Chapter 31: In the middle of it

Zoe:

I blink my eyes and look around groggily. The sound of my ringing phone woke me up from my dreamless sleep. Azazel sits up with an annoyed grunt. “What the bloody hell?” He growls out in irritation. I watch as he rises from the bed, completely naked, and reaches for my phone with a scowl. My throat constricts at the amazing sight of his tight ass, ridged back and firm thighs. His golden body is perfect. He looks like a Greek statue. His tattoo wings stand out in contrast to his honey skin and golden hair. He’s magnificent, and he’s all mine.

Covering my nakedness with the sheet, I sit up from the bed with a scowl. “Who is it?” I utter firmly when he grimaces at the screen. He turns to me with a cocky smile. “I believe it’s your mother.”

I furrow my brow in confusion. “That’s not possible. My mom never calls me.” Azazel shrugs and hands me the phone. “Then you better answer it.” Taking the phone, I look at the screen and hit the answer button. “Hello?” I answer, perturbed.

“Zoe.” A familiar male voice echoes from the receiver. It’s Augusto, John’s former cook, the one whose life I saved after he had a heart attack. He’s also one of my mother’s best friends; Even though secretly I’ve always thought he was in love with her. “Augusto?” I reply apprehensively.

He replies. “Zoe, I’m so glad that I was able to reach you. You need to come home.” He mutters with a sense of urgency. Shooting up from the bed, I gaze around in alarm. “What’s wrong, Augusto? Where’s my mom? Why are you calling me on her phone?”

His voice weakens in response. “I’m sorry, Zoe, your mother, is not well. You need to come home.” Reaching for my clothes, I take a deep breath and reply. “I’ll be there in half-hour.” I disconnect the phone and slip on my panties. I’m so caught up in my urgency that I forget that Azazel is there. “What’s wrong, luv?” I look up, startled, and gaze into Azazel’s concerned eyes. “That was Augusto, my mom’s friend. Apparently, my mom is not well. He asked me to come home.” Azazel takes action and effortlessly slips into his own clothing. “We better go then.”

The drive to the house is a solemn one. Azazel holds my hand in comfort as thoughts of what might have happened to my mother run through my head. “It’ll be alright,” Azazel whispers. I nod my head, but my heart isn’t in it. My mom has never been one to complain when she’s ill. She has always been so strong. I know that I’ve been harsh on her over the years and that we haven’t agreed on much, but I still love her. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to her. “What if it’s bad.” I voice my fears. Azazel must hear the seriousness of my tone because he looks at me and shakes his head. “We’ll figure it out, luv. Whatever we can do, we’ll do. We can’t get ahead of our emotions until we find out what’s wrong. Plus, you need to introduce your mother to the new love of your life. Do you think she’ll like me?” He asks with a pout.

A smile quirks my lip at the thought of what my mom will think when she meets Azazel. I think she’ll like him. He’s smart, handsome, and successful; what is there not to like? Squeezing his hand in mine, I give him a sly wink. “I think my mom will love you.” His pout widens into a cocky smile as she shrugs his shoulder and focuses back on the road. “Of course she will. Look at me, luv, I’m wickedly handsome and brilliant.” I roll my eyes and snort at his conceited reply. “Well, let’s hope that we can get you through the door first. It might be hard to do with your over-inflated ego getting in the way.” Azazel chuckles in response. “How uncharitable of you to say that, luv. I’m a humble demon.”

We both laugh in reply, which relieves all of the tension I’ve been carrying since Augusto called me earlier. We finally make it to the mansion and roll up the driveway as soon as the gates open. Azazel quirks a derisive brow at the sight of the grand home’s formidable structure. “Your home is fancy, luv.” I shake my head. “This isn’t my home Azazel. I’m the illegitimate daughter of the owner. John has never acknowledged me as more than the maid’s daughter. My mom lives in the back with the other servants.”

Azazel’s face tightens with fury. “What a tosser. He should be so lucky to have my lady as his daughter. It’s the daft fool’s loss anyway.” I chuckle in reply. Even though sometimes I don’t understand half of what he’s saying, I still find him entertaining.

Stepping out of Azazel’s Barracuda, I slam the door closed behind me and make my way to the servant’s entrance. The grounds are quiet, which is odd because there is usually a lot of activity around the house. Mathias said that Sahara hasn’t come home, so there must be another reason why there is no activity. Maybe it’s because of my mom. I panic.

Azazel follows behind me, unaware of my turbulent thoughts. As I step inside, everything is as quiet as it was outside. Not a soul is in sight. The kitchen is empty. There are no chefs cooking meals or maids cleaning. The place seems grave in its stillness. The soft glow of the sun penetrating the windows is the only thing keeping the eerie silence from becoming too creepy.

