Saphrielles fall, p.14
Saphrielle's Fall, page 14
I wanted to pry. Even if my former status was muse, there were other parts to being an angel. I had an incessant need to relieve pain, and Leandros was in definite pain, likely buried beneath full mountains of denial. I could read him much easier than Hades. It was my own stubborn preconceived notions that had stopped me from noticing his suffering sooner.
I wasn’t tossed from Heaven to comfort the wretched souls of Hell anymore than I was sent to lust after a god, however. A walk outside could be what I needed to shake the nonsense filling my head.
“I’d appreciate that.” I bowed my head to Leandros. “I’ll head back to my room and see what I have suitable to wear, in case he replies soon.”
$CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“We could stay within the palace fence,” Hades told me for the third time since I’d gotten dressed and met him at the front door.
I bounced from foot to foot as he glowered down at my enthusiasm. I wasn’t sure why, but he seemed bothered by my request even though he’d agreed to it with no complaint.
“Why are you dancing?” he asked.
“Shoes are strange.” I looked down at my feet, which were covered in tan ballet slippers. Most days I didn’t bother with them. It was more convenient to slip into socks if my feet were cold against the marble of the palace. I didn’t like the restrictive little leather prisons around my toes, but he’d insisted I wear them. “My feet are hot.”
“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be barefoot out there. Lots of brambles and rocks. Not to mention the dirt is mostly caked with dried blood and bile.”
I shuddered at that last part, but it didn’t change my mind. “You seem reluctant to take me outside. Have you changed your mind?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t changed my mind. I just hope you don’t get too fatigued.”
“If that happens you can just carry me back.” I grinned and took a step forward out of the open doorway where we lingered.
He strode ahead of me and motioned to the massive iron gates at the end of the paved walkway. “My palace gates can only be opened with a key, or by my presence. Once we head out there, stay close. You’ll be cloaked but you’ll still affect the scenery. If you get caught in a bush or run into someone, it will be noticed.”
“Of course.”
“I can’t predict what you’ll see out there, Saphrielle,” he warned.
“Ekrell said that prisoners aren’t kept here, so I don’t imagine that it will be a landscape of tortured souls.”
His jaw clenched and he seemed to have a retort. Perhaps we thought the same sobering thing. The demons were tortured souls, even if I’d meant the humans present in Hell for punishment.
Regardless of what horrors I might come across, I couldn’t hide in the palace forever. Sooner or later I would have to come to terms with the outer landscape of Hell.
I walked eagerly towards the palace gate, the bounce in my step unintentional but unavoidable. When we reached it, Hades applied a magical cloak to me with a wave of his hand. I glanced down my body, which now shimmered with what looked to be sparkling black soot. When he’d told me about this method of magical cloaking, I’d been resistant. I didn’t like the idea of him doing strange magic on me, which is likely why he hadn’t warned me before casting the spell now.
He looked at me as if expecting an argument, but I didn’t complain. Though I had something to say about it, I didn’t want to risk an argument that would result in this walk ending before it began. Instead, I turned my attention to the ornate design forged in the gates doors. I assumed it was Hades’ crest of sorts. A trio of hounds’ heads made up the center, surrounded by a flame, and circling it all, a ring of traditional Grecian meandros.
As I studied the wrought emblem, it split down the center and the gate opened.
I followed Hades through, anticipation licking at my heels. The gate shut immediately behind us, completely silent yet managing to kick up dust around our feet. It had taken very little time for my shoes to become coated in the dust of Hell and that detail struck me as surreal. I’d never been dirty before.
Hades clasped his hands behind his back and fixed a stern expression upon his face. “It isn’t unusual of me to go on a walk like this. It won’t be suspicious—as long as I’m not caught speaking to someone who no one else can see.”
“Of course. I’ll be quiet, I promise.”
I looked around, both overwhelmed and curious, though to my left and right and in all directions around me, I saw nothing but endless dirt. He began to walk forward.
