Page 17 of Hell-Bound (Pacts of the Infernal #1)

I know it has to be me. I’m the only one who deserves it. I will annihilate anyone who dares challenge my power. My birthright.

Unsurprisingly, Jester, her now shadow, was waiting for her in the small tavern bedroom.

“What would happen if Fred came in here and saw you?”

she asked, shutting the door quickly behind her.

Jester jumped towards her, putting up fits.

“I ain’t scared of no soulless barkeep!”

he said, pretending to throw punches.

“Fred doesn’t have a soul?”

“Nope! I mean, he wouldn’t be here if he did, would he? That dumb-dumb sold his soul to Xarek for a magical bar. Ridiculous! He thought it would make him rich. Xarek gave it to him, all right. But the only residents here are sleepers, who don’t drink and don’t pay! So he’s basically stuck here waiting around for the occasional Mortal to wander in. More importantly! Are you gonna tell me what your super secret meeting was about?”

he asked, crossing his arms.

Ren paused.

“Jester. I think I might know a way to free you from your contract.”

The Devil looked taken aback.

“What are you talking about, Ren? I can’t be freed.”

She bit her lip.

“I think you can, Jester. The same people who sent me here told me that they would help—”

“No, Ren,”

he said sternly.

“Listen to me. Whatever you are doing, stop. Don’t worry about me.”

“Jester, it isn’t right! I know you’ve been with Azur a long time, but—”

“I said no! I don’t need your help, and I don’t want your help. I’ve made my choices. So drop it.”

An uncomfortable silence befell the room, and they stood, not moving or speaking for longer than was comfortable.

“Sorry,”

she said quietly.

“I won’t bring it up again if you don’t want to talk about it.”

He nodded, crossing the room and unpacking a few things from a satchel he had laid on her bed.

That was her first plan out the window. She had hoped that Jester, having a rapport with Azur, would be able to ask about the location of the Vutar’ka Zhartun. Now, Ren would have to figure out how to ask Azur herself and she hadn’t seen him since their tense dinner.

True to his nature, Jester never stayed down long. He twirled like a ballerina and leaped, landing in front of her.

“You didn’t let me explain my plaaaaan! We go tonight! To get Gabriela! Lord Tight Tushy is going somewhere. Maybe damage control from Wyvryn?”

“Definitely!”

Ren said, trying to show enthusiasm. In truth, she needed to feel like she was doing something good for someone. Being in The Hells was, well, hell. It was oppressive in its emotional heaviness, and she craved a bit of positivity.

Her mind began to wander.

You want to do something nice to feel better? That’s so selfish!

The smile on her face faltered.

“Hey, Ren? You in there?”

Jester asked, waving a clawed hand in front of her.

She snapped back from her thoughts.

“Sorry, yeah. What’s the plan?”

Jester’s brow furrowed.

“I need you to be at the top of your game tonight. You seem distracted.”

She smiled, changed, apologetic.

“I’m good! Just give me the details.”

He bobbed his head, smile returning.

“Right! But first!”

He reached into the pocket of his black trousers, taking hold of Ren’s hand.

“I have to ask you something. From the first time I saw you, I knew that you were something special.”

He bent down on one knee and let out a shaky breath. “Ren—”

“Jester! What the hells are you doing?”

“Let a male finish,”

he bellowed.

“No wonder Azur wouldn’t have sex with you,”

he muttered under his breath.

“Ahem…will you do me the honor of—going on an adventure with me?”

he said, producing a polished ring that twisted like vines, a small orange vurmite set in the center.

Ren cackled.

“What even is that, Jester?”

she asked, taking the elegant piece.

“It’s to help with where we are going. I hear Mortals are a little less tolerant of the elements.”

A genuine smile pulled at her lips.

“Thanks, Jester. That was thoughtful.”

“Not thoughtful at all, actually. If you didn’t have it, you’d probably die. It’s purely selfish.”

Ren turned the small ring on her finger gently. It was exquisite. The vurmite, though small, seemed to produce its own light.

“It’s a loaner, Ren. Don’t get any ideas,”

he said, raising a sculpted brow.

Ren couldn’t stop the disappointed expression that crossed her face.

Ren, darling. Are you missing me? Seems like you’re having a craving.

She bit her tongue and banished Azur from her mind.

“Wow. You really do like jewelry,”

Jester commented, watching Ren swipe away black smoke with an annoyed expression.

“I guess I know what to get you for your birthday,”

he chuckled.

“Just tell me where we’re going,”

she groaned.

“Right! Evernight lives pretty far. We will portal there. He isn’t as paranoid as Xarek. He puts his wards closer. Plus, he has people portaling in and out of his mines every day. We’ll just be two more.”

