Only nothing happened.
He looked at the ghost next to him, whose hand he was still holding.
“I’m sorry, my lost soul, but I do not think I can take you with me. I will bring back help,” Kushiel reassured the ghost.
They nodded their head, letting his hand go, and they backed up almost to the trees, but they did not leave the clearing. Kushiel opened his wings again, enfolding himself, and…
Nothing.
What in heaven?
He tried walking toward the trees that were closest to him at the edge of the clearing, and as he reached the treeline, it was like he hit a wall.
He was trapped.
He didn’t let himself panic. Cass would feel that, and he didn’t want to worry him. There was nothing here but the lost souls who had been turned into ghosts, anyway. He closed his eyes and pictured Cassius; he let all his love for the man comecrashing through him, and it was like he could sense him. It seemed Cass wasn’t far away, and Kushiel thought he was getting closer. That made sense, though, because Cass had said something about being able to see the ties that bound them together, and if that was the case, then surely Cass could find him. He just had to sit tight and wait for his mate.
“Well, I didn’t expect to see you here,” a voice said from behind Kushiel.
He spun around. On the other side of the clearing, behind the row of trees that looked to be dying, stood a demon. He had skin the color of tarnished gold, and his wings and horns were… wrong. His horns looked dull and brittle, and his wings looked like he was missing feathers. Kushiel vaguely recognized the demon, but he didn’t remember him looking like this.
“Mammon?” he guessed.
The demon smiled widely. “Of course you’ve heard of me. Mammon, Prince of Hell, Lord of Greed and Avarice at your service,” he said, giving a slight incline of his head. “What on earth is the gray angel doing inside my ward? Although I suppose that is rather fitting.”
“I was with the ghost,” Kushiel answered, motioning toward the lost soul, who was partly huddled behind him.
Mammon looked momentarily confused, his forehead wrinkling before it smoothed out. “Ah, yes, that’s right. They’re ghosts. I seem to keep forgetting that part,” he chuckled.
Kushiel didn’t know what to make of Mammon, but he didn’t think showing any weakness was the best move. He thought about what Cass would do in this situation.
“Why exactly amI inside your ward?” Kushiel demanded, channeling Cass’s confidence.
Mammon looked puzzled at that. “Well, yes, that is the question, isn’t it? I have no idea. I did lose a lost soul when this all began, and I triggered a spell to try and find it, but I had noluck until it uttered my name, and then I was able to hone in and transport it here. You must have somehow been sucked up too.” Mammon shrugged.
“Well, I demand that you break the ward and let me get back to my work,” Kushiel stated, and as he was finishing, Aunt Ro popped up next to Mammon outside of the clearing. Kushiel looked at her and blinked. She appeared to be wearing a dress with thistles on it.
“That’s right, Kushiel, you tell him!” she cheered.
Mammon, who couldn’t see her, answered Kushiel. “Ahh, well, that I can’t do. Not yet at least. You’ll have to wait… oh, maybe a month? I can’t see them, because did you know we can’t see ghosts? Which is rather absurd, and we really ought to rectify that. I can feel their essence though, and it shouldn’t be long now, and then I’ll take the ward down. You don’t need to eat or drink, so you’ll be fine, but I’m afraid it will be rather boring.” Mammon shrugged apologetically.
“Are you stuck in there?” Aunt Ro gasped.
“Why am I stuck here for a month?” Kushiel asked, trying to answer Aunt Ro without being obvious. He didn’t know if she’d be able to help, but he didn’t want to give her presence away to Mammon.
“Oh, that’s how long these ghosts will take to dematerialize. We can’t see them, but they’re already fragments of ghosts. The process will continue until there’s nothing solid left, and then they won’t need to be contained anymore. Once their ghostly forms disintegrate, their blackened souls will be transported to hell, and there won’t be enough light left in them for any chance of redemption. You also won’t be needed in hell anymore, but I don’t expect you’ll mind,” Mammon answered easily. He mumbled, “The absurdity of making an angel come to hell. I expect you’ll be quite relieved to focus your attention back on Limbo.”
Aunt Ro gasped. “What he’s describing is an abomination! Sucking the essence out of ghosts until there’s barely even a soul left! Then forcing those souls into hell because he took away their chance at redemption! Why would he do such a thing? You ask him, Kushiel,” she demanded.
Kushiel wondered about that, but he also had a more pressing question. “But more souls will be brought to Erebus, and although it will take decades or even centuries, the numbers will build back up again.”
Mammon cackled gleefully. “They won’t, though! I took care of that. When I had the idea to turn all the souls into ghosts, I made the entirety of Erebus into a portal. Any souls who are put there will automatically be turned into ghosts and will end up here,” he said smugly.
“Why would you do such a thing?” Kushiel asked, dumbfounded. “Why would you interrupt the order of the universe?”
“The fact that hell loses a number of souls isnonsense. Our numbers should only beincreasing! My domain is one of the most populated circles of hell, my legion number above most other areas, and yet every single year, I lose souls to redemption. It isabsurd. To think that I would not know what was best for the souls in my care!” Mammon complained.
“He’s insane,” Aunt Ro muttered.
