Page 21 of The River of Fire

When we’re both out, we use bursts of wind to blow most of the slime, algae, and water off ourselves. We’re still looking kind of green and there are scrapes from the tunnels wherever leather doesn’t cover us. Shuddering over the thought of infection, I use the ether to encourage our blood cells into clotting the wounds. The ability now comes easier to me than most. Of course, Daniel is far better at it… and so was Simone. It only takes a thought to send thrombocytes to the sites of our scrapes, coaxing them to plug the ruptures.

Once I’m done, I turn in a circle and stop when I’m facing the direction with the strongest pulse of demonic presence. I point in the direction with my chin. Akira unsheathes his twin daggers and I follow suit, though I still feel like they’d be pretty ineffectual if we get surrounded by several upper-level demons.

As we exit the demonic version of aqueducts and walk down the corridor I chose, the temperature suddenly increases. While moments ago I felt a damp chill, a dry heat is now permeating the air, drying my skin and leaving behind a gritty residue. Along with the heat come angry sounds; first at a murmur, butas we creep closer, I hear growls of rage.

A red and orange glow suffuses the end of the dark hallway, light flickering on the walls, the hot wind stirring dust. We approach warily, not knowing what exactly we’re getting ourselves into. The demonic presence is definitely strongest here, though, so approach it we must.

I can now sense that a couple of dozen upper-level demons are congregated in the area beyond the next turn. What I don’t sense is the presence of an archdemon or anything that would be strong enough in power to be a demon lord. I stop Akira and shake my head, then shrug – now what? He looks at me, then towards the source of the flickering light, and I can understand what he’s thinking – we’ve gotten this far.

Once we’ve taken the turn, we can see that the corridor is in shambles – black brick lays everywhere as if a battering ram hit it from the outside. The heat and light are coming from the hole in the wall and we can hear high-pitched wailing now, joining the growls of anger.

We try to stay out of sight of the demons we sense below as we peek outside. I see the demons I felt and in the numbers I felt. There are succubi and incubi, demons known for seduction and trickery, and something I’d expect in numbers in the court of the Duke of Lust. While these breeds look similar enough to humans, many have wings and hooves, tails and horns. They also come in varying colors, besides the spectrum found with humans: from lavender to rose, and with hair of green, blue, or white. What they all have in common, though, is an ethereal sort of beauty and allure, making them the perfect predators to feed on the body’s carnal responses.

It’s the presence of physically stronger demons, ones likely in positions of army commanders, however, that make me think we chanced upon some of Asmodeus’ upper court. These demons are farther from human appearance; they’re grotesque and alien, some much larger, all much stronger. Asmodeus’ generals, demon lords, are likely in their own dwellings, and not present.

While I expected to see these demons, I didn’t expect them in the state of imprisonment they’re in. All of them are in suspended steel cages, futilely rattling the bars, unleashing occasional growls of rage. The sex demons look a bit peaky, like whoever imprisoned them didn’t think about their… dietary requirements. I wonder how long they can feed off each other.

The captive demons aren’t the strangest part of the scene before us, though. Under the cages is an opening in the ground itself, like a meteor had hurtled through all the lower levels of the citadel and stopped so far below that we can’t even see where that is. The depthless crater glows. Suffocating brimstone mist fouls the air beyond what we’re already used to, and the wailing seems to be coming from it as well. My mouth opens in a gasp of shock.

If I’m not mistaken, and I don’t think I am since I still spend all of my free time reading what is now various grimoires (there’s only so much cliterature Maalik can bring me from topside), that hole leads to the Burning Pits. The very inner sanctum of Hell, Satan’s domain. A domain said to be mostly molten rock and spewing lava.

I give Akira an unmistakable ‘what the fuck is going on here?’ look and he returns his own that says ‘fuck if I know’.

Okay, he would never really say that, but it’s implied.

Taking one more look at the caged commanders and courtiers, trying to memorize as much as I can so that I can describe it to the Fallen, I gesture to Akira that we’re done here.

