Hello Lovelies, I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has followed along on my tragic little love story. The support has been overwhelming. Hope you enjoy this next Chapter.
The ash-filled air of Hell was still when the brothers entered the atmosphere. It was quiet, but Lucifer knew that Eligos was around somewhere planning his next move. He had always been a grand ideas kind of demon; that was one of the reasons why Lucifer had promoted him a long, long time ago. There was no doubt that his little minions remained on the lookout for when he returned. The Devil was sure that Eligos was already aware of his presence in Hell. However, he knew they wouldn't suspect that Amenadiel would be there with him. Before they arrived, Lucifer had instructed his brother to lie low and start working on the pentagram markings on the entrance to Hell.
Lucifer flew around the top of the corridors, making sure his presence was known, keeping their eyes on him while his brother got to work on the plan. His eyes scanned for any evidence as to where they were keeping Maze. Then he saw it deep in a chasm: an unusually heavily-guarded cell. There was no soul in Hell that needed that much security; only the feisty Mazikeen. As he flew closer, he could hear her gut-wrenching screams of frustration.
The Devil smoothly landed behind one of the guards, picking him up by the scruff of his neck and throwing him across the way, knocking down the others as if they were bowling pins. They quickly scrambled to their feet, fists at the ready to take on their King. Lucifer casually picked up melon-sized boulders and launched them towards the heads of the demons. One by one, they dropped to the ground. All of them struggled to stand up, their heads spinning from the blows. Satisfied, Lucifer wiped the dust off his hands and continued to the cell door. Getting in was the easy part, but it wouldn't be long until more demons returned to stop them from leaving.
"Maze!" Lucifer entered the cell to see Maze hanging by her wrists in the middle of the room. She had pulled herself up along the chain with one hand, leaving some slack for the other, while she attempted to break the lock apart with her fingers. The demon stopped when she noticed her friend at the entrance; she slowly lowered herself until she dangled from the ceiling. There were dry bloodstains that ran down her forearm and disappeared behind her bicep. Lucifer stood to admire her determination. It was clear that she had been there for a while. He knew she could handle a lot, even if she didn't deserve it. Hastily, Lucifer had his wings out and was by her side. He lifted her in his arms, relieving her wrists from bearing all her weight.
"Lucifer, you came back!" Maze seemed surprised to see him there. Her shackled arms wrapped around his neck; her breath was laboured.
"Of course, I did; I couldn't leave you hanging." Lucifer couldn't resist making light of the horrible situation. With ease, he snapped the chains that held her in place. "Let's get you out of here."
Just as he had suspected, the entrance of the cell was now filled with hordes. Lucifer plowed through them, his wings lifting them up into the sky, but not without the cretins attempting to pull him down. One grabbed hold of his ankle and sunk his teeth into his leg. "You've got to be kidding me." Lucifer kicked the wannabe vampire in the face with his free leg and shook him loose.
The Devil landed next to his brother and let the demon stand on her own two feet. He was glad to see that his distraction had worked, and Amenadiel was making progress on the diagram. "Is it almost ready?" Lucifer asked, while keeping a lookout for an impending invasion.
"Nearly," Amenadiel replied while applying the remaining markings on the wall. "Just about..." The angel finished, and then looked at his brother. "There. You remember the incantation?"
"Yes. Yes." Lucifer guided Maze in the direction of his brother. "Now go. Hurry."
"Wait, what's happening?" Maze turned around to face her King, confused with what was going on.
"You're going back to Earth." Lucifer looked at her with admiration. "You need to go." He could hear the hordes storming in their direction. "Now." The Devil looked over the demon, who could barely stand, and motioned for his brother to help.
"I'm not leaving you," Maze pleaded; Amenadiel had wrapped his arm around her waist. She struggled to get out of his grasp. "Please. I swore an oath. I need to stay with you."
"No. You've done enough for me." Lucifer placed his hand on her cheek. "There are people that miss you and need you more than I." He gave her a sweet smile. "Now go."
"Good luck, brother!" Amenadiel pulled him into a side hug before lifting the demon in his arms.
