Page 3 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
I peered through the small gap into a dimly illuminated hallway that stretched for about thirty yards. The walls were made of stone that rose into an arched ceiling. The light flickered slightly, making me realize it wasn’t coming from an electrical source.
With a light push, I let the door swing open the rest of the way and stepped out of what was, indeed, a closet. The small space was filled with empty wooden shelves carved from rough wood. I searched behind them for any signs of Phenog, but if she was there, she must’ve turned into a microscopic virus.
Drawing a deep breath, I unsheathed the Queller and held the hilt tightly, tendons popping up in my hand as I squeezed. I stared at the blade, waiting for it to glow with intent, but it remained dull. It made me doubt it was Striker’s real Queller. Though, more than that, it made me fear my lack of confidence, that gaping self-doubt that seemed to have gobbled up my previous boldness.
Get it together, Lucia!
My tennis shoes squeaked as I moved down the hall. I was at a dead-end, so I could only move forward. Ten yards ahead, a gas sconce flickered with a blue flame. I’d seen plenty of gas lights outdoors but never inside, so wherever I was, the place was old.
I pressed forward until I reached the far end, which bent right and continued into another hall. This one had several doors leading elsewhere, and another bend at its end.
The voices had stopped, but they picked up again. They were a little louder now, but I still couldn’t tell what they were saying.
My back was slick with sweat, and my heart was going so fast I was afraid it might give up the ghost. When I took another step forward, my knee faltered. I felt weak from nerves, and my stomach was so upset, it wouldn’t surprise me if the wall ended up looking like a Jackson Pollock painting once I was done upchucking. I couldn’t remember ever being so scared about anything in my entire life.
C’mon, what’s the matter with you?
I wasn’t sure how I made it to the end of the second hall after stopping at every door to listen, but when I got there, I pressed my back to the wall, threw my head back, and almost started to pray, except… according to Drevan, God was all for the apocalypse. He wanted the world to end so that He could give creation another try. Apparently, He thought we were a huge failure, an experiment gone wrong. It was impossible to believe that Drevan and his father were the ones interested in keeping humanity alive. Self-interest, of course. The same reason why I was here. I didn’t want the world to go kaboom.
I shook my head. This wasn’t the time to think about doomsday matters. Besides, who was I to understand the motives of celestial beings?
“It seems all that time in hell turned you into a masochist,” a perfectly modulated male voice that seemed to be going through auto-tune said.
My heart picked up its rhythm into the next category of freak-out. The voice I’d heard didn’t seem terribly close, but each word had been distinct and cold. Who was this man talking to? The answer to my question was provided right away, and it almost took me to my knees.
First, there was a deep chuckle that seemed to crawl up my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind, then came the answer. “Which clearly proves the point that you’re wasting your time.”
Drevan!
My heart lurched as if it would jump out of my chest to run straight into his arms, even as the rest of my body turned to stone. For six long weeks, I’d tried to deny that I had it bad for him, but all my pretense was destroyed by the first sound of his voice.
Sheesh, how pathetic! How can you have the hots for a demon? Really?
I would’ve gone on chastising myself for being such a fool, but in the next instant, a heavythudfollowed by a grunt pulled me back into the moment. In Phenog’s mirage, I’d seen the damage to his body. They were hitting him, torturing him as I stood there.
Witchlights!
Another thud followed.
This time Drevan moaned deep in his throat, sounding as if he was restraining his exclamation of pain.
Do something, Lucia!
I had to force a deep breath into my lungs to overcome my paralysis. I shook myself, mind reeling for ideas, but other than charging in there and slicing in two whoever tried to stop me, nothing else occurred to me.
Think, think, think!
The next best idea I had was to run back into the closet. I glanced back in that direction. If these people could hold Drevan, how could anyone expectmeto save him? I would just end up tied up next to him, tortured, and—
Stop.
I took another deep breath. I could do this. I couldn’t let self-doubt control me. Pride had been my master before. I had to avoid replacing that evil with another. But what could I do? Still, no better ideas occurred to me.
Okey-dokey, slicing it is.
I raised the sword and held it in front of me. A jolt of confidence traveled down my body. I was about to turn the corner to run in there when a third voice drew me short.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, Jophiel, but I’m afraid we’re wasting our time.”
