Chapter 13

Bo found herself being caught in a turmoil of the highs from her larger than ever orgy parties and the lows of the dull pain that woke her up in the middle of the night.

It had been days since the last time she had seen Tamsin. The Angel had called her a few times, but she had not answered any of her calls.

The last call Tamsin had made came with a voice message, and Bo had not listened to it yet. There had been many times that she almost did, but the urge of wanting to make a statement of how hurtful Tamsin's actions had been had stopped her from listening to the voice message.

She tried to get herself occupied, running errands, meeting new hotties, researching the Dark Temple, and visiting Kenzi's soul.

She had thought seeing Kenzi, or at least knowing that she was here, would comfort her a little, but it didn't. The more she had seen Kenzi's soul, the more she started to wonder if it was really Kenzi.

She found her own doubt laughable. Why wouldn't it be Kenzi? Her father had spent a long time searching for her soul, and the King of Hell shouldn't, and wouldn't, make any mistakes.

However, the soul just didn't feel like Kenzi to her. It didn't feel like Kenzi at all. Kenzi was bright and brave. She was one of a kind. She was special and she was like a family to her. That soul just felt like…a stranger.

Sometimes, Bo thought it was because of all the torture souls would go through in Hell. Maybe it had broken Kenzi's soul. Maybe Hell had forever changed her, making her a different person. She was no longer the girl she had once known and cherished, and she never would be that girl again.

That thought almost broke Bo. It rendered her helpless and scared.

She also remembered the last thing Tamsin had said to her before she had stormed out, was about Kenzi. She was trying to ask her something about Kenzi's soul, but why? What exactly was she going to ask? Why would it even matter to her? Why?

To her, it was painfully annoying that anything she would do or anything on her mind would eventually lead her to Tamsin, no matter how much she didn't want to think about the Angel.

Not only would she think about her, she also would crave her. She ached for her presence when she was alone. She fantasized her touch, her scent and her voice when she was with someone else in bed.

Her orgies would no longer satisfy her. Nothing would. It was as if a part of her had been emptied. It was as if she had a hole inside her. It was as if the only way that void inside her could be filled was to hear Tamsin's soft whispers, or be in her arms again.

Then immediately, it would remind her of the excruciating pain of being betrayed and lied to. The bitterness gnawed at her, and she could barely breathe.

Sometimes, when she was wild awake, she'd stare at her phone. She'd stare at the red dot on her voice message app.

Sometimes, she thought she should listen to it and get it over with, but she feared that hearing Tamsin's voice would render her resistance futile. However, what she feared more, no matter how much she didn't want to admit, was that the voice message might be a message of farewell.

It was 3am in the morning, and Bo woke up in her bed at the Shack. She groaned in frustration and closed her sore eyes, before she buried herself under the blanket like that would hide her from the entire world.

A while later, she felt two tiny paws hitting her head like two drum sticks.

"I've had enough of this," Bilith's voice came as he clawed the blanket. "Get up, Bo."

"Go back to Hell and leave me alone," Bo protested as she hid deeper.

"Oh for Lucifer's sake!" Bilith growled as he jumped off the bed and searched for Bo's phone. He carried it in his mouth and hopped into Bo's pillow. He dropped the phone and commanded, "just listen to that damn voicemail, will you?"

"No, I won't. Just go away."

Bilith huffed and puffed, before he forced his way into the blanket. He dragged Bo's hand out, and before Bo started to resist, he unlocked her phone with her fingerprint.

"Hey!" Bo yanked the blanket off herself and snatched the phone from Bilith. However, it was too late, the voice message was already playing.

"Bo, what I was gonna ask was if your friend's soul was in your father's dungeon. Just…let me know, okay? Ummm…I…well…."

Tamsin trailed off, but she didn't end the call immediately. After a few seconds of silence, she finally hung up.

"Happy now?!" Bo exclaimed as she flicked her feline friend's forehead. She grabbed the blanket and flung it over her own body to cover herself. "Now just leave, okay?"

"Wait, wait a minute, Bo," Bilith started to paw the blanket as if he was trying to dig a hole into it. "Why would she even ask you that?"

"I don't know. Maybe she could sell that information to someone else or something?" Bo drawled.

"No, I mean, why would she think that…that Kenzi's soul might be in your father's dungeon?"

Instead of answering that question, Bo whined.

"Do you know what the King's dungeon is for?" Bilith pursued.

"No, I don't. Does it matter? Should I even care?"

"You should, if your friend's soul is in there."

Bo let out a loud sigh as she pulled herself out of the blanket. She sat up and said, "fine, okay, now you got my attention. Tell me about this dungeon."

"It's for his VIP prisoners, for those who have committed treason, those who have betrayed him and those who wanted to dethrone him. "

"You mean like the resistance force?" Bo frowned.

"Yes, like the resistance force," Bilith nodded. "And the dungeon…it is not just a prison. It's more like a torture chamber. Once in, no one ever comes out. The best thing they could hope for is a quick death."

"Then why would she even think that Kenzi might be there?"

"That was exactly what I asked you."

