Hell's Throne (The Devil's Assistant Series - 5 ) - Unedited

Hell's Throne - Chapter 19

My stomach lurched in the brief moment of freefall. My pulse skipped as fear reared its head. The all-encompassing darkness made it even more disorientating. Too quickly my feet hit the floor and, unprepared for the impact, my legs buckled beneath me.

My hands scrabbled blindly in an attempt to catch myself but there was nothing to grasp onto for purchase. Instead, I crashed to the ground with a thud, my already battered body smacking onto the unforgiving ground. Muscles throbbed in angry protest. I wanted nothing more than to remain on the floor feeling sorry for myself. I knew I couldn't. There was a woman who deserved justice and she wouldn't get it if I didn't get up.

It was up to me.

With a groan, I rolled over onto my side. As my weight shifted, something crunched beneath me. Swallowing loudly, I pushed up on to my knees.

Summoning my sword to me once again, I held it before me and swung it around me. The blade's light lit up the space around me, revealing the features which had been hidden by the gloom. It didn't make the space any more appealing. At least the darkness hid how depressing the space truly was. The cellar was barely more habitable than the building above had been. At least someone had at least taken the time to remove the dust and grime from the underground space. Yet even those small acts did nothing to remove the dilapidated air that hung about the place.

Climbing to my feet, I swung around in a circle using the light which emanated from the blade to guide me. At least there weren't any strange creatures waiting for me in the shadows of this room. I had seen too many horror films in my life not to expect something to jump out at me.

After the initial survey, I swept over to the table. The table top was scorched as if something had burned bright and hot on the surface and there was some ashy residue. A black residue lingered on the table top. Brushing my hand over the surface, I frowned. The wood was still warm.

We were so close and yet still so far. They had been here, they had burned the evidence, and then they had left. Mere minutes separated us. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had probably been in the cellar when the explosion had rocked through the building above. And while we were trying to orientate ourselves, they were destroying any evidence which could lead back to them and then they were fleeing.

"Shit." I cursed before clapping my hand over my mouth. Automatically I searched for the young impressionable little boy who would no doubt parrot the words back to me. And then I remembered where I was and the curse spilled from my lips for a second time. "Shit!"

Glancing around, my eyes lingered on the doorway set at the far end of the cellar. It was calling to me, beckoning me to explore. The door, hanging by a single hinge, was the only other way out of the room. They hadn't managed to escape via the hatch. We would have seen them. The entire building had been surrounded. It meant the only way they could have escaped was through the tired-looking door on the other side of the room.

I glanced up at the square of light above which offered a degree of safety. I should go and get help. I shouldn't investigate on my own. It was the stupid thing to do – I knew it within my heart. It was safer to wait for the others to catch up to me. We should hunt the enemy together.

Yet, waiting for them in relative safety above did not mean that we would remain safe. We needed to find these people before they caused any further destruction. The longer we allowed them to remain unchecked, the more likely it would be that they would harm someone else.

There was no time to waste.

My feet were moving before I could even finish the thought. I wanted my family safe and the only way for that to happen was to make sure the culprits who instigated the violent attacks within the city were caught. I had to make sure that whatever they had released from Tartarus was recaptured and sealed away once more.