The Demon's Game (33 page)

The room was set up like a dirty laboratory. Of
course, everything in the under cities were dirty. There was a thin, long metal
table with leather straps and a fluid drain on the right-hand side. Beside it
were a wooden stool and a small, square metal table laden with surgical
equipment and syringes.

Having watched dozens of movies that started out this
way, I knew screaming and crying did no good. In fact, I was always the one
complaining that the girl would just cry instead of fighting harder. I was an
idiot.

I didn’t fight them because I was too afraid to make
it worse. Instead, I cried silently until they forced me down on the table.
When the smaller man started to pull the strap over me, I leaned up and bit
him, then tried to get off the table. The larger man was there, however, and
restrained me easily with one hand.

The smaller man strapped me down tightly, spitting
insults as he did. After the straps were secure, he put a dirty cloth in my
mouth and then slapped me. The man who had checked on the cells every hour
entered at that moment and barked something angrily at the stranger, who glared
back but kept his mouth shut. Abruptly, the stranger and the larger man left me
alone with the man.

He approached me slowly, confidently, as if he
planned to take all the time in the world with me. To my relief, he removed the
cloth from my mouth, only to start wiping the sharp tools with it.

“Vet hyaxt yuben?” I asked his name. It didn’t matter
really, but I figured I had a better chance of escape if I could make them
think I was cooperative.

“Dleso Adre.”

I knew that name. I couldn’t remember from where,
but I recognized it.
Before I could think of anything else to ask, Adre
held up one of the syringes full of a blue liquid. His grin was that of a
person entirely out of his mind.

Nano had told me that people of Dios once had
darkness in their souls and that, while it was rare, it still existed in a
select few. I didn’t believe it before.

*          *          *

The next few days were hell. I woke from pain only to
be put back under. When I was conscious, I felt so sick all I could do was dry
heave, since there was nothing in my stomach. I knew he made cuts on me, but I
was numb a lot of the time.

Having no way to tell time, I didn’t know if it was
days or weeks. Through it all, I never gave up hoping that Nano would find me.

*          *          *

I felt myself being carried and groaned. There was no
way I could take any more. However, to my shock, I was set gently on something
soft. Assuming I was being put back in my cage, I opened my eyes. My vision was
blurry to the point where I couldn’t make out the person laying me down, but he
was small.

I reached out to push him away, but he took my hand
gently. “It’s okay, Vivian,” said a voice I would recognize anywhere.

“Nila. Where are we?”

“Safe. We’re in an abandoned house not far from my
old city. How did you get caught up in the slavery operation? Where is Nano?”

“I don’t know where he is. I went looking for you. I
wanted to help.”

“What is it with you humans? You always have to
help.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dylan was trying to help a few days ago, and Tiamat,
too. Settle down, Vivian,” he warned me as I tried to sit up. “You were in bad
shape when I found you and I don’t think the drugs are out of your system yet.
Try to sleep it off.”

“What about everyone else?”

“We got everyone out. We were all heading to the
surface, but you weren’t able to walk, so I have been carrying you. There was
an attack and we got separated. No one was hurt. Kseve has probably already
gotten the others to the surface. We are just a few days behind because we had
to take detours. Sleep.”

I wanted to argue, but my mind was too clouded and
opening my mouth again was too much work.

*          *          *

I felt like a human again the next time I woke,
albeit one who was used as a pincushion. The bed I was in was soft and I was
warm for the first time since entering the under cities. I opened my eyes and
found Nila sleeping next to me.

The house was a decent one-room place with a little
stove in the far corner, a bed that we were lying on, a small wooden table, and
four chairs. Aside from the scarce furniture, there were child drawings and
personal items on the walls.

Realizing that I could see again, I was very
relieved. I sat up carefully, mindful of any broken bones, and tried to get my
bearings. My body seemed to be fine; there were no major aches or mysterious
bleeding. Perfectly even bruises marred my wrists and ankles, suggesting that I
fought restraints. To my distaste, I was dressed in the same dirty, white,
scrub-like uniform that all of the slaves were wearing.