“Is it always this quiet at this time?” Azazel asks, puzzled. I shake my head as I lead him to the kitchen towards the servant’s hallway. “No, actually. This place is always busy. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it like this.” Azazel’s brow puckers with concern. As I make my way deeper into the house, a rancid smell reaches my nose, and I notice weird stains on the wall. The smell intensifies the deeper I go into the house, and nausea gathers in my throat.

I’m about to take another step when Azazel takes my wrist and pulls me back. “We should go.” He utters with an urgent tone. My heart speeds up in alarm when, without another word, he leads me back to the kitchen. That’s when I hear it. The screeching sound of pain and fear echoing through the hallway. Azazel and I gaze at each other and are about to rush to the exit when the house begins to shake and the door slams closed. We both rush to the door, but it won’t budge. Azazel’s eyes glow as he uses all of his strength to push the door, but it won’t open.

“It won’t bloody open!” He utters with dread. Rushing desperately towards the window, I try to get it open, but nothing happens. “What’s happening?” I shakily whisper. Azazel’s face tightens as he takes my hand and pulls me close. “We can’t get out of here because the house is bewitched. And that smell in the hallway was human blood. Someone is dead here.” He mutters apprehensively. My stomach churns, and my heart stutters at the thought of who it might be.

“What are we going to do?” I whisper uneasily as I gaze around the room. I can’t help but brush off the feeling that something is about to jump out at me. Unfortunately, that feeling is accurate when the banging screech grows louder, and the sound of various footsteps resonate across the floor. I cling to Azazel as the room shudders with the loud thumping sound of approaching footsteps.

“Bloody hell, this is a trap! Stay behind me!” Azazel whispers as he reaches into his back and removes a large sword and knife. The sword is the same one I saw him fighting with at the gladiator arena, with its long, sharp metallic blade. The knife is smaller, but the blade is just as sharp.

He hands me the knife and pushes me further back as we wait for whatever is heading towards us to arrive. “Use it only if you feel threatened. Always stab in the chest, neck, or face. Don’t hesitate.” He whispers urgently.

As we stand there feeling terror, the light in the house begins to wane, and the air thickens like a fog. The rancid air I smelled in the hallway earlier spreads across the room like a blanket, and the sound of heavy breathing makes the hair on my neck stand on end.

As if in some kind of post-apocalyptic nightmare, the zombie-like forms of the house-maids, chefs, and butlers emerge from the hallway. Their eyes are sunken, and their bodies are torn and ravaged as if they were attacked by an animal. Blood and gore pour from their shredded skin, and some of their limbs are missing. “Oh my god, they’re dead!” I cry out at the macabre sight before me. I recognize some of the faces of people whom I grew up with, but I don’t see my mother’s face, which can either be good or bad. Tears gather in my eyes as each familiar body clumsily stagger closer.

Azazel stands protectively in front of me. “They’re revenants. Don’t let them bite you, or you’ll be infected.”

As if released from their leash, each revenant suddenly becomes alerted and rushes us. Azazel takes the head off one and pushes the others back, making them falter. There are at least ten of them with their mouths open and ready to pounce. Their rotted teeth glisten with blood as they try to reach for us. Azazel pushes his sword down into what used to be one of the chambermaid’s neck and leads me towards the house’s main hallway. Keeping my knife up, I take Azazel’s hand and lead him to the foyer. “Come on!” I shout as he keeps stabbing at the unrelenting creatures. I look around in a daze, frightened at might jump out from each corner until we reach the winding stairway that leads to the bedrooms upstairs. We both run up the closer the revenants get. I nearly trip in my hurry, but thankfully make it up.

The creatures follow behind, stumbling and crawling up each step, trying to reach their prey. I’m about to turn to the left wing of the house when another form appears from the shadows, followed by several other revenants. It’s Sahara.

The revenants stop in their tracks, their mouths gaping open as bile droops from their grotesque mouths. Moans and groans resound across the hallway; we’re surrounded.

Sahara crosses her arms across her chest with a sneer. Like before, her face looks haggard and weathered. Actually, she looks worse. She looks like she’s aged thirty years since I last saw her in that hell dimension. Her hair is thin and stringy, and her once lustrous crimson locks are faded and dull. Her body is ashen and paperwhite beneath her soiled and torn dress, and there are bruises and scratches strewn across her body. I guess she got those from the insect-like creatures I ordered to attack her in hell. She looks like one of her revenants. However, unlike her revenants, she’s very much alive.

