before we can agree with him. I catch up, walking just behind him as we go down the sand and towards the stone path where there are a few demons dotted around.
“How much do you trust these Protectors?” Azi asks me quietly, never turning to look at me as he speaks.
“Not at all,” I answer simply. They could betray me at any second.
“I could take you out of here, and we could get Hali back together,” he whispers. I look back at Connor a few steps behind me, and then Trex and Nix.
“It wouldn’t work. Trust me, I have thought about killing them and leaving here, but that risks Hali’s life. I can’t do that,” I whisper back. We walk past a few demons talking quietly, their eyes watch us with curiosity, but they don’t move.
“I don’t like this, I feel like I’m missing something,” Azi says.
“Same. Can you do something for me?” I ask, and he looks back at me for a brief second, nodding.
“Anything for you, Vi,” he replies in a warm and affectionate tone.
“If anything happens, portal and find Hali. Keep her safe, she is everything. Okay?”
“For you, I promise. Nothing will happen to you, though,” he says darkly, and I believe him. I know he would do anything to save me, and if I’m honest with myself, I don’t think I would let him die.
“I have a question,” Trex says in a demanding tone, sliding into the gap between me and Connor.
“What?” I ask.
“How do we get out of the third layer of hell when we get the princesses back?” he asks. “The way we came, it’s too dangerous to take them that way.” I keep my head down as we enter the market, full of more demons than I thought. My hair covers my face well, anyway, but there is too much chance of someone here recognising me.
“There is a way,” Azi answers, looking back. “I will not tell you it. It is a family secret. You will have to trust me.” He speaks with a creepy grin that no one in their right mind would trust.
“Guess I’ll have to, demon,” he says. Well, clearly Trex is crazy.
“Everyone gather around! Gather around! We have a new sale!” I hear someone shout, and I look around to see where its coming from. We keep walking and see the demon standing on top of a row of cages. Demons all gather around, but I can’t see what is in the cages from here.
“Auctions are banned, what are they selling?” I ask Azi.
“Leave it. It doesn’t have anything to do with us, and we can’t draw trouble to ourselves,” Azi warns me, giving me a look that tells me I should do as he says. Purely because of that look, I slide away from him and into the crowd. I hear him shout my name from behind as I pull myself through the demons and get to the front. Everything seems to go silent as I look at the demon children in the cages. They have rags on skinny frames, and most are hidden in the corners, scared. One cage is full of women, all stunning demons but they don’t look in the best condition.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, looking up the demon who is selling them, shouting prices into the crowd with a greedy look on his ugly face. He is greasy, that’s literally the only way to describe him. He has red skin, spikes on his head that go down his arm and expensive clothes on. I slide my hand to my dagger but Azi gets to my side, placing his hand over mine.
“No. You do this, and we have to kill all of his bodyguards. Likely most of this crowd, and if we die, no one protects Hali,” he warns me.
“If I do nothing, I will never forgive myself. I was a child, just like them, and left alone with no one to protect me. Hali’s mother was the only one that did the right thing, and that’s what she taught me to do. The. Right. Thing,” I tell him, knocking his hand away and sliding my dagger out.
“Then we are behind you,” I hear Connor say behind me. Trex gets his axe out, nodding at me, and Nix grins as he unclips his daggers. I look up at Azi, who shakes his head, sliding his sword out slowly.
“Make your move, Vi. I’m here,” he says. I grin, lifting my dagger over my shoulder as I step in front of the crowd and fling it straight into the neck of the seller. His eyes widen as gasps fill the air, and then screams as the five demon bodyguards run at us. I run straight to the biggest-looking one in the middle, seeing how slow he is moving. He narrows his eyes at me as he lifts a purple sword into the air. I like that sword. I slide to the left at the last second, pulling my dagger out and slicing it across his arm, his sword-carrying arm. He growls, switching the sword to his other hand and running at me again. I wait this time, letting him get close and swing the sword straight at my head. I lower my entire back, making him stumble past me on my right, and I spin around, lifting my dagger, throwing it straight into his back. Right where his heart is. The bodyguard screams, falling to the floor and dropping the sword. I look around to see Azi has killed two of the bodyguards, and the protectors only have two left to kill. They can handle it. All the demons here have fled, clearly not wanting to be part of any hassle. Cowards. I walk over, pulling my dagger out of his now dead body and wiping the blood on his top before putting it back. I pick the sword up, looking it over. The whole blade is made of a purple metal, with silver tips, and it shines. There are symbols all down the one side. I’m keeping this.
“Nice,” Connor comments with a whistle, getting to my side and looking down at the sword.
“It is,” I reply, sliding my old sword out of the holder on my back, and putting the new one in. My old sword was just silver, nothing special. “It’s mine.” I grin at him. I run, jumping on the cage and climbing up, pulling myself to the top. I kick the body of the seller over, pulling the five keys off his belt. I climb back down, pulling the keys out.
“Here, help me unlock the cages,” I hand the guys a key each. Luckily the cages and keys have numbers on them, making it easy to find and unlock them. I go to mine, number one, and unlock the door. The child
looks up, shaking her head of red hair with scared eyes.
“You’re free, do you understand?” I ask, and she nods, standing up. I flinch at the small bruises on her shoulders that I can see and wish I had made the seller’s death longer. “Come on, kid.” I nod my head at the door and hold my hand out. I don’t expect her to take my hand as she walks forward, but she does. Her cold hand sliding into mine. Demons usually feel hotter than normal, and yet, she feels freezing.
“Let’s find you someone to look after you,” I tell her, and she smiles up at me.
“Salvator,” she whispers. Saviour.
Evie
“The women won’t come out, they are too frightened,” Nix says as I walk to his side, looking in the cage where he has opened the door. The women are huddled together in the corner, none of them looking my way as they hide. I glance over to the other cages, seeing Trex and Connor walking three little children over to us. Trex is even making one of them smile, and it’s not what I expected at all. Who knew he had a soft spot for kids? Azi is kneeling down in one of the cages, talking slowly to a little boy who doesn’t seem to want to move.
“They likely don’t speak English,” I comment, looking back at the women just as one of the women look up, and she stands up slowly. The woman has long, dirty red hair that is barely held up in a ponytail. There is dirt all over her face, but it doesn’t take away from her strong green eyes and tight-lipped expression. Her eyes widen when she looks at me, and then to my side.