Torment (5 page)

“Deal!” they all said.

Chapter Six

My Time Away (Part 2)

After Lilith had explained to me about Carla and how she had become pregnant, we spent a few hours just having general chit-chat. She asked what it was like growing up and what it was like when I met all the guys. I told her how much I loved them all and how I would do anything for them; they were my family now. Part of me wished I hadn't said that because as soon as the words came out, she looked a little upset. I told her it was nice to find out who my real mother was, and how I was happy to finally be spending time with her. That seemed to cheer her up a bit.

She told me all about life in Hell. It was nothing like life on Earth in some ways, yet very similar in others. Nobody aged there; how they looked now is how they would look in a thousand years. When people died, if they went to Hell it was because they had done something bad in their lives, and Heaven wouldn’t accept them. Maybe they had committed murder or been abusive. They would be punished for as long as the relevant court saw fit. Once they had been punished for the said amount of time they would have a choice about what to do next; they had plenty of options and she didn’t tell me all of them, but she did say they could join one of the Duke’s armies, work helping life in Hell run smoothly, say by growing food or being a carpenter or builder. They also physically changed. If the person was seventy when he or she died, as soon as the punishment was over, they would go back to the age at which they were fittest. Normally, that meant somewhere between the ages of eighteen and forty. Also, initially it was only their souls that went to Hell, so they were given a physical form again. However, if they travelled to another realm they wouldn't be physical.

Demons were different. If someone caught Lilith or Lucifer’s attention or that of a Lord or Duke, when they died their body would be collected by a demon and brought to Hell. If they accepted Lilith and Lucifer’s offer of becoming a demon, their soul would be returned to their original body. They would be able to travel to any realm and remain physical. That's what happened with me and Eligos. He accepted their offer and was restored. I’m the Queen’s daughter, so I get to keep my body anyway.

Some people never came away from what Lilith called ‘the Pits’. If they had committed mass murder, or had abused countless numbers of women, they would be tormented and tortured for eternity or they would have their souls destroyed completely. Those sorts of people were despised and they would pay for what they had done to people. Rapists would get a taste of their own medicine by the people and creatures who worked in the Pits, while murderers would feel what real pain was. Also, once people were free from the Pits, if they ever committed a crime again, say theft or if they caused harm on Earth or in another realm, the punishment would be the death of their soul.

I didn’t want her to stop talking to me and I was really interested in what she was telling me, but she had to go back to her husband. They had a meeting that afternoon with a judge of the High Court. She didn’t tell me what it was about, only that she would see me the next day. If I could move around better she said she would take me around the local area and introduce me to some of the important people down there. She stood up and called for Eligos. A moment later he walked in.

“Would you look after her for me?” she asked.

“Yes, don't worry she’ll be fine,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she said before turning to look at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

“Happy now?” he asked me.

“Yeah!” I smiled. “She’s so nice and she’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you’re happy. How are you feeling?”

“I’m aching like mad.”

“That’s normal. After all, your body was lifeless for a while. You tend to stiffen up when you’re dead,” he teased.

“Oh you have such a way with words,” I smirked.

“Are you hungry or anything?”

“No, I’m fine thanks.”

“OK…well, if you need me, shout!”

“Where are you going?”

“Nowhere in particular. I just thought you might want some time alone.”

“I don't, please don't go,” I almost begged, “not yet.”

“OK,” he said, sitting on the sofa facing me.

“Lilith told me why people come to Hell.”

“Did she?”

“Why did you get sent here?”

“I killed two men,” he admitted, watching me to see my reaction.

“Why?” I asked casually.

“It was kill or be killed.”

“Why did they want to kill you?”

“I knew things before they happened sometimes and I was abnormally strong. I knew how to fight and I taught leaders how to win wars. I was highly regarded by the people of my tribe.”

“Tribe?” I replied.