Nila woke and sat up next to me. “How do you feel?”
he asked.

“I’m fine. Is there anything to eat?”

“Sorry, no. Tiamat brought Kseve and me food several
days ago, but there is nothing left and we haven’t found anything since. The
crops have all died with no one here to take care of them and the water
purification systems have been dismantled by the slavers to draw out those who
got stuck here.”

“Nano would help if he knew what’s going on here.”

He frowned with concern. “I have told Nano. He
refuses to help.”

“I’m sure he just doesn’t realize it’s this bad. We
need to get a letter to him. Tell him I’m here; he’ll definitely come then.”

He sighed. “Nano is working against us and gives
information to the enemy.”

“Bullshit. Nano is the Guardian; he would never
betray us. Now, let’s get to the surface so we can talk to Nano. He’ll explain
to you that this was all a big misunderstanding and he’ll come back to crush
the slavery ring.”

He sighed again as he stood. “Let’s go then.”

We traveled for hours before Nila let us take a break
right outside a small city, which we had to cross in order to reach the
surface. The strange sounds that came from it warned me this would not be an
easy escape.

“It would be so much easier if one of us could do
magic,” the boy king remarked.

“Yes, it would, but neither of us have magic, so what
are we going to do?”

“I have been praying to Tiamat for the last hour.
Apparently, she isn’t answering.”

“Why would you pray to Tiamat? Why not your own god?”

“Zer? Not likely. He only responds to Nano. Let’s do
this. Stay in the dark. If you see a goblin, you run. Goblins see very well in
the dark, but they’re not fast.”

We crept into the city, which was illuminated by a
pit of fire in the center. Fire in the under cities was highly regulated
because most of the venting systems hadn’t seen maintenance since they were
built.

Men meandered about the place, sharpening weapons,
eating, or just chatting. I saw no slaves, fortunately. We stayed in the
shadows of the houses and moved silently. It wasn’t until we were halfway through
town that everything went wrong. A man appeared out of thin air right in front
of me, nearly causing me to shriek.

Nila, a good ten feet ahead, started back for me just
a little too late. The man grabbed my arm firmly, waved his other hand up in
the air, and created an energy shield around the young king, much like the ones
Dylan made. Nila pressed his hands against the shied and was clearly startled
when nothing happened.

“Demon!” the king yelled.

The man laughed and I realized the differences in this
opponent. He was clean, as opposed to every slaver I met, and his grip wasn’t
as strong as a dile’s. He yelled something, which I didn’t catch, and we were
suddenly surrounded by more demons.

“What a lovely woman,” one of the demons said. “She
smells human.”

The one holding me combed his fingers through my hair
and then leaned in to sniff me. “She is human. Dile never come in this color.
What do you think, should we take her as a pet or leave her to the slavers?”

“Why are you speaking English?” I asked. I really
didn’t want to hear this.

The demon holding me laughed. “Our magic allows
anyone to understand us unless we choose not to be understood.”

“They are not speaking English,” Nila said, confused.
Their demon magic didn’t work on him, so he couldn’t understand them, but his
void blood also apparently didn’t negate demon energy. “Ask them what they
want. Ask them why they work for slavers.”

“They are not working for slavers,” a man said,
suddenly appearing in front of Nila. He was tall, thin, and a bit unkempt. Nila
immediately shrank back as far as the barrier would let him, which was only a
few feet.

“What are you doing here?”

“That is no way to speak to your father,” the man
admonished.

I gaped at Nila, for I thought the king’s father had
been killed before Nila was born.

“You are not my father. You are a demon.”

“It hardly matters what you call me. You are going to
summon Dylan here right now, or I will personally kill your lovely lady friend
as painfully as possible. I might even drag her soul into the void if there is
anything left of it when I am done.”

“You will leave her alone!”

“Call Dylan here.”

“I can’t call to him. I have no magic, so he wouldn’t
hear me.”

