Chapter nineteen
The King of Deceit
Atlas
Purgatory seemed to suck me in like a vacuum today. A place most would never want to step foot in was incredibly welcoming, embracing me in my darkest time, as if I were reconvening with an old friend. The souls I judged today were simple cases, lackluster if anything, and didn’t put up much of a fight. I wished they had to break up the monotony of the day. I spun my bone fingers through the various souls dancing around me, plucking them up one by one so I could send them to their correct resting place. Most were meant for Caelum today, which usually meant a good day, but I was hoping for some Gehenna-bound ones so I had an excuse to go down to the Realm.
Finally, a soul blacker than the night sky squeaked by me, trying to avoid my ominous hand, but I snatched the top of its blob and dropped it into my hand. “Thought you could sneak by, eh, Veronica?” I snickered as I encased the soul in my grasp.
Her memories flashed through me through our touch.
Years of her life were dedicated to human trafficking rings, where she helped lure girls into night clubs, drugged them, and sent them off with Gods knew who to be smuggled across the border. She was a victim of abuse herself at a young age, but instead of finding better, she decided to become one with a life she knew was cruel and relentless. I pondered her childhood experience, wondering if that was enough to consider her for reassessment, but decided I wasn’t in the mood to forgive today.
“Looks like Peregrine is getting a new friend today,” I said as I ghosted towards the doorway out of Purgatory. My cloak whistled alongside my floating, the only sound to fill the long, desolate space. Not even my Shadows were willing to add input today. If anything, they were completely absent from the task as a whole. Usually, they would chirp in my ear to make sure I was being fair to the souls I organized, but no one seemed to want to dispute me today. I knew they were disgusted by my actions with Ambermourn, but I figured it anyone was going to be loyal to me, it would be them.
Guess not.
I used my personal key to access all Layers of Gehenna, turning the dial nine times before opening the door to Peregrine’s Layer. This Layer creeped me out more than any other. The entire Layer was endless bodies of water, half-frozen lakes that souls were meant to traverse. Completely silent when on the surface of the water, souls would be forced to walk through the landscape, searching for an exit they would never find. Each chunk of ice they stepped on would show them loved ones and others they had wronged in the past, who would lead them towards false exits and promises of escape.
As if that weren’t bad enough, if they mis-stepped, they would fall into the frozen water and rot there until Peregrine felt like fishing them out. They would be awake in that state of torment,with hushed voices ringing in their ears that they couldn’t quite make out, but they knew were talking about them. Every soul there never knew who was trustworthy and who not, as they were always conspiring against one another, trying to win Peregrine’s favor, but he could care less about them.
His throne room was all black, marbled, cracked ice. His throne was made of the same material, and he sat poised in it with a completely blank expression. He preferred to stay in his Human form mostly, so he wasn’t intimidating when I came to see him, but he still held weight that I knew was heavier than mine could ever be.
I walked the frozen floor rapidly, my breaths coming out as white puffs from the cold temperature. I shifted back to my Elemental form when walking, so I, too, would not be so intimidating. Peregrine finished signing off on something before looking down to me, his mouth curling into a pleasant smile. “Good afternoon, Grim. I’m surprised to see you down here.”
“I thought I’d give Evris a break and make a special delivery today.” I held the soul out to him eagerly, like a child showing his parent a school project.
He took the soul from me gently, his always cold hands like being submerged in a freezer when soaking wet. The soul shivered in his palms as he peered into it curiously. “My, my... what a nasty little woman. She will surely enjoy herself here.” He handed the soul to a demon to his right. “Set her at the beginning. Make sure she has path twelve.”
“What’s path twelve?” I questioned innocently.
His smile turned much more devious. “I have twenty paths, depending on the severity of the case. I gave her credit for her childhood, but anything over ten usually means you have much less ice to traverse, and a much higher chance at falling into the water. I think she could use a swim.”
“Yikes. Remind me why I wanted to come down here again?”
Peregrine laughed in delight, waving a hand at me. “Oh Atlas, you’re so witty!”
I chuckled awkwardly before wringing my hands out under my cloak. “While I have your attention... do you think I can cash in a favor?”
“I’m in a pleasant mood, so, sure. What do you need?”
I bit my lip harshly. “Can you sense if someone close to me is being deceitful? If I am a victim of betrayal?”
He cupped his chin. “Hmm, I might be able to. It's usually easier if they are here with you, or you have one of their personal belongings...”
“How about a picture of them?” I held my phone out to him. “I took this while he slept a few nights ago.”
Peregrine examined the photo of Ambermourn on the chaise in his reading room. “What a provocative photo. I thought you were married, Atlas?”
I rolled my eyes heavily. “Just do your thing, Peregrine.”
A snicker slid through his thin lips before he flashed pure red eyes. “You do realize, when I do this, all proclamations I make are binding. You will be told nothing but the truth, but you cannot tell the person I am reading that you know these truths. If you should, there would be severe consequences.”
“Like...?” I whimpered.
His red eyes deepened in color. “A few years in my Layer, for example.”
I shuddered and moved to hug myself. “Noted.”