Her dull, watery eyes focus on Azazel with a scowl as she comes closer and screeches out. “Azazel. I should have known you’d be with this whore. I hope she’s worth your life!”

Azazel narrows his eyes as he runs them across Sahara’s haggard form. “As a matter of fact, she is. You’re not looking very well there, Sahara. In fact, you look bloody awful.” He replies evenly.

Sahara’s face tightens with rage as she looks down at her appearance. She’s always been a vain woman, and to be told by a man that she looks horrible is a massive blow to her ego. Her eyes sharpen, and her hands are spread in front of her like claws. “You made a mistake in choosing her over me, Azazel. I would have made you a king. I would have given you everything you’ve ever wanted.”

Azazel shakes his head with a scoff. “I’m not a fledgling Sahara. I’ve lived on this earth for thousands of years. I already have everything. You, however, are a greedy bitch who has never satisfied with your lot and look where it has gotten you. Aren’t you tired of being Marael’s lackey?”

Sahara’s nostrils flare at Marael’s name. “How do you know about Marael? How are you involved in any of this?” Azazel shrugs and takes a cautious step back, and the revenants continue to moan and growl in hunger. I tighten my hand around him, feeling tension rush through my body, but Azazel keeps his cool and continues to talk. “I’ve always known about Marael and her plan to bring hell on earth. I was sent by the Council to find her. The Council is very angry with her right now. You, however, may leave if you stop all of this and help us find her.”

At first, it looks like Sahara is going to give in by the way her shoulders slump and her face falls, but she recovers quickly. I want to stomp my foot in frustration when she straightens her spine, places a hand on her hip, and mutters snidely. “And why would I want to do that? The Council will never let me go after what I did. No, it’s too late! All I can do now is kill Marael’s pawns and get my amulet back! I won’t let that bitch win! Not after everything I’ve gone through!” Her face reddens, and her fists tighten with indignation, which doesn’t bode well for Azazel and me.

“What did you do with my mother?” I ask in hopes of derailing her plans. Sahara’s lips quirk as she gazes at me with a hateful sneer. “What do you think I did with her?” My breath hitches with terror at the thought of what she might have done to my mother. The possibility that my mom could be one of those zombie things is almost unbearable. Regret at the way I left things with her makes tears gather in my eyes. She’ll never know how much I love her. Or that I have a boyfriend who makes me feel like the most important woman in the world.

Azazel’s hand tightens around my arm with warning and whispers. “Don’t listen to her, luv. For all we know, your mother is fine.” I swallow hard as a kernel of hope at his words kindles in my heart and shudder with fear when the zombies stir around us. I cringe at the way they open their mouths and close them with ravenous hunger.

I’m about to respond when suddenly the floor begins to tremble beneath us. Azazel and I gaze into each other’s eyes, trying to regain our balance as the trembling heightens to a roar, and the wall begins to crumble and crack. Turning to Sahara, I see that she’s as surprised as we are. “Hold on!” Azazel yells out as the floorboards begin to break beneath us. I watch in horror as the revenants begin to fall and slide across the floor, scratching and growling as they try to gain purchase. Azazel and I cling to each other, trying to maintain our footing, but it’s hopeless., Pieces of the ceiling begin to fall and crumble around us, followed by the squeal of the deteriorating planks. A loud crash resounds throughout the room.

Azazel and I stumble onto the floor, losing our grips on each other. I grip the wooden panels of the floor, trying bruising and breaking nails as I try to clutch at something. “Azazel!” I scream out as my body begins to descend down. Bodies of revenants fly past me, followed by echoing cries. Just when I’ve ran out of floor, a hand wraps around my wrist. Azazel is flying over me, his wings stretched out behind his back. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I cling tightly to him as the house gives out around us. It’s like something out of a nightmare. The ceiling begins to cave in with a garish groan, and furniture begins to drop around us. A female cry resounds across the room, followed by an angry shout—it’s Sahara. I observe as her body plummets into the pitch-black cavern of the floor. “Hold on!” Azazel calls out. However, I can tell that it’s getting difficult for him to hold on, considering all of the falling scaffolding surrounding us. His body flinches with every hit, but he continues to cover my body with his, taking the brunt of the hits.

Unfortunately, we can’t fight against the force of the building’s infrastructure, and we plummet to the ground. My stomach flips as my body summersaults into the air. I can hear Azazel’s call from the dull roar of the house’s devastating collapse.

I’m sure I’m about to die until a blinding flash of light explodes through the floor’s opening. My head pounds and my eyes burn painfully until weightlessness settles through my body, and I find myself in the middle of hell. Breath hitching, I look around, horrified that I’ve found myself back in the hellish world.