“Keira, don't forget this was a long time ago. We didn’t have the army or the navy back then; it was small tribes where I came from, usually with no more than a thousand people in each one. The smallest ones may have only been made up of a hundred.”

“Wow.”

“Times were different, people were different, they fought with their hands, and handmade weapons, not machines. Anyway, I was asleep one night when I heard someone enter my hut. I opened my eyes just in time to see two guys making their way over to me. I jumped up and we ended up fighting. To cut a long story short, I stabbed one of the guys and broke the other one’s neck. It was either kill them or let them kill me, so I did what I had to do.”

“Surely you shouldn’t have come here for defending yourself.”

“I took the lives of two men; I knew I would be sent here,” he told me. “But when I died, and I came here, I was instantly summoned to the Palace. The fellas who normally drag your sorry arse to the Pits were told not to harm a hair on my head. I met with Lilith and Lucifer. They knew of my gift of foresight and that I was a good fighter so they offered me a job working for them. I took it without even thinking about it first. As time went on and I proved my worth, I was promoted to a general, then I became a Duke and finally a Grand Duke and a Knight of the Superior Order. I have been for over three thousand years now.”

“Wow!” I didn’t know what else to say.

“I’ve studied all wars, past and present. I don't think there is a single fighting style in any realm that I haven’t studied. I can use any weapon, although my favorite is my sword and I was given powers similar to yours when I first accepted Lilith and Lucifer’s offer. But I’m going to stop going on about myself now.”

“No don't! I’m intrigued. I like learning about people,” I said. “Is that when you became a demon, when they gave you the powers?”

“Yeah, sadly though it interfered with my foresight; it hasn’t worked since I was given power.”

“Have you ever regretted taking the offer?”

“Never!” he said seriously. “I’m not being big-headed or anything, but I’m damn good at what I do and I care about the people here, so, no, I wouldn’t change anything. Well, maybe one thing but there’s no point dwelling on the past.”

“What thing?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

I could see he genuinely didn’t want to talk about it so I didn’t push him.

He decided he was going to turn into me for a while and spent the next few hours throwing questions at me. I ended up telling him what I was like when I was younger and how I hated almost everyone in school, how I’d studied interior design and was self-employed before moving to Salem. Then I told him about my dad dying.

“So I don't know if I’ll ever know the truth,” I said, finishing my story.

“Your dad was killed by a demon.”

“What!” I gasped. “How do you know?”

“I told you I know a lot; it’s my job too.”

“Who is he?”

“It’s not a he; it’s a she,” he told me.

“Who is
she
then?”

“Her name is Marimay. She is a higher demon.”

“Is she the one declaring this war?” I demanded to know.

“We don't know yet but we think she is involved. None of us are really sure who it is. Every time we think we have it figured out, we seem to be proven wrong. We can’t explain how it’s staying hidden so well,” he frowned. “Maybe it has help from someone or something?”

“Like what?”

“I’ll let you know when I do.”

“How can I find this woman?” I asked nastily.

“You won’t! No one has been able to find her for over ten years. She disappeared just after killing your father.”

“I take it you’ve looked for her.”

“Yes, everywhere I can possibly think of. I’ve never even found a clue as to her whereabouts.”

“If you do…” I started.

“I’ll tell you, I promise,” he interrupted. “You can be the one to kill her.”

“Thank you. Do you know why she killed him?”

“I do, but I don't really want to tell you.”

“Why?”

“Because…there wasn’t a good reason for it. I think you believe he was picked out purposely. He wasn’t…there was no big plan for him…no reason for him to be killed…”

“Tell me!”

He stayed quiet for a moment, studying my face.

“OK, we think she knew someone was planning to do something to families on Earth who had power in them and he wanted to be in on it. This bit we know for certain…She killed your father just to show that she could. No other reason. She taunted him for a few weeks before his death, and then finally attacked to kill.”

“So he knew something was after him, that’s why he made his will. Did she know about me?”

