"Shit," he muttered. "Harmony needed her alive."
"You should've thought of that before you tossed her in here," Karma said calmly. "Karma saw what you all did to her. If Karma knows, the Dark One will."
There was a pause then an alarmed, "He'll know you killed her, too!"
"Well … maybe Karma didn't."
The death dealer froze in place, gaze riveted to the corner where Karma was. "Is she alive or not?"
"She's in the corner."
"You don't let anyone live."
"Then go tell Harmony she's dead."
The death dealer shifted feet. Deidre could almost see his thoughts: face certain death here or certain death if he disobeyed Harmony. Who did he fear more?
He took a step into the room.
"If you're alive say something," he ordered.
"I am," Deidre said quietly.
The death dealer inched forward then stopped and retreated to the doorway, leaning out to reach the nearest torch in the hall.
"Come here," Karma whispered. "Quickly!"
Deidre scampered across the bones to the corner where the deity was. Karma took her hands and pulled her closer. Deidre dropped beside her, noticing how warm she was compared to the cold air and stone floor of the dungeon.
The death dealer stepped back into the cell. She covered her chest self-consciously when his torch lit up the corner.
"Close your eyes," Karma said for her ears only. "Demon or not, Karma has seen your soul. You are not ready yet to see this."
The words filled Deidre with fear. She hugged her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes closed, ducking her head.
"She is alive!" the death dealer exclaimed. "Come with me, demon!"
"Come and get her," Karma challenged.
He said nothing.
"What can Karma do? She is chained, remember?"
The sounds of the dealer's feet scuffing on the stone floor started then stopped. Deidre's jaw clenched. She waited to hear the sounds of his horrible death or for Karma's manacles rattling.
The silence stretched on. Deidre resisted the urge to look, afraid of what she'd see if she did.
"Here." Karma's word was accompanied by the brush of the Hell dress across Deidre's arms. "You can look now."
Deidre lifted her head tentatively. She saw nothing of the death dealer. The door to their cell yawned open, and Karma stood in the middle of the cell.
Pulling on her clothing quickly, Deidre hurried to the door. She didn't look too hard at the rest of the cell, not wanting to see what her newest ally was capable of.
Peering around the corner, she stepped into the vacant hallway.
Karma followed. Deidre faced her, startled by the woman's appearance in the full light. Her dark auburn hair fell almost to her waist. Her eyes were large and deep set, her taller, fuller frame gaunt and dressed in a worn gown from an era Deidre wasn't able to identify. Karma was beautiful in an earthy way and innocent looking, her appearance nothing like what Deidre expected. Like every other deity she had met, Karma appeared deceptively young, in her early twenties, aside from her inhuman eyes.