Lucifer's Daughter (14 page)

I wanted to cry, but that wouldn"t help Auric. I needed to keep my wits about me. There had to be something or someone I"d missed that could get me to Hades. Determined to go through my phone book again, I hopped up from couch and happened to notice the crack I"d made in the wall when I"d shoved Auric into it by accident the previous day with my newfound power.

I felt kind of bad about that, in retrospect. Although, at the time, I hadn"t known about my new super-duper powers.

I smacked myself in the forehead. Ow! Rubbing my sore head, I mused.

Maybe I didn"t need anyone to open a portal for me. The problem before had always been power-related. I now had power, lots of it. I could feel it coursing under my skin.

Why not use it? I"d seen portals opened my entire life, surely I could imitate.

I now had a plan. But before I descended into the depths of Hell, I needed to arm myself.

Opening my toy cabinet, I armed myself to the teeth. Daggers hidden in sheaths all over my body, a pistol with heavy-duty tranqs at my waist–if you can"t kill „em put „em to sleep, I say–

my unicorn hair whip, and the piece de resistance--a gift from my father--my Hell sword. Forged of red steel and sharper than any mortal blade, my wicked sword had been specially crafted to slay demons; and as I slid it in the sheath that I wore down the middle of my back, I made a promise to the blade--”You will taste demon blood today.”

Ready to kick some ass, I went back to the living room, cleared a space in the center of the room, and sat down lotus style. Taking deep breaths, I cleared my mind, mentally preparing myself to open the portal.

I traced a rectangle in the air and repeated the words I"d heard hundreds of times, half-expecting to fail like I had in the past when I"d tried. As soon as the last word left my lips, the power in my body began to drain, supporting the glowing portal which formed itself in front of me. I gaped at the dimensional doorway. I might have done that for a while, had the fierce siphoning of my magic to keep it open not moved me forward. I needed to get to the other side and close the door, before I depleted my magical reserves too far.

I strode through, head held high–after all, I was Lucifer"s daughter, and one of the heirs to the Kingdom of Hell. This was my world. Look out.

I emerged to silence. Complete, eerie, utter stillness. I let the portal collapse, then looked around.

The barren landscape around me with the shells of once-tall buildings, red rock, and ruin looked like Hades, but where were the damned? The demons? The noise?

Hell was not a quiet place. There was no night and day here, just eternity and suffering--lots of suffering. Well, for the truly evil and misbehaved, that is. The rest, which made up the majority, who just didn"t seem able to achieve Heaven"s lofty standard, just worked and lived here, millions upon millions of them.

I walked the silent streets, apprehension and wariness my only companions.

What had happened? Where had everyone gone?

I figured if there was one place that would have life–or death, depending on how you looked at it–it would be the palace. My dad"s home in Hell, and where I"d spent most of my childhood.

I walked quickly through the outer town that bordered my father"s estate, my black running shoes quickly becoming coated with the fine ash that sifted constantly from the sky.

Reaching the gates that surround my father"s compound, I stopped, mystified again; for the gates were closed. I hadn"t even known they could do that. It had to mean someone was inside, right? I pounded on the towering rusted doors.

The sound echoed, unnaturally loud in the barren stillness. I had to fight an urge to hide, for surely that noise would bring someone running, and they might not be the good–er, bad–guys.

But the silence prevailed, and the doors stayed shut.

I began to wonder if I"d messed up the portal somehow. This couldn"t be Hell. I must have made an error. Perhaps, if I went to my apartment and tried again... I sketched a portal in the space in front of me.

Nothing.

I tried again, concentrating hard on my living room and pulling on my power. And again, nothing happened.

Really freaked now, I began walking away from the palace, looking for something, anything, that would end this deafening silence. My feet tripped over the debris in the streets. I fell to my knees in the powdery dust, my hands hitting the ground hard, and I cried out. As I lay there on my hands and knees, cursing my clumsiness and uneasiness–me afraid? Never!--I thought I heard an echo of sound. A voice.

My head shot up and I sniffed the air much as a dog would, but my senses were dulled by the sifting ash. Without even thinking, I pulled on a little of my power to enhance my senses, and inhaled deeply. I was rewarded with a familiar scent.

