Lucifer Damned (Morningstar Book 3), Percival Constantine [electric book reader .txt] 📗

hammer down on top of her head. She threw her arms up, a hellfire shield forming just in time to block the attack.

The guard pulled his hammer away and stepped back. He stomped on the ground in frustration. Mara lowered the shield and gave a smirk as she beckoned the guard with a finger.

“What kind of people does Raum have working for him anyway?” she asked. “Two of you can’t handle one little demon?”

“Bitch, I’ll show you what I can handle!”

The guard charged her. Mara stood waiting, as if she wasn’t aware of the stampeding demon barreling down on her. She jumped away at the very last second, throwing out a thin hellfire cable.

The guard ran right into the cable and it caught his neck. Mara quickly looped it around a few more times and pulled tightly on both ends. The guard collapsed to his knees, struggling against the cable, while Mara just kept pulling it tighter and tighter.

And then, the cable became slack. The guard’s body collapsed on the ground. His head rolled to a stop right near Mara. She gave it a kick and then went into the cavern.

“Lucifer?” she called. “Lucifer!”

No response came. Mara closed her eyes and focused on Lucifer’s presence. She was able to pick up the signal and went towards it. The cavern was a maze of tunnels and passages, and she encountered more than a few dead-ends in her search. But she was at least making progress, and she could feel his presence growing stronger.

Eventually she did come to a spot where his presence felt the strongest. Mara channeled her hellfire into her fist and delivered a blow to shatter the stone door. Inside was a small alcove and Lucifer hung from the wall, his arms and legs restrained by shackles. All around him were small spheres of light, transmitting images.

“Lucifer!” Mara called as she entered. She ran over to him, but then looked at the spheres. They were scenes of demons battling each other and large-scale riots. Structures being destroyed, beasts running free.

“It’s the fall of Hell,” said Lucifer. “And it’s all my fault.”

“Let’s get you out of here.” Mara went over to Lucifer’s side and broke open the shackles around his legs first so he could stand under his own power and then she released his arms. “Now come on, we have to get to Cocytus before—”

She had started to return to the entrance, but stopped when she realized Lucifer hadn’t moved.

“Lucifer?”

Lucifer rubbed his wrists from the strain of being shackled. “I’m not going to Cocytus.”

“But your powers…”

“What good would it do if I got them back? If I even could get them back?” he asked.

“You could stop Raum from tearing down Hell.”

“Why?” asked Lucifer. “Hell was built on a lie, no different from Heaven. Raum was right about that. And now, I’m paying for the consequences of my actions.”

Mara walked over to him. “This isn’t paying for anything. This is you hiding in a cave, feeling sorry for yourself. You’re not dealing with the consequences, you’re running away from them.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” said Lucifer. “It’s all over now. Raum will destroy the Court and he’ll set up his own rule. Why should I even care? I never acted as a king should. I let Heaven write the rules and control the narrative while I did everything I possibly could to avoid facing any responsibility.”

“And how is this any different?” asked Mara. “You’re still evading. Still hiding away. You traded a tower in the center of Hell for a mansion on Earth and then traded that for a cave in the Badlands. If you want to face up to the consequences of your actions, then you can do that. But do it on your terms. Face up to the people yourself. Letting a despot like Raum burn down Hell isn’t any sort of penance. It’s just more evasion.”

Lucifer looked at the different spheres hovering around him. These were his people, this was his home. If he let Raum take it all away, his entire existence would become an absolute waste. He had to stand up and take action while he still could.

“Go to Cocytus, get my powers back, and then what?” asked Lucifer.

“Isn’t that up to you…” asked Mara, “…sire?”

Determination overcame Lucifer’s features. His hands curled into fists and he held his head up.

“Then I have to go about setting things right. And I believe I know exactly how to do that,” said Lucifer. “But first, I need to get my powers back. I hope you have a way to get us to Cocytus.”

Mara nodded and reached beneath her armor. She drew out a small coin. “Cross gave me this, it will open a portal directly to Cocytus. And then you can find out what you have to do next.”

Lucifer took the coin from Mara and examined it. It was marked with a sigil that represented Cocytus itself. He could feel the energy inside the coin. He only hoped that this truly would lead him to Erebus and a way out of this mess.

The Morningstar threw the coin and it expanded in mid-air, the metal dissolving away and leaving an open portal in its place with a ring of ethereal energy around the edges.

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asked.

Lucifer shook his head. “No. I think it would be better if I do this on my own. I doubt Erebus will be happy if I bring any uninvited guests along for the ride.”

He stepped to the edge of the portal and looked inside. Already he could feel the cold emanating from the remains of Cocytus. He had no idea what would greet him on the other end, or if Erebus would even be willing to speak to him. But no one ever said that facing consequences would be easy.

Lucifer stepped into the portal and was instantly transported to the location of Cocytus.

23

Cocytus was located in the deepest pit of Hell. The prison was a frozen lake