Seasons in the Abyss (Book 4 EptaBorromean Realms)

Chapter 4.29

Melichios turned his back toward the creature and crouched in front of Angeline. "My love, look at me. Talk to me," he coaxed softly.

Angeline had begun to shake, but began to calm when Gaius's hand reached out to her and Melichios's own hands cupped her face. "Look at me, my love. You've seen that creature before, but now you need to process the memories beyond the fear."

She could only shake her head. There were no memories of that creature in her past lives. It only existed in her nightmares. Creeping, clawing, screeching in her mind, that creature had existed only in her dreams.

Melichios turned around and startled to find the blackened and singed face of it just behind him. To his surprise, it had moved silently across the room.

"What do you want?" He growled prepared to fight the thing to death in order to protect Angeline and the injured Minotaur king.

The creature only laughed, a grating noise similar to metal dragging on metal.

"Make it stop. Make it stop!" Angeline begged softly, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

Before anyone could make a move the creature's head jerked suddenly toward what looked like a door.

"Now they come. Now they come, and soon it'll be done!" it sang softly, crawling back to sit in the shadows again.

The sound of mechanisms moving and clicking sounded from the door. Melichios turned again to Angeline. "I need you to snap out of this," he demanded. "If that is Mammon and his accomplice, you need to be prepared to fight, or every single one of those people on the battlefield will be dead before we know it. Gaius was tortured for weeks in what amounted to seconds on the battlefield."

His words struck home. Angeline began to wipe away her tears, but the creature launched at her suddenly.

"No! Be weak, little girl. Weakness is what they come for. Show them just how weak you are," it rasped and goaded her.

Like a switch had been flipped, Angeline began to shake and cry uncontrollably again.

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This was a sight to greet Mammon as he entered the tenth tower of hell. The defeated minotaur king, too weak to move, his pet clawing and snarling at the guests, and the girl.... The girl was shaking and sobbing in fright.

"I see you've met my little pet," he joked, strutting into the room.

The creature cowered back to its corner, curling in on itself to appear as small as possible in the dark.

"You have a pet? Won't you let me play with it?" Azraelle asked, stepping out from behind the demon king.

Mammon shook his head. "You have other toys to play with. I let you have your way with the rervanesh. Now be a good girl and let daddy have his fun."

Azraelle scowled at him, but did not move toward the creature or the two crowded together in the opposite corner.

"You have been quite the pain in my ass, little girl," Mammon started, taking slow steps toward Angeline. "Do you know how much blood I had to spill to find you this time? Thousands. Thousands of demons and mortals each just to find you in some backwoods lower realm. I thought for sure my little girls would bring you to heel, but you got around them. Didn't you? I'm very curious about that by the way. How did you manage to beat the twins of destiny in that weak. little. body?"

Angeline glanced up at Mammon. To his dismay the fear she exhibited did not extend to him, causing a growl to rumble deep in his chest. "That's okay. I'll get the answers out of you."