“It seems awfully quiet. Aren’t they guarding you?”
“They don’t need to,” she said. “My power is limited, and the intention is for me to die here or serve them. The angel locked me up days ago.”
I swallowed, hopelessness rising within me. “I wish I could break you out, but you know. I can’t destroy demonglass.”
I leaned forwards anyway, resting my hands against the glass bars. My left hand tingled, and I pulled back, frowning. The glass felt different to the source Lythocrax had infected, purer somehow. Brighter. So was Clover—a faint glow surrounding her body. I was sure she had more power left than she let on, but for whatever reason, she refused to use it to break out.
“Please,” I whispered. “Tell me how to destroy the glass. Casthus isn’t unique, is he? Can’t I find someone else with similar magic?”
“There may be a way,” she said. “Devi, your own demon magic comes from demonglass, does it not? But you’re not on his level.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“I’ve often wondered, Devi, if you can take any power into that mark of yours. It reminds me of something… I’m sure I’ve encountered something similar before.”
“In your past life? Would be nice if you remembered it.”
“Yes,” she said. “It would. However, I’m certain that if you managed to destroy him once, you can destroy his demonglass using his own power against him.”
“Already tried that. Didn’t work. But—I’m Grade Three, on a demon level. Do you think that if I upgraded to Grade Four, I might be able to? That’s still nowhere near arch-demon level…”
But in the heat of battle, the Devi clone had shattered under my hands. If I upgraded—tapped into that vast power myself—maybe I’d stand a chance. He’d made me with that power. I should be able to turn it against him.
“Tell me how it’s possible to upgrade,” I said to Clover. “Do you know? There isn’t a demonic equivalent to Purgatory, is there?”
“This is the entry point to the heavens,” she said. “The demonic equivalent is the gates of hell. You learned of that realm in your training.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Of course I did.”
The gate that led to the seven hells. It was a realm all on its own, and part of the upper-level celestials’ training took place there. Just like Purgatory.
“Hell’s gate is the place Divinities are sent when they fall,” Clover said. “If you create a portal, I have power enough to send you there… but I can’t promise the demons there will help you.”
“Figures,” I said, my heartbeat kick-starting again. I remembered all too clearly how the fallen angel who’d upgraded my celestial magic had taunted and tricked me… and offered me a favour for succeeding.
The favour I’d asked for had been Lythocrax’s name. A name alone couldn’t destroy the glass, but if I asked for direct advice, maybe I’d learn something useful.
Or maybe the demons would smite me on the spot.
I’d failed more than I’d succeeded lately. And I might not get a second chance this time. Even if I upgraded my demon magic, I’d be Grade Four, which wouldn’t hold a candle to an arch-demon. But Clover was right—my own demon magic linked to the glass. Lythocrax had made me, and he’d also given me all the tools I needed to win this.
I burned five points of a pentagram into the ground, and stepped into the centre. “I’m ready.”
Clover’s magic hummed through the demonglass, into me. There was a flash of light, and the world faded out.
I stumbled forwards on bare ground, blinking at a red sky almost identical to the realm I’d just left. All I could see was an expanse of rocky ground extending all around me for miles.
I’d come this far. Nothing to do but walk.
Within a few minutes, the shimmering on the horizon resolved into a shape that resembled a set of gates, stretching between two high cliffs. Hell’s gates. It didn’t look like any Divinities had fallen recently, judging by the bare, empty landscape. Lythocrax had been here, too, even if he’d since ended up stuck on his own realm, unable to go into the other hells. Just as long as he hasn’t been here recently…
“State your purpose, human, or die,” said a voice.
16
I turned on the spot, my skin prickling, but I didn’t see the speaker. Clouds rolled in overhead, turning to smoke on ground level. Thick, white smoke masked my surroundings, wrapping around me.
“Who are you?” I asked, realising that the speaker had addressed me in Higher Chthonic. The language of Pandemonium.
