The In-Between (Book 1 - Death, Demons and Mere Mortals)

Chapter TWENTY-NINE - The Truth of Death

The words had everyone waiting, suffocating in silence as the beast opened Its mouth to speak. It took up every space in the throne, hiding the bones as the cloak of smoke smothered every gap and blanketed every surface. The purple eyes bore holes into Emma's skull, the red skin blinding her. It loomed above her, staring down as though she were nothing but a stone It would soon walk over, crunch under its hefty weight.

'Four years.' It stated, the growl laced with admiration. The eyes glistened as they stayed fixed on Emma's twitching cheek. The crown still spinning by her side. She could move, the thought of placing it on and using it crossed her mind, but she was paralysed. 'You're early.' It grinned, and Emma caught sight of the inside of Its mouth. It was a black void, the slightest movement of a tongue but it stayed shielded within.

Emma didn't speak. Partly because she couldn't but also, she wanted to hear as much as she could before asking questions. She needed to gain strength and courage to talk. Its hands sat on the arms of the throne, the fingers curling and gripping tight onto the ends. The nails cut into the bones, the sound piercing like they were dragging down a chalkboard. The sound sent tingles darting down Emma's spine, her stomach lurching and the taste of bile was like acid in her mouth.

'We all heard the myths of the jewels, the power.' It continued, Its eyes moving off of Emma and scanning the room. She breathed out, her back wavering for only a moment before she straightened her spine again. 'We searched, fought and bled for it.' It told, hissing at every word. It stayed in Its place, fingers gripping tight and loosening on the arms of the chair as the muscles under Its red, leathery skin tensed.

The roaring purple eyes came back to Emma, matching her stare. 'No one found anything, so we gave up and I stayed in this...place.' It spat with disgust, staring around at the ruins of the room. Out the corner of Emma's eye, she could see the blue light gliding past her, no faces, bodies or hands could be seen stretching out for help. No screams stabbed at her ears, for she wasn't looking directly at it.

Her mind was quiet, she stared as It kept speaking. Every time she swallowed, it felt like she was choking. Its face tightened and twisted as the words seethed out. Its eyes narrowed on her; she clenched her jaw. The burning itched her skin as the purple beads bore into her.

'Until, you.' It smiled tightly, the tough red skin cracking and scaling as the grin tore the mouth open. Its eyes were narrow slits and Emma swallowed. She calmed her body, she relaxed. She was ready. In her heart, she knew that she'd lived too long, overstayed her welcome on Earth.

'You said that you needed to find the power, the jewels.' Its head rose, the cloak of smoke drifting in the air as It moved. 'You were my key.' It spoke, pride hiding behind Its rumbling voice. Emma could have sworn that she heard the rocks shaking on the ground, the roof of the cave moaning every time It spoke.

She still said nothing, keeping her mouth tightly shut. She could feel the others watching behind her, she couldn't imagine the fear that Jen felt, but she couldn't think of them.

'I gave you five years, kept my distance. I believed you'd look and fight to find them; you didn't need any push.' It retold, the teeth falling perfectly in place as Its mouth opened and shut. The taste of blood danced in her mouth and she didn't realise how violently she was ripping into her gums. She clenched her jaw at Its words, her heart fluttering in her chest.

'I sent Agarath because I was worried.' It admitted with no shame, the smokey hood hiding parts of Its face as It spoke. 'I'd been dreaming of what I was going to do with it, the power. And when I realised it was almost five years, I couldn't risk you not finding it.' The voice turned dark, a glossy growl as the sound travelled to the tiniest crevices of the room.