Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
BIANCA
T he gates to the underworld are infamous, but they aren’t a tourist attraction. People don’t simply visit the location, and this is the only reason I don’t know where the gates are. Brandon looks puzzled when I share my lack of knowledge. I’ve lived in Fierno my whole life, yet the one time I’m needed as a tour guide, I’m utterly useless. To be fair, not once have I wanted to see them.
“No clue?” He asks again like I would magically remember.
I scratch my head, feeling like I’m disappointing him. “Let us start at the center. I’ve seen Gabriel there.” The Center is a block in the middle of Fierno. Locals commonly used it as a meeting point or trade location.
Thankfully, seeing Gabriel already waiting in The Center is a relief. He’s sitting on the edge of the large center fountain. The fountain is dry, as always. A young woman moves away from Gabriel as we approach. There are no lights near the fountain, so we cannot see her face until we reach them.
“Lee Ann?” I ask, looking at the sweet smile of the doctor who cared for Matias and me numerous times .
“Bianca!” Lee Ann closes the distance between us and hugs me. “It’s so good to see you.” She holds my shoulders with her arms stretched out. Her eyes look me up and down, examining me for injuries. “All looks good.”
“All feels good,” I confirm.
“Matias?”
I gulp and look down at my feet. “He will be.”
“Where have you two been?” Gabriel’s impatient scowl breaks the tension. “I’ve been here since the morning.”
“I said in three days. I never said when on the third day.” Brandon steps forward with a dismissive strut. He’s still not over having to wait hours inside a jail cell. “Well, we’re here. Lead the way.” The request comes out more like a demand and is condescending.
Gabriel’s eyes narrow on the prince, like he is already thinking of ways of getting rid of him. I can tell by the way Gabriel’s arms cross, he’s not taking it.
Lee Ann looks between Brandon and Gabriel with concern. “I can lead the way,” she offers. She doesn’t wait for the men to respond, and neither do I. I rush after her, happy to leave the tension behind.
The building stands alone among the vacant lots near The Center. The exterior is worn-out and fortified with boarded-up windows, with the exception of the door. A pristine white door with no scratches.
Gabriel is the first to turn the knob and walk inside. Crossing the threshold feels like we have been transported to another location. White floor, walls, and ceiling are so shiny we can see our reflection on them. A young girl with green hair sits behind the front desk. She looks up as we walk in, but her bored expression stays.
“What is this place?” I ask no one in particular .
“It looks very different from before,” Lee Ann says.
Gabriel looks at her and nods in agreement.
“It’s a place to disguise the gates so people won’t accidentally stumble upon them,” Brandon guesses.
Lee Ann nods. “It was once a church. After people kept coming seeking salvation, they turned it into something else. The last time I was here, it was a DMV.” At my questioning expression, she explains, “Department of Motor Vehicles.”
I scratch my head. “Of course, I knew that.”
“Of course you did.” Gabriel clears his throat.
The young girl stands and leans over the desk, looking closer at us. “Welcome to the Human Resources office. Being non-human disqualifies you from accessing any resources. You only have access to the complaint boxes.”
We turn in the direction she gestures to. Five large buckets stand by the wall under silver-plated signs with the names Angel, Demon, Magic, Human, and Staff. The buckets under the signs resemble tall metal trash bins. They line each bucket with a clear plastic bag.
“The complaints will go directly to the Board of Trustees for better service.” We can all tell she doesn’t really believe that. “Take a piece of white paper. Write your complaint and drop it in the bucket of your choice.”
“Are those trash cans under the signs?” Brandon asks.
“The resemblance is purely coincidence,” the girl states with a straight face.
“I don’t believe that,” Brandon huffs under his breath.
“Why is the staff box so much fuller than the rest?” I ask. “Do you have many coworkers?”
“Nope. Just me.” Done talking to us, she sits back down.
“You fill those out yourself, don’t you?” Brandon points out. She looks up at his remark but doesn’t answer him .
Gabriel walks to the wall and takes a piece of white paper. He jots something and turns toward the young girl. Her eyes widen as he looms over her.
“This isn’t a complaint. It’s a compliment,” he tells her.
“Compliment?” She looks scandalized.
“Yup. Where do I put it?” He asks her, but his tone says he already knows the answer to that.
“For who?” Her words tremble.
“General Mel.”
She looks back at the group like she sees us for the first time. Without saying a word, she points toward a hallway to the left. We follow the hall until we reach the first right. The room is dark, but the small glow of light at the back of the room is all we have been looking for.