Bo furrowed her eyebrows and pondered. Why would Tamsin want to know if Kenzi was in her father's dungeon? How could Kenzi even be there? Is this another trick of hers so she could obtain information that she could then later sell to her other clients?

That thought made Bo fist her hands and clench her jaw. She let out a deep breath, before she said, "there is no way that Kenzi is in my father's dungeon."

"Are you sure?" Bilith stared at her. He paused briefly, before he added, "are you sure that soul you've met is your friend? I seem to remember that you've said something like…that soul didn't feel like her."

Bo closed her eyes and sighed. "Honestly, it doesn't feel like her at all. She doesn't seem to remember me, or anything that had happened to her. She doesn't talk, and I can't communicate with her at all. Her face is all swollen so she looks nothing like Kenzi but…my father told me that it's normal that she'd look like a drowned person because, well, she was drowned. And because of all the torture she's been through in Hell, she'd be…different."

"He wasn't lying about those things."

"I mean…I don't know. Could she really be in this…dungeon? Why would she even be there?"

"Well…" Bilith murmured. "There must be a reason that Tamsin left you that voicemail."

"I'm sure there is," Bo snorted.

Bilith rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. She sold information to someone else behind your back. She lied to you, or at least withheld information from you, but…she did save your life."

"Yeah, probably because of someone else's big, fat paycheck," Bo drawled.

Then, she sighed and her shoulders dropped. "It just…hurts. I trusted her and…I thought…I thought she was…."

"Whatever, why are you still wearing her ring then?" Bilith asked as he pointed at the ring.

Bo let out a frustrated groan as she put her fingers around the ring. She was about to pull it off and throw it out of the window, but then she remembered that Tamsin had told her not to lose it.

Besides, she had worn it for so long that it now felt like a part of her.

Letting out another heavy sigh, she fidgeted the ring as she went silent.

"Bo…" Bilith started as he leaned in and placed a paw on her knee. The look on his little furry face was so serious that it made Bo frown.

"I think we should check out your father's dungeon," Bilith suggested.

"Really?"

Bilith nodded. "It's not because I trust this Angel," he explained. "I just think that…there is a reason that she mentioned that to you. For example…."

"For example?"

"For example, your friend might actually be there, and your father is hiding that from you because of whatever reasons he might have. Or, that Angel needs to infiltrate the King's dungeon, and she has no way in so she's trying to…get you to go with her."

He sighed, before he murmured, "either way, we should take a look, together."

"You really think so?" Bo asked as she rubbed the top of his head.

"Mhm."

"Okay then. it's not like I have much else to do anyway. So where is this dungeon?"

"It's beneath the castle. Under the main hall, there is a massive crypt. Under the crypt, there are three levels of…think of them as the nuclear shelter of Hell. Then, there is the King's dungeon."

"How do we even get into this dungeon? I don't suppose I can just go ask for my father's permission, can I?"

"No, he can not know about this, nor can any of his loyal lieutenants," Bilith warned her. "The dungeon is heavily guarded but I think I can make some arrangements…. We will go when your father's not looking, though."

"How would we know when exactly he is not looking? Isn't he always looking?"

"Not when he's away from Hell. Haven't you noticed that lately he's been away a lot?"

"Huh…" Bo frowned slightly. It was then that she realized that her father had not summoned her for days now. In fact, she had not met with him in person since the last time she had seen Tamsin.

"He must have been busy," she eventually commented.

"He must have," Bilith repeated. "Anyway, I'll let you know when we can proceed. Before that, just…keep brooding and stay away from all the dangerous places."

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

Bilith muttered something as he went downstairs to steal some candy bars from the vending machine. He went back upstairs, wanting to continue the conversation, but when he noticed that Bo was in a trance, he shook his head and headed out quietly.

Bo lay back down in her bed with a long, heavy sigh. Spinning the ring between her fingers, she stared at the ceiling blankly. Plagued her mind were all the questions she now had.

Was Kenzi's soul really in her father's dungeon, or was it a trick that Tamsin thought might work on her in order to obtain more information? Why would she even be interested in her father's dungeon? Or, was it an order from her other clients?

Bo eventually listened to the voicemail again. Then, she wondered what Tamsin might have wanted to say at the end but decided not to.

Maybe she wanted to provide an explanation? Maybe she wanted to apologize? Maybe she wanted to elaborate on the whole Kenzi-dungeon situation? Or….

Letting out the 100th sigh tonight, Bo closed her eyes while clasping her fingers around the ring.

A few days later, Bilith had informed Bo that her father had left Hell and would not return until the next day. He told Bo to get ready and meet him at her princess suite in Hell.

Instead of packing immediately, Bo sat in her bed and stared at her phone for a while, wondering if she should tell Tamsin that she was heading down to her father's dungeon right now.

I'll just…text her after the visit. She told herself after having taken a deep breath.

She quickly dressed herself, and took a backpack out from the closet. She packed the same things she had packed for her Dark Temple journey: a first aid kit, some snacks and bottled water, before she headed to her suite in Hell.

Bilith was already there waiting for her. From there, he led her down to the main hall, then to the level below, where there was a huge, empty crypt with a beautiful cathedral ceiling.

