“Obviously.” Armageddon chuckles evilly. “I’ve been in the tower at the Walls of Hell. You killed an enchanted double. Convincing, eh?”
“Actually, it wasn’t your best. I thought something seemed a little off.” I twist in my chair, trying to pull loose the bindings around me. They only bite more deeply into my skin.
Time for Plan B.
Squeezing my eyes shut tight, I try to conjure igni again. Can’t.
Armageddon watches my failure with amused interest. “You don’t think I’d be stupid enough to leave you with the power over igni?” He taps the bindings on my arm with his long finger. “See those bands tying you to your new home? I had them enchanted just for your sweet Scala self. No igni will come to your call unless I approve the summons.”
Hearing Armageddon’s voice, Lincoln shakes his head and looks around. He quickly gains his bearings and meets my gaze. Without words, our eyes say the same thing.
This is not good.
“And our noble King has awakened as well,” sneers Armageddon.
“Eat death,” snaps Lincoln.
“Such brave words.” Armageddon kicks a charred bit of Onyx down the stairs. “Especially considering that you just burnt Mumsy to a crisp.”
Like he gave a crap about his mother. He killed her, became a greater demon and then enchanted her corpse. What a sick move.
“What do you want, Armageddon?” I ask.
The King of Hell sighs dramatically. “Must we start every conversation this way? I should have thought my goals more than obvious by this point. Maxon Bane was neither handsome nor particularly intelligent. As a son, he was an utter failure. But he was also the Great Scala, so that feeble-minded thrax held my unwavering interest for one thousand years. After that, we have Lady Adair, a boring and easily manipulated nit-wit who had but one redeeming quality. Can you guess what that was? She’d gone halfway through the initiation ceremony to become—ah, whatever could it be?—oh, that’s right, the Great Scala. And now I have you, a slow-minded lust bucket with a bad attitude. The only reason I’m interested in you is that I wish you to do my bidding. Whoever controls the Great Scala, controls the after-realms.”
His words slowly seep through my head. I’m trapped. Sure, I knew getting captured was a risk on this mission, but I had death potion in my backpack and a son to rescue. Imprisonment by Armageddon wasn’t even on my radar screen. My stomach sinks.
We were close, so close.
Armageddon exhales a dramatic sigh. “Admittedly, I would’ve preferred to capture you along with Xavier as part of a greater attack on Hell. War does bring out the worst in people, which is good for business. Still, you’re here in the end. That’s what counts.” Demonic fire glows in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to destroy your family for ages.”
I glare at him for all I’m worth; it’s really my only weapon at this point.
Armageddon makes a tsk-tsk noise. “Now, you’re making surly faces at me.” He strolls over to Maxon’s prison-box, pausing before it. My breath catches with fear.
“I’m glaring at you because I know something you don’t.” My only shot right now is to play the Nefer card and hope like hell that she’ll show up. “You and your guards are about to be massacred.”
“Nice try.” Armageddon snaps his fingers. “Bring them in.”
Along the back wall, the tall wooden doors slowly swing open, revealing a dozen more Leech Guards. The demons’ long arms link together like a sling to carry two metal prison boxes. Unlike Maxon’s, these two containers have thin steel bars so I can see who’s imprisoned inside.
It takes everything I have not to scream.
The first prison box holds Nefer, while the second contains Kiya. Both are awake and alive, but sad-eyed and silent. A pang of shock and agony thrums through me. They didn’t make it. Armageddon caught them.
The King of Hell waves his long gangly arm. “Bring them this way.” He turns to me, stopping when his face is inches away from mine. “You’re going to love this bit.”
“So you captured them. That was a dumb thing to do.”
Anubis will find a way to save Nefer. He won’t let her fall to the torture pits.
Armageddon’s mouth winds into a too-wide smile. He chomps his teeth right before my nose. “How I’m going to enjoy this.” Spinning around, the King of Hell watches as the Leech Guards carry the prison boxes across the floor, setting them down at the base of the stairs. The Guards then line up to one side, revealing the figure that had been walking in their wake.
It’s Anubis.
Unholy Hell. This can’t get any worse.
Armageddon twiddles his fingers at Anubis. “Greetings, Gatekeeper.”
Anubis leans back. A series of crackling-sounds fill the air as his head changes into its jackal form. “Don’t push me,” he growls. “Or I’ll change my mind on our agreement.”
“A thousand pardons, Gatekeeper.” Armageddon steeples his long fingers under his chin. “Now, tell the Great Scala about our deal.”