Chapter Nine
Dobby? Jedda revised her opinion about Razr.
He was clearly broken.
Also? Sheoul-gra was super creepy.
Jedda had spent most of her life in the human realm, with
occasional jaunts to the elven and demon realms, but
the Grim Reaper’s home was, by far, the most unsettling place she’d been. Razr
had explained it as being a holding tank for the souls of dead demons and evil
humans, but apparently there were two distinct sections. One was for the living,
and the other, known as the Inner Sanctum, was where the souls were kept,
presided over by a fallen angel named Hades, but not until Azagoth
checked out every one of them.
At first glance upon materializing on the arrival pad,
everything seemed relatively normal. A green, grassy landscape stretched
forever, broken by a forest in the distance. Ancient Greek-style buildings
formed a small city dotted by fountains and sculptures, all lending a peaceful
vibe.
But once inside the largest of the buildings, things got
bizarre, weird, and a little scary. From the room filled with tortured, twisted
statues to the zany little demon things Razr called griminions,
Azagoth’s home left her wanting only to go back to her
home.
“Why is it that I can see the griminions
down here but not in the human realm?” she asked as one of them skittered past,
chattering in some language that reminded her of the squirrels that scolded her
every morning on the walk to work.
“It’s probably because you’re an elf. Humans can’t usually
see them, either.”
“Oh, now you believe me?”
He cast her a sideways glance as
they started down a shadowy hallway. “It’s actually starting to make sense.”
“Hmph.” She poked him in the ribs. “I told you so.”
“Don’t get cocky, Keebler,” he warned her, but his tone was
teasing and his made-for-sin mouth was quirked in mischief. “You still haven’t
proved it.”
Stubborn male. “Don’t worry, I will.” A dark, intense buzz
vibrated through her, coming from a room ahead. When Razr stopped in front of
it, she eyed the iron doors with curiosity. “What’s in here?”
“A bunch of shit Azagoth has
collected from people who owe him.” Razr waved to a big guy with a blue Mohawk
at the far end of the hall. “Or people he blackmailed. I don’t know. In any
case, it’s a museum of rare and valuable crap.”
She couldn’t tell if he was kidding about the blackmail, but
she didn’t really care. She’d shoved a precious gem up a dude’s ass. Who was
she to judge?
“Like enchanted stones?” She bounced on her toes in
excitement.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “Want to see?”
“Did you really have to ask?”
The hard clack of booted feet echoed through the hallway as
Razr went to open the door.
“Hey, Razr, hold up.” The Mohawked guy was walking toward
them, shirtless, his color-shifting pants making Jedda dizzy. A statuesque
female, her shiny mink-brown hair piled in a knot on top of her head, walked a
step ahead of him with the authority of a queen. She was a bright light in the
gloom that surrounded them, her flirty yellow sundress flapping around her
knees, her matching flip-flops snapping against her heels.
“What’s up?” Razr asked.
“Azagoth wants to see you in the
library. Lilliana will take care of your female.”
“I’m not his female,” Jedda said, hoping she didn’t sound as
flustered as she felt. “We’re...business partners.” She held out her hand. “I’m
Jedda Brighton.”
Mohawk stared at her hand. The female tsked at him
and took Jedda’s palm in hers. “I’m Lilliana. Azagoth
is my husband.” She jacked her thumb at the Mowawked
guy. “That’s Hades. He sometimes forgets basic manners.”
“Don’t need ’em where I live.”
Razr snorted. “Don’t believe him. His mate keeps him in
line.”
“Pfft.” Hades waved his hand in dismissal. “She knows who
rules the roost.”
Lilliana laughed. “Cat does.”
Hades’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah.” Suddenly, he grinned and
waggled his brows. “But she has sex with me, so it’s all good.”
If anyone had told Jedda she’d ever be standing in front of the
Hades, she’d have given them the same colorectal procedure she’d performed on
Tom the Walking Whisky Dick. The thought made her realize she could use a
drink, and she really wasn’t even a fan of alcohol.
“Come on, asshole.” Hades clapped Razr on the shoulder and
started him down the hall, leaving her alone with a complete
stranger. In a strange place. Full of strange things.
She was going to start poofing
diamond dust at any moment.
“Don’t worry, Jedda,” Razr called back from over his
shoulder. His gaze bored into her, assuring her with a
look that he meant what he was saying. “You’re safe here. I promise.”
Was it crazy that she believed him? Someone she’d just met? Probably, but she’d never encountered anyone whose
energy synced so well with hers. It was as if he was somehow reaching inside
her and grasping her life-stone’s essence, streaming directly from the Enoch
diamond. Was this what love felt like? Was she as crazy to think that as she
was to believe in him?