“Zoe!” Azazel calls out in the distance. Relieved to see him alive, I rush towards him, but before I do, a burst of power explodes between us and flings us in opposite directions.

My back scrapes against the hard ground, pain radiating through my body, making my teeth shudder. Before I can rise, a sharp pain burns through my knee, and I’m dragged across the sandy ground by a large force. Head pounding, I look back and see a large blurry form and blink my blurry eyes to clear my hazy vision clears. My stomach drops when I see that I’m a hostage to a monster. What did Lucifer call them? Aswangs.

My abraded knees sting as I struggle against the creature's hold and look back and see that Azazel’s fighting off more of those creatures. As he battles, he looks back at me. “Zoe!” He calls out again as he tries in vain to get to me, but the creatures are coming at him hard.

I claw at the ground, desperately feeling my nails break, and the skin of my fingers shred as I try to find some kind of hold. Rocks fly around me, slapping me in the face, and my head bounces against a rock on the ground, making stars burst behind my eyes. “Put her here.” A familiar female voice states out loud. Panic like I’ve never known sets in when I realize who it is. It’s Marael.

Renewing my struggles, I search around frantically for Sahara, but there’s no sign of her. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is that I’m screwed. Bile rises in my throat when the creature lifts me from the ground and places me on top of a large flat stone. I feel like a helpless rag doll being tossed around. Swallowing hard, I look into the creature’s soulless eyes. It doesn’t even flinch, which unnerves me even more. The creature stands back, allowing Marael to hover menacingly over me. Her face is set into a sneer as she leans close to me and whispers. “You thought you were so clever, didn’t you, Zoe?” I shake my head and crab-crawl back with a squawk, but my struggles are pointless. Marael easily reaches me and wraps a hand around my throat to hold me in place.

“Zoe, no!” Azazel rushes forward, but the creature stops him before he can get close. Fortunately, I’m able to use Marael’s distraction to slide out of her grip and roll away from the stone. Not giving it another thought, I break out into a run but stop when Marael appears in front of me. “Very clever little girl. Too bad that I have to kill you now.”

Before I can react, she grips my forearm and begins to drag me back to the rock. Loosening my hold, I kick her in the knee. Unfortunately, before I can take another shot, one of the creatures lifts me by the neck. My feet drag across the floor as I struggle for breath, and Marael’s laughter rings out at the sight of my struggles. “Don’t kill her until I’ve cast the spell!” She calls out. The pressure in my ears as all oxygen leaves my body is nearly unbearable. I see lights behind my eyes and am about to take my last breath when the creatures lighten their hold on my neck to drag me forward by the scruff of my shirt.

Marael’s expression is one of satisfaction when the creature tosses me hard against the stone, never freeing its grip from my neck. The harsh light of the hellish landscape’s sun reflects against the metallic surface of Marael’s ceremonial knife as he raises it above my chest. Chest heaving, I blink when I see the large ruby amulet around Marael’s neck. It’s Sahara’s amulet—the one she was searching for when she kidnapped the girls and me.

Marael’s lips move as she balances the knife over my heart. She’s chanting some kind of spell, which gives me very little time. Just then, Azazel jumps on the creature's back, but another creature swats him away. Using Marael’s distraction, I rip the amulet from her neck and kick out at her knife.

As soon as I do, the ground begins to shudder, and a loud roaring echo erupts through the hellish world. The wind picks up with a howling whoosh as dirt and debris swirl around us, becoming stronger with every second that passes. It feels like we’re in the middle of a vortex. My eyes sting, and my skin prickles with every biting cut of dust and debris that sails through the air. Clutching the amulet to my chest, I cover my face and kick out at the creature. Another loud roar burst through the air, followed by Marael’s scream of outrage. “Do not let her go!”

Azazel and the monster both stop fighting as the world begins to fall into chaos around us. “What’s happening?” I yell out through the nearly deafening sound of the raging wind. The sky darkens, obscuring the horrifying landscape in a smoking fog of darkness. Blinking my eyes, I try to find Azazel, but I don’t see anything.

As soon as it started, the wind begins to wane. Chest heaving, I turn to see that Marael approaches a much older looking Sahara. Her body is ashy and sagging around her bones. She looks almost skeletal with her dark sunken eyes, stringy hair, and ashen face.

Her mouth is puckered; you can see that she’s missing teeth. “Give me my amulet!” She croaks out weakly as she points a threatening finger in Marael’s direction. I don’t think Marael has realized that I took the amulet. Marael’s lip quirks back into a sneer. “Look at you, Sahara. You are a disgusting mess! This world must not be agreeing with you.”