This is super confusing. We haven’t seen or felt any indicators that there’s a rift to the human realm here, and to top it off, the archdemon’s court somehow got collectively imprisoned, leaving the lesser demons completely unchecked.

The presence of the crater leading deeper into the Underworld gives me a clue to Asmodeus’ location, however. I think he’s in Lucifer’s inner sanctum with the vilest of demons and souls. Since it doesn’t appear that he’s gone of his own free will, I wonder what provoked the Devil into bringing him there.

Chapter 16 – Lana

Adrenaline makes my muscles burn. The levels above us are full of demons, most less lethal than the lieutenants caged below, but far too numerous for us to contend with. Trying to hear past the beating of my heart, I’m belatedly hit with fear over the gravity of our situation. We’re playing hide and seek in the enemy’s territory, outmanned and outgunned. I hadn’t thought this far ahead when I jumped into the slimy chute earlier.

We were trained to banish manifestations of sin and the odd demonic minion – that golem was the toughest opponent I’ve faced in my years below the human realm. Especially without my full team. I definitely wasn’t adequately prepared to skulk around archdemons’ houses. Akira, however, seems to be in his element. Either that or his icy exterior hides any fear and doubt. Though, I guess, anyone trained by Corsonwould be familiar with espionage and subterfuge.

We’re back at the sewers and round a corner, sliding over slimy algae, just as a nestful of water imps drop down from the dripping grates above us. I’ve encountered the creatures before in a foul swamp I was clearing with my team. Their spindly limbs are covered in pale skin tinged sickly blue. It’s fitting that they’d be at home here in this pungent sewer water.

Akira and I unsheathe our daggers in unison as the imps chitter with excitement, probably thinking that prey conveniently landed in their laps like a pizza delivery. The creatures start forming balls of fetid water to throw at us.

While having water thrown at you may sound innocuous enough, I know from experience that these imps pack a punch that’s disproportionate to their size. Besides, there’s a lot of them. I quickly use the ether to throw up a shield of hard-packed air, Akira following my lead.

I take the first few punches of water head-on as I throw myself at the nearest imp, daggers poised to stab into its little neck, one at each side. The imp gurgles and rancid water dribbles out of its mouth. I pull my daggers out just in time for an imp to land on my back, arms wrapped around my neck in a violent imitation of a piggyback ride. I land face-first onto the slain imp beneath me, my mouth filling with noxious liquid. I gag and buck up with enough force to flip us over, the imp now crushed beneath my weight under my back. The snapping of his bones and the sloshing sounds of his perforated innards, combined with the foul taste in my mouth finally push me over the edge of my tolerance. I tip to the side and burning stomach acid expels from between my lips, my stomach contracting in painful spasms. The smell of my vomit hardly registers through the offensive bouquet of odors already permeating the room.

“Whenever you’re done resting, I could use a hand with the other dozen,” Akira grits through clenched teeth as he uses his bare hands to rip an imp’s head off. I manage to suppress the urge to throw up again and flip him off before scrambling up to my feet.

An imp charges towards me and I kick it, punting it into the wall. It slides down and lands in a heap. I almost feel bad for a second, like a giant bully, but then another latches onto my leg, biting me in the calf. While it doesn’t manage to pierce the thicker leather of my boots, it’s still applying enough pressure to hurt.

“Motherfucker!” I growl and hop on one foot, shaking the other like a dog when its owner finds the funny spot to scratch. Finally, it detaches. And sails straight into Akira. The soldier turns and glares at me before snapping the imp’s neck.

“Sowwy,” I pout. He shakes his head with a look of utter disgust and turns towards the next cluster of demons. I flip my daggers over into a reverse grip and punch one through the nearest imp’s temple. I face the next demon.

Minutes later, I’m bent over, hands propped on my legs, trying to catch my breath. “That’s it,” I tell Akira. “That’s the last time I’m going on a road trip with you.”

He gives me an incredulous look.

???

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