I had made up my mind this morning; I was going to ask Jacek to bring me a prisoner. I haven’t forgotten about Tom Hayes, mind you. But I would need to take my time with him, and not just because he potentially still had my soul. There’s more to him, though, I’m certain. I’ve got a whole interrogation planned. So yeah, I’m totally on it. But first things first, I needed to save Aleksei. If the Leshy were to die, there wouldn’t be a forest left for me to protect.
So I informed Casimir and told him to look into the family angle, namely to try and figure out if there was any possibility that one of our siblings could have ratted me out. Also, I asked him to warn the employees of the hostile demonic entity roaming the woods. Then I tried to call Jacek, but he didn’t pick up. That really put me on the spot—I’d have to get down to hell somehow, after all. Then I got an idea. After a bit of searching, I found one of his unfinished cigarettes out on the porch and decided to try my luck. I stepped out into the snow and lit it up, attempting to remember the words he’d said to open the portal.
“Fire, walk with me?”
My voice quivered with uncertainty, but when I dropped the cigarette, it set the snow aflame in much the same way Jacek had before. Moved by a sudden burst of confidence, I proceeded down the trail. The walk through the corridor had me wishing I could just turn and go back, so eerie was the quiet emptiness. I was almost beginning to doubt I’d come across a door at all when it suddenly appeared in front of me. I gratefully flung it open and entered a place that glowed so brightly I had to shut my eyes for a moment.
When I dared to look, I found myself on a street not unlike the one I’d seen in Wrath and Pride before. The sky in this sphere of hell was of a faint green hue, and it was nearly as densely populated as the others, except here, there was a notable lack of groups and pairs. Everyone about appeared to be by themself, and no matter who I passed, they all looked at me kind of funny. I tried not to stare at their various deformities—some had skin the color of a bog, with lumps and stores covering it like bubbles; others had a distinct surplus of fingers and hands. After roaming the sidewalk aimlessly for a little while, I braced myself and stepped up to a woman with a hole the size of my head in her stomach.
“Excuse me, where’s the nearest elevator?”
She pointed wordlessly in response, and I hastily moved on. The elevator wasn’t as busy this time, I appeared to be the only one waiting outside the cabin. When it arrived on my floor and the doors slid open, I was only a little surprised to find the human spider waiting behind them. Forcing a smile onto my face, I entered. “Hi.”
“Don’t I know you?” the spider asked.
“Actually, yes; I was here a couple days ago.”
“Right. The scared little newbie. All alone this time. How come?”
I didn’t know how to feel about this creature getting all conversational on me, but I didn’t want to be rude either. “I’m actually looking for someone. Jacek Hettmann… Do you know him by any chance?”
“Sure, I remember. He was with you the last time. Think I saw him earlier with his little clique. Lust probably is your best bet… Try the Hole.”
“That a drinking joint?”
“Their favorite.”
We began our ascent and I thanked the spider before stepping out of the elevator. Looking around, I was surprised to see that the hellsphere of Lust strongly resembled the kind of red light district you’d find in a lot of big cities. At the same time, I felt like I was setting foot into a carnival. Either time worked differently down here or it was always night in Lust—darkness had settled above the roofs of buildings and the tops of skyscrapers. A rose-tinted moon hung in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars. The streets were shrouded in thick fog, pink light catching in the wafting, swirling plumes. Neon signs illuminated large, shifting crowds as music blared from open doors. The ground seemed to vibrate with the beat. Despite my own better judgment, I found myself strangely elated, marveling at the sights and sounds. My senses were being battered, but it was weirdly beautiful.
I began looking around, a spring in my step.
Hole, Hole, Hole…
The establishments I passed by, though visibly seamy, looked strangely inviting. Eventually, I came across a purple sign spelling out exactly that name. Taking a deep breath, I stayed myself, patting down my skirt as I marched up to the double doors. They were guarded by a broad lady bouncer who gave me a lopsided smirk. “All in white down here,” she commented. “You sure know what’ll get you noticed.”
“Does that mean I can get in?”
“Sure, you walking bit of blasphemy,” she laughed, holding the door for me.
Beaming at her, I slipped inside. The club was packed. It was hard to take so much as a single step towards the center of the room without tripping over at least two other people. Some really intense beat was booming throughout the room, the stale air shivering with the rhythm. Amidst the bright flashes rotating through the darkness, the chatter and the noise, it took me a moment to realize that the partygoers had actually formed somewhat of a circle around a person in their middle, watching and cheering them on. Curious, I cautiously pushed and shoved my way through the crowd, until I was standing right in the front with nobody blocking my view anymore.