Auric!

Jumping to my feet, I ran, suddenly nimble as a deer in flight. I leapt over the obstacles in my path, heading to my angel. I could already taste my revenge. It would be sweet–and deadly.

As I jogged, I began to recognize the road I trod on, and I slowed my feet. I didn"t need to dash pell mell and announce my presence. I knew where they held Auric: the most sacred place in the pit. A place which frightened many, but offered solace to others. Where the nine circles of Hell converged–the abyss.

Created a long time ago due to the overcrowding in Hades, the abyss was a person"s final destination. After you"d done your penance for your misdeeds in life–which tended to be short, for most people--you were given a choice: live and work in Hell, or end it all in the abyss. My dad called it a „people recycler." People went in, and everything that made them who they were got wiped; and their energy, called souls by most, emerged to live again–reincarnation made real.

Now, you would think that once people got to Hell, most would choose this route. Why live here, you ask? Odd as it seemed, people having died once tended to be more frightened the second time, knowing that everything they knew, everything they were, would disappear. Well, a lot of them preferred to eke out an existence in the pit, surrounded by friends and family, rather than spin the wheel of chance and end up a nobody in a new body and who-knew-what kind of life.

It drove my dad nuts that more people didn"t jump in, but he never forced anyone unless they disrupted the natural flow of Hell, which, in turn, disrupted my father"s pursuit of pleasure--AKA chasing women. When that happened, the offender was rapidly dropped, usually kicking and screaming, into the abyss; and life, of a sorts, went on.

Eventually, most people did move on. It took a few hundred years sometimes, but by themselves, or sometimes a pair, and even a few times a whole family, would take the plunge, swearing to find each other again in their new lives. And for all we knew, they did.

Bringing my mind back to the task at hand, though, I worried about the choice of location. I didn"t know what would happen if Auric--not quite human, no longer an angel--got tossed into the abyss. Would the abyss be able to make him live again, or would it hold onto this unknown factor, unable to rebirth him, but also unable to set him free?

I would make sure nothing happened. My plan–ensure Auric survived, at all cost.

Quietly approaching the area where the nine circles converged, I pulled out my Hell sword with only the slightest whisper of sound. I crept through the rocky outcropping, emerging onto the stone-strewn ring of dirt which circled the gaping chasm that was the abyss.

There, kneeling at the edge, arms still bound, head bowed, was Auric. I wanted to rush forward and touch him, but if we were both to survive, I needed to keep my wits and follow the training I"d painstakingly gone through. The years and years of instruction had taught one primary lesson--survival.

I walked on cat feet towards Auric; my eyes flicked left and right, searching for motion. I knew Azazel had to be here somewhere. I must have made a small sound, for Auric"s face lifted and, with one good eye--the other being swollen shut--he looked at me, his face stricken.

“Muriel, no,” he croaked. “Go back. It"s a trap.”

“I know,” I said, smiling gently at him while inwardly seething. I could tell he"d put up a valiant fight. His body bled from multiple wounds, and the thick chains that bound him told of his strength, a strength they feared. I wanted to scream at those who"d hurt him, then rip their innards out and watch them as they died.

Bloodthirsty? Damned right. They"d hurt my love. Being my father"s daughter, I would make them pay. And I
would
enjoy it.

From above, I heard the beating of leathery wings, and down floated Azazel, a cold smile on his demonic face. As if his presence were the signal, other demons crept out of hiding, cutting off my retreat to the rear and penning me in on the sides.

Azazel"s eyes glittered. “About time you showed up, Satan"s whelp. I was beginning to wonder if we needed to send you pictures of your boyfriend to get you to come.”

“I"m here now. Let him go.” I didn"t figure he would, but I had to try.

“Satana,” Azazel spoke to me, shaking his head and finger at me like a naughty child. “Do you really think I"m going to do that? My master is quite interested in this angel. He has plans for him. Painful plans.”

“What do you want?” I asked through gritted teeth.

