The Devil You Need (14 page)

Slayer jerked his head toward the distant battle. “I saw him
go that way.”

I started off in the direction Slayer had indicated.
“Hopefully he’s looking for Dialle.”

A snarl sounded around the corner as we approached and my
sister stepped forward. “Let me.” The gargoyle that came around the corner, tongue
lolling and blood coating its disgusting maw, didn’t even see her coming. She
shot a concentrated burst of white energy into the thing and it exploded in a
shower of gore.

I ducked, stepping back to avoid getting painted with flying
‘goyle. “Overkill much?”

“Shut up, Astra. That was cathartic. I’m still seeing flying
bugs with orange eyes and feeling my skin ripping.” She shuddered again.

Our father dropped a hand on her shoulder. “Do you feel
better now?”

She frowned. “Not yet. I need to kill lots more stuff.” She
started forward and Father and I shared a look, my eyes widening.

“I guess we’ll never see magic-phobic Barbie again,” I told
him.

He shook his head. “Those days are gone.”

I noticed he didn’t seem too broken up about it. Darma had
been insufferable when she’d been all about not embracing her magic side. Even
our father, an angel of God, had trouble overlooking her snootiness at times.

Slayer grinned. “If she wasn’t so much taller than you I’d
think you were clones.”

I couldn’t help chuckling. “Don’t let her hear you say
that.”

There was a burst of light ahead, followed by screams of
pain. Slayer glanced in that direction. “You think she needs help?”

I shook my head. “My greatest fear is that she kills them
all before we get there.”

He laughed.

Astra?

I didn’t realize how much I’d been worrying about Dialle
until my aunt’s strident voice twanged through my head.
Did you find him?

He’s in the council chambers.

I’ll be right there.

Astra…prepare yourself…

Dread closed my throat, making it hard to breathe.
Is
he…?

He’s alive, but his mind is shattered. I’m not sure you
can pull him back this time.

I was running before I thought about it. I was barely aware
of my father calling my name. I hit the long hallway leading to the throne room
and slashed out with my sword as a uniformed devil turned toward me with a
long, bloody knife. His head flew off his body in a spurt of dark blood and I
kept running.

I was vaguely aware of power shooting around me as I ran.
Attackers lunged and fell back without touching me. My hands flew, slicing,
slashing, washing away anything that got in my way.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, I saw the doors ahead
of me. Two guards in green uniforms trimmed in black stood before the door,
swords drawn. I lifted my hands and they fell away in twin streams of bright
energy. The doors slammed open and crashed against the wall as I ran through. I
screeched to a halt.

The room beyond the doors was pure carnage.

Dead royals covered the floor, their assorted guards laying
splayed and bleeding around them. The air smelled like a butcher shop, layered
with the stench of sulfur from their magic. I looked around for Dialle. He was
standing on top of the long, curved council table. His head was down and his
fists were clenched at his sides. Gerch stood facing him, his big hands
clenched around a pair of bloody knives. His gaze never left his king’s
downturned face.

“Astra?”

My head whipped around to find Emo standing next to my aunt.
He was holding one arm against his stomach and he was covered in blood. “I
don’t think you can save him this time.”

“I have to try.”

“He…” Myra’s voice faltered. She swallowed audibly. “He did
all this, Astra.”

I blinked, unwilling to let her words sink in.

“He called all the royals into the room and blocked the
doors. Then he systematically killed them all,” Emo added.

Tears burned and I shook my head, willing them away. “He
couldn’t. Where would he have drawn that kind of power?”

My aunt’s blue gaze was suspiciously bright as it held mine,
willing me to understand.

My knees buckled. “Oh good Him.”

She reached for me, keeping me from sliding to the ground.
“I’m so sorry, Astra.”

All I could do was shake my head. There was only one place
Dialle could have drawn that much dark power. “No.”

Footsteps sounded behind me. Slayer’s husky exclamation of
horror brought me out of my funk and straightened my knees. I suddenly knew I
had to protect Dialle.

I started across the room.

My father’s voice boomed behind me. “Astra!”

I ignored him. I ignored them all. As I reached the table
Gerch turned and my heart broke in half. The big warrior’s eyes were bright
with tears. His red, scaly cheeks bore their silvery trails. “He won’t look at
me, Astra. He only stands there shuddering.”

I touched Gerch’s arm. “You’ll help me?”

He nodded. I squeezed the hard flesh beneath my fingers then
placed my hands on the tabletop.

“Astra?” My father sounded desperate.

