20
Amanda woke up the next morning in one of Marc’s guest bedrooms. Yawning, she dragged herself over to the window and parted the curtains. Oily black trees and grotesque statues gleamed in the light from the lava streams that bled through the obsidian garden.
Marc had already left when she finally made it into the master bedroom. But a tray with food and a folded piece of paper waited for her on one of the tables.
Dear Amanda,
I hope that you slept well. I’ve gone to meet up with the representatives of the Heavens. Feel free to explore the castle and its surroundings. I’ve left you in charge in my absence, so don’t hesitate to call upon any of my demons for whatever reason (they need the exercise).
I’ll be back before noon.
Yours truly,
Marc
Amanda put a piece of toast in her mouth and grabbed the scepter that Marc had left next to the tray. A small skull with ruby eyes adorned its tip, and vines of silver encircled the purple glass of the shaft. She waved it around dramatically, pretending to direct the demonic denizens.
Relying on Marc and Don for protection didn’t sit well with her – she hated feeling like a burden and a problem. According to Marc, Lucifer was the reason Sarah and the angel died, and also why Uriel had been banished. But Lucifer had been inside her, and she didn’t even realize it – the whole thing made her feel guilty. Perhaps if she’d been able to defend herself better, nothing of this would’ve happened.
Still munching on the bread, Amanda stepped into the queen-sized walk-in closet. Her whole apartment back home could fit inside, and it contained enough clothes to last a lifetime even if she only wore each dress once. She took down a red gown and held it over her chest, watching herself in the massive floor mirror. Way too revealing for comfort.
She grabbed another one in black silk. That one was even worse. She cringed. Only Lilith could pull off most of these clothes. If Marc expected her to wear these outrageously skimpy things, he had another thing coming.
After a long while of trial and error, Amanda finally settled for a white bodycon dress and a matching frilly choker. It was the least revealing one she could find. She also didn’t feel particularly keen on walking around the castle in heels, even though that kind of was required with the fancy dress.
With a defiant sniff, she slipped into her flats and headed out of the royal chambers, the scepter tucked under her arm. The massive wooden staircase curved along the rounded walls of the castle’s inner sanctum, and apart from a few of those despicable cherubs buzzing about, the halls lay empty.
Flames crackled and sizzled inside spiked braziers along the dark stone walls of the ground floor. She wasn’t sure where any of these doors led or what horrors awaited her on the other side. Exploring a castle in Hell seemed like a really bad idea, now that she thought about it, but she refused to sit around all day and let the guilt about Sarah consume her. Besides, Marc had told her she could – surely, no harm would come to her then?
Carefully, Amanda turned the first doorknob and looked inside. Shelves filled with scrolls and ledgers lined the walls here. Sliding ladders and lanterns, quills and bottles of ink. At one of the many desks, a round creature with long slouching bunny ears leaned over a tome. From afar it looked like a wrinkly globe of flesh with arms and legs. One massive eye blinked and moved rapidly from side to side.
“Hello?” Amanda said.
The creature flinched and turned its eye toward her. “Grubnub greets you, mortal.”
It spoke with a perfect British accent that didn’t at all match its strange appearance.
Amanda took a few steps closer, her eyes wandering around the room. “What is this place?”
“Grubnub says that these are the royal records, which makes this the Chamber of Royal Records,” the creature explained. “Grubnub wants you to know that these are the soul contracts that King Marcellixis has made over the years.”
“Do you know anything about the fallen angels that escaped?”
“Grubnub needs to move to think.” The creature started gyrating its belly and mouth. It rolled across the floor.
“Why?” Amanda said, narrowing her eyes as the creature rolled by.
“Friction helps Grubnub’s brain electrons get to the right places.”
Amanda crossed her arms and watched the creature roll in circles around the room, picking up speed.
“Grubnub remembers it has a message for Amanda.”
“A message?”
“Grubnub says it is from the Morning Star.”
“The Morning Star? Well, where is it?”
“Grubnub’s message is on that wall.” The creature turned its eye toward the wall, projecting a beam of light onto the rock.
Letters and words moved about as the creature rubbed its sides.
Dear Amanda,
I’ve missed our talks.
When this is all over, you should let me possess you again. You have no idea how cozy it is in there.
Anyway, I’d like to talk to you in person. We have important matters to discuss, and I’m sure you have a lot of questions that only I can answer.
Meet me in the garden outside.
Much love,
Lucifer
Grubnub shuddered and its eye closed. The wrinkly skin of its body pulled tight. It shuddered again, and the eye shot open with a new projection. This time it was a picture of dark trees and glowing red streams. An angel, wings tucked behind its back, sat on one of the rocks.
“Grubnub apologizes!” the round demon cried.
Then Amanda felt her feet lift off the floor, her eyes still glued to the picture. She flailed her arms but was pulled closer and closer to the wall. She swung the scepter around, whacking the creature over the head, but it just rolled faster, and the picture grew in size and vividness.
“Thanks for helping Grubnub,” the creature squawked.
Amanda opened her mouth to scream but was cut short as she fell through the wall and into the picture.