"Remember your promise. Take care of her for me." Lucifer gave his brother a weak smile, holding back the tears.
Amenadiel gave him a sympathetic nod, knowing who his brother was talking about. "But only until you come back." He flashed a smile. The angel unfurled his wings and disappeared through the gates with the demon cradled in his arms.
As soon as they were gone, Lucifer let out a long sigh and placed his hand in the middle of the pentagram. "This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, doubting that this plan would work.
"Lucifer! We have been waiting for you. Didn't expect to see you alive. You seem to have recovered quickly," Eligos greeted his King. Lucifer looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, just enough to see the large gathering behind, awaiting their self-appointed leader to give orders. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"You are never leaving Hell again, Eligos. None of you are," Lucifer roared, the adrenaline taking over his body as he started the enchantment. "Viribus penes me transeat per signa portis ut caperent inanimis alia regna."
"Stop him!" Eligos commanded, his voice bellowing with fury.
"Ut a malo defendat, innocentes creaturae natus est in visceribus Christi Iesu inferos." Lucifer continued; he could feel the hands of numerous demons pulling him back. His hand lifted off the wall.
Lucifer unfurled his wings and swung them around, knocking everyone nearby off their feet just by the powerful blast. He raced back to the wall, placed his hand back in the middle, and finished the chant. "Ex hoc usque ad consummationem saeculi." A light radiated from his hand and into the marking on the wall. The glow pulsed through the pentagram before it burst outward in a big explosion, knocking down everyone in its path, with Lucifer being in the front.
Lucifer pushed himself off the floor with his trembling arms until he was in a sitting position. His eyes remained focused on the radiating star on the stone gate. He felt the breeze of someone rushing by him. It was Eligos, who placed his hand on the pentagram. The head demon grunted as he flinched; his hand steamed with a burn from the enchantment.
"It actually worked. Thank you, Amenadiel!" A smile grew on Lucifer's face; he lay back on the uncomfortable stone. He was relieved to know that Chloe and everyone else was finally safe from the monsters of his world.
"What did you do?" Eligois bellowed; he towered over Lucifer, looking down on him. "You ruined my plans. Now reverse it."
"I would never do it, even if I knew how." Lucifer started laughing, sitting up once more, this time making his way to his feet. "You will never terrorize the innocent ever again." He was face to face with Eligos, his wings outstretched to appear intimidating.
"You care too much about the humans; it's made you weak. And now you will never see her again." The demon nodded his head towards the minions behind Lucifer. They advanced towards their King. "Welcome back, my King," he mocked. "I'm going to make sure you stay with us until the end of time." A sinister smile grew on his face.
The hands of many clawed at his body, pulling him back. Lucifer attempted to break free, but the ritual had drained him of all his energy. It wasn't long until he succumbed to his weakened state; he could feel a sharp object stab his wings before he felt his body being dragged along the rough stone ground. The Devil struggled to stop himself with his bare feet, the rocks scouring his heels. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the spear, made with demon steel, pierced through both of his wings. There was no use fighting the inevitable. His body went limp as they dragged him off to his new dwelling.
Lucifer wasn't afraid of what would happen to him; he could handle suffering. He had spent thousands of years here before he'd met Chloe. What he couldn't bear was to never see her again. That would be his worst torment, above any physical punishment they had planned for him.
After the painful conversation with Lucifer, Chloe found herself walking away from the scene and down on the next street. With nothing but Lucifer's ruined shirt and the blanket wrapped around her, she hailed a taxi. The driver looked at her like she was insane, but he wasn't going to bother turning her down.
After driving for over an hour, they had reached Linda's house. Earlier, when she was on the phone, she could hear the baby fussing in the background during a silent moment. She knew precisely where Lucifer was located. The doctor's home. The driver had barely stopped when she jumped out of the car. Her bare feet raced to the front door.
"Hey!" he shouted. The driver clumsily climbed out of the car and chased after her. "You need to pay."