I swung myself up onto the table. “Leave us. All of you.” I
didn’t even turn around but I was aware of Gerch clambering up onto the table
with me.

“Astra you need to come—”

I swung around, enraged. “Go!”

Dialle jerked as my voice boomed around the room, enhanced
by some kind of power I didn’t stop to examine.

I approached Dialle slowly, cautiously. Gerch stayed within
reach, his knives at the ready, though I knew it would kill him to use them
against his king. Again.

I spoke his name softly. “Dialle.”

He didn’t look up, didn’t move except to shudder.

“Dialle, I’m here now. It’s all right. Gerch is here too.”

Dialle’s shoulders shook in another shudder but his head
stayed bowed.

I reached out and touched him, almost jerking my hand away
as his skin singed mine. “He’s burning up.”

Gerch finally lowered his knives. “Sire?”

Dialle’s head lifted slowly. The tangled curtain of his
midnight hair slipped away as he looked at me. I gasped under the clear, blue
gaze. “My love.” His hand whipped out and wrapped around my wrist and the world
started to slide away.

Gerch roared and slammed into us just before the
corpse-filled council room slipped away under a veil of silence.

Damn and Damnation!

Fire burns bright inside her soul, and apparently
outside too,

But water sucks away her goal, and turns her bath to
poo.

The spongy ground reformed beneath my feet and I stumbled
against Dialle. I’d have gone down under Gerch’s weight if Dialle hadn’t been
there to catch me. The loyal soldier regained his balance and wrapped his arms
around me, wrenching me away from Dialle and shoving me behind his broad back
as his king turned.

Dialle frowned. “What is this, Gerch, old friend?”

“You told me to protect the queen. That’s what I’m doing.”

I stepped out from behind the big, red soldier but he threw
a thick arm in front of me, holding me back.

A flare of something that looked like pain flitted through
Dialle’s gaze. “From me?”

Gerch stiffened, his broad form rigid with matching pain.
“If necessary, sire.”

Dialle’s gaze slid to mine, confusion mixing with the pain.
“It’s okay, Gerch.” I placed a hand on Gerch’s arm, holding Dialle’s gaze.
“Dialle wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Not the Dialle we once knew.” The big warrior resisted my
efforts to shove his arm out of my way. “But the Dialle who just massacred a
room full of his subjects…” Gerch let the thought hang there, unfinished.

I expected Dialle to get angry. Or try to pull rank on his
loyal soldier. But instead the pain in his eyes deepened. “You believe I did
that?”

“What else am I to believe? There was only you, standing in
a field of death behind locked doors.”

Dialle’s gaze held mine, a question throbbing behind it. I
knew what he was asking, but I wasn’t sure I was prepared to give him an answer
he’d believe. “It looked very bad, Dialle.”

He glanced away, his fists clenched at his sides. After a
moment he nodded. “Very well. At least I know where I stand with you.”

“I don’t know how you know that, bud. Since
I
don’t
even know how you stand with me at the moment.”

He turned away striding off into the growing dusk. I hurried
to catch up, falling into step beside him. “Where are we?”

For a moment I didn’t think he was going to answer me. When
he did, his tone was curt. “Perdigo. It’s an outer circle of Hell.”

Gerch stepped up on my other side, staying close. “Why have
you brought us here?”

Dialle snapped a look toward Gerch. “I didn’t bring you
here. You forced your way in.”

Gerch’s small, black eyes narrowed with irritation. “I’m
doing as I was ordered.”

“Yes,” Dialle answered sourly. “Protecting the queen. From
me.”

“Sire—”

“Save it, Gerch.”

We walked for several moments in silence. In a rare moment
of discretion I decided I’d give Dialle some time to deal with his hurt
feelings before I started pressing him for more information.

I know, amazing huh? It appeared that I was growing up.
Having your heart ripped out of your chest and your world torn into bitty
pieces will apparently do that to you.

I used the time to take in my surroundings. If Dialle hadn’t
told me we were in Hell I’d have never known it. In stark contrast to the
smoky, singed, superheated environs of Hell’s fiery center, Perdigo was a very
normal-looking place. The ground beneath our feet was covered in lush, green
grass. We walked along a wide path, with immense trees bordering either side.
The strange-looking trees towered high into the sky and were covered in smooth,
pale-gray bark. Directly above us I could see a dark, purple sky dotted with
golden stars and two, white-gold moons.

Strange-looking bushes marked the grassy area where we
walked. They were perfectly round, as if someone had taken the time to shape
them, and were covered in velvety looking black flowers that gave off the scent
of lemons. In the center of each dark bloom was a cluster of bright-red
berries. I’d never seen them before and wondered what they were.

