You Are So Not a Fallen Angel

Chapter 29

I gasped as the knife plunged into my stomach and a red hot pain radiated out in every direction. I stared at the dagger, blade sunk all the way in, not understanding what I was seeing.

“No, don’t,” I said as Lorris grasped the handle, getting ready to pull it out again. Much as it hurt now, it would hurt so much more to take it out, and wasn’t that supposed to make you bleed out even faster. He shook his head and tugged it out. I screamed.

“Sanguinem innocentem aperire fores,” he cried, holding aloft the blade, sending drops of my blood everywhere. I clapped a hand over the hole in my side and tried to slow the flow of blood. He’d done it. I couldn’t believe it. He’d really killed me.

“Veni ad me, daemon críminum!” Lorris dropped the book and the knife on the ground and stood up, arms held wide, like he was expecting applause. He had done it. He had managed to open the gates of Hell. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Lorris turned his face to the sky and let out a long shriek of triumph.

I watched him, though my vision was becoming hazier by the second. It was like he was glowing with an internal light. He did a 360° turn, a master surveying his domain, waiting for his horse to arrive and destroy everything in its path.

Except where was it? Sure, it was a long way down to hell, but surely we should be hearing or seeing something by now? Lorris seemed to be wondering that too. He spun around, but the triumphant air was gone, replaced by one of panic.

“Veni ad me, daemon críminum!” He called again, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. “Come on!”

Still nothing happened. “Where are they?” he demanded. He rounded on Aubin, who was suddenly fascinated by a nearby tree. “Where are they?”

Aubin shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Lorris turned on me. “What did you do?”

I shook my head, lacking the energy to say anything. My eyelids weighted a ton and I was fighting to keep them open.

“This is trick!” Lorris shook my shoulder, making me scream again. “Tell me what you did!”

I could only shake my head again. Lorris howled in frustration and grabbed the knife from the ground and held it up again.

“Tell me what is happening,” he said.

“Leave her alone.” Aubin knocked the knife from Lorris’ hand and kicked it so it flew through the air and landed several yards away. “Haven’t you done enough?” He stood over me for a moment, then shook his head. “You must’ve done the ritual wrong.”

“I did what it said in the book!” He pulled it towards him and ran a finger down the page, leaving a long bloody mark across the parchment. He shoved it towards Aubin. “Look, I followed the instructions to the letter! This is her fault.”

That’s gratitude for you. I closed my eyes and tried to tune them out. The pain in my side was beginning to fade. Was that a good thing? Probably not. There was no going from this. Wasn’t it now that you were supposed to get a playback of your life? I hoped they would stick to the highlights and not do a play-by-play account.

“Well what are you suggesting we do?” Lorris was yelling. “Before it’s really easier to sit there and criticize, but not so easy to actually do something!”

“But if it didn’t work the first time around, there’s no reason it’ll work this time, will it? And I don’t see why the other girl would be any different.”