Chloe was already in the house, staring at the people gathered in the living room. "Chloe, oh my... Are you okay?" Linda asked; she stood up from her kneeling position by the couch. Chloe's eyes were focused on the demon who was in rough shape, lying down on the couch.
"Hey Lady, you need to pay." The taxi driver was standing in the doorway, demanding his fee.
"Yeah, I'll..." Linda fetched her purse that was on a nearby side table and pulled out some cash. "Will that do?" She handed the man two hundred-dollar bills. Before he could reply, the doctor closed the door in his face and returned to Chloe, who remained frozen at the top of the stairs, looking over the railing.
"Maze? You're here?" Chloe finally spoke after a minute went by. Slowly she walked down the steps; the detective had recalled Eligos talking about Maze and her unfortunate fate in Hell. Her former roommate did look violently banged up. The detective has seen many terrible things in her line of work, but this was the worst she'd ever seen. Her stomach turned when she noticed the medieval-looking shackles on the carpet. "Are you okay?" She knew it was a stupid question to ask, but she didn't know what else to say.
"I've been better." The demon let out a painful chuckle. She didn't dare move from her spot.
"Where's Lucifer?" Chloe looked toward his brother, who was sitting in the chair across from the demon. A solemn look shadowed his face. "Maze is back, so Lucifer is here somewhere, right?" The woman walked further into the house, and the blanket fell from her shoulders. "Lucifer!" she called out. She paused when she noticed the blood-stained table and a once-white towel carelessly lying on the floor.
"Chloe, I think you should sit down." Linda was by the woman's side; that's when the detective noticed that the doctor had tear streaks on her face. Linda guided her to the loveseat and sat down with her, holding her hands.
"Where is he?" Chloe asked, her voice breaking. She looked over her shoulder at the angel, knowing he had all the answers.
"Lucifer and I set out to trap the demons in Hell, which you knew about. I brought back Maze while he finished the task." Amenadiel looked down at his feet. "I thought I would hear from him. Something, anything to just let me know it was done, but too much time had passed without... You know how it works down there; a half-hour here is years down there." Chloe's eyes had wandered to Maze, who let out a sniffle. "I went back to find him." The detective glanced back at the angel, who finished, "but I couldn't."
"What?" Chloe's voice was just over a whisper. "What do you mean you couldn't find him?"
"Hell was in utter chaos; I didn't get a chance to search too far in before I was spotted." The angel paused for a moment. "All I know is that someone else was sitting on the throne. And Lucifer is no longer in charge. I don't know where he is, but it can't be good."
"No." Chloe fought the tears threatening to pour down her face. She stood up, her hands covering mouth, to stop herself from screaming. The grieving woman walked to the table, her hand grazing over his dried blood. She could feel all eyes on her. "We have to go get him," she muttered under her breath. "We have to go get him." She spoke louder and turned to face them. "Take me with you; we'll go find him and bring him back." She was met with silence. "Please." The detective rushed over to the angel and knelt beside him. "We can't leave him there. I won't let him rot in Hell. He doesn't deserve it. Please, Amenadiel."
"I'm sorry, Chloe. I gave Lucifer my word to protect you, no matter what happened to him." The Angel sighed, knowing very well that she wouldn't accept that. "He knew what he was getting himself into. He knew the risk. It was one he was willing to take."
"No. No. No." Chloe collapsed down onto the floor, finally bursting into tears. "This can't be happening. I won't leave him there. I have to find him." Her words were almost lost between her shrieks.
"I think you need some rest." Linda stood up and helped the woman to her feet. "Come, let's get you cleaned up and then you can sleep in the spare room."
"No. I don't need rest. I need to find Lucifer," Chloe insisted to the doctor. "I need to..."
"Shhh, I know. But not right now. Shhh." Linda's voice was gentle. The detective clung to the doctor and allowed herself to be led up to the bathroom on the second floor. Linda wanted to comfort her friend, but she knew there were no words that would help. Not right now, anyway. Not when she is also overwhelmed by the events that had unfolded that day and found herself worried for the safety of her friend and former patient.
Note: Chapter was Beta read by SailorChronos1! Thank You!