Sahara’s chest heaves and her hands into tight fists. “It’s because of you, you whore! We made a deal! I’d get the amulet in exchange for me charging your siphon. Now, I won’t ask you again, give me my amulet, or I will never let you out of this hellish world.”

Marael’s face tightens with fury. “You forget yourself, Sahara. I don’t need you anymore. I have my siphon...” She waves a hand in my direction with a knowing smirk. “…and I have the amulet. And from what I can see, your powers are weakening.” She gestures around the hellish world. “I don’t need you to leave hell. I just need to kill my siphon and unite this world with the human realm.” Without another word, she snaps her fingers, and the Aswang holding me straightens his stance. Like a puppet on a string, the creature turns and approaches Sahara.

But Sahara is not easily deterred. Her face set in a derisive scowl, she takes something out of her pocket and begins to chant. Off in the distance, a cry reverberates throughout the landscape. The hairs on my neck stand on end when the ground begins to shudder. But this time, it’s not whatever storm Sahara brought with her. This time a stampeding group of creatures shuffles towards us—and they look incensed. The creatures don’t look like anything I’ve seen before. These creatures have lizard-like heads and bodies like rhinos. Their mouths are open with long wide tongues and razor-sharp teeth. Seeing Sahara’s new recruits, Marael revives the fallen Aswangs and orders them to attack the approaching beasts. And the battle begins. Completely forgotten, we watch as Sahara and Marael lock into their own battle.

Azazel reaches for me and takes me into the protection of his arms. “Let’s go, luv!” He calls out as the creatures begin to claw and bite at each other. Before I can say another word, Azazel releases his wings and flies us out of the area. The air thickens as we glide across the sky. The sky is ashy and gray, like a cloud of smoke. We’re a few miles out, near the rock formation I climbed when I saved Bree and Lana, when Azazel loses energy, releases me as gently as he can on the ground and lands listlessly beside. “Azazel, what’s wrong?” I call out in alarm. Azazel’s face pales and tightens as he takes a few deep breaths. “It’s the air, luv. It has some kind of toxic gas. I had forgotten about the traps in hell. Lucifer made sure to poison the air to keep hell’s inhabitants grounded. He wants to be able to see his enemies coming, and air attacks are difficult to defend from. It’s a brilliant strategy but a bloody inconvenience for us now.”

I nod my head at his reasoning, but I can’t help but feel disappointed. “Damnit! That means that we can’t fly away if we wanted to.” Azazel sighs in resignation. “My main concern right now is figuring out how to get back to our world.” Looking around cautiously, I show Azazel the amulet. “I have the amulet.” Azazel shakes his head. “Bloody hell. How?” I shrug. “I ripped it from Marael’s neck while she was distracted.” Azazel takes the amulet in his hand and inspects it. “We don’t have the ritual or a way to get back home.” I think for a moment. “What if we destroy it here? It shouldn’t affect our world, right?” Azazel nods. “It shouldn’t, but we still don’t have a way to get home luv.” I think for a moment. There has to be some way for us to get home. Then a thought strikes me. “Maybe there’s something inside Sahara’s mountain lair.” I point to the rock and the cavernous entry. A loud howl in the distance makes us both pause with uneasiness. Who knows what’s going on between Marael and Sahara right now. And with the way those monsters appeared, I fear what will happen once they turn their attention back to us.

Distracting me from my grim thoughts, Azazel takes my hand and leads me to the rock. We both look up at the jagged mountainous landscape as we approach. “Is that the entrance?” Azazel points to the narrow opening of the cavern. I nod. “Yeah, that’s it, but we have to be careful there’s this moat below with some kind of blue lava.” Azazel’s head snaps back to mine with surprise. “What did you say?” I walk closer, step on top of a large boulder and gesture to the dark, ominous crevice below. Like before, the flowing liquid glides smoothly through the rocks. Azazel gazes down to get a better look and takes a step back. “That’s not lava. That’s angel fire.” He utters in astonishment.

“But how’s that possible? This is hell.” I ask incredulously. Azazel shrugs. “Perhaps Sahara found a way to transport it with a spell. It would make sense that she’d have a contingency plan in case Marael turned on her. Or maybe Lucifer placed it here. He was an angel, and angel fire can be used to kill demons and other supernatural creatures. Now that I recall, Lucifer used to have containers of it that he used to torture his victims with. How could I have forgotten that?” He utters in a contrite tone as he paces back and forth.