A current of air stirred the smoke and ruffled the otherwise bare ground. Then, a male figure descended before me. Dark feathery wings sprouted from his shoulders, the same colour as the armoured clothes he wore. He looked maybe my age, but I’d bet he was centuries old. Must be a fallen angel. Like the one in Purgatory who’d upgraded my celestial powers.
“Not going to give me a name? Mine’s Devi,” I said. “I’m a human, marked by an arch-demon, and I’m here to ask how to upgrade to Grade Four level. I’m guessing that type of thing happens here?”
He looked down at me, hovering a few metres above the ground. “A human cannot become one of us. We are not celestials, like you. I see your aura.”
“It’s half light, half dark,” I said. “The light side hasn’t done much for me, so I’m picking the dark. I’m told it’s possible to upgrade my demon magic. I’ve done so already—twice.”
“Our magic does not work like yours, celestial.”
“Try me.” Shadows flowed to my right hand at my command. “If it wasn’t possible to upgrade, then this mark wouldn’t exist.”
His eyes glowed faintly as he looked at the shadows in my hand, and a smile curled his lip. “Right you are, Celestial Devina Lawson… but you’re in the domain of the demons. We make the rules. And if you take on a trial, you may live to regret that choice.”
“How’d you know my—” No shit, Devi. “You’re with the Divine—”
The fallen angel smiled, and his wings beat, carrying him out of reach of my magic.
The fog shifted, and I lunged back, just in time. Three roak demons, horned and deadly, appeared where I’d been standing, spear-sharp horns stabbing at the air. Their main method of attack involved impaling their prey on their horns. Damn, that would have hurt.
I jumped into the air as my celestial speed kicked in, and I landed on my feet at a safe distance from the demons. I called my celestial power, but my left hand burned with sudden pain, forcing me to dive to the side as one of the demons charged. The beast collided with its neighbour instead, and the two of them fell into a heap. They might be big, but they weren’t bright. Problem: my left hand felt like it was on fire. I grimaced, grabbing for my celestial blade.
Another bolt of pain shot up my left arm to the elbow. Something’s wrong with my celestial mark. Wincing, I rolled across the bare ground and was on my feet once more, using Nikolas’s lightning attack to spear the demon in the head. I risked a glance at my left hand, and saw the celestial light had gone out.
Oh, damn. If this was a true test to upgrade my demon magic, I wouldn’t be allowed to use my celestial power to win. Thanks for that one, fallen angel.
Fine with me. I had more than enough power stored in my demon mark to make these Grade One demons flee into whatever hell they’d come from. More lightning blazed from my palm, and each demon collapsed, turning to ashes.
Almost immediately, the next round of demons took their place. Venos demons spraying venom, web-spewing kerith demons like oversized spiders crossed with lizards, swarms of biter demons. The system exactly matched my celestial upgrading trial. Though I didn’t see the fallen angel, I’d bet he was watching closely. I guess like all of Lythocrax’s people, he hadn’t been able to resist turning my suffering into a game. When I felled the vaug demon that came with the Grade Three testing, I stepped away from the body, my demon mark humming with power.
I’d beaten a
Grade Three demon. That meant a Grade Four one was coming next.
Thump.
A tremor rocked the bare rocky ground.
Thump.
My heart caught in my throat, and dirt sprayed everywhere as a huge armoured body erupted from beneath the ground, its horned head swaying. A full-grown saphor demon.
The last time I’d faced a giant worm demon, it’d been a convincing fake. This one was the real deal. Its body was entirely covered in dark red spikes, sharp enough to gore a human with a single flick of its tail. Bristling spines extended down its back. Its mouth gaped, emitting a foul smell that made me cough and gag.
Holding my breath, I blasted the demon with lightning. My attack bounced off its armour, and its tail lashed up, out of the Earth. I leapt aside, aiming my next lightning blast for the demon’s huge mouth. Teeth snapped—too many teeth to fit inside its mouth, rotting and falling out. I picked up speed, weaving in and out of its lashing tail. A blast of lightning from my palm knocked another tooth loose.
