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“Is that—is that normal?” Knox asks, shooting me a concerned look.
“No,” Lucifer says.
“Should we be worried?” I press.
“Murmur and Bez are looking into it,” Asatroth supplies without any indication if we should worry or not.
I can’t even pick up on any emotions from them, but Knox, Ryker, and Zeke are pumping out enough annoyance and frustration to easily mask any other emotion.
“That’s why we are going to the Crucible. It’s the main melting pot where we can take a portal back to Purgatory,” Lucifer says as we continue to walk down the path. This pathway is different from the last one we went down. Along the road are cliffs and large skeletons of long-dead monsters. I can see barren trees line the edges of the cliffs and a few outcroppings of homes in the distance. They don’t look as luxurious as L.A.M.B.’s but they still look to be a decent size.
At the end of the path, a large building finally comes into view. It’s made out of wood and leather skins with some massive wooden beams exposed in some areas. As we approach, there’s yelling and a large crowd is gathered just inside the entrance. They are all standing in what looks like a foyer of the building.
“What’s going on?” Zeke asks, peeking over a few Demons.
Lucifer slides over to the side and taps a Demon on the shoulder. He turns around with a growl, but when he sees who’s in front of him, the color drains from his face as he stutters out an apology and bows.
“What’s going on?” Lucifer demands.
“Sorry, Lord. The guards won’t let any of us into the inner sanctum to use the portal. They will not tell us why,” he says shakily, and slowly rises.
Asatroth turns toward the crowd and his tail begins whipping back and forth in irritation, making small booming sounds. They start off small, but they have a ripple effect, and soon I feel a vibration against my legs as thunder rolls inside of the building. Lucifer stands before us and motions for us to stand back while Demons continue to scream and push each other in front of us.
Lucifer’s hands start to glow, and I see a shield go up between him and Asatroth, cutting off the vibrations from his tail. Although we are protected, the Demons and other creatures in the room before us are not. I watch in fascination as some turn and finally notice the Wrath Demon right as they get knocked off their feet.
“I would hate to be them,” Ryker leans in to whisper.
“I agree.”
Asatroth doesn’t wait for them to get up, he starts walking as they scramble to not get stepped on, and we follow behind Lucifer’s shield. The noise in the room starts to die down and turns into a different type of buzz as we get further into the building. As the crowd parts, I’m finally able to see a large stone structure that runs the height of the building, and standing at the massive doors are four Demons dressed in black and red heavy armor.
“My Lords, my Queen.” The biggest one dressed in all red bows his head before Astaroth.
Lucifer drops his shield and steps forward to address the guard. “What’s going on? Why are you barring the portals?”
“We were about to send a servant to give word,” the guard explains, stepping inside with Lucifer. Astaroth follows along with Lilith, but when I start to follow, one of the guards throws out his arm, stopping me.
“Can’t go in,” he growls out. I glance up at him and point at my family.
“Excuse us, we’re with them,” I say, and point just in case this dimwit doesn’t understand who “them” are.
He peers back to see Lucifer continuing walking without us and gives us a cocky smile. “Doesn’t appear so.”
“Look, fucker,” Knox growls, stepping up in between us and getting into the Demon’s face. “That’s our—”
“Let. My. Children. Through,” Lilith says through clenched teeth. She stands behind the guard in front of the structure, only her arm and hands visible, and they are currently choking the guard. Her claws pierce through the armor around his neck as he wheezes, trying to breathe.
“Did you see her move?” Ryker whispers behind me.
“Nah,” Zeke answers, unfazed by the display of power.
“Yes, my Queen,” the guard manages to get out as he slumps to the ground and we walk past.
“I’m glad we’re on her good side,” Zeke whispers.
“You could never be on my bad side. You boys are perfect in my eyes,” Lilith professes.
The concrete area is empty except for a dozen or so portal shells lined up against the walls, and a massive one on the top of a platform. It’s the only way to describe them because they look like portals, but without the swirling magic emitting from their surface. Right now they look like dead and cloudy white mirrors.