I look down at the raging viscous liquid with a sense of excitement. “It doesn’t matter how it got here. What if we purify the amulet with it? We can break the siphon bond and get out of here.” Azazel nods his head with relief. “We have to get down there.” I look over the steep drop. “How?” Azazel’s brows furrow in thought. “I can’t fly down there. The walls are too steep, and the air too dense. But there are niches on the wall that we can use to climb down. I can use those as holds—” I shake my head with incredulity. “No, that’s too dangerous. There are rooms inside the cavern, which means that there must be a way to get to the angel fire.” Azazel reluctantly agrees. “Very well, let’s go in there and find it before one of those crazed witches shows up.”

We both make our way cautiously across the jagged rocks until we reach the entrance. There are still creatures crawling around the stones, but none of them attack. However, it’s a little unnerving to hear the scuttling sound of their feet and shrill warbles. As cautiously as we can, we slowly make our way through the maze until we reach Sahara’s sanctuary. “Look around and see if you find anything that might hold the angel fire,” Azazel utters as he paces around the cavern and turns over stones. The area is empty, though. The only thing I find is the cell Sahara locked Bree and Lana in and the altar. “There’s nothing here.” I grit out in frustration.

Azazel shakes his head and approaches the stone altar, resting his hands on it and looking beneath it. “Bloody hell!” He yells out in defeat as he kicks out at the altar. The stone cracks and breaks beneath his fingers, sending fragments of rubble flying all over the place. That’s when I see it. Moving forward, I grip Azazel’s swinging arm and wave at a broken piece. “Look!” I call out as I approach the broken slab and push a few pieces aside. Azazel squats beside me and reaches for the book hidden inside the opening. The book is old and ripped, but there’s no doubt that it’s the answer to our conundrum. Azazel opens the cover and turns a few pages. His face brightens instantly. “It’s her spell book. There’s a spell here with a picture of the amulet. Look!” He mutters with excitement. Looking down at the page, I see a picture of the amulet, but the words are not in English. “It’s Demonish,” Azazel utters brightly. I shake my head in question. “Can you read it?” To my relief, Azazel nods. “My Demonish is rusty, but I can understand most of it.”

Azazel reads through the pages with a concentrated frown, then looks up at me. “This is the spell we need to reverse the siphon and get back home. We just need the angel fire and some of your blood.” Sighing with satisfaction, we both rise up and look around, but there’s no angel fire. “We need to get to the angel fire,” Azazel says as he takes the book and leads us back out of the cavern.

Unfortunately, we’re at a loss of where to go. Stopping at the cave’s door, I look around in hopes of finding a way out, but there are too many corridors to choose from. Azazel falls into step beside me and gazes around. “We need to find which one leads down. Did you see anything the last time you were here?” I shake my head. “No, last time I came, I used the creatures to find my way here—”

A gasp escapes my lips as I look around at the insect infected wall. “That’s it! I’ll use the insect creatures to find it.”

Azazel quirks a brow. “How?”

Stepping around him, I clear my throat and begin to hum. Everything goes instantly, still. The insects stop in their tracks, and the sounds of their squeals and scuffling limbs cease. Taking a deep breath, I project my thoughts as I continue to hum. “Bloody hell.” Azazel curses beneath his breath when he sees the creatures file together as they scurry to one of the caverns. Taking his hand, I lead him beside me as I follow the creatures into the opening. For the next hour, we make several turns and stumble a few times through the loose gravel until we reach what we’re searching for. My vision blurs with the heat, and my body begins to sheen with my sweat. The air is nearly stifling that my eyes begin to water. “We’re here.” Azazel rumbles out cautiously. I nod my head and clear my throat as the air becomes dense and smokey. Unlike the other cavern, this one is made up of some kind of crystal. The wall glows like a blue neon sign. It’s beautiful yet scary at the same time. Chest heaving, I move further into the room and stop when I hear the sound of water running. Azazel pats my arm and points to a spot in the back of the cavern. “It’s angel fire.” He says as he takes my hand and leads me closer to the area. That’s when I see the molten river of lava flowing through one side of the room. Covering my mouth, I kneel down before the crevice to take a closer look. “Don’t get too close, luv; angel fire is very dangerous.” I nod my head and rise back up to face him.

“So, how do we do this?” Azazel opens the book and reads through it. “After we say the words, we need to dip the amulet.” I gaze at the book and take the amulet in my hand. “Does it say anything else?” Azazel nods. “You have to put the amulet on and recant the spell again. According to the book, it will cleanse you of the siphon and transfer it back to the amulet.”

I nod my head and turn the amulet in my hand. “Okay, tell me what I need to say.” Azazel scrolls through the words, his lips moving silently, then looks back at me and chants. “Nazaewa ya impurity oth cleanse zes zaeuh!” Remove the impurity and cleanse my soul.

