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Walking out of the portal, I find myself in another cave.
“Since everyone is now here, let’s say hi,” Zissa says. It takes me a few slow minutes to recognize that this is the cave in Lucifer’s throne room, noticing the stones that oddly look like skulls in the corner.
“I see our lovely host has been busy,” Lynx comments as I hop and skip over the fresh, flowing blood.
We walk further into the room and find Lucifer staring with no emotion at a Demon stuttering at his feet. Leaning up against his throne, Trometh picks something out of his teeth with a bone, looking bored as well. I could almost mistake Lucifer for a statue until his eyes raise to take in our appearance. With a wave of his hand, the Demon at his feet vanishes.
“Um, we could have come back,” Chester mumbles.
“Yeah, where did he go?” Zeke asks, looking around. Trometh jumps at our voice. His eyes go wide and the bone that was in his mouth clinks on the ground as his jaw drops slightly. He quickly schools his expression, but I know what I saw. Shock. I don’t trust him, but I don’t have any solid evidence against him, so I turn my attention back to the ruler of Hell.
Lucifer waves off the question. “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention to what level of Hell I sent him to. I’m sure he’ll show back up if his complaint was important.”
“You mean you weren’t listening?” I ask, giving him a perplexed look.
“No. I was trying not to fall asleep, to be honest,” he admits.
“How was your trip? I’m assuming it was good, since I see all of you came back in one piece,” Murmur says, walking out from behind the seats.
“I’m not coming back in one piece. I lost part of my tail, see?” Moni flies up and presents her back to show her nub to him. “But like we mentioned before, it will grow back. I just wish Elayna could see how well I took it this time,” she pouts.
“It’s okay, Mo. Mom would have been proud of you. You helped kill that Pteroraptor!” JP says, pulling her into a hug before he immediately freezes.
“JP?” Moni squeaks.
He slowly raises his head and tilts it as he looks at Lucifer.
“What did you say?” he slowly asks the Devil sitting on his throne.
“You can read minds,” Lucifer states, not moving an inch.
“And I read your thoughts. What do you know about our mother?” JP says.
Lucifer stands up and waves his hand, and I’m hit in the chest as air whooshes out of me. The room swirls around as I’m lifted off of my feet and slammed onto my back with a jolt. Opening my eyes, I find myself staring up at the training room’s rafters that I’ve gotten used to seeing from this position. And from the groans around the room, he sent the others here as well. I guess I can at least consider us lucky he sent us here and not somewhere else in Hell.
“Ahh. I see Lucifer wanted privacy,” Astaroth says, standing over me. “Well, come on. You don’t have time to be lying down all day,” he reminds me, holding out a hand to help me up.
He’s right. I need to find Lilith and get these spells going.
As he helps me up, he looks me over and takes in my appearance. “You’re in one piece?”
“That was a question?” I shriek, noticing everyone is here except Moni and JP. Even Trometh got banished here. I can’t help the smug thought that he’s not that special to hear what’s going in the thorn room right now. But given everyone’s state, we all look to have come out of that near-death experience unscathed. “You’re telling me you had no confidence in me going out there with what you trained me on?” I point toward the entrance of the training room.
He shrugs, and my jaw drops as he just stares at me. I huff and turn to go when he catches my arm and pulls me back, which stops the others from leaving as well. “Hold on. Stand in a line, here.”
“You know where I come from we’re taught the word please,” I mumble under my breath.
“I’m taught to start cutting and to listen for others to scream and beg instead of ‘please,” Astaroth comments back without looking at me, but I catch a smirk on his face as we line up without any more complaints.
“You have all seen battle today, have you not?” he says, and grabs Chester’s Guandao.
He brings the spear end up to his ear and grimaces and then lays it down on the floor. Except for Zissa, he does the same thing with each of us. He releases her and steps before me. Grabbing my weapons, I suddenly have the urge to open my mouth. I was either hit in the head or have a death wish I’m looking to fulfill.
“So, what’s up with you and getting up close and personal with our weapons?” I ask as he shakes his head after repeating the process with my glaives.
“Your weapons are off,” he says simply. “You’re all free to go.” He goes back to pick up the weapons he had deposited on the ground.