“We’ll take this trail. It’ll wind around the neutral zone that leads to my receiving hall. It’s a decent walk and usually free from stragglers.”
I nodded, though he hadn’t looked in my direction before walking away. I followed and tried to stifle the annoying reprisal of guilt that came from seeing Hell now that I knew it was once a lush landscape. Now the only word I could surmise was “bleak.”
Guilt wasn’t all I felt. Sympathy wormed through. My memories still held the beauty and wonder of Heaven. How would I feel if it had been turned to this?
I glanced at Hades but his expression was as unreadable as ever. Perhaps he was immune to it now, but I doubted it. Maybe the pain wasn’t fresh, but I suspected it still lurked beneath his cold surface. At times I thought I could feel it, even if I didn’t feel it now.
He looked back at me and I averted my eyes to the ground, not wanting to be caught staring. The dirt ranged in shades of grey, as if the sky poured down ash. Rocks and clumps covered the ground flanking the beaten path we traveled. A colorless world befitting the agony and sorrow that remained after Lucifer’s curse, I realized. If there were a way to make this beautiful and alive again, I’d do it.
Red traces speckled through the dust and I bent down to take a look at a glossy plant that stretched out possessively among the dirt, seeming to weave in and out of the ground like a thread on a hidden needle.
“Blood vine,” Hades said. “The most prevalent plant in Hell. It was cultivated by the Sanguines, though I accidentally rested control of the vine from them. They haven’t forgiven me for it.”
“How do you steal control of a plant?”
He waved a hand. “Magic. How else? It does my bidding now. Though I have no need for it, so it simply does as it pleases. It’s managed to creep up nearly everywhere.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Gods wielded a different sort of ability than angels, and did not utilize it in the same manner. Everything I’d been taught was the art of subtlety and suggestion. Not direct control.
We came across a large and prickly tumble of twigs and leaves, it resembled rolled weeds. I meant to walk past, but Hades stopped.
“It’s a bramble. Not a real bramble, but that’s what the demons call them. They’re one of Hell’s flowers. They only bloom twice a year.”
“This is a plant? A flowering plant?” I studied the thing, which still seemed no more than a random assortment of gathered dead branches.
“The flowers are dull grey but have a pleasing aroma, which is probably the only thing that keeps the demons from uprooting every one of them out of boredom.”
I examined the bramble a bit longer. When I was done investigating, Hades moved along.
Up ahead a hulking demon walked towards us, and we would soon cross paths. I made sure I was on the far side of Hades so that I would not chance running into it. It breached seven feet, perhaps reaching a clean eight. He wore dark leather pants in an old style that laced up the front, and patchwork boots. His clothing was covered with a fine layer of grey dust from the surrounding dirt scene. He was rust-colored muscle with broad shoulders, thick arms and large clawed hands. As he passed, he blinked his round pitch black eyes at Hades and lowered his chin in a subtle gesture of respect. When he had gone and was a speck in the distance, I poked at Hades’s arm.
“Who was that?” I whispered.
He was going to respond, but another demon appeared in the distance. He veered us off the road. “A brute. I don’t know his name. They all look the same for the most part, even to me.”
“Brute,” I repeated.
“They named themselves. It’s fitting. They are all like that. Large. Savage. Not cruel, but not the brightest. They don’t give me as much trouble as some of the other factions.”
I simply nodded. The politics of Hell weren’t my business.
He brought us towards the dried crevasse that tore through the section and paused. I walked along to what used to be a riverbank.
“I bet this was pretty, once.”
“Indeed.”
I nodded and stared down the former riverbed, frowning. After a moment I turned and looked back towards the road. “I think I can walk a bit more.”
He led the way, and when we started down the road saw more demons in the distance. We came across the group, who were leaning over a flattened rock and playing a strange game consisting of seven-sided dice and strange pieces that I didn’t want to examine. I suspected they were bits of bone.
