Page 50 of Gladiator Moon

“Close, though no one needs to die to come here.”

“So it’s a prison, too?”

“Yes.”

“And all of this was built by the Dark One?”

“Built and managed by him. In fact, every wall, door, tile, rock, and beam you see is part of the Dark One himself.”

I glance around. “So we’re actually inside him.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I knew that. Just getting a feel for what I’m dealing with.” I look down at the demons milling below us, waiting for the pleasure of their master’s presence. “Well, I guess I should go talk to him. Then again, I could probably talk to him from anywhere in here, right?”

Azul nods grimly. “The Dark One is aware of everything that happens within him, yes.”

“Tell me, can he read my thoughts?”

“No, Sam. The Dark One is not omniscient. He is not a god. He simply fills the role of evil here on our little world, and he revels in it. He tempts. He corrupts. He finds weakness in good men and exploits it until they are no longer good.”

“Sounds a lot like the Devil back home.”

Azul gives me a sudden worried look. “It is time. Good luck, Samantha of the Moon.”

“Just Samantha Moon.”

I look down; indeed, the giant iron doors have begun opening. With Azul and Pickles still in tow, I zip down and fly through the parted doors, my wings just grazing the still-opening edges. Below, demons pour excitedly through the opening, as if this is some great occasion.

“Remember, they are literally gathering to meet the being who created them,” adds Azul.

Okay, that I understand. The Devil I defeated back on Earth had created an unholy number of demons, too. Demons I had eventually been tasked with eliminating, a job I never wanted and certainly never applied for.

“There he is, Samantha.”

Indeed, there he is: a hulking entity seated upon a throne of bones on a raised platform, surrounded by a heaving sea of horned demons. The Dark One seems to bask in their attention.

“Welcome, Samantha Moon. You have come here to kill me, I see.” His booming voice fills the Great Hall.

“Not quite. First, I’ve come to talk to you.”

“And I see you’re wielding what you so affectionately call the Devil Killer.” He shakes his massive head and chuckles. “An oversight on my part. I knew something had been festering there in my armory. I could feel it, like a minor irritation that, over the centuries, I had simply grown accustomed to. Had I known it was the Devil Killer, well... I would have destroyed it long ago.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No. Very foolish of me.”

I shrug. “Reckless.”

Something passes through his molten eyes, something I can’t quite identify. “Perhaps,” he says.

“And now you think I’m going to kill you with it?”

“Isn’t that why you brought it?” he asks.

“If I have to. But I don’t enjoy killing.”

“You haven’t shown my demons any such mercy.”