“Exactly!”
“Oye ye yoye…” she groaned out.
As she said this, Peregrine himself whisked through the entrance of the Inn, dressed very informally in a long sleeve and casual slacks. His paper thin hair was pulled into a braid, which made his glistening red eyes illuminate the room. “Nicodemus, Odysseus, a pleasure to see you both,” he welcomed us grandly.
We both bowed respectfully to him. “And you, Peregrine,” Odysseus replied.
“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” he chimed brightly.
Decimus clicked his tongue as a warning to think of something quickly. “Well, I had to run through some logistics with Decimus about his new Layer. I’m worried about the caseload I’ve put onhim with the recent events regarding the Horsemen, so I wanted to see how he was handling things. I planned to check in with Phillip as well,” I lied smoothly, too smoothly I thought, at first.
Peregrine nodded once, a rigid nod, but he seemed to be buying it. “I see. I hope you trust me enough to keep an eye on our new recruits?”
“Of course I do!” Odysseus kicked my leg when my voice raised higher than it should. “I’m only trying to keep tabs on everyone is all, as part of my training. Seraphine recommended it, right, Seraphine?” I slithered out.
She blinked heavily before letting out a melodramatic laugh. “You know, it’s been so long since I’ve trained someone, Peregrine! I’m only trying to be the best I can for him!”
“Easy, tiger…” I grumbled just for her.
Peregrine’s mouth finally lifted to a full smile. “Well, don’t let me stop you. What exactly are we seeing Akira for today?”
“Well…”
As Seraphine began her phase of the plan, Decimus jutted his chin in the direction of the door leading to his Layer. I scrambled after him, nodding once to Odysseus, who took his post as well. Decimus navigated the vast tunnels through his Layer masterfully, gliding in between souls who screamed and clawed at us. He paid not attention to most, but the ones who were truly persistent got a swift kick to the head. I cringed at his behavior towards them but reminded myself that this was Gehenna, and he was only doing what I had hired him to do.
“How many years has it been for him?” I asked nervously as we approached his throne room. His throne itself sat untouched, as I knew he hated being in here, as it was only a cruel reminder of what he had become. His serving demons cowered in the corners, fearful that their ruler would be caught, and they were right to keep themselves distant from this matter.
Decimus cranked the lock on a large concrete door three times, heaving under the weight of it. “It’s been, what, two weeks for you guys?”
“More or less.”
“Then I would say five to ten years, somewhere around there.”
I shivered horrifically. “Gods, I wonder what state he’s going to be in…”
He led me down a steep staircase and down a long marble hallway, which was adorned by vibrant torches. Each one spit fire rapidly, like the flames were trying to consume me from their holders. “Probably not a good one.”
“I should think not.”
Decimus stopped at the end of the hallway. He spun on his heel with eyes pure red, a menacing red that consumed his entire expression. “If this goes south, I am not taking your side. You snuck down here by yourself when my back was turned. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” I assured.
“I don’t need more shit than I’m already getting. Peregrine has had it out for me since day one, and if he finds out-…”
“Finds out you went behind my back?” Peregrine’s voice echoed from behind us. Decimus and I gasped and whipped around in horror; Peregrine stood at the top of the stairwell with his hands in his pockets. He took the steps two at a time until he reached us, where he kept his stance, but held a truly demonic glare. “Funny finding you two down here, in an area Iforbadeanyone to come near without me present, that is.”
“Peregrine, I-I can explain…!”
Peregrine held a hand up to Decimus, which made him snap his jaw closed immediately. “You weren’t very slick, you know. Seraphine and Odysseus are currently pouting because I figured your plan out pretty quickly. Did you really think you were being inconspicuous?”
“I mean, kind of…” I whined in defeat.
He let out, to my surprise, a soft chuckle. Decimus perked up a little when he heard it, too, but Peregrine went back to glaring at him a second later. I pushed Decimus behind me slightly and puffed my chest out to boost my confidence. “Look, Peregrine, please don’t blame Decimus. I used my status to blackmail him into this, and that’s all this is.” I held my hands up in defeat. “Whatever you do to punish anyone, let it be me. I dragged everyone into this on my own.”
“I agree,” Decimus peeped, which I whacked him in the back of the head for.
Peregrine looked me up and down before exhaling through his nose stiffly. His hands slumped deeper into his pockets before he walked up to the door behind us and pulled the lock in a circle. The mechanism squealed in anguish as he forced it to comply, and once he had, the dry heat of the Layer beyond the castle walls crawled down my back. “I suppose it is unfair to take your father from you for so long. I did not consider the domino effect this would have on you as well, young God.”