A soft breeze slipped through the trees, making the leaves
in the huge trees dance, showing their whitish undersides as the branches
swayed. The air smelled slightly smoky, with a delicate undertone of sulfur.

We seemed to be walking toward a long, uneven ridge far
ahead.

“Why are we here, Dialle?”

He walked on, his jaw visibly working as he ignored me.

“Dialle?”

He jerked a look in my direction. “To find my father and
that bitch you call a mother.”

I blinked. Of all the things I’d expected him to say, that
was definitely
not
on the list. “What? Why?”

He stopped, turning to fix me with an intense gaze. “To
destroy them. The way they destroyed my court.”

I held his gaze, unsure what to say. He had destroyed his
own court. Hadn’t he? “What are you saying, Dialle? My mother and your father
were there?”

His laugh was bitter. “There? I’d say so, yes. They were
there when they told the court you and I were destroyed. They were there when
they killed all who remained of my loyal guard. They were there when they
announced that my father would retake the throne with your mother at his side.
They were there when my father released the witch Astis from her chains and
told her to kill everyone in that chamber. Yes, they were there, Astra. They
were there until I showed up and saw what they’d done. Then they were no longer
there. Because I looked into my father’s eyes and told him I’d kill him. If it
was my last act in this life. I’d grasp his wretched throat in my hands and
squeeze the life out of him.”

Dialle’s handsome face was dark with rage. At some point
during his diatribe he’d wrapped his hands around my arms and, by the time he’d
finished, he held me in a painful grip, fueled by emotion.

Tears flooded my eyes as I realize the depths of betrayal
Dialle had suffered. And, I suddenly understood, Gerch and I were part of that
betrayal. We’d assumed the worst of him. “I’m so sorry, Dialle.”

He was breathing heavily, obviously fighting some deep
emotional dragons. He jerked his hands from my arms and started walking again.
Gerch and I shared a look. Dialle’s right-hand man looked shamed by his part in
Dialle’s pain. I suspected my face was filled with the same emotion. I touched
Gerch’s arm, shaking my head.

There would be time to deal with our emotions later. Right
at that moment we had bigger problems. We had a very powerful trio to find and
defeat. And besides, when you’re space-walking at the bottom of a shit-filled
lake there was only one way to go. I was swimming toward the light as fast as I
could.

* * * * *

We were walking through velvet darkness by the time we
reached the ridge. Dialle hadn’t spoken a single word through the entire
journey, which felt as if it took the better part of an entire day. My feet
were killing me and my eyes kept trying to close. And, to make things worse, my
stomach had started growling a few hours earlier, and was getting more
insistent with every mile that passed.

After one particularly adamant rumble, Gerch looked over and
lifted his brow. Heat flooded my face. But I turned away and walked more
quickly. Dialle’s coldness was daunting enough, there was no way I was going to
be the first one to break and ask to stop.

Sometime later, when I stumbled over a tiny rock, Dialle
glanced at me and frowned. “We’ll rest here for a few hours. I know where
they’re heading anyway.”

I was mildly curious, but somehow didn’t have the energy to
ask him where my mother and his father had gone. There’d be time enough for
that after I’d gotten some sleep. I lay down on the rocky ground and felt the
world slipping away almost before I closed my eyes.

Energy flared and spit all around me, bathing my
surroundings in harsh, white light. I stood in the center of it all, my hands
lifted over my head. Power spit from my palms and sprayed, unheeded while I
stood, frowning.

In the distance someone called my name, sounding
panicked. I ignored the summons and continued to spray my surroundings with
energy. Trees burned and melted away. Bushes flared into flame. The air smelled
like the fiery pits, sulfuric and smoky.

I felt the heat against my skin but the flame didn’t burn
me. I smiled at the feeling of power I held within me. The hole at my core was
full again. I felt strong again. A feeling I hadn’t felt in so long…

“Astra!”

Strong hands encircled my arms, shaking me. I came out of my
rest slowly, as if fighting off a drugged stupor. The first thing I noticed was
the sharp crackle of fire. Then I smelled the smoke. Blinking rapidly, I looked
around. I was on my feet and the area where we’d stopped for the night was in
flames. The air was so thick with smoke it hurt my lungs to pull in a breath.
“What happened?”

Dialle grabbed my hand. “We need to move.” He glanced to his
side. “Gerch. Can you keep up?”

“Yes.”

