23
Amanda hurled and coughed, her nostrils filling with sulfur. She rolled onto her back, dizzy with vertigo. Winged silhouettes leaped between the noxious clouds above the crumbling Houska Castle.
“Grubnub says we must go now,” the round demon said, tugging at the shoulder of her dress.
“Ugh, what happened?”
“Grubnub took you inside Grubnub’s head. Grubnub then rolled out of the castle. Grubnub is sorry that Lucifer was also inside Grubnub’s head.”
Amanda blinked a few times. “Inside how?”
The big eye of the demon turned dull and turbid. It didn’t answer, and its mouth opened slightly, sending a dribble of drool rolling down its chin. Amanda sighed and reached for its sides, rubbing them carefully. The skin was loose and smooth like latex. The big eye blinked, color returning to its orange iris.
“Grubnub thanks you for your friction!” the demon said, bowing slightly.
“Inside how?” Amanda repeated.
“Grubnub has a pocket dimension instead of a brain.” The demon held out his filthy fingers, trying to take Amanda by the hand. “Grubnub says we must go before the angels find us.”
Amanda narrowed her eyes. So, that’s what the strange sun was – the other side of Grubnub’s big eye. A few weeks ago she would’ve shaken her head at the thought, but ever since coming to Hell and seeing all the bizarre creatures, she’d become a bit desensitized to absurdities.
A thunderous crack rolled over the infernal plains as another spire came crashing down. Even this far away, Amanda could see the angel’s red eyes, piercing the darkness. Right now it was reveling in the destruction, but it wouldn’t take much for the angel to notice her in her white dress against the yellow-black background.
Unsteadily, she climbed to her feet and started following the odd little demon as it rolled over the blackened soil. Her shoes sunk into the soft brimstone sand, and she thanked her prior self for choosing flats over heels.
While walking through the grand halls of the castle and gazing down the steep walls from the battlements, Amanda had thought that very few armies could possibly hope to lay siege to such a fort. She glanced over her shoulder at the swooping angels in the sky. It had only taken five of them to level the castle to the ground. If Marc was to stand a chance against that, he needed his own fallen angels.
Amanda shuddered and hurried after Grubnub. Had Marc’s demonic advisors survived the attack? She knew both Lilith and Asmodeus had once been angels. Had they tried to defend the castle or just fled?
“Where are we going?” Amanda said, wiping her brow.
The polluted air burned in her lungs with every breath. The infernal plains felt like an endless desert.
“Grubnub rolls far away – is scared of retribution.”
“Retribution?”
“Grubnub knows Lucifer is Mar… Mar… Mar-cell-ixis’s sworn enemy.” Tears formed in the demon’s big eye. “But Grubnub owed the Morning Star a favor from long ago. Grubnub knows Mar… Mar… Mar-cell-ixis will be angry at Grubnub for putting his future queen inside Grubnub’s head.”
“Okay, listen. I’m not going to let him hurt you. And, for the record, I’ve not agreed to be anyone’s queen.”
“Grubnub thanks Amanda, who has not agreed to be anyone’s queen.”
Amanda walked on the trail left in the sand behind the rolling demon. Her thoughts wandered back to Lucifer. Whatever the fallen angel said, Amanda knew that she’d had a hand in Sarah’s death. Sarah wasn’t a piece in some puzzle – not the Whore of Babylon – she was a human, and despite her flaws, a friend. Something twisted in Amanda’s chest, and the falling rocks of the castle flashed through her mind.
With a deep breath, Amanda clenched her fists. She’d been pushed around enough, both by Lucifer and the Heavens. She hated being at the mercy of these divine beings.
“Grubnub, you were in charge of Marc’s records, right?”
The demon rolled in a circle around her. “Grubnub says yes.”
“Do you remember if there were any records about the fallen angels of the Pit?”
“Grubnub can let you look through the ledgers.”
“I know you don’t have a brain, but the castle is in ruins. And I think that includes the royal records.”
“Grubnub still has the Royal Records Chamber stored in Grubnub’s head.”
The demon rolled up to a flat rock and stopped. Beams of light flickered from its big eye, projecting an image of bookshelves upon its surface. Amanda felt her belly jerk and fill with butterflies. A moment later she landed on the hard stone floor.
A smell of old parchment and yellowing paper filled the room. There were definitely nicer scents, but it beat the sulfur and ashes. Somewhat dizzy, she stumbled to her feet. The room looked exactly like the records chamber, with stacks of scrolls and shelves filled with ledgers and tomes. A lonely candle sat on a desk, its trembling flame like an orange eye.
“Well, that’s handy,” Amanda mumbled and started searching through the tomes. “Grubnub, if you can hear me, roll toward the closest gateway.”
***
It was hard to say exactly how long Amanda spent digging through dusty pages and making notes. Sneezing, she finally found what she was looking for; the prisoners of the Pit. Not the complete list, but some of their names.
She scribbled them down on a piece of paper, but then realized that she probably couldn't take it with her. There were two dozen names on her list, but remembering them all would be difficult. She folded the paper, so that only the top three remained.
“Lix Tetrax,” she read out loud. “Sorath. Valefor.”
Amanda repeated the names several times to herself. They were out there somewhere – she just had to find them and befriend them. Piece of cake.