BloodWitchInferno (5 page)

“Why are you smiling?”

She pointed at Mira’s mouth.

“My mouth?”

She shook her head and opened her mouth, moving her lips.

“Speaking?”

The old witch nodded enthusiastically.

“I’m speaking?”

The air was ripe with excitement. Mira gazed around. The
prisoners watched her, their eyes wide and eager. Why were they so happy she
was talking?

It dawned on her.

“I can talk!”

More smiles greeted her.

“I can talk, which means Xander didn’t put me under the
spell, which means he can’t put me under spells?”

One of the smallest girls clapped her hands and wheezed from
the effort. The woman Mira held up opened and closed her hands in an exploding
motion and pointing once again at Mira’s chest.

Mira didn’t need to understand what the witches wanted
anymore. She knew.

* * * * *

The walls of their prison rumbled. Mira took a deep breath
as the rest of the women scattered to assume their wilted positions around the
floor. Her mother was still unconscious but breathing. Mira still wasn’t sure
how her spell would work. It had proven too complex to explain, no matter how
many gestures the old witch had made. All she’d understood was that she had to
release her anger-fueled power at Xander and hope for the best. Simply thinking
about Xander, the rage rumbled inside her and she took another deep breath. She
did not want to attack the demon here and risk hurting her mother.

The hole in the wall appeared and Xander strode through, his
expression gleeful. Something had him in a good mood. Mira trembled and looked
down, not wanting to give away her new understanding of the situation.

“Today is a good day, my lovelies.”

He paused and Mira risked a glance up. He observed the
unconscious figure in the corner, a frown on his mouth.

“Useless,” he said. He turned back to the others. “Well, I
believe it is time to celebrate as my plans are coming along and I have a new
addition to my collection.” He leered at Mira. She lowered her eyes again,
playing the submissive.

“Which of you shall I have today?”

He stood in front of the old witch, wrinkling his face in
disgust. “My oldest bitch. Too old to please me in bed but you do offer
something.”

Mira looked away from the calm despair in the old woman’s
eyes as Xander placed his hands on the witch’s head. The energy and vitality
that the old witch had shown earlier slipped away, draining into the demon’s
hands. When he finished the witch fell to the ground, breathing, but just
barely.

Xander’s eyes glowed golden and he licked his lips. “Now for
a more physical pleasure.”

He grabbed the youngest woman by the arm, yanking her up.
The little witch yelped and Xander pinched her ass. “None of that now,” he hissed.
He moved on and the girl lurched after him. Bile rose up in Mira’s throat and
she swallowed. He selected another and then reached Mira. He caressed her
shoulders and Mira strained not to shudder with distaste.

“These girls will show you what I like,” he whispered in her
ear. “And you better do it or you may not be as lucky to survive as they have.”

He guided her through the hole in the wall. Mira struggled
not to look back at her mother. The witches tottered after them into another
cave. A large circular bed sat in the center with a small table cluttered with
what looked like the back shelf of a sex shop. Mira did not have much time to
contemplate it. Xander ripped off her shirt and shoved her down on the bed.

“Now watch and learn how to perform for me.”

Mira trembled. Her rage had been replaced by fear. How could
she find her power if she was too afraid?

The girls cowered on the floor below him. He reached for the
whip. Mira saw the scars on the back of the girl closest to her and her world
got small and cold.

He raised the whip over the smaller girl. She looked at Mira
with despairing eyes before closing them.

“Stop!” She said it before she even realized what she was
doing.

“You dare question me?” Xander brought down the whip. “You
are mine.”

The girl curled in a ball as the lashes beat down
mercilessly.

“Please, I beg you!” Mira cried.

“You beg me?” He laughed at her but he did stop. Instead he
stalked toward Mira, dragging the girl behind him and flicking the whip again
and again. He paused only to cup Mira’s chin in his hand.

“You will always beg me.”

He pushed her down on the bed and climbed over her, yanking
down her underwear and trapping her arms under his knees. Mira struggled to
find the magic that had filled her before but the humiliation of having Xander
dominate her was too much.

“Show her,” he commanded the girl. “Show this witch how to
please me.”

With her head down the girl took a long, thick dildo from
the table and poured oil on it until it shimmered. Mira’s eyes widened as the
girl pushed the dildo into Xander’s ass. The demon closed his eyes, moaning and
throwing his head back. The girl pulled and pushed the dildo in, staring down
at Mira.

