Page 115 of Demonic Cage
I haven’t thought about this for two weeks. Or maybe that’s all I’ve thought about. It doesn’t matter. I didn’t want to face reality; I drank Darya’s blood and enjoyed what happened afterwards.
But there’s much more at stake than what I want. It’s time to grow up and not hide from responsibility, even if that’s what I’d prefer to do.
As the sun sets and red hues break through the clouds, I begin to see beyond my grief. The angels would die if Darya could gather everyone. They choose the lesser evil, and judging by Lavian’s pained expression, they don’t enjoy it. They suffer from it. They believe in something – God or whatever else, I don’t know – but they speak of redemption in Paradise.
“Tell me about Herebu,” I ask.
Lavian sighs deeply.
“Herebu is a beautiful place. You’ll like it. We try to preserve it, as few of us as there are left. We don’t hold ceremonies like the demons. We haven’t grown in a long time, so every loss is painfully felt.”
I grimace. Like today’s loss.
“And Paradise?”
His face softens.
“I’ve never been there – none of us have. But we have a book given by Théos to the oldest angels. It describes how we once belonged to him, and he to us. We lived in his garden, and there we knew no pain, no fear, no revenge.”
As he speaks, Pandora’s words come to mind. She described the world similarly, before the gods used her as a lab rat.
“I know someone who lived there.”
“Pandora?”
I nod.
Lavian looks ahead and we stay silent for a while.
“Lotte,” he says after some time. “I need to know where you stand and if you’re willing to join us.”
I sigh.
I imagine a world without grief. Where my brother is still alive, where my sister can never die. Where my family finds peace, where there’s hope for eternal life. Where a sibling no longer mourns. Could that come with the angels?
Mathys’s face continues to burn in my mind, an apple-green fire consuming my thoughts. I’ll never forget, but his death will remind me why I do everything. Why I must fight.
For the children. For the siblings. For myself.
A tear rolls down my cheek. I want to forget Mathys’s features; I want the waves to wash away his hopeful smile. As the cold ocean creeps closer to my thighs, the boy’s memory starts to fade.
“I’ve always been with you,” I whisper, looking at Lavian.
The man’s previously tense shoulders relax, a silent sigh escaping his lips.
His face becomes serious, like a true warrior’s.
“Alright,” he says, “because the plan has changed. We’re getting you out tonight.”
I blink as the demon blood running through my body awakens me. I wash my face and brace myself on the sink. I review all of Lavian’s instructions. Today, I will leave this godforsaken hell. The thought makes my heart pound against my ribs.
Whatever happened between Darya and me over the past weeks, no matter how good I felt drinking his blood, I have to end it now. I can’t succeed if I’m not fully focused.
So, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open them, the reflection in the mirror before me gleams with determination.
Darya oversees the entire cave system, so I need to distract him when the last rays of the sun dip below the mountains. They haven’t invented clocks here, but I’ve spent enough time underground to know exactly what time of day it is.
I need to divert Darya’s attention, and I know how to do it. I’ll spar with him and then attack in a fit of rage. I might even cut myself, so he gives me his blood and toys with me. I’ll figure it out. But at that point, I won’t be myself anymore, so I need to find the dagger first.