I heard Auric moan, “No, Mur...” A plea that was cut off when Azazel turned and kicked Auric, hard, in the ribs. Auric didn"t cry out, although I knew he had to be hurting. And that was just one more reason why Azazel would die. Very painfully.

I looked away from Auric and inwardly seethed. I faced Azazel and said again, my voice flecked with ice, “What do you want?”

“My master wants you, willing and docile, in exchange for the life of the angel.”

I knew they planned to kill me. I knew it would probably hurt. But I refused to allow Auric to die for me. I loved him. I would die for him.

“Let us hammer out the terms, first,” I said. I knew better than to just give in without negotiation.

My father was the king of loopholes when it came to promises, and I"d learned well. “I will give myself to your
master
willingly in exchange for Auric, on the condition that he is transported with no further harm to inside my bar. I will not fight your master, so long as Auric lives and is safe.” It was the best I could do, for Auric and myself.

Azazel pretended to think about it, so I glanced briefly at Auric and saw him shaking his head. I looked away, lest I begin to cry.

Azazel grinned, his pointed teeth prominent and his eyes black, bottomless orbs. “Shall we shake on it, Satan"s spawn?”

I spat in my hand and held it out to seal the deal, a little zing of power acknowledging it and binding Azazel to its terms. This interesting aspect of deal-making with demons had been created long ago, by an ancient power whose origins no one remembered. It ensured the demons held to the pacts they made.

Personally, I didn"t care how it worked, so long as I could use it to my advantage to save Auric.

Knowing I had little time, I walked towards Auric.

“Where do you think you are going, Satana?” hissed Azazel.

“To say good bye. Surely you wouldn"t begrudge me that,” I said snapping. “You"ve got your precious deal. Let me kiss him one last time before you send him back, and I will go to your master willingly.”

I resumed my walk, Auric"s injuries looking even worse up close. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I couldn"t stop them from falling as I fell to my knees in front of him.

“Why?” he asked, his voice cracking. “I would have died for you.”

“I know,” I said softly, reaching out to touch his cheek. “Allow me to do the same. I love you,” I whispered, leaning forward and kissing his lips one last time. The salt of tears and blood flavored it, and even with everything going on around us, I felt a spurt of energy enter me at this final, intimate touch.

“Goodbye, Auric. Remember me,” I said, before standing up and taking a step back.

Auric threw his head back and howled. The misery in that sound made my throat tighten painfully. I hoped he"d eventually forgive me for this decision and forget me. Auric began to struggle, his thick muscles straining as he thrashed in his chains. My eyes widened when I heard the squealing sound of the metal twisting. However, his berserker rage was not enough to break the ties which bound him.

Two demons rushed forward at Azazel"s signal, and grabbed Auric around the upper arms. Auric refused to give up, and he twisted and cried out hoarsely. The demons called a portal and hauled Auric through.

I"d done it. Auric was safe.

Azazel, with a triumphant grin, beckoned me.

I looked at him coldly. “When your demons get back, show me that he is safe; and then I will go to your master.”

Azazel growled in frustration, but I just smiled at him evilly and fingered the hilt of my sword.

Within a few minutes, the two demons returned, and Azazel sketched a hexagonal pattern in the air. He shouted a few coarse-sounding words which turned the air cloudy, and when it cleared...

I could see the inside of my bar. Bambi, David, Percy, Christopher, and a host of other familiar faces crowded around Auric"s slumped form on the floor. I saw Percy heave Auric to his feet and help him stagger to the bar, Auric"s lips moving as he no doubt recounted what had happened.

His face was so grim and sad.

The image wavered and disappeared.

“Happy now?” snarled Azazel. “Now come and kneel to me.”

I grinned at Azazel widely and said, “No.”

My refusal took him aback. “We made a deal, Satana, you cannot renege.”

“I"m not. I remember quite clearly saying I would give myself to your master and not fight your master. I never said anything about you and your master"s minions.”

I quite enjoyed the look of consternation, quickly followed by rage, on Azazel"s face. I laughed as I pulled my Hell sword out of its sheath, the rippling fires of Hades gleaming along its blade, matching the fires that I knew shone from my eyes.

Baring my teeth ferally, I stalked forward. “Now you pay, Azazel.”