“The mines? We are going to the mines?”

“One of them. Not one of the very active ones. The volcano sort of mucks that up. But Evernight still uses it as a prison for non-cooperative servants, sleepers, and slaves.”

The ring was starting to make more sense.

As she slipped it on her finger, she could feel a warm vibration from the band.

“When do we head out?”

she asked.

Jester pulled out her two daggers and lock-pick kit from his satchel.

“Now?”

???

When they appeared at their new location, Ren had to blink several times to let her eyes adjust. Jester had been right, the heat was oppressive, and she immediately started to perspire.

The two were standing in what looked like a small cave with a lone lantern for light

There were three entrances to their part of the cave, but Jester didn’t hesitate to walk toward the closest one. He stopped before crossing the threshold and held up a hand to signal for Ren to stop.

Standing on her toes to see over Jester’s tall form, Ren could see that the next room was littered with chairs, mostly broken or tilted in some fashion. There were several sleepers walking around aimlessly while others sat staring off into the space, some sleeping on the floor.

“The sleepers won’t report us if we’re seen,”

Jester whispered.

“They’ll just think we work here. It’s everyone else we have to avoid.”

Ren tilted her head to indicate she understood.

Jester motioned for her to follow as they entered the large sitting room. The sleepers barely glanced at them as they casually strolled to the other side, an open doorway leading to what appeared to be someone’s study. Papers and scrolls littered the floor.

“Hells, Evander. Clean your damned space,”

Jester murmured, stepping over several fallen pieces of parchment and quills.

“The only thing more evil than imprisoning an innocent Devil is being disorganized.”

Jester shuffled around the room, opening drawers and looking under papers.

“We need to find a map or something that says where he might keep Gabriela.”

“What about the sleepers?”

Ren whispered.

“What about them?”

he said, continuing to push papers around.

“We could ask them.”

He stopped.

“They can’t communicate, Ren,”

he said with a frown.

“I wish they could, but they’re all…blank.”

Ren thought back to the Half-Orc female who was sitting outside the tavern. It was true that she hadn’t directly talked to her or even really acknowledged her, yet there seemed to still be an understanding behind her eyes.

Leaving her companion to search, Ren returned to the room of broken chairs. The closest sleeper was a bald Gnomish male with a large nose and even larger green eyes—piercing in their color.

She cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, sir? Would you happen to know where Lord Evernight keeps his prisoners?”

You sound ridiculous.

The male did not meet her eyes.

“We are trying to help a friend, you see. If you could aid us in any way, we’d really appreciate it.”

He said nothing, head lulling to the side.

Ren felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I know it’s hard, Elfy girl. But they’re not there. Not anymore.”

Feeling defeated, Ren turned and followed Jester who had apparently abandoned his search of the office. He instead hunkered into a crouch to walk down a nearby cavernous hallway.

Ren could feel the beads of sweat drip down her face, heat emanating off the stone below her booted feet.

As they turned the corner, the small hallway opened up into a large cavernous hollow. The ceilings were tall, and stalactites dripped from overhead like devilish fangs.

Jester slapped a hand over Ren’s mouth right before she let out a squeal of delight. Each and every surface of the cavern was dotted with different sizes and colors of vurmite. Ren’s insides growled with desire as the meager light bounced off the jewels, creating a rainbow of color.

Darling girl, you must stop being so greedy if you don’t want to hear my voice in your pointy little ears.

Can we just assume if I’m feeling greedy that I'm not calling you?

She mentally gritted the words out.

I can’t do that. Greed is a part of what I am. You can’t expect me to ignore you if you’re screaming my name, can you?

I’m busy!

Fair enough, pet. I’d rather hear you screaming my name under different circumstances, anyway.

“You are so predictable,”

Jester hissed, swatting the air in front of his face to keep the smoke away.

The large space was almost completely abandoned, save for two Lesser Devils patrolling a large pool of water. A sheen of steam languidly swirled around its surface. The effect enhanced the vurmite’s already wondrous glimmer.

“You need to incapacitate one of them,”

Jester whispered matter-of-factly.

“Sorry—I need to what them?”

Jester made a strangling motion with his hands and then stuck his tongue out.

“Incapacitate!”

Ren just blinked at him.

“Jester, I’m not sure I even know how to do that.”

Jester put his hands on his hips.

“I can’t take them both down without alerting every guard in this place. So figure it out, Elfy!”

He vanished, appearing several feet from the pool of water, and ducked behind a stalagmite.

Crouched down and unmoving, Ren wracked her brain.

