After we eat, Malcolm and I take Lucas and the dogs outside to play in the courtyard. Lucas and I build a snowman while Malcolm plays fetch with Luna. I can"t help but smile at the sight of Malcolm playing with my little h.e.l.lhound pup. Who would have thought such a miracle could happen? Considering Malcolm"s track record with Luna"s species, it was odd to watch him play with her like a person would any pet they cared about.
It had been a little over a month since Lucifer gave her to me, and in that time, she had become an integral part of our lives, especially for Lucas. Where you saw one, you saw the other. They were practically inseparable. I wasn"t sure if Luna"s sweet temperament was due to nature or nurture though. Lucifer did tell me h.e.l.lhounds started out like all living creatures, innocent to the world. I had to believe the love Lucas lavished on her, and the strict code of behavior Vala imposed daily was helping to shape her personality.
When Jered finds us that afternoon, I know playtime is over. There"s work to be done that only I can do.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Malcolm asks.
I shake my head. "No. If I need to be invisible, I sincerely doubt there will be anywhere to hide someone as large as you. I"ll be fine. He"s no match for me. You know that."
I neglect to tell Malcolm I intend to confront Belphagor about his double cross after I dispose of Botis. I don"t want him to worry about me any more than he already is.
"Don"t underestimate him," Malcolm warns. "He"s an expert swordsman. And he has the ability to switch bodies almost instantaneously."
"What do you mean? He can transfer his soul to anyone at any time? Is that a special ability?"
"Most of the time it takes them a while to recover from forcing a soul out of its body. Botis has always been able to jump bodies at will. It"s why he was able to a.s.sume Emperor Rui"s form right after he left Horatio"s body."
"Will he try to take my body?"
"You would be able to kill him before he could even try."
"Then we have nothing to worry about," I tell Malcolm, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. "I"ll be home before dinner."
"You make it sound like you"re going off to work," Malcolm says, looking like he finds it odd that I would take this particular battle so lightly.
"I am in a way," I tell him. "This is my job. It"s what I was made to do. I"ll be fine, Malcolm. You don"t have to worry about me."
"And it"s my job to do just that," he tells me. "Just be careful, Anna."
"I"ll be back soon," I tell him, leaning up and kissing him before I join Jered.
"Just let me get my sword," I tell Jered, phasing to a now empty kitchen to retrieve my sword from beside my chair.
I quickly return to Jered"s side.
"Make yourself invisible," Jered tells me. "Then I"ll phase you to where you need to go."
I wish myself to disappear from sight and take hold of one of Jered"s arms since he can"t see where I am anymore.
Jered phases us into a large room made completely out of gla.s.s. A recessed pool of steaming clear water sits in the center of the room. The room seems to be situated at the top of the castle in Cirro, which is a modernized take on an ancient Chinese palace called the Forbidden City. White clouds can easily be seen outside the gla.s.s walls of the room, effectively shielding the occupants from prying eyes.
"As soon as Botis is settled in the bath for his daily soak," Jered tells me, "Belphagor will get the guards out. After that, you"re welcome to pick a fight with him."
"Ok, Jered."
"Anna," Jered says, a tinge of worry in his voice, "be careful."
"I will be. You and Malcolm worry too much about me when you really don"t need to."
"We worry for good reason," he says. Jered hesitates like he wants to ask me something. Curiosity seems to get the best of him. "Have you noticed anything different about yourself after absorbing Belphagor"s seal? Any anger issues?"
I find it curious that Jered should ask such a question just then. My anger at Belphagor for deceiving me is slowly eating away at what little patience I have left.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because Belphagor"s seal was torment. It makes sense you might feel some of each emotion or purpose the seals serve. Don"t let your anger get the best of you in this fight. It"s a sure way to lose focus."
"I"ve got it under control, Jered."
"All right," he says, not sounding the least bit convinced. "I"ll go back to New Orleans and wait there for your return."
Jered phases and I simply stand and wait for Botis to show up. Thankfully, I"m not left twiddling my thumbs for very long. Botis swaggers in, looking rather arrogant about his own importance with six armed guards flanking him on either side. As they enter the room, three of the guards split off to line the right wall while the other three line the left. Botis, now hiding within the imposing figure of Emperor Rui, casts off his red silk robe and steps into the steaming pool of water. I hear him sigh in delight as the water envelops him. He closes his eyes and smiles as he begins to luxuriate in his bath.
