Black Howl

“Why should I get blamed for this mess you’re in? Because I’m the one that caught you at it? I called you a child once, and that’s exactly what you’re acting like—a child. When are you going to grow up and take responsibility for your own actions?”

“You dare—” Amarantha began.

I moved my hand to look like lips flapping.“To defy me, to disrespect me, blah-de-blah blah. I swear, you immortals need to get a new script. You haven’t learned a thing, have you? Lucifer took your power and your court from you, and you’re still plotting against him. You’re asking to get squashed like a bug.”

Amarantha drew herself back, gave me a crafty look. “I do not know of what you speak.”

“The spiders,” J.B. said. “We found the warehouse protected by spiders.”

“What warehouse?” Amarantha asked.

“Gods above and below,” I said, losing my temper. I pulled the sword from its sheath and stalked toward Amarantha. “Do you think I’m going to stand here all day and let you play dumb with us? You’re the only one who breeds spiders like that.”

I swung the sword toward her neck, intending to threaten her. I wouldn’t actually cut her head off, no matter how much I would like to.

Someone cried, “No!” and a creature leapt from behind the throne. It looked like a mad scientist had welded the head of a snake on the body of a human and then covered it in snakeskin. I stepped back, swung the sword up to meet the new threat, but Samiel had already flown to the rescue. He crashed into the creature and they fell to the ground behind Amarantha, rolling over as Samiel punched and the creature slashed out with its claws.

A moment later Samiel had the snake-thing pinned under him. I’d yet to meet any creature that was stronger than Samiel except for Metatrion. It occurred to me that I had accidentally gathered quite a powerful collection of beings around me, and I wondered if that had added to the general perception that I was a threat.

Samiel looked up at me, questioning. I swung the sword back so that the tip was at Amarantha’s neck. She looked terrified, but it wasn’t for herself. Her eyes were pinned on Samiel and the snake-thing.

“Do not let him hurt her,” she said, and there was a pleading in her voice that I had never heard before.

The snake-thing snapped its fangs at Samiel and he punched it in the jaw. I heard something break, and the snake let out a hideous cry.

“Don’t let him hurt her!” Amarantha screamed. “She’s all I have left.”

“Who is it?” I asked, although I had a strong suspicion already.

“Violet,” the Queen said, and a tear burned down her misshapen cheek. “She would not leave me.”

I dropped my sword to the ground. She seemed so broken, so pathetic, but we still needed information.

“I want to know where Wade is,” I said. “And what you’re doing with the souls.”

“Why should I tell you?” Amarantha said.

“If you don’t, you can stand there and watch Samiel beat Violet to death,” I said, and held the tip of the sword near her face. “And then I’ll see if I can improve upon Lucifer’s handiwork.”

J.B. and Gabriel didn’t speak behind me. I hoped that they knew I’d never follow through on the threat. It made me feel a little sick just to say it aloud. I did not have the stomach or the will for torture, but it’s the kind of thing that Amarantha would have done. Monsters are always willing to believe in the monstrosity of others.

Amarantha narrowed her eyes at me, like she was taking my measure. I raised my eyebrow at her, and nodded at Samiel, hoping it wouldn’t be necessary to do too much to convince her.

He seemed to understand what I wanted. He grabbed one of Violet’s hands and broke two of her fingers. I winced, but Amarantha didn’t see it. She had taken a step toward Samiel and Violet, eyes wide. The snake screamed and thrashed, and Amarantha fell to her knees, held her hands up in front of her.

“Stop,” she pleaded. “Please, stop.”

It gave me no pleasure to see such a once-proud creature submit in humiliation. It didn’t matter that Amarantha had tried to destroy Lucifer’s kingdom, that she had cast a spell to have me raped by Nathaniel, that she’d sent me into the Maze with every intention of me coming out in a body bag. I was sorry to be the one who had to lay her lower than she already was, and that I’d had to act like a monster to do it.

“Where is Wade?” I asked.

“The wolf is hidden in the castle,” she said in a whisper.

“Where?” I nudged her with my boot.

“In the south tower,” she said, looking at J.B.

“J.B., you and Samiel go,” I said. “You’ll be able to get there fastest.”

“Umm, I don’t think splitting up is a good idea,” Beezle said. “That usually leads to certain death.”

“You watch too many horror movies,” I said. “Besides, someone needs to watch these two, and I’m not leading a parade to the tower.”

“What’s guarding it?” J.B. asked.

Amarantha looked annoyed that we’d asked. “Charcarion demons.”

“How many?” I said.

“Why should I tell you?” Amarantha snapped.

I looked at Samiel and he broke another one of Violet’s fingers. She screamed in pain and Amarantha cried out, stepping toward them. I held the sword to her throat to stop her, and tried to remember that there was a greater good here, and I was supposed to be a part of it.