Page 52 of Hell-Bound

“How long have you known Azur? Or—been with him?”

He turned over and propped himself up on his arm, grim.

“A long time, Ren. A very,verylong time.”

“And he’s evil? Truly evil?”

He didn’t immediately reply.

“Yes, Ren. He might act like he is noble, protecting you. But for some people, somethingscan’t be redeemed. He’s…done a lot of evil throughout the planes.”

She bit her lip. This was not what she wanted to hear. She couldn’t quite reason it out, but she wanted him to be good. Or at least capable of good. Maybe it was just her treacherous emotions from the night before, how safe she felt in his arms.

But there was another feeling too, one that confused her when she looked at him and saw the small stars in his eyes like novas of pain.

“It’s his fault, you know,” Jester continued, “all of this.The ash, the destroyed lands, slavery, the sleepers. It’s all because of him. He created this society—signed the first contracts, and cursed the first Devils. He is sin incarnate. The worst things you can think of, the worst deeds a being can think of, all originated with him.”

“If we knew why he’s so horrible, why did we sign contracts with him? Why do people keep doing it?”

Jester stared past her, distant.

“People get desperate, Ren. They can’t see a way forward except to make a deal with a Devil. The Devils take that desperation, the lowest moment of someone’s life, and exploit it. Azur, being the most powerful Devil, has the most magic. The most desperate seek him out. But as powerful as his magic is, his malevolence gulfs even that.”

He paused.

“I knew a Lesser Devil, Ahdan. He was beautiful, eyes the color of the night sky before the lightning blinks out. He sold his soul to Azur. He was my constant companion. Two lost Devils against The Hells.” A small laugh. “Our affection for each other grew and despite the hopelessness we found ourselves in, we fell in love. I cherished every moment with every part of my soulless body. He was perfect.”

The dark was upon them, so Ren could only hear Jester’s shaky breaths.

“His mother got sick, you see. A disease that was affecting the Lesser Devils. It was horribly slow and took every inch of dignity from its victims. In his desperation, he sought out a Devil. He found Azur. He agreed to give Azur his soul in exchange for his mother’s life—for a cure for the disease.

“Azur used his magic, and his mother was cured, only to die two years later from an accident in the mines. Ahdan was…inconsolable.

“Azur didnothing. The contract had been signed and fulfilled on both sides. But Ahdan was soulless, an orphan with nothing left to bargain with.

“I tried to love the pain away. To give him enough reasonto…stay. Support him and remind him that, soul or not, we still had each other. We still had a life to live and could even have a family one day. That there was hope. But my love wasn’t enough for Ahdan.”

Silence filled the night as he finished.

“Jester, I—I am so very sorry.”

What else could she say to him?

This memory. I wish he didn’t have this one.

But forgetting the painful memory would also mean forgetting Ahdan and what they had together.

“It is because of this that youmustunderstand, Ren. Azur is cruel. He is vengeful and manipulative. He lives and thrives off the souls of others, not because it gives him power, but because heenjoysit.” His voice shook. “Just be careful.”

Their conversation died there in the silence of the night.

Once the castle was cloaked in darkness and the lights in the windows began to wink out, they moved.

Their first challenge was climbing down the steep slope. It wasn’t as hard as Ren had anticipated since Renata was so nimble, and Jester could just teleport. They barely made a sound as they dismounted onto the soft earth.

Jester put a finger on his lips and gestured for her to follow him down and around a thin gravel path.

As they approached the castle proper, she saw six or seven guards, all Devils, at the front gate. They were all dressed in gold and black uniforms.