I see Belphagor quietly teleport into the room. In his disguise as Empress Zhin, Belphagor is wearing a transparent robe that leaves little for the imagination to conjure. With a seductive smile, Belphagor lifts a hand, which acts as a signal to the guards. They immediately transport out of the room to leave their empress alone with her husband.
After the guards leave, I wish myself visible again. Belphagor sees me instantly and waves a hand towards Botis as if offering him up for the slaughter to come. I don"t give away my anger at Belphagor. I plan to unleash the full force of my wrath on him later. Right now, Botis needs to pay for what he did to Horatio Ravensdale.
I pull my sword from its sheath on my back, instantly igniting its flames.
Botis opens his eyes and sees me standing on the other side of the pool from him.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come after me," he says, not looking in the least bit startled by my presence. "I"m surprised you left me alive for this long."
"I was waiting for the right time," I tell him. "But I"m willing to give you a fighting chance. I won"t just a.s.sa.s.sinate you, even though that"s what you deserve."
"Well," Botis says, standing from the water completely naked, "isn"t that sporting of you."
He steps out of the pool and puts his silky red robe back on. Botis looks over at Belphagor who is all smiles, looking quite pleased with himself.
"I suppose this was your idea," Botis says knowingly.
"It"s time for you to get out of my hair, Botis. Lucifer wouldn"t do anything to get rid of you, but his daughter is more than capable of doing what he refused to."
Belphagor"s choice of words bothers me. They make me sound like I"m more cold hearted than Lucifer, which doesn"t sit well with me given his past deeds.
Botis conjures up his large glowing blue broadsword, holding it in his left hand.
"I won"t be as easy to kill as you might think," he tells me arrogantly. "I"ve had eons to practice wielding my sword. What have you had, a few measly years?"
"Skill makes you more proficient," I tell him. "Not time."
Botis raises his sword and charges me. I presume he hoped to catch me off guard, mistaking me for some amateur. I easily dodge his thrust and swing the edge of my sword across his back as he pa.s.ses me, slicing it open from one shoulder blade to the other.
Botis turns around wincing.
"You got lucky," he says, wounded physically and trying to salvage what"s left of his pride.
"And you were overconfident," I reply. "That was a dim-witted move."
Apparently, my words do nothing but anger Botis further because he comes at me with a vengeance. I have to admit that he"s stronger than I would have given him credit for, but not formidable enough to simply use his strength to force me into submission. After a while, I finally back him into a corner, and he quickly realizes he doesn"t have a chance of defeating me.
"I yield!" he says, throwing his sword to the floor.
"There is no yielding in this fight!" I yell at him. "Pick up your sword and die with at least a little bit of dignity."
"No," Botis says, looking confident that I won"t kill an unarmed man. "If I pick it up, you"ll just kill me. I don"t believe you"re a cold-blooded murderer. You"re not simply going to stab me through the heart when I"m defenseless."
"It would be a justified execution," I tell him. "You killed Horatio Ravensdale and Emperor Rui. I made a promise to Horatio"s widow that I would exact vengeance in her name and make you pay for killing her husband."
"Then do it," Botis taunts, lifting his arms to either side of him and raising his chin to bare his neck to my sword. "Kill me and be done with it."
I stare at his throat, knowing I could end his life with one swing of my sword. But in doing so, I would be committing murder.
I lower my blade a notch in dismay. Botis begins to laugh.
"Who would have thought the daughter of Lucifer would have a conscience? Too bad really, you could have ended this once and for all. Now you"ll just have to wonder whose body I"ll inhabit next."
His words sound like a warning and visions of him harming someone I love flit through my mind. The faces of Millie and Lucas being the most paramount.
The body of Emperor Rui falls to the floor lifeless. I see a shimmering figure standing over it and know it"s Botis in his true angelic form. He makes to phase away, but I drop my sword and grab hold of him with both of my hands to prevent him from leaving.
"You should have accepted an honorable death," I tell him, feeling my anger reach out like physical tentacles and wrap around his shimmering form. "Now, you"ll always be remembered as a coward of the worst kind. I can"t let you leave and end another innocent"s life. Goodbye, Botis. Enjoy your time in the Void."
With a single thought, I reduce Botis to a pile of black ash on the floor at my feet.
I hear slow clapping behind me.
"Well done," Belphagor applauds. "For a moment there, I wasn"t sure you had it in you."