My heart skipped a beat before dropping into my stomach when I laid eyes on him.
Jacek was dancing like a wild fairy, throwing his arms, spinning and shuffling his feet loosely, looking utterly dramatic and totally relaxed at the same time. He was dressed even better than the last time I’d seen him, sporting a crimson shirt underneath a mesh long sleeve top. Somehow, he met my gaze from across the room, but he didn’t stop moving, staring right at me with effortless intensity. I took in his face—in the short time we’d been apart, he’d apparently gotten a new hairstyle. The sides and back were cropped in a handsome undercut, leaving fluffy, jet-black curls on top. Then I realized he was wearing makeup—dark red powder adorned his cheekbones and brows, with a bunch of little pentagram stars and hearts drawn onto it in white.
Eventually, the song ended and Jacek straightened up, arms dropping to his sides and a grin slowly unfurling on his lips. There was a mere moment of silence before the music started up again, and Jacek’s voice filled it immediately.
“Hi, Fiona.”
I fucking melted.
Jacek stepped forward, casually resting a hand on my arm. “Stay on your feet there now.”
“Fine!” I sputtered, instantly cringing. “I mean, I’m fine.”
“Funnily enough, I kind of expected to see you here today. Just a hunch.” He started pulling me over to the bar as the music got louder again. “Let’s get you something to drink.”
“Uh… okay! Hey, so, the new hair! I love it,” I stammered out. “And the makeup; how come I only get to see this now?”
This seemed to genuinely take him aback. He raised his fingertips to his cheek. “Actually, I put it on whenever I’ve got the time. Do you like it?”
I nodded eagerly.
He laughed. “You know, I actually didn’t put on any of it when I went to see you ‘cause I was sure you’d make fun of it. And my buddies kept saying it looks girlish and weird.”
“As if.” I snorted. “Wait, you sayin’ you cared about what I’d think?”
He stayed silent for a beat before merely shrugging. He gave the bartender a friendly wave and held up two fingers; the other man nodded and started mixing something. “What brings you here? Want a prisoner for your ritual after all?” He had to speak directly into my ear to drown out the music.
“Yeah; I’ve decided I’ll keep Tom Hayes for later. I ain’t got my soul back yet, so in the end, I might have to rely on him to tell me where he’s been keeping it himself. So let’s just have him thinking he’s fine and safe for a little while longer,” I replied against the side of his face, shivering when his cheek brushed against mine as he leaned in just a tad closer.
“The soul thing worries me in particular. Licorice isn’t back yet,” he said, rough lips tickling my earlobe. “And not just ‘cause of you. I need that dog to be okay. I’ve already failed him once; I was hoping to do right by the poor animal.”
“I understand,” I nodded, taking and squeezing his hand for a moment of solidarity. My breath caught in my throat when he didn’t let go of it.
“I wouldn’t have guessed he’d wait for me. I thought I didn’t matter to him.”
“You did. You must have.”
Something in my voice must have changed, because he drew back, looking at me with a guarded expression. “I thought we had an understanding. We’re friends, Fiona. Nothing more. Stop… stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“Well… y-you know. That. Whatever that is.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.” I winced, raising my hands apologetically. “Did I?”
“No. N-not actively. I think it’s just me,” he stammered, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. When he faced me again, he did so with renewed, bright eyes. “Alright. You’re here for a reason. What can I do to you?” His face fell the second the words had left his lips. “For!” he instantly shouted, correcting himself. “For you! I meant for you. Fuck’s sake.”
I decided not to push it. “I’m here to circle back on that offer. I need a prisoner.”
“Honestly, I would have just sacrificed Tom Hayes and gotten him outta the way,” Jacek replied, briefly turning away from me to receive the two drinks the bartender was now sliding across the counter to him. He handed me one, ensuring that our fingers didn’t brush once during the contact. “That would have been rather an elegant solution, no?”
“Not everything can always work out smoothly,” I commented, inspecting the liquid in the tall glass. It was different hues of red, all swirling as if animated. Strangely hypnotic.
Jacek reached out to clink his glass against mine. “Cheers.” He downed the whole thing in a heartbeat. Clearing his throat, he added, “Well, who am I to get in the way of your plans?”
“The elevator spider told me you were here with your friends.” I frowned. A strange sentence to say out loud.
“Am I? How strange.” He gave me a fetching grin. “Can’t see them anywhere. Let’s just ditch the whole lot.”
“Wait! Wait, just a second… Am I, like, ruining your night out right now?”
“Oh, Fiona, you’re saving it.”
We left the club behind and started shoving our way down the crowded streets. “So we’re really going to one of the prisons now?” I inquired, heart in my throat.