Gerch sounded strange. I started to glance in his direction
but Dialle jerked my hand, urging me into a run.

“We need to get out of here, Astra.”

I allowed him to pull me down the path, running full-out as
flame moved in on us from both sides, quickly closing off the path ahead.
Dialle sent power into the area ahead, blasting a hole through the burning
debris just seconds before we moved through.

My lungs were seared by smoke, my chest heaved with an
effort to draw oxygen out of the ash-thickened air. And my skin burned in a
hundred tiny spots as embers fluttered against me, singeing my skin and
burrowing into my clothing.

Still we ran on.

I could hear the heavy
clump, clump, clump
of Gerch’s
footfalls behind us, hear his labored breaths. I focused on those sounds like
they were the beat of my own heart, driving me forward through the choking air.

Because I was paying attention, I quickly noted when the
sounds behind me stopped. I dug my feet in, jerking my hand from Dialle’s.
“Wait! Gerch.” I turned around, saw him lying on the ground a few feet away,
and headed for him.

He appeared to be unconscious. I knelt beside the fallen
warrior and tried to shake him awake. He didn’t move. I sensed Dialle’s arrival
and looked up. “We’ll need to carry him.”

Dialle nodded, reaching down and easily picking up the
massive soldier. He flung Gerch over his shoulder and started off. I followed
them, coughing so hard I could barely run.

We finally emerged from the conflagration into an area
beside a river, where the ground was too sandy to burn. Dialle headed toward
the water and laid Gerch down underneath one of the strange trees I’d noticed
when we’d arrived in Perdigo.

Though smoke still filtered through the air around us, it
was thin enough to allow an actual breath without choking. I sagged to my knees
beside Gerch and panted, my hands on my knees and my head down as I struggled
to clear my lungs of smoke. “What the hell happened?”

When Dialle didn’t answer me I looked up. He was sitting on
the ground beside Gerch, his handsome face soot covered and his sexy blue gaze
perplexed. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

Gerch groaned. I forgot my question as I turned to the big
soldier. I gasped when I saw his condition. Dialle had laid him down on his
back so I could see his face for the first time. It was blackened, covered in
oozing sores. “Shit. Dialle, what happened to him?”

Without thinking I lay my hands on Gerch, wanting to heal
him.

“He was burned.”

I reached deep inside, looking for the healing energy I used
to carry within my core. “I can see that, Dialle. Were we attacked?”

“Not strictly speaking, no.”

White light emerged from my palms and Gerch jerked, groaning
as my energy began to heal him.

“Astra…?”

I ignored Dialle as I focused on healing my friend.

“Astra…?”

Beneath my energy, Gerch’s wide, red face started to resume
its natural color and texture. The ugly boils and charred flesh seemed to slough
away, making way for the soft pink of newly healed flesh.

“Astra!”

My head snapped up. “What?”

“You have your power back.”

I stared at him for a moment and then blinked and looked
down at my hands. Shock swept through me in a wave and all the blood left my
face. I swayed slightly, feeling dizzy. “My power?”

“Yes. I can feel it. There must still be some connection
between us.” Dialle looked as if he didn’t know whether to smile or frown.

I’d forgotten. For just the briefest moment in time I’d
forgotten that I hadn’t been whole before. And my mind was too muzzy from being
ripped from sleep and running for my life to grasp it fully in that first
moment.

But as soon as I did, I gave off a whoop of delight.

Dialle’s answering smile made me scream again, tears of
sheer happiness flooding my eyes. “I have my power back.”

I stood up and did a little happy dance, laughing with
Dialle at my own silliness. I was just so happy.

Gerch groaned and opened his eyes, glowering at me.
“Celebrating my imminent demise?”

I was too happy to let Mx. Grumpy distract me. “I have my
power back!”

He shoved himself upright. “Yeah. I noticed.”

Dialle threw him a look and Gerch’s scowl deepened. “Thanks
for healing me.”

In a moment of pure delight, I ran over and dropped to my
knees beside the big soldier, enclosing him in an impulsive hug. “You’re
welcome.”

Gerch fought out of my embrace. “By the Serpent, I think the
smoke rotted her brain.”

Dialle stared at me with an unreadable expression.

I stood up, grimacing. “Speaking of smoke. I stink of it.
I’m gonna go take a bath in that river over there.”

Dialle nodded, his gaze flitting toward Gerch. “Stay close,
we’re vulnerable out here.”

I turned away and headed for the dark ribbon of water that
cut a swath through the sandy ground. Dialle’s gaze burned my back as I walked
away. I wondered what he was thinking.