Large, dark mental gates stand before a dark glow illuminating the room. The floor is covered in moss. Plants and vines are growing off the sides of the other walls. On the wall with the gates, there is only a large red button in the open space. It looks ridiculously out of place.
Gabriel doesn’t hesitate to walk straight up to the front of the gates. Brandon joins me as we slowly follow him, leaving Lee Ann lingering at the doorway. We stand side by side, facing the gates. I try to look past them, but there is nothing to see except stairs heading down. Fog covers the upper side of the space, blocking anything out of sight.
“So what, we yell or bang on the gate?” I ask.
Gabriel gives me a confused look while Brandon laughs into his hand.
“We ring the bell.” Gabriel gestures to the very noticeable red doorbell on the left side of the gate. “Do they not teach manners in Puerto Quinn?”
Now that I’m closer, I can see that the red button is a doorbell. Of course, I saw it. It's hard to miss, I just thought it was a joke. Gabriel moves to press the bell. A growl echoes on the other side of the gates. I jump back at the noise. Even their door rings are terrifying. Nothing happens briefly, but Gabriel doesn’t look impatient anymore.
A small creature climbs up the stairs slowly until he gets to the front of the gates. He recognizes Gabriel instantly. He grunts in his direction, and it sounds like a greeting of some kind.
“Give this to my brother, Leo. Please hurry. It’s urgent.”
The creature looks down at the folded piece of paper Gabriel passes through the gates. He takes the end of the paper from his side of the gate and pockets it in his pants. It doesn’t spare the rest of us a glance before it turns. Bat wings spread from its back at the exact same moment it jumps down, instantly disappearing out of sight.
“There’s a room next door where we can talk to him privately.” Gabriel points back at the hall.
Lee Ann is still standing there with her gaze fixed on the gates. Her eyes look watery, and her face fear struck. Before anyone can ask her if she is okay, she mumbles something about having to be somewhere and excuses herself. She almost trips on her own feet in her rush out.
“What is that about?” I ask Gabriel.
He looks at Lee Ann’s abrupt departure with compassionate eyes. “We first met before any of this.” His eyes look sad as he recalls. “We died in the same fire. All of us did. Then, we ended up here. Part of my curse, as you call it, keeps my memory intact, including the memory of my life before. She doesn’t have that.”
“It must suck, not knowing,” Brandon says in sympathy.
“Lee Ann is an angel,” I whisper, realizing the implications.
A part of me always knew someone like her had to be. What makes little sense is why would an angel choose to live in Fierno? I don’t have to ask Gabriel anything; he sees the questions in my eyes.
“The mind can forget, but the soul never does.”
The cryptic answer doesn’t satisfy my curiosity, but there isn’t time to dwell right now. We follow Gabriel to a small sitting room in the next hall. One table with several chairs stands alone in the open space.
“I grew up in Fierno, actually,” I say to break the silence.
Gabriel’s brows rise in surprise at the information. It burns just a bit that I recall every time I cross paths with this man, but he doesn’t even remember seeing me before. I shake the thought away. It’s not important anymore.
“Aren’t you concerned someone will tell whoever put this curse on you that you have come looking for your brother?”
Gabriel eyes me curiously before responding, “The curse, as you call it, was done by God. He calls it a gift.”
I can’t fathom how anyone could consider it a gift. Keeping your memory sounds like a plus, but is it worth it? Since I haven’t met his brother, I may change my mind later on.
“God gave you a choice?” Brandon asks.
Gabriel nods. “During my death, I saved many lives, and so did Mel, but not enough to change his fate. God asked me if I wanted to go to heaven and join him and his legion. I told him I wanted to go wherever my brother went. We’d been apart for far too long.”
“You asked to drop?” My mouth is dry in disbelief. “God didn’t let you. Instead, he gave you this gift?”
“You call it a gift. I call it a leash,” a deep throaty voice says behind us. I jump to my feet, and Brandon steps even closer into my space. “A leash to keep him in line in exchange for a day.”
In the doorway stands Demon General Mel. He looks even more dangerous and imposing than the stories tell. Nearing seven feet tall, the demon takes the flesh of a seriously large man. His eyes are an unnatural golden brown, the same shade as Gabriel’s. On him, they look baleful. Other than that, I could see no family resemblance.
Mel’s frame is slimmer yet strong. His inky black hair is short and styled fashionably. His bronzed skin is covered in tattoos from his neck to every finger on his hands.