I aimed blast after blast at its open mouth, dodging its writhing, spiked body. Its spikes were rock solid but its teeth easily loosened, and black demon blood splattered the ground with each blast that reached its mark. In a lunge, it dived below the Earth, tail still thrashing.
I landed on my feet. “Get out and fight me, you coward!”
The beast’s tail shot into the air. I caught it in my demon-marked hand, using it to launch myself off the ground. When the saphor demon’s head reappeared, I landed on the brim of its mow and blasted magic right into its open mouth.
Blood and spikes flew everywhere as my attack blasted a hole through its head. The beast sagged, and I jumped out of range as it slammed back to Earth.
The fallen angel appeared above the dead demon, dark wings beating. “One more challenge awaits, Devina,” he said, his voice echoing.
“What, I have to face you?” I asked. Did he know that the fallen angel who’d upgraded my celestial powers had tried to trick me by parading images of Rory in front of me? Had he planned something similarly sadistic? It wouldn’t surprise me.
“Not quite.” The winged man landed beside the fallen demon, and in a blaze, its corpse vanished from sight. “You have bested foes of all levels. But killing demons does not further your skill in using our magic.”
He waved a hand. Two more angels appeared in the lingering fog, hauling a female human between them. Their silhouettes faded in and out of view, then solidified as they grew closer. When the two angels were directly in front of us, they let her go. The woman stumbled forwards, her hands chained together, her head down. Her blond hair was matted with blood.
Lydia.
“What the hell?” I stepped forwards, my heart sinking in my chest. “What’s she doing here?”
“She’s your final challenge,” said the fallen angel. “If you fail, you’ll lose your chance to upgrade your demon magic. If you win, you’ll gain all the power you need to defeat your adversary.”
“I won’t fight one of my allies.” How had they even brought her here? Damn you, Lythocrax. He must have guessed my plan. Again.
“It’s simple, Devi,” the angel said. “All you need to do to become a full demon… is kill a celestial.”
A heartbeat passed. Lydia lifted her head, but didn’t quite meet my eyes. My demon mark tingled, power humming within. I’d taken so much magic from all the demons I’d faced, striking down a celestial would be child’s play.
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “I’m not killing her. Nobody had to die in my celestial training.”
“You conveniently forget you killed so many demons, do you?”
“Demons aren’t—” I broke off. “You’re just screwing with me on purpose, aren’t you? Did Lythocrax think it was funny?”
“I imagine a large number of the demons you’ve killed would be interested to see how you’d react to this particular dilemma, Devina.”
“Get fucked,” I said. “Lydia has nothing to do with this. I won’t kill her for your entertainment.”
“The rules are rules,” he said. “If you want that demon mark of yours to reach its full potential, it must go up against a worthy celestial opponent of the same level as you and win.”
“Lydia isn’t Grade Four.”
One of the angels reached and yanked Lydia’s left sleeve up, exposing the blazing light of her mark. She’d upgraded. And whether this guy was working with Lythocrax or not, he’d picked someone who I didn’t want to kill. At all.
“Look, say I do kill a celestial,” I said. “The rule means any celestial, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be her.” He was screwing with me on purpose, knowing that I wouldn’t want to kill an innocent to save my own life.
But to save Earth?
My hands clenched. If I chose to destroy Lydia, I’d never be able to forgive myself for it.
“Go on,” said the fallen angel. “As the Divine One told me, one must die so the other can live. Your life is worth more than hers in your own doctrine…”
One must die so the other can live… such are the rules of divine magic.
The same magic that had killed Rory.
My celestial hand ignited as my fury peaked. “You’re lying to me. Rory didn’t have to die. The Divine Agents killed him because they knew it would cause me to break ties with the guild. Or maybe they just wanted to break me. Whichever it is, I didn’t kill Rory myself.”
“Yes, you did, Devi.” The angel gave me a smile. “It was your demon magic his celestial power reacted to. When you returned from that realm, you were reborn, and you sealed his fate as well as your own.”