I turn to face a smiling Belphagor and let loose the anger I"ve been keeping at bay up until this point. With one thought, I toss Belphagor"s body up against the ceiling in the room, effectively wiping his smug little grin from his face. I hear his skull strike the gla.s.s, causing a long crack in it from the sudden impact. I release my hold on him and let his body fall to the floor naturally. I sense him about to phase away and hold out an open hand, curling it into a fist to hold him in place. Obviously, my powers have grown to the point where I don"t actually have to have physical contact anymore to stop someone from phasing.
"Did you really think I wouldn"t know what you did?" I ask him, feeling my blood boil because of his deceit.
"What are you talking about?" Belphagor asks, looking confused as he tries to raise himself up onto his hands and knees.
"The seal, Belphagor!" I scream, feeling frustrated because he"s making me explain something he already knows. "You didn"t give it to me!"
Belphagor looks even more confused, showing an adeptness at acting which only makes me grow angrier. I lift him up and toss him against the left side of the room face first. A spray of blood blossoms against the wall before he slides to the floor, groaning.
Belphagor lifts himself up and spits out a mouthful of teeth and blood onto the floor before looking back at me.
"I did give it to you!" He professes, trying to sit upright on shaky limbs. "I kept my end of the bargain and now you"ve kept yours. We"re even."
"You"re lying!" I scream, feeling my anger break what self-control I had left.
I phase over to him and pick him up easily by the tops of his arms.
"Give me the seal now, or I"ll tear it away from your soul," I promise him. "Trust me, you don"t want me to do that."
"I swear to you," Belphagor says, looking feeble and weak. "I didn"t double cross you!"
"Yes you did!" I say shaking him violently, almost snapping his neck off. "I don"t have it!"
"Neither do I!"
"Stop lying!" I yell, feeling a blind rage take control of me completely. I squeeze Belphagor"s arms so tightly I break though his human skin and rip through muscle until I feel the hardness of bone press against the palms of my hands. Blood gushes onto the floor around us.
Belphagor screams out in pain, feeding my rage to a point where I begin to enjoy hearing his agony. He continues to try to phase away, but I keep him put.
"I swear," he cries, looking at me with true fear in his eyes. "I gave you my seal!"
"No you didn"t," I say, shoving my face into his. "But you"re about to."
I wish for Belphagor"s death and watch without an ounce of remorse as he turns to black ash in front of me.
I wait for the power of his seal to incapacitate me, but nothing happens. Nothing at all.
"Anna... what have you done?"
I look up from Belphagor"s ashes to see Lucifer standing a short distance away from me. The expression on his face as he looks at the blood around the room tells me exactly what I need to know. The realization of what I just did strikes my soul like a hammer on a nail.
Belphagor didn"t double cross me. He was telling me the truth.
"I thought he was lying," I say, trying to justify my torture and execution of the Prince of h.e.l.l. "I thought he tricked me into thinking he gave me his seal earlier when he didn"t, but..."
"You have the seal, Anna," Lucifer says quietly. "I can sense it inside you."
I look at the blood on my hands mixed with black ash.
"Oh my G.o.d," I say, continuing to stare at my hands as if they don"t belong to me. A well of tears blur my vision as I stumble away from the pools of blood on the floor.
I feel my world begin to spin out of control. Have I become the monster I was warned I would transform into? I tortured Belphagor because I thought it would make him give me what I wanted. At least that"s what I tell myself. But if I"m being truthful, there was a part of me that enjoyed watching him suffer. Somewhere deep inside I gained pleasure in his torment.
As I look back at the blood splattered across the room, I suddenly feel sick to my stomach and vomit.
Lucifer walks over to me and places a comforting hand on my back.
When I stand back up, I feel lost. Who am I now? What am I?
"What do I do now?" I ask as I turn towards my father, my body trembling uncontrollably from shock.
"You leave this behind you," Lucifer says, using the cuff of his shirtsleeve to wipe Belphagor"s blood off my face. "You need to let this go and never think about it again."
"I can"t do that," I say, knowing what I did will haunt me until my dying days.
Lucifer pulls me into his arms, trying to bring me some comfort. I begin to sob hysterically and no matter what Lucifer says to try to comfort me, I can"t stop myself from crying.
I"m not only weeping for what I did to Belphagor. I"m also mourning the damage I"ve inflicted on my soul. How will I ever be able to live through this? How will I be able to even look at myself in a mirror again knowing the horror I"m capable of?