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Pushing open our door, I step inside and start stripping off my blood-soaked clothes and armor. This girl needs a bath.Desperately. This might be the last opportunity for a while and as long as the roof isn’t crashing down, nothing is going to stand between me and our pool-sized bathtub.
I need a distraction or else my brain will implode, thinking about why the guard retreated to the castle… Either someone did something stupid, like make a deal, or someone has reigned victorious. Seeing as everyone I’ve grown to care about is on that field, I’d rather try to put the idea out of sight and out of mind. They’ll be back soon and then I can worry. There’s no point in doing so now when my hands are tied.
“Could you not scry the past?”
“Yes and no,” I answer, kicking off my boots. “I’ve tried to go back to the night my mother died, but nothing happens. I think for it to work, I’d have to physically be where the event I’m wanting to see took place. My aunt never told me where she died, so I never got the chance to try it before coming here.”
Luri lays down on the cool stone floor, stretching out to her full length in the open space between our bed and living room area. Thanks to Kai and his precarious room design, we don’t have carpet. It would likely end up stained and ruined if we did.
“Then, to get your answers, we’d need to go to where the barrier used to be. Where Asmodeus was pushed through, yes?”
“Yes… but that’s not an option right now.” I untie the back of my pants, and removing them is much easier than getting them on. Once the strings are loose, they practically slip off.
“I wonder who would’ve trapped him, if not Lucifer.”
I snort, grabbing a towel from the linen closet and padding my bare feet toward the bathroom. “Now who’s curious?”
“Me,obviously.It’s too bad you can’t just ask Lucifer to show you the memory. He probably would without question, but there’s no telling whether what he’s showing you would be real. I suppose we’ll have to wait until it’s safe to go outside the keep.”
“He wasn’t the only person there…” I say, fingering the towel and gnawing on the inside of my cheek.
Shoving the thought from my mind, I head into the bathroom and tiptoe into the heated waters of the pool. It wraps around me, soothing my nerves and aching muscles. Fluffy moss peeks between the stone plates that surround the deep abyss of dark water. On the far side, the stones dip just beneath the surface and a gentle waterfall drips from above like a shower. Steam floats in the air as small, dark-capped waves crash against my chest, slipping over the stones with ease.
I let my body slip below the surface, and tendrils of my hair sweep through the water like snakes. There was a time when I was terrified of what I’d see the moment I sank below the waterline. The angelite stone my uncle gave me would let me see whoever I wanted to and what they were doing at the present moment when it came in contact with the water. I lost it in the Realm of Monsters, but it’d certainly have come in handy now. I should look into getting another one. There’s a large slab of it in the cavern below the tree of life. Kai’s mother was notorious for collecting and growing crystals, which is something I didn’t even realize could be done, let alone forced or curated.
My thoughts dissipate as I rise above the surface and stare into my reflection in the water. Kai’s mother. She was there. She had to be. My eyes grow wide as I spin to push out of the pool, rushing to dry off and slap on comfy clothes.
“Luri. I got it. Kai’s mother.Shewas there, and though it’s only her body that remains in this castle, her memories are still locked in her head. If I can channel her… If I can head dive…”
“You can see what happened that day,”she finishes the thought for me.
“Yes, but we have to move quickly. They’ll be back soon.”
“I’m surprised they’re not back already. They do have those bracelets. Not to mention they could open a portal home.”
“They’re likely shifting through the dead so they can return loved ones to their families. It’s what Kai would do, and seeing as we lost a lot even before we left, it’s going to take a moment.” I shrug on one of Kai’s sweaters, pulling the fabric up to my face and inhaling deeply. Sandalwood, lavender, and a tinge of whiskey.
Rushing out into the open area of our room, Luri sits up to meet my gaze. “You should probably keep watch outside. If you see them, let me know and I’ll make a run for it. I don’t want Lucifer to know what I’m doing. Not if Asmodeus is right.”
Her body rocks as she works to get all four of her feet beneath her, then shakes like a sheepdog coming out of the water. “Okay, let’s go.”She moves with grace, stepping out into the hall, and following me down to the main floor before she breaks off to lounge above the steps to the castle.
I, on the other hand, go deeper into the belly of the monster. My feet fly across the stairs down to the basement where Lucifer’s wife is encased. I’m not sure exactly how I’ll do it, but I’ll figure that out when I get there. The stairwell opens into a dark, cavern-like room, filled with nothing but a single door. It’s like this place used to be a dungeon and the Devil decided to make it his home.
My footsteps echo off the obsidian stone as I make my way to the dark wooden door. Shaky fingers wrapping around the handle, I test it, spinning the knob just a tad. No locks. Noanything.My magic rustles to the surface and my third eye opens, pulsing through the door to see if anything awaits my entrance on the other side. Again,nothing. I turn the knob and push inside, finding an empty room.
Time-withered stone walls greet me, along with an obnoxiously enormous painting of Lucifer, his wife, and one son. It’s hard to say which, knowing what I know now. They’re not twins, but they look so similar, it would be hard to tell them apart at that age. Hell, one might argue that now, if it weren’t for the wicked scar.
It’s windowless and lit by torches that flamed to life the moment I entered. Spelled somehow, like those in Purgatory. The walls are lined with bookshelves in every available space, filled to the brim with leather-bound grimoires, crystals, talismans, and more. A beautiful, cozy-looking bed with dark blankets and pillows lies off to the left. A grand piano to the right with golden keys. It’s what’s in the middle of the room that I’m here for. A glass casket.
Inside, is a woman with snow-white hair. Her features are soft, with silk-like skin. Between her hands is a golden rose. Persephone Morningstar…. Mother to the man I love.
Slowly lifting my fingers to the glass, I mutter a spell, allowing my hand to slip through so I can place my fingers on her forehead. The tips begin to glow before making contact with her skin, soft and supple, and I close my eyes.
Here goes nothing.
The moment we connect, images fill my vision like a projector film being rewound. Something catches my attention and I pause. They’re the visions… The ones she saw before she died. That’s how Lucifer knows them so well. He’s been able to head dive and refresh his memory. That’s why he keeps her here instead of placing her in the familial tombs. It has to be.
I’d give anything to sit here and watch them, to learn from them whatever he might not be telling us, but I don’t have the time to absorb all the answers. Not yet. I let the images flash, seeing memories of a small Kai gallivanting through the fields, picking yellow flowers and handing them to her. He looked so happy… soinnocentthen.