“Who told you that, Lythocrax?” My throat was dry, my heart pounding. “It’s a lie. Every word of it. Just like everything else he says.”
Isn’t it?
The two angels yanked Lydia’s shoulders, forcing her upright, and she screamed. Their hands lit up with infernal light. The message was clear—kill her, or they’d do so for me.
“I’ll even make it easier for you to finish her off,” the leading angel said, raising his own hand.
“Actually, it makes it easier for me to finish you off.” I lunged at the angel, blasting him with celestial power. He dodged, his mouth twisting with anger, but my second attack reached its mark. He recoiled with a snarl, my infernal blast singeing the edge of his wing.
At the same time, Lydia twisted around, hitting one of the angels over the head with her cuffed hands. She leapt, using her celestial speed, and kicked the second one in the head. He keeled over, knocked out cold.
“Great job,” I called to her, and sucker-punched the leading angel in the face.
Hitting an angel hurt as much as hitting a human, but damn, it felt good. The fallen angel swore, his mouth bleeding gold, and struck me in the chest. I tumbled head over heels, my demon mark blazing with fire, and took aim at the last angel beside Lydia. The angel screamed, ducking out of reach of my magic.
Behind me, the leading angel roared in fury. Power blasted from his hands, and the ground trembled as his two fellow angels were flung off their feet.
I swore, throwing myself flat to avoid the force of his attack. “Don’t you care about hitting your allies?”
The fallen angel leapt into the sky, wings beating, forcing me to flatten my body against the ground. When I jumped to my feet, he had Lydia in his grip, his arm around her throat.
“Let her go,” I warned.
“You failed the test,” he said, and tightened his grip.
Infernal flames rose to engulf her body. Lydia didn’t even have time to scream before the fire burned out the light in her eyes, and she went limp.
I let out a hoarse scream of fury as Lydia’s dead body slipped from the angel’s hands.
“Get out of this realm, Devi, or you’ll be next.”
I ran at him, but light flared around my feet, swallowing me up.
The next thing I knew, I lay outside Purgatory’s jail, in the same position where I’d vanished. Th
e pentagram was where I’d left it, and Clover watched me from the window of the prison, the demonglass bars reflecting her shining aura.
“Devi!” said Clover. “Did you succeed?”
I shook my head. “No, he killed—” I broke off, my eyes stinging. Dammit. Lydia hadn’t deserved to die in a fallen angel’s twisted game.
A growl at my shoulder made me spin on the spot. A demon stood in the portal to Babylon I’d left behind, its teeth dripping drool onto the barren ground.
“I wouldn’t,” I told it. “I’m not in a generous mood.”
My hand ignited with white light, telling me my celestial power was back as though it’d never left—but I’d still failed the test. I snarled, blasting the demon into pieces. Ashes engulfed its body, leaving emptiness behind.
I’d lost my chance. There was no way I’d ever be able to upgrade my demon magic now. Lythocrax had seen my decision coming. He’d known I’d try to give my demonic power a boost in order to stand a fighting chance of wiping out that demonglass before he could be reborn.
“Is there… is there another way?” I whispered to Clover.
“Not to my knowledge, Devi… I’m sorry.”
Anger ignited, at the demons and angels both. With a snarl, I kicked the barren Earth and stormed back into the pentagram. Who knew, maybe the shadow arch-demon was feeling reasonable today.
The portal to Babylon swallowed me up, banishing Clover’s shout of warning. In an instant, I landed back in the canyon where the other side of the portal had been set up.
Blood streaked the ground on either side of the pentagram. Thick black streaks of demon blood, but not just that.
No. Divinities… no.
Human or warlock blood stained the cliff’s side, as though someone had been dealt a terrible wound. And there was no sign of Nikolas.
“No,” I whispered. “Tell me he didn’t.”
Shadowy magic brushed my hand. I jumped, scanning the sky, but he wasn’t there. Merely the trace of him.
Casthus had caught Nikolas.
Celestial Storm Page 16