With the girl’s stare something snapped inside Mira. The
demon above her wasn’t paying attention. She wasn’t in his power. The girl’s
hand moved the dildo in and out, hypnotizing Mira with its movement. Xander
thrust harder and harder. Someone pinched Mira, the other witch behind her,
pinched her again, reminding her of her power. She focused her emotions,
thought of her mother, stuck as a sex slave, of the old witch who was used just
as cruelly, drained. The power came swiftly and Mira let it. She screamed in
rage and fury, light exploding from her pores. Her head jerked back, catching a
glimpse of Xander’s expression of surprise then fear before she blacked out.

Judgment of the Devil

Karnon froze. He strained with all his senses to trace the
heat that lingered in the wake of a surge of power.
Mira.
It came from
the lower levels. Cursing Xander for bringing him so far away, Karnon hurried
back down the tunnels. Half-relieved that he had a link to his missing witch
and half-frantic that her power had been used, he broke into a run. As he raced
through the obsidian hallways he prayed that she was okay. He had to be the
first to find her because the amount of power she had just unleashed was enough
to attract others. The residual heat faded and he pushed himself to go faster.
His feet flew like his thoughts as he went deeper and deeper into the bowels of
Hell.

A different fear filled him as he neared his brother Xander’s
corridors. The acridness in the air warned him that something was very, very
wrong. He slowed down, resisting the tug of Mira’s power and stood in the
hallway outside his brother’s room, uncertain. What was she doing there? Was
she snooping? Why had she unleashed her power? His skin prickled. He touched
the wall, straining to sense movement within. Nothing. With a wave of his hand
he opened a hole in the wall and stepped through. Two figures lay on the bed.

Jealousy flared and then faded. Neither figure moved.

“Xander? Mira?” he whispered. No response. He crept closer.

“Holy Mother.” He stared down at the burnt corpse of what
had been his brother, fear and anger filling his thoughts. His gaze traveled
over the body and he closed his eyes when he viewed the charred remains of a
dildo stuck up his brother’s ass. His fury flared at the degradation. Who could
do such a thing?

Mira lay on the other side of the bed, her arms flung back,
her head thrown to one side, the curls of her hair springing in all directions
and still crackling with energy. She appeared unconscious, but unhurt.

Swallowing his revulsion, Karnon stalked around the room
looking and hoping for any evidence that pointed to Mira’s innocence. Empty, no
one else. No other way to explain it. Mira had seduced and killed Xander. He
didn’t know why or how but she had done it. A clamor from outside sounded,
others marched on their way. He forced himself to look at the body of his
brother and steeled his nerve. Time to wake her up and get her out of here
before they found Xander. At least then she would get a fair trial and not a
lynching. If he wanted to throttle her, what others would want to do to her
would be worse. A small voice whispered in his head,
It might be better if I
let them have her.

The noise of more demons coming grew louder. Karnon shook
his head. He couldn’t leave her to the mob. He needed to hear what happened
from her lips. Her face was in repose, beautiful and sweet in its unaware
state. She was so enchanting. He reached one hand down and put it on her
forehead. Time to face the music.

She stirred under his touch.

“Witch, wake up,” he commanded.

Mira woke from the nightmare only to realize it hadn’t been
just a dream. A demon stood over her, his expression terrifying. The sickly
smell of burnt meat filled her nostrils. She sat up and fell back, unable to
stand. All her energy had been drained by something. But what? Her head rolled
to the side. Xander’s blackened skull grinned back at her. She screamed.

“Quiet!”

Something in the back of her head acknowledged that Karnon
spoke. Her screams stifled into sobs and she reached out to the familiar voice.
There was little comfort in the steely arms that lifted her out of the bed but
she clung to them anyway, recognizing his cinnamon scent. She leaned her head
on his chest and wept, all of the traumatic emotions streaming out of her. He
carried her away from the grisly scene. As the wall closed behind them she
remembered why she was there and flailed in his arms.

“Mommy!” she wailed.

His arms tightened. She fought his grip, frantic to go back
to her mother. Electricity started to build inside her. Karnon cursed and
muttered something and the heat disappeared. She stared wide-eyed at him. Of
course, Xander couldn’t control her because Karnon did. He must have done
something in the original Calling spell. He had had control this entire time.
She fell limp with shock.