“No need to be scared. I’m with you. But I should tell you, I need to talk to Nick first. Hope that’s alright with you.”
“Sure, whatever needs doing,” I hastily attested. I wasn’t exactly keen on seeing the Devil again, but if it was necessary…
Jacek and I stuck together as we headed back to Nick’s office. Pride was busy as ever, but I wasn’t quite so afraid of its inhabitants anymore. I still felt a distinct sense of unease, but it was nothing compared to the first time. Besides, Nick looming over it all disturbed me a lot more. By the time we reached his office building palace, I was feeling rather unnerved. I kept thinking about how he’d pulled me closer and rubbed my arm, shuddering each time the image pressed itself into the forefront of my mind. We went up to his room anyway, and Jacek knocked and called out to him, as he had the last time. When Nick responded, he sounded different than when we’d last spoken. Deeper, rougher, angrier. It seemed to cause even Jacek to hesitate.
“I’ve got Fiona Novak with me again,” he shouted through the closed door. “Could you take on a… comprehensible form, perhaps?”
“Well, come the fuck in and see!”
Both of us flinched. There was no going back now, though. I swallowed thickly as Jacek cautiously opened the door, stepping inside ahead of me. Looking over his shoulder, I found that Nick only remotely looked like the last time I’d seen him. His skin was dark red, golden lines streaking it like cracks in an eggshell. It was sort of beautiful… sort of. His face unnerved me a lot more. He wore a harshly furious snarl, brows furrowed with wrath and abnormally large teeth bared.
“Boss? What’s wrong?” my ex inquired, now audibly and visibly alarmed. He regarded Nick with genuine concern as he took a couple tentative steps towards the other man.
“Everything is going to absolute shit, son,” the Beast growled, seemingly attempting to keep some semblance of composure. “Now, don’t ask. I know why you’re here. Come closer.”
Obediently, Jacek approached him once more.
“You, too, Miss Novak,” Nick commanded.
I could hardly refuse.
“Now, you two. I have… a bone to pick… with you two.” Nick’s chest was heaving, shoulders trembling ever so slightly in barely restrained anger. “Jacek Hettmann, who is your Lord and Master?”
My boyfriend let out a soft, incredulous snort. “That’d be you, Sire.”
“Huh. And what have you sworn to me?”
“My undying fealty and eternal servitude; I am your willing attendant and the hand by which you inflict pain and provide love. I will act as you need me to act and be what you want me to be for as long as my eternal soul persists.”
“There you go,” Nick said, eyes and voice a gentle kind of chilling. “And do you still hold this oath in your heart? Figurative though that heart of yours may be.”
“Of course,” Jacek answered without hesitation.
Nick smiled bitterly. “I’m a jealous man, Jacek Hettmann. You’re mine by right, you gave yourself to me and me alone. Have you forgotten that?”
“Not once.”
“Then how come you seem to be at this bitch’s every beck and call?”
The Devil’s voice cut through my unsettled haze like a knife. Jacek’s eyes widened, lips parting in an absent expression of shock.
Nick pursed his lips. “Thought so.”
“Sire, I swear it’s not like that!” Jacek immediately raised his voice, fists clenching and opening repeatedly at his sides. “I have been at your disposal since I–since I can remember forming conscious thought! I–I’d never betray you, you know I love you, you know I’d do anything… always have… You cannot seriously doubt my loyalty.”
“Look here, son, this isn’t a matter of simple obedience. Yes, I’m satisfied with your work, yes, you remain amongst my favorites… But that’s just the thing, I don’t want you to mindlessly follow my orders. I am the rightful holder of all your love and affection. I wouldn’t mind you running after the girl so much if you’d bed her from time to time, but for crying out loud, you let her command you like she’s me. I didn’t care at first, but I’ve had just about enough of it by now. I’m in a tight spot as is and seeing you turning your back on me… well.”
“I would never turn my back on you. And I don’t let her command me, I decide to help her occasionally because I want her to be alright!”
“And what do you take in return?” Nick asked sharply. “Were you ever planning on taking anything in return? Don’t fool me, boy. I’ve seen the way you look at her. That’s reverence. The kind of reverence you owe me, and nobody else.” The Devil’s tone was piercing, ice cold.
I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Rooted to the spot, all I could do was slowly turn to face Jacek. He pointedly avoided my gaze. When he reluctantly spoke up again, it was in a subdued, quiet voice. “I swear that you are all that I adore.”
The Devil’s smile thinned. “Liar,” he said softly. “Open your mouth.”
Jacek swallowed audibly, jaw clenching before forcibly relaxing.