Gabriel stands with us. Looking at the doorway, he asks, “Is he here?”
Mel looks around the room, searching for something. His eyes pass through the spot where Gabriel is standing, but don’t seem to detect anything standing there.
“You really can’t see him,” I say, more to myself than them.
“You might want to prove this gift of yours works. My brother is not a patient man,” Gabriel warns.
“Bianca.” Brandon’s hand closes on my upper arm with urgency.
I’m glad I’m not the only one being unnerved by the demon before us. When Mel’s eyes narrow back to me, I close my eyes and activate my gift.
“Gabriel.” Mel’s voice is a whisper. I open my eyes to find both brothers embracing each other. “How is this possible?”
“The little girl has a gift.” Gabriel is quick to explain.
Mel’s eyes turn back to me, and their slow perusal of me gives me goosebumps. “A gift indeed.” The slow way the words are said makes me nearly shiver.
In Mel’s eyes, I’ve become a tool. I fight the urge to cower and run. I know when a predator thinks I’m prey. My survival urge is screaming at me to seek refuge. I still my spine and square my shoulders. The last thing I need is to show any weakness.
Brandon takes a step in front of me, covering Mel from my sight. “Drop it. ”
His command is so quiet I almost don’t hear it. I do it. To us, nothing changes, but Mel and Gabriel quickly notice they can no longer see their sibling in the room.
“Perhaps I should be the one to explain,” Gabriel offers.
Brandon shakes his head. “I don’t need anyone to speak for me or my people.”
Mel takes in Brandon like this is the first time he notices him in the room. The thought is absurd. Mel might be an incredibly powerful creature, but if he has a predator, it’s Brandon. This is probably a mental game for Mel. Someone as powerful and crazy as him lives to play games. Immortal creatures tend to be that way. Something about never running out of time.
“Brandon Oscuro. Royal-something to some forsaken realm on the other side of the world. What is this about?”
The question comes out with a tint of boredom. If I hadn’t seen how he embraced his brother, I would question if this deal would mean anything to him.
“As you can see, my partner, Bianca, has a very special gift. It allows you to see your brother. We would like to offer you a day in exchange for two souls.”
The sinister laughter coming from the demon is chilling to the bone. Mel moves to take the seat Gabriel once occupied. He leans back and crosses his arms behind his head. “You think a day with Gabriel is worth two souls?” His laughter is louder, yet hollow. “What do you even want two souls for?”
“I need you to agree before we go into more detail.”
“Ten visits. One per year. Six months after the winter solstice.”
“No.” The word is definite. It leaves no room for questions.
“What stops me from simply taking the little witch?”
Brandon takes a step closer to the demon. “I will hunt you to the ends of the underworld. ”
“Is he baiting you?” Gabriel asks. “Do not let him get under your skin.”
“All this for a little witch?” Mel crocks his head to the side.
“Bianca isn’t only a little witch,” Brandon says between clenched teeth. His stand is relaxed, but his voice is anything but.
“Your partner, you said,” Mel repeats the word like it tastes sour in his mouth. His eyes finally turn to me. “Future queen of Puerto Quinn. Name your price.”
“I already told you the price.”
Mel raises a brow at Brandon but doesn’t address him. “I was talking to Bianca Blanco. A woman with her own mind and voice.” He gives me a once-over with his eyes. “Does this man own your powers and will?”
“No.” I stand tall. “I am my own master.”
“Since you are the only one who negotiates services provided by your gift. Name your price.” Each word drops like a stone.
I don’t ask how he knows my full name. Mel is powerful enough to know a lot of things. Finding out who I am is no hardship. I also don’t correct him when he calls me the future queen, because having Mel think I’m far more important than I am is smart.
I tell myself to take a deep breath and speak calmly. “One visit per soul. Let’s be honest. They don’t mean as much to you as your brother does. Any additional visits after the two will come at the price of a favor.”
Mel’s smile is slow to come. The sight is breathtakingly beautiful, yet scary. Unnatural to witness. He likes the fact that future visits are an option. It leaves room for hope.
In a blink of an eye, he closes the distance between us. His hand stretches toward me to shake. “Two visits for two souls and any future visits will come with a favor in return. ”
Before my hand claps to his, I look over his shoulder at Brandon. The firm set of his mouth tells me he doesn’t like how close Mel is to me. I wait for his eyes to meet mine. With a small nod, he tells me to proceed if I wish.
I turn back to Mel and meet his golden-brown gaze. “You have a deal, demon.”