“There they are!” The shout rang down the hallway. An angry
mob of demons appeared. Mira’s stomach sank as she spotted Ferr at the head of
the pack.

Karnon dropped Mira to standing. “Don’t try anything and do
not say a word,” he whispered, his tone not to be argued with.

Wobbling, Mira crept behind him, continuing to cling to his
torso. The painful betrayal had faded to a stark realization of the situation.
Even if she hadn’t meant to kill Xander she was in trouble. Xander’s skull
grinned at her in her mind, mocking her. Even in death he was going to bring
her down. The breath in her chest tightened. Karnon didn’t know why she had
done it, and he controlled her magic. Her hands fell away from the demon. What
would he do? Was he going to give her over to the mob? What chances did she
have? Her instincts told her that if she ran they would be on top of her like a
pack of rabid wolves and even Karnon’s towering presence wouldn’t be enough to
stop them. Mira swallowed her panic and moved closer to the demon shielding her
as the mob reached them. Karnon didn’t budge.

Finding a blockade to their target caused the mob to pause,
uncertain. Ferr, the demon who had almost attacked her earlier, pushed to the
front.

“Give her up, Karnon,” Ferr said.

“For what reason?” Karnon replied, still not moving.

Mira marveled at the calm in his voice. His brother dead and
he acted as though nothing had happened. The tight band on her chest loosened
with hope.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t feel it! That witch’s power could
have taken down a small army of mortals!”

“Yeah!” another demon added. Karnon’s eyes swept over to the
source and whomever it was retreated back into the group. No one else spoke up.

Ferr drew himself up to his full height. “Something
happened! That blood bitch is dangerous to have here. Now I demand that you put
her away and allow us to investigate the situation.”

“Okay.”

Stunned silence met Karnon’s response. Whatever more Ferr
was planning to say wilted as he stared back at Karnon. Mira’s stomach lurched.

“Karnon,” she said, moving forward, her voice pleading.

“Shut up.” He didn’t look at her.

She fell back a step, hurt. Had she really expected him to
help her after what she’d done? Her stomach swirled and contracted. And he
controlled her magic. She risked a peek at Ferr, wanting to see the face of her
soon-to-be fate.

“Yes, well, as long as that is seen to.” Deprived of his
righteousness and position of mob leader, the shorter demon had deflated.

“Let’s go, Ferr. We can talk after we have the witch locked
up,” Karnon said.

Angry mob turned escort service flanked Mira on all sides as
Ferr and Karnon led the way in front. She didn’t dare try to run or to use her
power now that she knew Karnon would rein her in as soon as she did. Resigned,
she trudged through the black halls of Hell, herded by russet-skinned, horned,
naked men. A part of her wanted to break into hysterical laughter, the other
part of her wanted to cry. She did neither. At least her mother was no longer
in the grips of Xander. Mira comforted herself with the thought as she watched
Karnon’s stiff and cold silhouette marching in front of her.

* * * * *

“Why have you called this meeting, Karnon?” Cronus asked.
They sat around a circular table in the royal conference room. Their other
brother Pharic was there, as well as Ferr, which irritated Karnon—he had hoped
to speak to his brothers alone. He tried not to look at Satan’s empty chair,
wishing more than ever that his father could be there to guide them.

“He brought a blood-witch here and she used her powers,”
Ferr spoke up.

Karnon resisted snapping back at the shorter demon. Ferr had
been strutting around, bragging about the crazy witch in the cage ever since
they’d locked Mira away. It had been hard enough to keep the other demons from
swarming around her, staring at her as if she were a wild exotic animal,
prodding and poking at her, without Ferr advertising it. Karnon shook away the
memory of Mira behind the iron bars, her eyes turning honey-colored as they
brimmed with tears. How come he wasn’t angrier with her? She had betrayed him
and killed his brother yet here he sat, reluctant to speak up. He hadn’t told
anyone yet. He believed it was because he wanted to speak to his brothers
first, to figure out how to handle the situation and not create a panic, but
maybe he didn’t want to tell? What was wrong with him?

“Ferr, can you go and check on the witch?” Cronus spoke up,
interrupting Karnon’s musing. Karnon flashed his brother a grateful look.
Cronus was good at reading a situation. Ferr’s expression darkened but he got
up without complaint and headed to the exit.