“Would you like a tour?” Lilliana asked, thankfully
interrupting Jedda’s insane thoughts. “The boys could be a while. Razr will
find us when he’s done.”
Jedda agreed, not having anything else to do. Besides, she
was curious. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she might even
discover some new gemstones in the material that made up this mysterious realm.
The tour proved to be fascinating. She and Lilliana walked
through forests full of animals from the human realm, and they watched dozens
of Memitim angels spar and play team sports.
Apparently, the team sports were Razr’s idea to
develop their teamwork skills. Lilliana said there’d been a lot of complaining
and even fights at first, but now the Memitim––who
were, unbelievably, all Azagoth’s children––were
getting along better.
As they walked, Jedda bathed in the vibe of the place, a
low-level energy she couldn’t describe, but she was pretty sure she knew the
source. Realms such as this, including her own elven
realm, were constructed with rare, specialized gems purported to be leftover
bits from the universe’s creation. She’d never seen one of the interdimensional
crystals, and she wasn’t sure we wanted to. According to legend, their power
could flash millions of people out of existence or open rifts into other
dimensions.
So Jedda didn’t get to see an interdimensional crystal on
the tour, but she did get to meet a few Unfallen angels. Apparently, Unfallen
angels were neither good nor evil, having been kicked out of Heaven but without
having entered Sheoul-proper. Doing so would complete
their fall, turning them into True Fallen angels with no hope of redemption.
Razr claimed to not be one of them, so he must be Unfallen. But that didn’t
seem right, either, because Lilliana said life was dangerous for Unfallen. They
didn’t possess the powers of either angels or fallen angels, so many sought the
sanctuary of Azagoth’s realm to stay safe and rarely
left. Razr seemed to have no problem leaving or facing off with powerful demons
and fallen angels like Shrike, so what was up with that?
Jedda pondered everything she’d just learned as she and
Lilliana walked back to the main building.
“You okay?” Lilliana asked,
stepping behind Jedda to usher her through the front doors.
“I’m just thinking about the choice Unfallen must make.
Exist without powers on the off chance you might get back into Heaven, or become a True Fallen and get massive powers…but
become evil. I wouldn’t want to face that choice.”
Lilliana nodded. “I admire the Unfallen for their choices,
but realistically, they’ll never earn their way back to Heaven. Only a handful
ever have.”
Jedda felt her ears droop. “That’s so sad.”
“Well,” Lilliana said wryly, “Heaven isn’t all it’s cracked
up to be.”
Jedda thought about Becky, one of her dedicated church-going
employees. “I know a few humans who would be very upset to hear that.”
Lilliana laughed. “Humans have it pretty good in Heaven. For
angels…it’s all work and politics.” She turned down a narrow hallway. “You
hungry? I had Suzanne put out some tea and scones.”
As if on cue, Jedda’s stomach rumbled. “My favorite.”
Lilliana led her to a small but elegant dining room, where a
table with the promised refreshments had been set out. A tall brunette female
wearing jeans and a skimpy black tank top entered from an arched doorway
carrying a tray of finger sandwiches.
“It’s all ready,” the female said as she placed the tray on
the table. “I know you didn’t ask for the sandwiches, but I like making them.”
“Suzanne likes cutting food into tinier food,” Lilliana
explained, a note of affection in her voice. “When it’s her week of kitchen
duty, everything we eat is miniature.”
Suzanne jammed a fist on her hip. “If it’s bite size––”
“It’s the right size,” Lilliana finished with a teasing roll
of her eyes.
“Very funny,” Suzanne muttered. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m
going to go check on my human.”
Jedda took a seat. “Her human?”
Lilliana poured tea into two delicate, gold-rimmed teacups
shaped like human skulls. Sheoul-gra was the
strangest, most disconcerting mix of normal and horrifying.
“Remember when I said Memitim are
charged with guarding humans called Primori?” Lilliana
asked.
Jedda nodded, recalling Lilliana saying that Primori were humans, and sometimes demons, who were in some
way important to the fabric of existence.
“Well,” Lillana continued,
“Suzanne just got her first Primori. We’re very
proud.”
Grinning, Suzanne held out her wrist, revealing a small,
round mark. “This is an heraldi. It
represents his life. If it burns, he’s in trouble. He’s fine right now, but I
should still check on him.”
Lilliana leaned close to Jedda and said in a conspiratorial
whisper, “Suzanne has a crush.”
“I do not.” Suzanne’s cheeks flamed hot, betraying her. “But
he is to die for. He just needs to dump the necrocrotch
skank he’s with.”
Lilliana’s smile faltered a little. “Don’t get involved,