“Are you the one who’s been in my head?” I asked.
He laughed. “Thought you were clever by breaking that thread, did you? Guess you didn’t really break it after all.”
“That’s only because I’m here, in Hell,” I said, wanting him to realize that I knew more than he thought I did.
He cackled again and the hair on my arms rose. “Is that what you believe? Silly girl. I can still get into that head of yours anytime I please. That thread may have been broken, but it wasn’t the only thread that I left in your mind. I’ve been leaving you alone because you were going to Rome. I wanted you to have a false sense of security, so that taking the Treasure Map would be easier.”
“There’s a demon in my head,” I said, realizing that things were much worse than I had thought. I watched what that demon had done to Logan. Would the same thing happen to me?
“Demon is such a derogatory term.” Beelzebub smirked. “I’m far above a lowly demon.” He motioned with his hand and two demons, the kind he deemed lowly, came into sight carrying something.
A body.
Cole, Sam and I watched in horror and shock as a white twisting cloud rose out of Beelzebub, whose body—Henry’s body—immediately dropped on the ground, lifeless and unmoving.
I realized it was his spirit. His soul.
It floated with purpose toward the body the demons were carrying and began traveling up his nose, and into his ears… then suddenly the body’s eyes popped open and he stood.
This was the man from my dreams. Dark hair, pale skin and blood-red lips. This was the man who pulled me into Hell when I slept.
I have been being tortured by the same man who had the ability to change his form—his body. That explained the day I almost drowned, why I never saw a demon in the water with me. He wasn’t using one.
“I am the Prince of Demons, The Lord of Flies! I am Second only to Satan!” he roared triumphantly.
The three of us stood there, not really reacting because we were all in shock. Besides, his title didn’t scare me. His actions did. And really, the Lord of Flies? That’s nasty. And pathetic.
It seemed to make him angry that the three of us didn’t react or run away screaming. “Have I not done enough to make you fear me?” he said, his voice was deadly quiet, which was much more frightening than when he was screaming.
Of course I was afraid. We all were, but none of us were going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it.
He sighed dramatically. “I guess that’s what I get for sending a worthless demon to get between you. The only thing he had been good for was giving me information about you, which I managed on my own by letting myself into your head. If he had done his job, you would have realized that you belong here and would have come running. It’s a pity you already killed him. I would have enjoyed it.”
I was feeling a little weird… shaky. The Lucent Marble in my pocket felt heavy, reminding me our time was running out.
“It’s time I took matters into my own hands. I tried the nice way, the civil way, but no more!” he screamed and lifted his hands to the sky.
Purple lightning whipped through heavy clouds. It was so cloudy and hazy that the lightning looked florescent as it flashed. Sam pulled me behind him, placing his body directly in front of mine and Beelzebub laughed.
Then, like an orchestra conductor, he brought down his hands, a quick sweeping motion and with them came the lightning. It hit the ground with such force that the rocky floor exploded around us. Sharp pieces of shale flew everywhere and dust blew in my eyes. A loud booming sound filled my ears, the ground shook and I was falling…
Everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Heven
I heard my name being called. The voice was urgent and pleading. It was a raspy voice, a voice I liked, so I opened my eyes.
“Thank God,” Sam groaned when I looked up at him.
“What happened?” I said, blinking and looked at Cole, who was leaning over Sam to stare down at me.
“We all blacked out and he locked us up in here,” Cole answered, grimly.
I sat up, my head swimming. “Easy,” Sam said.
“I don’t feel right,” I moaned.
There was a light tug in the center of my chest and I wondered if it was my soul starting to separate from my body. I glanced at Cole to see if maybe he was feeling the same way and he nodded once. His eye was swollen and beginning to blacken and the rest of his face was covered in soot and dust from the explosion. It was a stark contrast to the rust-colored trail of dried blood running down the back of his neck.
“We have to get out of here,” I said, pushing to my feet.
Then I realized where we were.
In his castle. In his dungeon.
We were locked away behind iron bars. How long would he try to keep us here? My only comfort was that we had the Lucent Marble, so really, we weren’t trapped.
“I know where the scroll is.”
Even though the voice was raspy and low, it was familiar. Stunned silence froze us all for one long second. Then, Sam and Cole whipped around and I looked past them to peer into one of the dark cells across the hall. Kimber stood in the shadowed doorway, behind the bars. Her hair was matted and dirty, hanging around her gaunt, white face.
“Kimber?” I whispered.
“Turns out you were right. I chose the wrong side,” she said, the words seeming to scrape from her throat. It was painful to watch.
“That day at the airport…” I said, thinking of the dark car she was climbing into—how I hadn’t seen her since.
“I tried to get it back. I tried to make it right. I’m sorry.”
They made her a prisoner here. They used her and then turned on her. Pity and sorrow filled me. Our friendship might be over, but I didn’t want this for her and I still cared about her.
I rushed toward the bars. “How do we get out of here?”
She shrank back into her cell, darkness enveloping her and I wanted to scream out in frustration. But then I realized she wasn’t trying to tease us.
She was hiding.
Beelzebub appeared, followed by a figure dressed in a blood-red robe. The hood was pulled forward, hiding the person’s face, but I knew it was Hecate. She stopped in front of Kimber’s cage and turned toward us. I couldn’t see her stare, but I could feel it and I shivered.
Beelzebub looked completely unruffled and not the least bit dirty from the explosion as he stepped in front of our cage. I stumbled backward.
“Ah, you’re awake.” He was holding the bronze tube in his hands, the one containing the Map. “Tell me, little one. How is your soul fairing? Is it wanting out?”