“You can call to his wife,” Nano said. I turned to
see the Guardian entering through one of the dark tunnels and I felt both
relief that he was here and worry for his safety… until what he said sunk in.

“Nano. Tell me you’re here to help us,” I said.

“I’m afraid not, Vivian.” His reply was cold and hurt
more than anything he had ever said.

I remembered how I entrusted my fears to Nila soon
after we met. Nila told me his uncle loved me and wanted to spend his immortal
life with me. Of course, that was many years ago and many cruel things have
been said by both of us since then. I pushed him too much, for too long, and
this was what I was left with. Nano casually halted a foot from Nila’s father,
obviously familiar with the man.

“Why? What’s going on?”

He sighed. “Nila told me his father was building an
army against Dylan. I wanted in on it.”

I didn’t know whether to scream at him or explain
calmly that he was an idiot, but I really wanted the man closer so I could flog
him with something. “Dylan is your friend.”

“Dylan has too much power and believes himself better
than the other Guardians. When he first became the Guardian, I thought he was
harmless and would eventually fit in. Unfortunately, he never minds his own
business.”

“When you were missing, he tried to find you.”

“He failed. I wasn’t important as long as he got the
gates closed, which he did after refusing help from any of us. Thus, he just
earned more trust and respect from the gods. I am over fifteen hundred years
old and have always served Zer faithfully, yet he trusts Dylan over me, even
after they all wanted to kill him when he was a baby.”

“But Dylan would never betray you.”

“You have so much faith in the man who left you.
Hell, he is even raising my child.”

“We gave Sammy up for his own good. And god, am I
glad now. I hope he never realizes how much of a bastard you are.”

He laughed. “What about how cold his mother is? How
she can never love anyone, including her own child.”

“This is very amusing, but I would like to get on
with it today,” Nila’s father interrupted.

Nano shrugged. “Demons are not the only ones who have
realized Dylan is a problem, either. However, I am a forgiving man, Vivian.
Come back to me, swear to never run away again, and forget about Dylan.”

The demon who was currently trying to squeeze the
marrow from my bones finally let me go, as if he expected me to run into my
traitorous husband’s arms.

Only, we weren’t married; I had never given him that
last piece of me. I had given him my entire heart, my soul, but I haven’t said
the words. Why I hadn’t told him, I didn’t know. Yes, I still loved Dylan and
always would. However, there was enough love in my heart for Nano that his
every word crushed me.

“Would you still kill Dylan?”

“I will not be the one to kill him; that would anger
the gods. Instead, I can give the demons vital information about Dylan and the
gods so that Nila’s father can easily kill Dylan. Dylan left you without
telling you anything, whereas I found you and explained everything to you. Come
with me.”

I tried to swallow down the pain in my throat. “Go to
Hell.”

The demon grabbed my arm again, but he was expecting
compliance, so when I jerked my elbow back and up, I connected solidly with his
nose and felt a very satisfying crunch. Three other demons restrained me as my
victim vanished.

Nano rolled his eyes.

“What do you want us to do with her?” one of the
demons asked.

“You can take her and leave,” Nila’s father offered.
The man shrugged. “We could use your help more, but we should be able to
destroy Dylan now. If you want to take this human woman and run off to safety,
now is your chance.”

There was hope in my heart as well as horror.

The stare Nano gave me was so cold, so empty that I
couldn’t breathe, but his answer left me feeling like I was punched in the gut.
“Getting Dylan out of the way is more important, and his allies are our
enemies. Kill her.”

Nila started screaming insults at his uncle and
thrashing against the shield around him while I just stood there, stunned. The
ground suddenly shook violently and a blinding filled the room from some
unknown source. When I could see again, Ghidorah stood between me and my mate.
Demons scattered like cockroaches when the light turned on.

Nila’s father grinned, but he vanished when Ghidorah
honed in on him. Nano didn’t even look at Ghidorah; he just stared at me with a
disappointed expression, as if I had ruined all of his grand plans. He was the
last to disappear.