The group of male demons straightened as Hades approached and called out a greeting. A small gasp slid from my throat, against my better judgement, but I couldn’t help it. These demons were stark naked.
Hades glanced around as if checking the scenery, but the way his eyes briefly met mine, I knew that he wanted to see my pink cheeks and horrified expression. My hands covered my mouth to stifle any further sounds, and I had fallen behind a step but was still following.
The demons were of varied appearance, presenting horns of all shapes and sizes, claws, and odd colored skin. I tried not to dwell on the dangling manhoods on display. Despite my best efforts to avert my eyes, I didn’t mess that they were well-endowed, some offensively so. Ridges and even boney protrusions marked some of the demon’s male appendages.
Hades could have warned me of this earlier, but of course he’d rather choose to embarrass me in this way. I’d forgotten that at some point in an earlier conversation, he’d mentioned that demons didn’t like to wear clothing.
“How was your time on the surface, Parthen?” Hades asked sincerely.
“It was wonderful. I… I didn’t expect you to recall me, my lord. But thank you again for allowing me the privilege to journey up.” Parthen stepped forward, displaying himself unabashedly.
I clenched my eyes, but I couldn’t unsee the scene.
Hades’s voice rumbled, “So you enjoyed the, what was it, a concert?”
“Yes. I caused no trouble. My disguise was perfect.”
I opened my eyes a slit. A concert? This demon went to a concert?
“Glad to hear it.” Hades gave a nod and motioned to the dice. “I’ll let you return to your game.” He waited as the men bowed their heads before he turned and walked away.
I quietly padded beside Hades. “They were naked,” I hissed.
“Really? I didn’t notice at all. Perhaps we should turn around so I could see what you’re talking about,” he smirked.
I crossed my arms. Once the demons were far behind us, I glanced over my shoulder. “You let him go see a concert? As in music?”
“Indeed. Seemed like a harmless allowance. It’s not like there is much entertainment down here.”
“Right but… I thought you dealt with serious matters all day. Life and death or…” I shrugged. In truth, I hadn’t considered what sort of requests demons would have.
“Some days it’s about disputes or other problems, but usually I hear endless requests. Those like his are so minor and infrequent that I usually approve of them. It’s a good sign to have demons wanting to leave Hell for something like legitimate entertainment.”
“As opposed to the entertainments comprised of torture and soul trade,” I joked.
“Exactly.”
I shook my head. “Do you… do you handle requests for those?”
“No. No demon would be daft enough to come to me for that. There are other ways to infiltrate the human realm. Other ways to obtain a disguise. But those ways aren’t easy and aren’t reliable. Does it happen? Yes.”
“And you don’t stop it?”
“Some of the loopholes with the magic and existence of Hell are beyond my control, though I am loathe to admit it. I can’t make it escape proof for a demon. I believe there was always intent for them to be able to come and go. The most I can do is control the largest funnel.”
I looked ahead, once again reminded of Lucifer’s corruption. I didn’t understand it. I’d fallen, but mine was a purely selfish and victimless crime. I couldn’t imagine Lucifer being so far gone that he’d ruined the Underworld, created demons, and what… planned to unleash them on humans?
What Hades spoke was only his interpretation of the truth. It could be more complicated than he realized. I let that grain of possibility comfort me. This all could have been a misunderstanding.
Hades continued to lead the way towards his hall. A part of me wanted to see it, but after another fifteen minutes of traveling, I leaned against him and pulled him to stop.
“Are you tired?” he asked. The slightest hint of concern seemed to slip through his voice.
“Not completely, but I think if we don’t turn around now I won’t make it back,” I admitted. Regardless of my tease earlier, I didn’t want him to carry me home. Seeing Hell had softened me, and I didn’t have the heart to put up walls and turn a blind eye to it. It would be easier if I could hold on to even the barest semblance of apathy, but that wasn’t my nature.
If he carried me now, when I was feeling this open to his plight, I wouldn’t be able to staunch the romantic feelings my body would insert into the situation. I didn’t suspect Hades had any such leanings toward me, and I didn’t have any toward him, and yet I knew that the less rational part of me could read into any moments of closeness.