“And Ferr?” Cronus called after the demon.

Ferr paused.

“I know that a demon of your caliber would not let his
personal feelings guide his actions, considering how important the
responsibility to guard the witch is. This is why I choose you to be the
captain of her guard until the trial.”

Ferr straightened proudly and gave them a curt salute. “Your
faith is not unfounded, Cronus. She will be in good hands. Thank you for the
position.”

Karnon shook his head in admiration as Ferr exited. Cronus
really did know how to handle personalities. With one smooth move his older
brother had turned Ferr from a vengeful witch hunter to Mira’s protector.

“Now…” Cronus turned back to Karnon.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Xander?” Their youngest brother
Pharic spoke up.

“That is actually why we are here.” Karnon cleared his
throat.

His brothers fell silent.

“So, my son, I hear you have brought a troublemaker into our
midst,” the deep voice boomed through the meeting cavern. All three brothers
fell silent. The Prince of Darkness swept into the room, his nurse escort
unobtrusively disappearing back out the door. Although weakened by illness his
figure was still impressive, tall with a massive torso and thick neck. The long
horns curled back and out, longer than any other demon’s in the realm. His
presence filled the cavern and Karnon quieted along with his brothers, humbled
before their lord and father.

“Father, they told us you were too sick to hold court,”
Cronus said, his voice apologetic.

“Well, I am better now,” Satan said. “Do not worry, Son, I
am not inclined to be upset or threatened you attempted to carry on my duties.
A good ruler understands when their own abilities become limited, they must
allow others to step in. I do appreciate the work you put in.”

Cronus bowed his head, his face effused with pride. Karnon
caught Pharic’s jealous glare and Pharic blushed. Glad his younger brother had
the decency to be embarrassed, Karnon patted him on the shoulder. Cronus was a
hard act to follow and he hoped Pharic would not attempt to. Xander had been
enough of a pain in the ass, no need to have Pharic fill those shoes.

“Where is Xander?”

Cronus and Pharic both looked at Karnon, who cleared his
throat again, regretting his disrespectful thoughts about the dead.

“Xander is dead.”

The news dropped like a heavy stone.

“It’s that witch, isn’t it?” Pharic hissed. “She should burn
for this.”

“Pharic.” The warning in Satan’s voice was enough. “Let us
hear what happened.”

Karnon controlled the shudder from the thought of Mira being
burned to death.

“I am not sure what happened. I felt a surge of the witch’s
power and followed it to Xander’s chamber. I found his body charred and she was
passed out next to him.”

“Burn her!”

“Pharic!” This time it was Cronus who admonished his
brother. “If this gets out who knows what the reaction would be. Like it or
not, we need the blood-witches and they need us.”

“So we cover up our own brother’s murder?” Pharic hissed.

“No,” Satan spoke up. “She will be brought to trial—if found
guilty she will be punished in accordance to our laws. You, my son, will also
serve a sentence.”

Karnon bowed his head. He would take his punishment without
complaint.

“And I will have to meet with the Lady Gaia to explain.”

Karnon’s head snapped up when Satan named the leader of the
blood-witches. Pharic shrank back into his seat. Gaia was as powerful as Satan,
the Lady to their Lord, and if she became angry during their meeting, with the
lord of Hell being in such a weak state, he would be in danger.

“Father, are you sure that is wise?” Cronus spoke up
hesitantly.

“I have no choice. We cannot execute one of hers and not
give her an explanation. It is a part of our treaty. Now go, release the news.”
Satan paused. “Is the witch protected?”

Cronus nodded.

“Tell them I have the situation in hand. Pharic, do a sweep
of the room where Xander was killed, see if you can find anything that will
help us understand what happened, and bring me the body for interment. And do
be discreet.”

Pharic snapped to attention and nodded.

“Pharic, there is something else.” Karnon hesitated. His
father and brothers turned and waited. “Xander died in an awkward position. It
would be best if no one else saw him.”

Pharic’s expression grim, he left the room, followed by
Cronus. Satan turned to his remaining son.

“Prepare the Grand Hall for the trial.”

Karnon swallowed the argument that threatened to explode
from his mouth. He wanted to yell,
I know something is off about this.
But he simply nodded and, shoulders stiff, walked toward the exit.

“And Son?” Satan called after him. Karnon stopped without
turning, willing himself not to tremble like a little boy in front of his
father.