The amulet begins to glow the moment I say the words, and my body begins to vibrate. The amulet feels like it’s alive in my hand. Almost like I’m holding a beating heart. It’s seriously disconcerting. Taking the amulet by the chain, I let it slide down my hand and dip it into the angel fire. The water bubbles around the amulet and begins to glow with a blinding blue light. Blinking back, I lift the amulet up and run my gaze over it. The jewel in the middle is no longer red but a bright blue. Its light illuminates the room with its potent glow.

“Put it around your neck and repeat the words!” Azazel calls out. Taking the amulet, I’m about to put it around my neck when a force flings me across the room. My back slides across the floor, and my head slams hard against a nearby rock. Blinking to clear my waning vision, I watch as Marael takes the fallen amulet and stabs Azazel in the back with a large sword. “No!” I cry out as Azazel covers his wounded chest and slumps to the ground.

Marael’s lips twist into a sneer as she kicks Azazel’s head and approaches me. “You little whore! What did you do?” She squawks out furiously. I rub the back of my head and crawl back as she paces back and forth between Azazel and me. Her chest heaves as she chants a few words into the amulet. The glow of the amulet begins to wane and flicker. I didn’t finish the ritual, which means she can probably restore it to the way it was.

“Damnit!” She cries out when the amulet flickers. At first, she looks angry, but then her snicker returns. “It needs blood.” She utters, distracted. Heart pounding, I crawl to Azazel’s unconscious form and cover him with my body. I’m not going to let her hurt him. Marael scoffs at my move, then chuckles. “Silly girl, I don’t need his blood. Demon blood is useless. No, he will just have to bleed out the old-fashioned way. What I need is witch blood.” Body aching, I rise up, ready to protect myself. My ankle aches and my head is pounding, but I’m not giving up without a fight.

Marael’s face darkens as she takes a step back and calls out in an imperceptible language, and one of the Aswangs appears, holding something over its brawny shoulder. It’s Sahara’s body. From my vantage point, I can’t tell if she’s dead or not, but it looks like she’s on her last leg. I watch in horror as the Aswang lowers Sahara’s body, holding it by the back of the neck and hands it to Marael. Without a word, Marael raises her knife and cuts Sahara’s throat. Nausea gathers in my throat when blood gushes like a current down her throat, staining her clothes and floor. Marael is completely blasé about cutting her throat as she places the amulet against Sahara’s chest and coats the amulet with her blood. Once the blood touches the amulet, the color of the stone turns back to its crimson hue, and the blue glow disappears.

She looks so smug standing there with blood dripping down her hand as she tosses Sahara’s lifeless body to the floor like a bag of bones. Taking another step back, I watch warily as Marael slips the amulet around her neck and takes a few steps towards me, the Aswang following silently behind her. “For so long, you and that miserable demon have been a pain in my side. And let’s not forget that bastard, Mathias. I regret the day Lukan concocted his idiotic plan for me to marry him. I should have gone with my instinct and killed both of them. If I had, I would already be ruling hell on Earth.”

I shake my head in denial. “Why would you do this, Marael?” Marael jeers. “Why not? Who wouldn’t want unequivocal power? For so long, I was used and discarded by everyone, even my family. But now, I will rule, and everyone will bow down to me! And you’re going to help me do it.”

Mouth tight, I narrow my eyes. There’s no way to help, Marael. She’s completely mad for power. Looking down at Azazel’s still form, I come to a decision. I can’t let Marael destroy the world. “I’m not going to make this easy for you.”

Before she can respond, I begin to hum again. Like they did with Sahara, the insect creatures begin to attack Marael and the Aswang. However, unlike Sahara, Marael is not easily taken by surprise. Using her powers, she blasts a few of the insects and turns them into ash while the Aswang swats them away. Just then, Azazel stirs and rises to his feet. Holding his wound, he sways slightly, but he quickly recovers. “Azazel!” I call out when I see the Aswang swing his ax towards him. Thankfully, Azazel sees him, ducks out of the way, and lunges with his own sword.

Not waiting another moment, I rush towards Marael and kick her legs out from beneath her. She tries to shoot me with her power orb, but I duck away and slam my body against hers. We’re both grappling on the floor at this point. Marael reaches for her sword and aims it at my chest, but somehow I manage to avoid getting stabbed. I try several times to rip the amulet from her neck, but she’s fast. Azazel tries to reach me, but the creature continues its attack on him. Looking around desperately, I notice that we’re both near the edge of the angel fire’s slope. Taking a risk, I release Marael’s knife, twist to the side, and slide my knees beneath her stomach. The knife painfully cuts into my shoulder, but I don’t let it deter me from my objective. Using my other hand, I rip the amulet from around Marael’s neck and kick her in the stomach as hard as I can. Unprepared by my bold move, Marael’s body is flung back and slides across the floor. Without a thought, I pull the sword out of my shoulder, rise from the floor, and advance on her. Marael stands ready to strike. “Come on, you little bitch!” She cries out through clenched teeth. Before she can advance, I raise the sword and take aim. She parries my retreat and takes out her own knife.