Three more levels down, they arrived at a big hall, where seven statues, each representing one sin, stood. The braziers that lit up the place let out a strong sulfur smell.

Bilith ordered her to hide behind the statue of Pride as he stared vigilantly at the locked gate at the other side of the hall.

A few minutes later, the gate opened and two guards came out.

"Do we need to take them out?" Bo whispered to Bilith as she pulled out her dagger.

No! Bilith growled telepathically.

Bo's jaw dropped when she witnessed one guard knocking the other out and stripped off his guard armor. Then, he pulled the unconscious guard to the corner and hid him behind a brazier.

"Psst, Lord Bilith, are you here?" The guard called in a whisper.

"Come," Bilith ordered as he trotted forward. He gave the guard a nod, and the guard bowed.

"Put those on," Bilith told Bo as he waved one of his paws at the guard gear.

Bo quickly put on the armor, and Bilith climbed up to her shoulder.

"This way," the guard whispered to them, as he led them through the gate.

Standing in the corridor of her father's dungeon, the first thing that made an impression on Bo was the pungent smell.

The particular smell reminded her of a case that she and Kenzi took during their private investigator times. While investigating, the search of a missing person eventually led them to a house. There they discovered a hidden basement room that had been sealed off for years. Someone had been living, and died, in that room. She remembered the smell in that basement. It reeked of despair and death, just like what she was smelling right now.

She coughed slightly as she looked down the corridor. On each side of the corridor, there was a row of prison cells, and the corridor itself seemed endless.

Each cell had stone walls, a barred door, a wooden bench and no windows. Some of the walls had large blotches of dark stains, and Bo forced herself not to think about what those stains might be.

As she walked down the corridor with Bilith sitting on her shoulder, initially she felt relieved that most of the cells were empty, but then she thought, had those prisoners who once had occupied those cells died?

She paused in front of a cell where a large animal was being held. The animal curled up behind the door while letting out infrequent, weak whines of pain.

Bo held the metal bars on the door and took a closer look. Vaguely, she saw its pointy ears, its furry paws and a short, white streak in the middle of its forehead.

"Vug…?" Bo frowned hard.

"I thought your friend's name was Kenzi," Bilith whispered.

"No, I think this Vug. He's one of my father's…hounds," Bo explained with a deep frown. Her father had told her that he had sent Vug to some training, or to quote his father's exact words, "to learn some manners". Never had she even considered that being imprisoned in the dungeon of death was the "training".

"Come on, let's go check out the other cells. We don't have a lot of time here," Bilith urged her.

"No, I gotta get him out. This is just…wrong."

"You do know that he's a hellhound, and that his diet includes souls and human flesh, right?"

"Yeah…but…this is not how you should treat your pet," Bo argued as she started to pick the lock on the door.

"I don't think he's exactly your father's pet…" Bilith muttered.

Bo, on the other hand, was too focused on the lock to listen. She opened the door and snuck into the cell as she checked on the hound.

The big dog was severely injured and unconscious, but was still breathing. As she tried to pick him up, Bilith stopped her.

"Let's check out all the cells first. Then we can come back to him, okay?" Bilith suggested.

"Fine," Bo stroked the hound before she left the cell and closed the door.

They had checked a few more cells, before they heard someone coming.

"Hide," Bilith ordered as he ran into the nearest cell that had an opened door.

"Do I really need to?" Bo followed him. "I'm a guard, remember?"

"Yes, but a guard like you can not come in here. This area is for your father's most loyal followers only," Bilith whispered back. "Quick, hide."

They tucked themselves behind the table in the room. It was then that Bo noticed the table was a torture table, and on there there was a Demon's dead body, chained and flayed.

Bo covered her mouth quietly, resisting the strong urge to vomit. She pulled herself away from the table and into the shadow of the corner of the room.

"...this one is tough. Still not talking," a voice came. Bo also heard something, or someone, being dragged over the floor.

"I know, right? But, isn't that the fun part?" A second voice was full of excitement.

The first voice said something that was barely audible, and they both giggled. Somehow, that giggle creeped Bo out.

When the two of them had finally walked past the cell that Bo and Bilith were in, Bo held her breath as she watched.

Two Demons, whom she had never met before, dragged an unconscious prisoner while chatting like they were at a cocktail party. As they walked, blood dripped down from that prisoner, leaving a crimson trail behind them.

Bo heard them open a cell door. Then, she heard them throwing that prisoner into the cell like throwing a bag of potatoes.

The two Demons left shortly, and Bo had finally let out that breath she had been holding the whole time.

She exited the cell with Bilith and headed to check the remaining cells. All of them were empty except one: the one in which the two Demons had left that prisoner.

"Is that her?" Bilith asked in a whisper.

"No," Bo shook her head. She was both disappointed and relieved that even though it was a woman, it wasn't Kenzi. The prisoner looked much taller, and she was a blonde instead of brunette.

Out of sympathy, or maybe a little curiosity, she entered the cell and checked on the woman. When she brushed the blood and sweat soaked hair away from the woman's face, she froze there, for she recognized that face.

It was Tamsin.