Lucifer’s Daughter(40)

I now had a plan. But before I descended into the depths of Hell, I needed to arm myself.

Opening my toy cabinet, I armed myself to the teeth. Daggers hidden in sheaths all over my body, a pistol with heavy-duty tranqs at my waist–if you can"t kill „em put „em to sleep, I say–

my unicorn hair whip, and the piece de resistance--a gift from my father--my Hell sword. Forged of red steel and sharper than any mortal blade, my wicked sword had been specially crafted to slay demons; and as I slid it in the sheath that I wore down the middle of my back, I made a promise to the blade--”You will taste demon blood today.”

Ready to kick some ass, I went back to the living room, cleared a space in the center of the room, and sat down lotus style. Taking deep breaths, I cleared my mind, mentally preparing myself to open the portal.



I traced a rectangle in the air and repeated the words I"d heard hundreds of times, half-expecting to fail like I had in the past when I"d tried. As soon as the last word left my lips, the power in my body began to drain, supporting the glowing portal which formed itself in front of me. I gaped at the dimensional doorway. I might have done that for a while, had the fierce siphoning of my magic to keep it open not moved me forward. I needed to get to the other side and close the door, before I depleted my magical reserves too far.

I strode through, head held high–after all, I was Lucifer"s daughter, and one of the heirs to the Kingdom of Hell. This was my world. Look out.





Chapter Ten


I emerged to silence. Complete, eerie, utter stillness. I let the portal collapse, then looked around.

The barren landscape around me with the shells of once-tall buildings, red rock, and ruin looked like Hades, but where were the damned? The demons? The noise?

Hell was not a quiet place. There was no night and day here, just eternity and suffering--lots of suffering. Well, for the truly evil and misbehaved, that is. The rest, which made up the majority, who just didn"t seem able to achieve Heaven"s lofty standard, just worked and lived here, millions upon millions of them.

I walked the silent streets, apprehension and wariness my only companions.

What had happened? Where had everyone gone?

I figured if there was one place that would have life–or death, depending on how you looked at it–it would be the palace. My dad"s home in Hell, and where I"d spent most of my childhood.

I walked quickly through the outer town that bordered my father"s estate, my black running shoes quickly becoming coated with the fine ash that sifted constantly from the sky.

Reaching the gates that surround my father"s compound, I stopped, mystified again; for the gates were closed. I hadn"t even known they could do that. It had to mean someone was inside, right? I pounded on the towering rusted doors.

The sound echoed, unnaturally loud in the barren stillness. I had to fight an urge to hide, for surely that noise would bring someone running, and they might not be the good–er, bad–guys.

But the silence prevailed, and the doors stayed shut.

I began to wonder if I"d messed up the portal somehow. This couldn"t be Hell. I must have made an error. Perhaps, if I went to my apartment and tried again... I sketched a portal in the space in front of me.

Nothing.

I tried again, concentrating hard on my living room and pulling on my power. And again, nothing happened.

Really freaked now, I began walking away from the palace, looking for something, anything, that would end this deafening silence. My feet tripped over the debris in the streets. I fell to my knees in the powdery dust, my hands hitting the ground hard, and I cried out. As I lay there on my hands and knees, cursing my clumsiness and uneasiness–me afraid? Never!--I thought I heard an echo of sound. A voice.



My head shot up and I sniffed the air much as a dog would, but my senses were dulled by the sifting ash. Without even thinking, I pulled on a little of my power to enhance my senses, and inhaled deeply. I was rewarded with a familiar scent.

Auric!

Jumping to my feet, I ran, suddenly nimble as a deer in flight. I leapt over the obstacles in my path, heading to my angel. I could already taste my revenge. It would be sweet–and deadly.

As I jogged, I began to recognize the road I trod on, and I slowed my feet. I didn"t need to dash pell mell and announce my presence. I knew where they held Auric: the most sacred place in the pit. A place which frightened many, but offered solace to others. Where the nine circles of Hell converged–the abyss.

Created a long time ago due to the overcrowding in Hades, the abyss was a person"s final destination. After you"d done your penance for your misdeeds in life–which tended to be short, for most people--you were given a choice: live and work in Hell, or end it all in the abyss. My dad called it a „people recycler." People went in, and everything that made them who they were got wiped; and their energy, called souls by most, emerged to live again–reincarnation made real.