Incapacitate—not kill.

She felt something—a small prod of encouragement from near her waistband. Without thinking, she reached down and touched her piccolo—it was warm under her fingers. She slid it out of its holster to examine it, still not understanding its mysterious language.

She cautiously raised it to her mouth, hoping that it would give her another signal as to her next steps. The old piccolo seemed to sigh as it grazed her lips softly. Ren heard it—a melody ringing in her ears, pushing to be released.

Lost in her contemplation, she hadn’t at first noticed the loud crack of rock from where Jester was hiding. It was only when the two Lessers spun on their heels that the echo ricocheted back to her.

“Fuuuuck,”

she heard Jester groan as the two hulking guards barreled toward him.

She fumbled with her piccolo, almost dropping it. Her memory haunted her with the images of an injured Jester in the forest of Nahmir and the sounds of him gasping for air.

Not him, no. Come for me.

Shaking from panic, she lifted her piccolo to her lips, hoping the distraction would give Jester some time. While Ren’s heart felt urgent, the song came out as hushed, barely audible as it sang sweetly through the cavern.

Three sets of eyes shot in her direction, Jester’s face twisted in disbelief.

“What are you doing over there!”

a gray-skinned Lesser bellowed, altering his course.

The other, teal-skinned, continued toward Jester.

Ren didn’t stop playing. While her mind raced with ways to escape, her body remained relaxed, begging her to stay calm and play. To keep her breath steady.

She watched as Jester leaped over the stalagmite, readying himself for a fight as the teal Lesser sprinted forward. And then, he tripped, falling to one knee, cursing. The gray one also faltered, wavering on his feet before falling face-first into the rocky ground with a thud. They both clambered to regain their footing but were unable to lift their heavy bodies.

The teal Lesser put his hand on his forehead, blinking rapidly, while the other leaned for support on a protruding boulder.

Jester stood unmoving in the corner of the room, eyes wide.

Ren, just as confused, kept playing, afraid that any pause in her efforts would halt the piccolo’s mysterious effects. So the melody continued, rebounding off the walls, sounding as if she was playing her own duet.

The two Lessers grunted with strain before falling utterly prone, unable to regain their stance. Their movements became slower. The gray Lesser was still fighting the effects, reaching his arms forward to drag himself in a desperate attempt to reach Ren and stop her playing, but his arms weren’t cooperating. With every note played, their movements became less and less noticeable—a finger twitch here, a head tilt there, until eventually, they ceased altogether.

Seeing her two victims completely subdued and with a slight thrum of satisfaction from her instrument, Ren felt safe enough to finish her song. She paused as the last notes sang through the cavern, waiting anxiously for any recovery from the Devils.

Jester, less concerned, immediately walked over, stepping over the two snoring Devils, his mouth hanging open.

“You’re certainly full of surprises, little Elfy!”

he said, placing his hands on his hips and looking at her proudly.

She smiled warily.

“Another thing I forgot I could do, I suppose.”

“Right! Your music has the power to bore people to sleep. Truly inspiring!”

“Shut it, Jester,”

she said, pushing past him playfully.

“I was only trying to create a distraction…it just happened.”

“Hmm,”

he said, scratching behind a red pointed ear.

“Might come in handy later, but for now, we’re alone.”

Jester motioned around the completely quiet cavern.

“The sleepers only work during the day,”

Jester explained.

“It isn’t kindness, though. The lordlings learned that if you work them too much, they just plop down and refuse to move. No matter how much you whip them.”

She gasped.

“That’s…disgusting.”

“It’s The Hells. Nothing more, nothing less.”

They both kept a slow pace, stopping every few feet to listen for patrols or other approaching creatures.

After two or three curves in the tunnel, the cavern dipped down, makeshift stairs carved into the rocky walls. If they hadn’t already been going slow, their pace would have surely lessened on the precarious steps.

As they descended, the smell of sulfur grew.

“Ah! Why does Hell have to smell so bad?”

Ren murmured.

Jester paused.

“That’s not my home’s normal smell,”

he huffed.

“That’s waste. We might be near where they keep prisoners.”

Jester tumbled a few steps, losing his bearings, and poofed away to land on his feet.

“Damnit, Jester, no! I can’t keep up with you!”

she hissed, sliding.

When her feet finally hit the plateaued ground, she swiftly crept down the hallway and turned the corner.

Jester was standing in front of a stone door with a large bar lock. The only way to see what was on the other side of the door was a small opening at the bottom.

Ren scurried over as Jester bent down, his tail in the air.

“Gabriela! Is that you?”

he whispered.

At first, there was no reply.

