Page 61 of Demon Heart: The Complete Series

ROMAN

I collapsed to my knees in Butterfly’s lair, his tiny insect friends scattering at my presence.

Wave after wave of grief and anguish and plenty of bad shit barreled into me. My tears weren’t so silent anymore, my body shaking, screams tearing from my throat.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

I fell to the side, curling into a ball, willing my body to stop, for everything to stop. Old pain, new pain, present pain. Why couldn’t they just leave me alone?

My diversion spell broke while I sobbed into the grass, a butterfly landing on my head. Enraged, I snatched it, crushing the damn thing. It popped, glittering dust falling through my fingers.

The other butterflies took flight, forming a circle above my head. A heavy fluttering menace bringing fierce wind to the garden.

Snarling, I got to my feet, eyes on the bugs, magic at the ready. “I’ll kill you all.”

But they didn’t attack. They kept to their circle.

I sniffled, more energized after my meltdown, snatching glances at my surroundings. No immediate escape route jumped out at me, only the dark edges of the garden.

Stumbling into the dark wasn’t my ideal exit strategy, but it was the only one I had. I needed to find Xavier, and waiting around for him to show up did not sit well with me.

The butterflies continued their circle, the wind rising.

They might be gearing up for an attack to end all attacks.

I took a chance, darting into the darkness, passing through trees. I cast my spell of twin balls of red light, revealing a stone path before me, dense black bushes lining it.

I sent a ball ahead of me to trigger any traps or stir possible killer plants lurking in the foliage, and moved it back and forth a few times until I was satisfied, my stomach on a constant roll.

Man, this sucked.

I kept going, keeping vigilant, reminding myself that to find Xavier, I had to get out of this place and into the big wide demon realm.

And then what? I had no idea what level Butterfly’s lair was in, had no key to move between the levels.

Damn.

What a shame this device didn’t come with some handy teleportation skills.

Fuck it. Just keep pressing ahead…

The path curved to the left, the bushes never breaking. They were so uniform, expertly shaped, not one leaf out of place.

Maybe Butterfly was extremely green fingered.

After a while, I finally reached a small wooden door set in the thick darkness, about half my height, probably locked.

“Your time to shine,” I told Skele.

First, I positioned a red ball over the door. Waited a few seconds, then moved it around the area. The crimson light revealed nothing but solid shadow—a darkness you could almost tap your knuckles on.

I wanted out of here, not a tour through the demon realm’s idiosyncrasies.

Satisfied, I approached the door, crouching to inspect the lock and handle. Tested the handle, and got the answer I expected. So, I slid Skele into it, hoping for a positive outcome. A jiggle to the left, a wiggle to the right, and the lock opened.

Good old Skele. Always worked a treat.

Hell to the yeah.

“Thanks,” I told the rod, giving him a little wink.

Cautiously, I opened the door.

Light spilled into the darkness. I squinted, letting my eyes adjust. Once they did, I saw two lampposts on the other side, bright flames burning in the swinging lanterns. Another pair sat further away on an elevated wooden walkway weaving through what appeared to be swamp.

A tangle of swampy plant life, a scattering of fireflies, and the acrid stench of stagnant water greeted me. Whoopee. I even heard a frog or a toad croaking somewhere out there.

Water bubbled in the gap between the door and the walkway.

Bubbled? Should it bubble? Were the bubbles a sign of a fish or some demon waiting to grab prey?

I thought of tentacles and immediately wanted to slam the door.

Maybe there was another exit leading to a place made of marshmallows and happy vibes.

Yeah, until the marshmallows ate me like something out of Ghostbusters .

Pulling myself together, I snuffed out the red balls of light and crouch-walked through the door, standing on a narrow stone ledge barely big enough for my feet or the two lampposts either side of me.

I took the leap onto the walkway and cast diversion on myself before a creature of the swamp grabbed me.

The small door slammed closed, making me spin and twist into a battle stance, my spell wobbling yet holding. The door locked, the flames in the lanterns flickering, the wood blurring.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes.

The door was gone.

What the hell?

I tried another round of blinking and rubbing.

Nope. The door was definitely gone.

Okay, then.

Not wanting to ponder the mystery of the door, my head already too full, I returned my attention to the swamp. All I had to do was walk carefully, not fall into the water, keep my diversion up, and everything would be fine.

Okay, maybe not fine per se, but it would be progress. Somewhere beyond the swamp I might get a better idea of how to find Xavier, or possibly another demon to help me.

Yeah, right. Because a demon, especially from this time, would offer a helping hand to a witch wandering its realm

Ha ha. Pull the other one.

With a deep breath, I focused my mind, ignored the flashes of murdering Una, her blood still all over me, and soldiered forward.

I’d break down again later.