Page 24 of Crimson Skies

“So, where the heck are these staffs?” Ortega muttered reluctantly.

A savage smile lit up Tisiphone’s face. “Somewhere Elios would never think to look.”

11

Acrid smokeand sulfur fumes burned Eden Monroe’s eyes and nose as she navigated a desolate wasteland dotted with towering rock formations and fire pits. The barren plain she was traversing was enclosed by a distant mountain range.

The ground trembled beneath her feet from time to time, the volcanic eruptions clouding the sky with ash and jets of molten lava hundreds of miles to the west sending tremors snaking through the very foundations of the Shadow Empire.

The place was as dreadful as she’d been warned it would be. Though they were in the Hells, there was still night and day, the celestial bodies that ruled the firmament as foreign to her as the sun and moon would be to an inhabitant of another realm.

She’d had to dampen the bloodcursed magic that would normally have protected her from the elements so the devilwood staff could pick up on any trace of power that might indicate a demonic artifact close by. Though the air in the Shadow Empire was technically breathable for humans, the territory they were currently traveling through was full of unpleasant gases from the toxic pools bubbling up from the depths of the land.

Bostrof Orzkal’s armor clinked where he walked beside her. He’d rubbed soot on the metal to dull it so they would go undetected in daylight. “Anything?”

Woody stayed quiet in her hand, his attention focused on the realm around them.

“Not yet,” Eden murmured.

A putrid burp escaped the devilwood staff.Pardon me.

Bostrof made a wary face as he studied the weapon. “He still has indigestion?”

Eden sighed. “Summoning staffs are not normally part of his diet.”

It was Tisiphone who’d suggested Woody ingest the seven summoning staffs being kept under lock and key by Cabalista. She’d said it was the perfect hiding place, one Elios would never dream of searching in a million years. Eden had had to reluctantly concur.

She frowned.Not having Clotho and Lachesis around so he can abuse their powers of divinity means he’s now working in the dark as to our plans, just as we are his.

Still, despite having lost the upper hand, Elios remained a formidable opponent. A shudder raced down her spine. She’d seen what he’d been capable of in the Seventh Purgatory.

Though Cassius had been concerned that having the other summoning staffs inside him would harm Woody, the devilwood staff had assured Eden he would be fine. So far, besides the foul belches he occasionally brought up, she hadn’t detected anything untoward from the weapon.

Eden’s gaze swept the arid landscape. It had been over a week since they’d arrived in the realm formerly ruled by Bostrof, courtesy of a portal Loki had opened with Theo’s assistance. They had yet to find any trace of the weapons Clotho had warned them about upon their return from the Seventh Purgatory.

Having to skirt the Lucifugous cities and villages they’d come across while they attempted to track down the alchemists working for Elios had slowed their search considerably.

“You know, this place wasn’t always like this,” Bostrof said after a while.

Eden perked up. “You mean, it didn’t look like the last location in the universe you’d want to come for a holiday?”

Bostrof winced. “My kingdom is still part of the Nine Hells.” He ignored her abashed expression and cast a melancholic look at the scorched wilderness they were navigating. “It used to have more life. In the past, this place would have been full of lesser demons and monsters.”

Eden shivered and tucked her coat lapels closer. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but that’s having the opposite effect.” She wrinkled her nose. “I bet they would have been thrilled to see me. I’d probably look like a meat popsicle to them.”

Bostrof hesitated. “Human flesh is not exactly part of our diet.”

“The operative word in that sentence being exactly,” she said leadenly.

Bostrof looked slightly guilty at that. Movement ahead had them both stiffening. They relaxed when they saw who was approaching.

Loki had been scouting their route in his demon cat form. He transformed as he drew close.

“I think I found something that might be of interest to you,” the imp told Bostrof, his eyes bright.

Bostrof stared. “You did?”

“Yeah. Follow me.”

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