“Gabriela, we are here to help you!”

Ren offered.

They then heard a small shuffling behind the door as Ren bent down. She saw two bare yellow feet walking towards them and then two yellow eyes on the round face.

“Who are you?”

she asked, voice wavering.

Jester licked his lips nervously.

“We were sent by some friends. We’ve come to get you out.”

Ren eyed her companion, confused. She could have sworn he said that Gabriela knew him.

Gabriela’s cat-like eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, thank The Almighty.”

“Get your lock-pick, Elfy!”

Jester said as he stood up, shaking the locking mechanism.

Ren straightened and pulled out her picks, expertly inserting them into the cylinder. This lock, not magical and therefore more primitive, unlatched almost immediately.

Jester lifted the bar lock and pushed on the door as it stiffly opened.

Gabriela was clasping her hands in front of her in thanks, yellow skin stained with ash and blood. She threw herself on Jester and broke into shaky sobs.

Jester immediately wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s okay, Gabriela. We are getting you out of here.”

Unsure of their next move, Ren sidled up to Jester.

“What now? Do we just portal away?”

Jester shook his head, stroking the female’s hair which was as yellow as her skin.

“We have to be outside of the wards. Like at Xarek’s. This one has wards up until past where the sleepers are.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Gabriela, but we must get going,”

Jester said gently, pulling her away and looking kindly into the female’s eyes.

Gabriela bobbed her head and hiccupped. She seemed so much younger than Jester despite his childlike disposition.

The two led a trembling Gabriela up the clumsy stairs and through the cavernous room where the two Lesser Devils still snoozed peacefully. Finally arriving in the small sitting room, Ren noticed several more sleepers had joined the depressing gathering.

With the final room in sight, the three walked gingerly around any sleepers in their way.

“I’ll go to the next room first,”

Jester said, still in a whisper.

“I can open the portal, and then you two can run in.”

Ren tilted her head in approval before Jester blinked out and came to view in the doorway in the middle of the next room, barely visible from their position.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Ren whipped her head around. Towering over her, was a giant beast of a Devil—wings unfurled and clutching Gabriela by the arm, lifting her high off the ground.

“Who do you think you are?”

he growled.

“Trying to steal my personal property!”

he bellowed at Ren.

His voice was gruff and grating like a hammer slamming against a stone.

“Oh, I see. Little Mortal came to save her friend? Even better. I get two wenches for the price of one.”

He trailed his tongue across jagged yellowed teeth.

“I’ve never fucked an Elf before. I wonder if they scream for mercy like Devils do?”

He grabbed Ren’s upper arm painfully.

“I hope you enjoyed your little outing, Gabs! I’ll be taking the time out of your perky little ass.”

Ren unsheathed a dagger with her second hand and thrust it towards the Devil’s arm. The dagger glanced off—a spark of light emanating off Evernight’s body.

“Let. Them. Go,”

she heard a thunderous voice rumble from the room.

All their heads, and even some singers, turned towards the imposing sound.

The previously scorching atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Jester stood in the doorway, eyes black, fangs bared. His dark hair was floating around his head as a sudden torment of wind blasted through the room. Veins of smoke were pulsing from every pore of his tall, red body.

Ren watched the lord’s face drop, panic overtaking every feature. Ren felt the Devil release her arm, and Gabriela landed with an, “uff,”

on wobbly legs.

The Devil hit his knees, shaking.

“Please. I didn’t know,”

he said, putting up his hands in supplication.

The entire room was darkening, and even the sleepers were beginning to cower in Jester’s presence.

In a flash, Jester was upon the lord, grasping his neck with one hand, lifting the massive Devil off of his knees.

“I’ve never liked you, Evander. I should thank you for finally giving me a reason to eradicate your presence from this plane.”

Jester’s horns seemed to grow momentarily longer as he squeezed his sharp nails into Evander Evernight’s neck.

Tears streamed down the Devil’s face as he choked out a few more sad wheezes of apology.

“Please don’t do this, I’ll repent! Just let me live!”

Jester was unmoved and, with one more flex of his forearm, caved in his windpipe with a low crunch. He tossed the Devil’s corpse irreverently. It slapped the ashy floor, blood gushing from his crushed jugular.

The creature, Jester, walked steadily over to the two females and offered Gabriela his hand, eyes still seeping black tendrils.

“Evernight won’t be bothering you again, Gabriela. Please come with me.”

The golden Devil, eyes wet and shaking, laid her hand meekly in Jester’s.

“Let’s go, Ren,”

he said, voice emotionless as he turned calmly, striding with Gabriela to the exit, a fiery portal awaiting.