Using her momentum, I let her rush me, but instead of rushing to her, I slide beneath her arms and roll to the edge of the angel fire’s edge. “Nazaewa ya impurity oth cleanse zes zaeuh!” I chant and dip the amulet into the water. Marael’s angry scream bellows behind me, but I ignore it as I lift the amulet and place it around my neck and chant the words again. Light bursts inside me, followed by unbearable heat. My body stiffens as the light glides through me and absorbs all of the siphon power from my body. Unable to move, I observe as Azazel cut’s down the Aswang and reaches for Marael before she gets to me.

Marael struggles to reach for me, but it’s too late. Chest heaving, I let the amulet absorb all of the corrupt power until the light dims, and my body is restored. “No!” Marael cries out. “No, you bitch! I will kill you!”

She’s like a wildcat, struggling within the confines of Azazel’s arms. “You ruined everything!” She growls. Azazel curses when she slams her head against his chin and claws at his hands. “Stop fighting, Marael. You’ve lost, and now you must face the Council!” Azazel retorts forcefully. Marael’s body deflates at his words. It’s as if all the energy has drained from her body. Her body heaves and shudders with sobs, and her body sags against Azazel’s. We both watch warily as she falls apart before us and becomes a blubbering mess. Azazel loosens his hold, watching her incoherently grumble as her body rocks back and forth on the floor.

Releasing a deep breath, I look at Azazel and say. “Are you okay?” Azazel nods and gestures to his healing wound. “I’m brilliant. Thankfully, she didn’t use a sacred sword, or I’d be dead.” Sighing in relief, I look down at Marael’s pathetic form. “We better find out where my mom is and go before anything else happens. Did you find a spell in the book to get us out of here?” Azazel nods. “Yes, I do.”

Giving him a slight nod, I squat in front of Marael and ask. “Where’s my mom. Marael?” Marael ignores me and keeps rocking in place. The witch is completely off her rocker. I need to know where my mom is before I leave this place. Taking a patient breath, I take a step back and ask again. “Where’s my mother, Marael? Tell me!” Marael responds in a sing-song voice. “Mommy’s gone. Mommy's gone.” Tears slide down my face as I consider the implication of her words. “Is my mom dead?” I ask, even though my heart quakes at the thought of what her answer might be.

Marael’s throws her head back and cackles. “Mommy's gone.” Azazel’s gentle voice cuts through my despair. “We need to go to Zoe. Let’s just take her to the Council. They’ll be able to get the truth out of her and find your mother.” At his words, Marael stops rocking and looks up at us. “No, no, I won’t go!” She cries out, fearful. Azazel reaches for her, but she ducks beneath his hands and takes off in my direction. Her eyes glow with an unholy light as she rushes towards me at a dead run. Before she can reach me, I step to the side. Unfortunately, she’s unable to stop her descent and plunges headlong into the angel fire. “No!” I cry out as I try to reach for her, but it’s too late. “Oh, god, no!”

Her body flounders for a moment, then bursts into blue flames and disappears. Chest heaving, I look at Azazel. “She’s dead. She’s dead, and she took my mom.” Azazel glances dispassionately towards where Marael fell and replies. “We’ll find your mother. I promise.” As soon as he says the words, the ground begins to tremble, and the stone walls begin to split. “What’s happening?” I shout over the deafening roar of the cavern’s loud rumble.

Azazel takes my hand and quickly ushers me out of the room, running out as the floor begins to give out beneath us. “The place must have been made with Marael and Sahara’s magic, and now that they’re gone, it’s falling apart. We need to get out of here before it falls down around us!”

Our steps heighten as the ground begins to thunder, and rocks barrage us from the ceiling. “We need to say the spell. Tell me what it is!” I yell out again. Azazel reaches into his pocket and takes out the book, rifling clumsily through it as he maneuvers around falling stone and marble. “Say the words, Qota uz mnaez whence la yoza, xoyt qae aeun laenhg!” Take us from whence we came back to our world. I repeat the words, holding tightly to the amulet as our bodies are jostled by the quaking ground. Once I say the words, the blue light bursts from the amulet, and we both disappear.