Chapter 155: The wall

Mildred

"You're not from around here, are you, little one?" a truly terrifying demon said to me.

I had been wandering, and this was bound to happen sooner or later. His face was disfigured and covered with scales. It seemed to be alone, but I still didn't know how to deal with; I had no idea how to defeat a demon. In retrospect, this plan wasn't foolproof.

"What are you?" he asked, coming closer. I backed away until I was pressed against the wall with the names.

"I'm just a soul in hell," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"No... I don't know what you are, but I would bet... you're alive," he said, coming closer.

"What would a living person be doing in hell?" I asked, and he narrowed his eyes.

"That's a good question indeed. Your scent is fantastic... you smell of hope and sunlight, though I've never seen the sun," he said, suddenly lost in thought.

"I'll just be on my way," I said, trying to walk past him, but suddenly the demon wrapped his scaly hand around my neck and pinned me against the wall. I felt it tighten its grip and choke me.

"A human... a delicious human," he said, pleased when he saw the mark on my neck.

"And a mate... of an Alpha," he said in surprise.

He lifted me by my neck as I kicked and struggled with all my might. I felt helpless, with no way to defend myself and no one to save me. For a moment I thought this was a terrible idea. I was losing air, choking, and tears were streaming down my face.

My Alpha was right, this was extremely dangerous, and I had no idea what I was getting into. It was clear that this wasn't going to be a solo walk and that I was going to meet the denizens of hell.

I longed to see him again, to kiss my mate, to have a life together, to return to River Ash, to have a little Alpha of our own.

And even though I was scared and desperate, I did perhaps the most human thing I could: I kept fighting, even when all seemed lost.

I put my hand on the creature's face, trying to push him away, and he seemed to shudder. Just by touching him, I had a vision of its past, years ago when it was human. I saw how he murdered and abused others, and how he ended up here after his death.

I saw centuries of torture and suffering in hell that turned him into a demon. Suddenly he released me and we both fell to the ground. I gasped for air and clutched my neck.

"What have you done to me?" the demon asked frantically.

I had seen his past, and though he enjoyed punishing others, he seemed to have forgotten that he had been punished as well.

"Where are the names of the demons known as the Whisperers?" I asked, standing up as best I could while the demon remained on the ground.

"Who?" he asked frantically.

"The ones banished from hell who ended up on earth. Tell me their names! Where are they?" I demanded and he shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

I put my hand on the demon's head again, and he began to scream. I saw his life in its own personal hell: dying over and over again, suffering and losing hope.

"Please, let me go!" he screamed, as if what I was doing was worse than what he had already endured in hell.

"Tell me!" I insisted, noticing that we were attracting too much attention and that other demons were approaching.

"There..." the demon pointed to a spot high on the wall, in a corner, where pieces seemed to have been chipped away.

Their names... yes, something inside me says that was correct.

"So you knew..." I murmur.

"Let me go!" he yells.

"Who is she? What is she doing here?" the other demons began to say as the first demon lay on the ground, crawling away from me with all his might.

"Catch her! Don't let her get away!" the other demon shouted.

I had no choice but to start climbing the great wall. I didn't know how to get out of here, and I certainly didn't want to leave empty-handed. So I kept climbing with all my strength.

All at once, they started throwing spears at me. The steel tips bounced off the wall, my hands shaking and my fingers aching as I tried not to look down. Pieces of stone fell as I found places to support my feet and hands.

I heard screams below and knew that more demons were coming. But I was close, there, just a few feet away, were the names. I reached out to read them.

I was so close, so close. Then suddenly my foot slipped, and I was left hanging. The demons below cheered my misstep.

"Fall here, little fly, into our net!" they taunted, and spears and stones fell near me, some of them hitting me.

I felt myself losing hope and felt an overwhelming fear. I sweated and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate and gather strength. Hell was here, but I had a place far away, a beautiful place.

River Ash, the mountains, the green grass, my mate on a horse, Duncan's laughter, the palace gardens, Luna Penelope and her advices, Ava's training... all these beautiful experiences that life had given me another chance at.

Everything changed, when that tall man with a long hair had walked into that bar and "bought" me.

I had thought it was an abuse, that he just wanted to own me. But it was the opposite, he asked for nothing in return, and he gave me everything. And whether I was hallucinating, having a vision, or just longing to see him, I could almost hear his voice in the distance.

I gathered my strength and kept climbing, even though my body seemed to be giving out.

"Get her! Intruder!" I heard screams and demons swarming below.

I keep going, and finally my fingertips touched the letters, the names of the demons. There they were, those letters were the key to defeating them.

Hello readers!

I hope you liked Mildred and Asher's story. We have a few more chapters to go, but we are close to the end.

Thanks for reading!

Kika