“Stick out your tongue,” Nick ordered.
He did.
Slowly, the Devil reached out and placed the tip of his thumb below and his index finger on top of it, right around the middle. I could hear Jacek’s breathing growing labored. I had no idea what was about to happen, but I didn’t want to find out. “Please don’t hurt him,” I whispered helplessly. If Nick heard me, he didn’t let it on.
“Now, son, I’ll forgive you. Someday. But I’m severely disappointed. And misbehaving children need to be punished.” With that, the Devil squeezed down, crushing the red, moist flesh between his fingertips as Jacek let out a muffled, yet blood-curdling cry of pain. The scream rang out once again, louder than before, as Nick snapped his arm back and pulled, tearing through the muscles with merciless violence. I shrieked, all good sense abandoning me, and threw myself against the Devil’s chest with all my might. This actually seemed to catch him off guard, sending him stumbling with me upon him. It only lasted a moment, though. Nick let out a howl of fury as he flung me off of him. I flew across the room, feeling like I weighed little more than a flimsy ragdoll until my body connected with the floor in a flurry of nausea and dull pain.
Jacek had doubled over; he was retching and spitting blood, whimpering like a hurt animal.
“What the fuck did you do to him?” I yelled at Nick, who regarded me with unreadable eyes.
“Liars speak with forked tongues,” he said softly.
“Why in God’s name would you–”
“We don’t swear like that down here, wench,” he cut me off, sounding mildly amused. It was only when I raised my hand to wipe my eyes that I realized I was crying. The Devil gave me a pleased expression as he watched me struggle to push myself up. Sauntering closer to me, he knelt down, bringing his face uncomfortably close up to mine.
“Fiona Novak,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve granted you a favor in the past; you have a debt to pay. I will let you take whatever you need from my prisons. I will grant you more power than a normal human has the right to possess, when the time is ripe. Return to your home, and expect me to seek you out in a few days. Hey. Hey, now. Look at me. Stop weeping.” He grabbed my chin, tilting it up and forcing me to meet his gaze. “I don’t blame you for the miller’s desires, but damn, am I going to use them.” He reached behind him and, seemingly out of nowhere, produced something I hadn’t seen in a long, long time. “Using a hellhound to rally a stray soul is in itself a completely rational thing to do, but… these dogs do have a higher Master, you know. As does your lover.”
My heart sank as I laid eyes on the white rabbit in the Devil’s arms.
“How–?”
“The dog, Fiona. It brought its prey back to me. Ready?”
Before I could respond, he thrust the ghostly critter up against my chest. My heart skipped a beat, and for a second, all I saw was a blinding white light. Nick rose to his feet, a satisfied smile on display. “Welcome back to the world of feeling, little forest bride.”
I can’t describe what followed. I will, but I know I can’t do it justice. It was like a tidal wave in my head, my heart, my stomach… It felt like a door collapsing, with the flood of emotions pushing against it from the other side crashing down on me, burying me like an avalanche. And suddenly, everything was there. Everything was connected. The tears on my cheeks felt hotter than ever before. My chest felt like it was being torn apart, like someone was plunging their hand into my flesh, rummaging around, searching, searching, touching all, leaving nothing unseen.
Shaking like a leaf, my mind scattered, not one thought able to fully form, I frantically glanced around the room, and then I saw him. It was like seeing him for the first time. He was in so much pain, pitifully curled up on the floor, his mouth covered in blood; and he was still coughing and he was like an angel; he looked fucking sacred, he exuded happiness and warmth and he looked like love and he smelled like love and why the fuck is he bleeding, he’s not supposed to be bleeding…
I started crawling over to the writhing form of Jacek, my Jacek, gathering him in my arms and pressing him against my chest as hard as I could. For a brief moment, I felt something I hadn’t felt before. I had experienced approximations of it, yes, but never in this way, never…
And then, all of a sudden, he disappeared. Jacek simply vanished into thin air, leaving me clutching at nothing. This tore me out of my stupor.
I raised my head once more, vision blurred. Nick looked down at me with a cold kind of comprehension. “This sucks, doesn’t it?”
“Give him back to me,” I pleaded, my voice hardly more than a whisper.
“I will. That’s a promise. But you have to do my bidding,” he explained patiently, reminding me of what he’d just told me. “I’ll lead you down into the prison. I’ll give you an inmate for your little scheme. You’ll have time to sort out the affairs of your land, and then… then I’ll appear to you again. A favor for a favor. I won’t ask for anything you can’t give, but give you will. And then I’ll let him see you again. But, purely out of interest… how do you feel right now?”