Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 35

Rift

The crypt lit up by my Father's lights is in a ruin of bones, fragments of old fabric, jewelry, and old books.

We weren't the first ones here...

I take note of how disturbed this place is.

Someone ripped open coffins, but didn't steal any of the jewelry.

Father Ryland bends to pick up a frost covered book and opens it. "This is a lost tome."

"What does it say?" I ask, accidentally stepping on an ancient femur bone with a loud crunch.

"I cannot decipher it's language," Father Ryland murmurs, holding a lit hand over what look like hieroglyphs.

"Allow me," I say with a chuckle and touch the binding, the ink raises from the pages and translates.

"It's a book of death spells," Father Ryland says with disgust, and drops the tome. "Something I will not defile myself to read."

I roll my eyes and pick it up. "I on the other hand was born defiled. This could be useful to me."

"A dark sorcerer must have come here," Father Ryland says, ignoring me as I scour through the pages. "Ages ago."

The death spells are something new to me, while the Scourge is something I've always done naturally, these spells are long forgotten by dark magic wielders, and if destruction gives me energy I may have quite the use for them.

"Or sorceress," I mutter, gazing around at the clutter. "Do you think they were looking for the DL's body?"

"Hard to say," Father Ryland says.

"All I can tell you is dark magic thrives down here," I inform him. It's heady presence is like a drug in the air. I flip through the last pages in the tome, and raise my eyebrows. "Hey, come over here, I found something useful."

Father Ryland walks over to me, crunching bones as he does. "Yeah?"

"It's a note, from my mother's old master, he came down here before us," I say. "He wanted to resurrect the Dark Lord just like us."

"What does it say?" Ryland peers over my shoulder.

"That he wasn't successful, that it requires a shit ton of dark energy that he didn't have," I say.

"Do you believe you have enough?" Ryland asks me.

"I do," I say. "I've got the fucker leeching off of me, so I'm not too worried."

"Does it say where we can find his body?" Ryland asks.

"Yeah, this way," I say, walking down the hall and reaching the wall at the end. The note said there is a secret room hidden within this wall. I run a hand over the cold stone. "There should be some kind of lever or stone to push."

"Why don't you just blow through it?" Ryland asks. "You're capable of that, aren't you? Destruction is a known dark magic basic."

"Encouraging my dark abilities now?" I ask him with a grin.

"I accept you for who you are, even if I'd never dabble in it myself," Ryland says, patting my shoulder. "Now, knock this bitch out of the way."

"I think I'm beginning to like you," I say, shaking my head in disbelief that I admitted it to him.

Actually, I kind of want him apart of my future life too. I can see it now: Grandpa Ryland egg sitting for Kyla and I, or him trying to teach his little Cursed grandchildren Light magic.

"Stand back," I say, placing both my palms on the wall and gathering up a burst of dark energy into my core, then throwing it at the wall through my palms.

The wall bursts forward with a loud crack. The stones fall into the hidden chamber and scatter about. I step over the mess and Ryland follows in after me.

"There's his sarcophagus," Ryland says, pointing toward a gold adorned coffin.

"You've disturbed the master and desecrated his tomb," a voice hisses from a darkened corner of the room. "Now you will die!"

"Who's there?" Ryland shouts, shooting a beam of light in the direction of the voice, but no one is there.

"I am Belinda," the voice answers from the other corner of the room. "The guardian of my lord. I will not leave his side. I kill those who disturb him."

"I read about you," Father Ryland says. "You're a she-demon. You seduced Corseth to betray his people."

"I'm surprised you know that name, as it's been centuries since Corseth died," Belinda's voice echoes with a cackle.

"Well, we're here to resurrect your beloved master, so instead of threatening us, you should be trying to kiss our asses," I mutter at her.

"Master?" Belinda appears in cloud of black smoke in front of me. "Is that you?" Her black eyes gazing curiously at my face. She is female in shape, her age reads about thirty, her skin is the color of grey stone. She's naked, with large high set breasts, pierced nipples, a toned small waist, subtly curved hips, and white blonde hair with black horns curling from her head and a long tail trailing behind her.

"I'm not your master," I say, "I'm only his Vessel. But I intend to return him to his body so the two of you can be reunited. Step aside." The air is tense in here. I can hardly hold on to my own mind, the Dark Lord wants to be in control.

Keep out of this, DL, until I can get my body back to myself.

"I have long waited for you," Belinda says, with a sigh, disappearing from in front of me and reappearing to sit atop the sarcophagus and caresses the golden engraved face. "I am weary and wish to find rest. Please, let me die finally, Master, let me return to my people."

For some reason I pity her. Ages have gone by and because she belongs to him she's had to sit and guard him for all this time. It's obvious it's affected her sanity.

"Where do you come from?" I ask her, trying to keep her calm. She's a different kind of entity than our corporeal forms, but I don't recognize her species. "How did you originally come to serve your master?"

"I'm from another world," Belinda murmurs, as if lost in deep memory. "Master stole me from my world eons ago. I knew his soul lived on because I was never released from my bond to him."

"Are you truly a demon then?" Father Ryland asks.

"Demon?" Belinda scoffs. "I'm one of the Azure. A people who live below." She crosses her arms over her full chest. "Who are you?" She asks Father Ryland.

"A priest of the Light," Father Ryland replies, he extends a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, most lovely Belinda of the Azure."

Belinda simply stares at his hand and cocks a white eyebrow.

I give a quizzical glare at Father Ryland and fight the urge to ask why he seems to be attracted to bad girls.

"Let's make a deal," I say, walking forward so Belinda stiffens with her black eyes pinned on me.

"I'm listening," she says, cocking her head.

"Why don't you tell me how I can resurrect the Dark Lord and I'll help you destroy him for good," I say. "I'll return you to the Azure."

"They no longer exist," Belinda says wistfully. "The Dark Lord destroyed my world before coming here to destroy this one. The only way I can return to my people is through death."

"Why would you want to die?" Father Ryland says. "You can live on. We can help you find a life here in Axus. I can help you heal your mind." He gives me an expression which reads, she's crazy, are you sure you would trust her to help us?

"Show me how I can bring him back to life, and I'll kill you if that is your wish," I say, "after I kill your master and extinguish his soul to set you free."