My body was starved for physical attention. My heart was finally free to love and wanted to give that love blindly. The books Ekrell had gifted me only served to feed the confusion. I didn’t love Hades. I couldn’t. Moreover, I couldn’t remain in Hell. I had to take precautions to keep from becoming silly and infatuated with a fantasy.
A handsome, all-powerful god was nothing but fantasy. Even if he treated me as if I were special to him.
He checked that we were alone before tucking a stray curl of ruby behind my ear. The action shocked me, and my eyes had followed every movement of his hand warily. It’s as if he’d read my mind and wanted to test my resolve. Or maybe this would be another kiss. My lips parted slightly. I couldn’t help it.
He didn’t lean down and kiss me, however. He didn’t even say anything, but when he retrieved his hand he glanced at his fingertips with what seemed like confusion. Then he cleared his throat and turned on his heel, leading us away once more.
We walked quietly back down the road. My head swarmed with questions about the brooding god at my side. He’d threatened me, but also cared for me and worried for my safety. He ruled demons and let them visit the surface to listen to music. I didn’t understand him.
All the power he must wield, and yet he spent his days listening to problems and helping demons with their boredom?
As we journeyed back to the palace, Hades pointed out a few things under his breath. The ruins of a fountain. A wild patch of fruit. A former garden. To me, it looked like a pile of rubble, more brambles, and more depressing dirt. My heart ached and I wanted to smack the thing from my chest. Honestly, the point had been made. This wasteland used to be a bountiful near-paradise. I didn’t need to feel miserable with each beat.
This time when we passed the dried-out river there was a large charcoal-colored cloud bobbing and billowing on the ground near it. Hades didn’t pause but I stopped and pointed. He came to a halt but didn’t look directly at the mysterious sight.
“What is that?” I asked.
“It’s a good thing you can’t be seen right now,” he sighed softly.
“What?”
“That, which you are pointing at, is a Shade. But he’s not alone. He appears to be vigorously pounding some wanton female into the ground.”
“What?” I nearly shrieked but covered my mouth with my hands and looked away. Deviant curiosity forced me to take another look, however. I whispered, “He looks like a cloud.”
He chuckled. “Shades are surrounded with a shadowy nimbus. Underneath they are naked, and they look fairly human.” He kept his voice low and eyes averted. “No claws. No horns. Small fangs on the top. Skin and hair ranging from black, shades of grey to an ashy blue. And their eyes are bright blue and piercing in a disturbing way. They don’t talk much. I suspect they communicate with each other through a psychic link.”
I turned away slowly and bit my lower lip as I shuffled back to the road. Hades followed, amused.
“I didn’t take you to be a voyeur. Are you sure you didn’t want to stick around a bit longer? We’re going to miss the big finish.”
I walked away faster.
We made it to the palace without me collapsing, but towards the end he had noticed my slow steps and the apparent look of pain on my face which I wasn’t accustomed to hiding. He wound up carrying me through the house and up the stairs. Thankfully I was too tired to over-think the action.
I was sweating more than I should have, and a light film of dust covered me from head to toe. He drew a bath for me, despite my protest that I could handle that task myself.
“How far is the walk to the gates?” I asked as he was leaving the room.
He turned back to me, but I wasn’t looking at him. I knelt by the tub, trailing a hand through the water and staring at the ripples.
“At the rate you walked today? Perhaps three or four days if you didn’t need rest.”
My hand stopped in the water. I looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”
He left, and I felt torn somewhere inside. Something deep and dark tugged at me. It didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave.
$CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I couldn’t spend much time with Saphrielle in the days after our walk, but I made sure Ekrell kept her entertained, one way or another. I had figurative fires to put out across my kingdom, giving me little spare time. I’d suspected that keeping Saphrielle confined in my palace would cause discontent but not to the extent I was witnessing.