“I don't think so. I don't think anybody other than me, Lilith and Lucifer knew until recently. Don't worry, it had nothing to do with you, Keira; she just wanted to prove her worth…that was all.”

“Yeah by killing
my
dad.”

“You will get your chance at revenge one day. I don't know when, but you will.”

“I know I will,” I confirmed.

“Were you close to your dad when you were young?”

“Very, I was his little princess. He used to take me horseback riding on weekends and we’d always go for ice cream afterwards. He spent as much time with me as he could, and he always brought me little presents home if he had been away with work. Normally it was a teddy bear or clothes, sometimes jewelry. The only things I don't have any more are the clothes.”

“You kept the rest?”

“Yeah, he’s not down here, is he?” I asked.

“No, he’s in Heaven.”

“Good, that's where he belongs,” I said, relieved. “Eligos, why didn’t you tell me Lilith was my mother when we first met?”

“Honestly, because I knew you would want to meet her. You were asking so many questions and getting so upset not getting answers. I knew if I told you, you would have even more questions. But I did try to give you a hint.”

“When?”

“When I said you looked like her, and when I told you she looked at you as her daughter. I couldn’t tell you while I was on Earth anyway in case someone was listening. She didn’t want everyone to know at first in case it caused more problems for you. Now, though, she thinks it might frighten them and keep them away from you,” he told me.

“Why would it frighten them?”

“You haven’t seen Lilith’s temper or what she is capable of; it’s frightening. Since you’re her daughter, you’ll be capable of the same things, and from what I’ve seen, I think you have her temper too.”

“It would be nice if they
were
frightened of me; I might be able to live in peace then,” I said.

He didn’t stay too late, so I was alone all night, but I was so tired that I didn’t really care. Then I spent the following two weeks with Lilith mainly. She introduced me to her husband, and gave me a tour of some of the Palace. It was incredibly beautiful and very gothic. The room I was in had been mine since the day I was born. It had been kept clean ready for the day I would come here. She’d studied me as best she could while I was growing up, so she knew what I did and didn’t like. So the room was exactly to my taste. Rich red carpets, deep-red walls with a black-and-silver pattern on them, three large dark wooden cabinets and two large wardrobes to match. There were big black sofas, both velvet, and a cast-iron and glass coffee table in between them.

I was introduced to some of the Lords and Ladies who lived on the Palace grounds, along with other Dukes and a couple of the guards. Some of them gave me the creeps a little; one of them seemed to glare at me all the time and look me up and down. Whenever I looked over at him he would grin at me. It seemed like wherever I went he was there and he was really creeping me out. Eligos noticed and told him that if he looked at me again he would rip his eyes out and burn them to a cinder. The guard never looked in my direction again. That was when I saw how scared people were of annoying him.

Chapter Seven

How It Used to Be

“That’s your lot for tonight,” I told them “I’m sick of the sound of my own voice.”

“Can I just ask one more thing?” Danny asked.

“Go on.”

“He is feared, Eligos, isn’t he? You’ve just said as much.”

“People there know what he’s capable of.”

“Do you?”

“No, I know some of the things he can do and I experienced a few before. I don't know everything, but I would love too, and some people down there know a lot, that’s why people don't cross him.”

“Someone out there could kick his ass, I’m sure,” Tyler said coldly.

“Maybe, but I doubt they could kill him. Let me put it this way, he has never lost a battle or a fight in all the years he has been in Hell, not that I know of anyway.”

“Wow!” Danny said.

Tyler turned to face him and threw him an evil look.

“I’m sorry,” Danny told him, “but I admire the guy.”

“Right well, time for me and Lily to be off,” I said, walking over to her and grabbing her hand. “We’ll see you later.”

I led her out of the room, grabbed my car keys and we made our way to my car.

“Shouldn’t I get changed first?” she asked.

“No, we’re not going to a bar.”

“Where are we going then?”

“I don't know, just for a drive or something.”