Chapter 14: Lockdown

Ash sprung up from his bed at the sudden commotion outside his door. He should have known better than to leave that wretched creature, Sebastian, alone. How he managed to break free of the supposedly-unbreakable leather binds was beyond his comprehension, but now his time was limited.

Just outside the door, he could hear guards surround his room. Any moment, they were going to burst in and capture him. This is if they could catch him.

He threw his bedroom window open. No guards had made it out to surround the outside of the mansion. The coast was clear.

Quickly, he jumped out the window and flew off, just as his bedroom door was being thrown open.

Ash began to circle the mansion—which, from the outside, looked more like a massive castle. He looked through windows to try to spot Sebastian or Angela; since he figured the other angel must have been with him by now. But no matter where he looked, he could only see guards.

"I'll probably be imprisoned after this." Ash told himself, "But, if it means I'll be imprisoned trying to accomplish what I came here to accomplish, I refuse to go down without a fight."

He entered back in through a window to the drawing room. The room was empty, which satisfied him. He didn't want to end up in a room that was full of guards, or worse: be confronted by Lord Satan, himself.

Out in the halls, guards were still rushing left and right. Ash could hear doors being thrown open and rooms being stormed and searched and guards shouting.

"This room!"

"No one's in here!"

"Search the next room!"

"Empty!"

They were getting close to him and he knew he would have to go out back the way he came. But there was no time left as Ash heard the doorknob turn. He quickly tucked himself into a tight space and quieted himself. From where he was, he watched as guards began to search the drawing room.

"Dear God," Ash prayed, "Hear my plea: please let me not be found by these devils."

"Men!" one of the guards suddenly shouted, "Look here!"

The guards huddled near a small patch of dirt on the floor. One of the guards swiped a finger over it and felt its texture.

"It's soot."

"How could soot have gotten in here?"

"It's normally found near the Lake of Fire, isn't it?"

"Didn't the Prince say something about this 'Sir Allech' smelling like ash and soot?"

"He did! Ash Landers is nearby."

"Search this room!"

"Turn it upside down!"

"He's nearby!"

Ash tried to hide himself as well as he could, "Oh, no . . ."

His line of sight, for reasons unknown, veered to his wings and he was mortified to realize the soot was partly gone; most likely shaken off during flight.

"Oh, no . . . !"

Angela guided Sebastian carefully down the hall. With them, Angela had brought not six, not eight, not even twelve, but sixteen guards. Four led them in the front, four on either side of them, and four following in the back. The more protection there was around them, the safer they felt and the safer they knew they'd be if Ash were to attack out of nowhere.

Every so often, Sebastian would force himself to stop as his body was wracked with the pain of another contraction. Angela would offer whatever support she could while the guards kept a look out for any signs of a threat.

"I'll be honest," Sebastian spoke up, "I knew Sir Allech was Ash all along."

"Yes, I did too." Angela said, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I thought it was better not to make a scene right before dinner, even though Ash did a marvelous job at making plenty of scenes himself. I planned on confronting him after and calling the guards, and then my father could handle him from there."

Sebastian yelped suddenly and doubled over in pain.

"Angela! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!" his breathing became more labored as he bore through another contraction.

Angela stopped as Sebastian braced himself against a wall and moaned. The guards had already taken their positions and kept their wits about them; looking, listening, and even smelling for any signs of trouble; using every sense to its fullest to make sure the son of their ruler was safe.

Angela rubbed circles around the small of his back as Sebastian let out another yelp. He gasped suddenly as he felt something burst from within him and a warm liquid began to run down the insides of his legs. The contractions suddenly became impossibly worse.

"What was that?" a guard asked.

"His water just broke." Angela reported, "He's getting close."

She slipped one of his arms over her shoulders and began to guide him forward once more. Sebastian had only taken one step forward before he moaned in pain and forced himself to stop again.

"Angela, wait. Wait, please . . ." he panted hard and let out a loud groan, "I . . . I have to . . ."

"No. No, no, no, Sebastian, don't push. Please, try to hold it until . . ."

"I can't . . . It . . . hurts!"

An ache shot through Angela's chest at his words, "I know . . . I know. Just please hold on a little longer."

Sebastian nodded and forced himself to continue on with the angel supporting him.

How Ash managed to avoid being found by the guards thus far was beyond him. But he knew his time was limited. If Sebastian wasn't already locked away in his bedchambers, or some protective shelter trying to cope with the pain of labor, he was most likely surrounded by guards. And most likely, Satan was hunting for him, himself.

He had now gone back outside the mansion, circling it to find another way in without getting caught. But every hallway was now flooded with guards; there was no way for him to get in without being seen.

"My, oh my. What a mess."

The sudden voice made Ash jump and he whipped his head around. He was relieved to see the man who was perched on a tree limb, a sly smirk planted on his face as he gazed at the angel with hungry golden eyes.

"Claude Faustus!" Ash sighed, "You don't know how glad I am to see you."

Claude hummed, "Looks like things aren't going as you planned."

Ash nodded, "I need your help. Do you know how I can get into that mansion?"

"By using the front door, perhaps."

"A different way!"

"Or a window, maybe."

The demon was toying with him, which annoyed him greatly. He had a feeling Claude knew his way around Satan's mansion, so he was the only person he could go to.

"Please, Claude." He begged, "I'll do anything. Even if it means being tortured as punishment for doing so, that creature Sebastian is about to bring into this world cannot be allowed to live. I believe I've already told you this."

Claude chuckled, "Angels don't seek help from demons . . ." he hummed to himself, "Alright, you want into that mansion and you don't want to get caught . . ."

Ash nodded, "Yes, will you help me?"

Claude gave a wide grin.

"I will."

to be continued . . .

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