Whispers at Witching Hour

Chapter 45

Musical inspiration: Yellow Flicker Beat – Lorde

It had been almost two weeks as queen of hell for Lilith, and she would never have imagined how incredibly boring this job could be! Of course, she enjoyed the power, the freedom to do whatever she wanted. To crush souls underneath her thumb, to give them hope and take it from them... This was the place where she could be as evil and sadistic as she wanted to and even got praised for it.

She strolled past the cages, ignoring the screams that had become a mere, usual background noise. Minion walked next to her, talking about souls that she could collect soon and other developments in the circles, but she did not pay much attention. Her thoughts kept drifting to Zelda – they always did – and how she had left her on her own to deal with whatever it was that was tormenting her.

It pained her, remembering how the redhead had flinched under her touch, had cried while kissing and had broken down in her arms. That was not the ending she had imagined; it all turned out so entirely... different. Ruling hell with Zelda would have been a blast!

Instead of getting to lay her girlfriend in all nine circles of hell, she was alone. The throne her only friend, but worthless.

"Your Viciousness?", the minion interrupted her train of thoughts, "What is the directive concerning the daily rituals of penance for the small-time criminals?"

"Huh? Oh, yes!", she stuttered, "Carry on as usual, we'll think of something to spice things up later..."

The minion was not satisfied with her answer. "But your Wickedness, you said-"

"Doesn't matter, minion! Now, take us to our favourite toys, will you? We need to do some serious thinking....", she commanded and let the minion lead her to the second circle of hell: lust.

Lilith gestured for the minion to leave her alone and continue with his own duties in the meantime while she would pursue her most enjoyable hobby from day one in hell: bash lechers. It always used to help her think.

She took out a riding crop and pounced on them. Even the mortals had picked up on the therapeutic effects of physical activity, but beating damned souls up was a whole different pleasure. The demoness preferred the lechers in the second circle because most of them moaned in pleasure at her treatment. Dirty little bastards. It had been some time since she last had made someone moan like this...

Lilith embraced the ecstasy washing over her, washing away the softness Zelda's touch had left behind. Maybe this was just what she needed to find peace in her cruelty again. Exercise – of a fitting kind. Her little pet Nicholas was nothing much either; he was so tortured already that picking on him was no fun anymore.

"Ah, your demonic Majesty! Ah!", one of the leachers cried out, eliciting a mischievous grin from Lilith, "I'm such a sinner for you!"

She whipped her way through the circle, pondering her next steps and aspirations, trying to refrain from bringing Zelda into them. Oh, this would be even more fun with her.

Back in Pandemonium, she sank into the throne, pleasantly tired and with a little more calmness in her mind.

"Hey, minion!", she called, "Kneel down, will you."

The minion did as he was told and posed as a stool for his queen to rest her feet on his back. "Is there something else I can do for you, your wickedness?"

She looked at Nicholas, then at his tongue and sighed. There was no one she could talk to anymore.

I should've thought about that before I cut his tongue out...

Then she realised there was even more that bothered her. Not only were there no physical people or beings around she could spend time with, but she also missed her sister in her head... The minion had been exceptionally devout and helpful during the past two weeks, maybe she could talk to him?

"Actually, minion, there is something. Are you a good listener?", she asked without caring about the answer.

"For you, certainly, your Majestic Malevolence", he confirmed, "What is it that occupies her mind?"

"Well, as you know, we've been away for a while and... The earthly realm does have its virtues... There is a... teacher... on earth, we've happened to have grown rather fond of. But you see, we don't get to hear the latest gossip down in the pit and we could do with some entertainment", she started rambling and it felt surprisingly good to get it off her chest. Though she did not see the necessity to tell him the mentioned teacher was her sister.

"May I, your Majesty?"

"Speak, minion."

"I wonder, why don't you take a trip to earth then?"

"Well firstly, who would keep an eye on hell? And secondly, we don't think we're welcome there anymore."

"Forgive me, your Viciousness, but since when does the reigning Queen of Hell care about whether she is welcome or not?"

"Touché, minion." She brushed her fingers over her lips, playing with the thought.

"And about leaving hell... I happen to be on good terms with the hounds... I'm sure they'd do your majesty the favour of guarding the pit for the duration of your tour."

She clapped the armrests of her throne and got up. "You know what, minion? That doesn't sound so terribly awful after all! We might just do that."

"Glad to be of service, Ma'am", the minion commented while coming to his feet again.

~

Arriving outside Baxter High, she immediately felt the chills rush through her body at the cold weather. She was not used to it anymore since hell was quite a sunny place if you will. Always warm and cozy. Lilith had left her coat for Zelda, thinking she would not need it anymore, but the breeze convinced her otherwise. With a snap of her finger, she conjured a new black leather coat. But it was not the same. Although it did the job, it was not as comfortable as the last one. Maybe also because it did not carry the memories her old one had...

Lilith headed for Mary Wardwell's office at Baxter High – Invisible of course. The teacher was sitting at her desk, hair in a tight ponytail, glasses on her nose, hovering over a book. She had expected nothing else, though she could do with a makeover – Lilith-style.

She bent over the desk to see what her sister was reading and gasped dramatically upon discovering it was Dante's inferno. So, she was still trying to learn about her realm... But she had no memories, had she? Impossible.

The demoness had no clue how much Mary was struggling with the remnants of their shared time as well as coming back. It was not exactly traumatic memories, but the feelings she still carried, giving her nightmares to express themselves...

She, on the other hand, was happy to see her dual sister again, felt the connection instantly. Mary looked up as if she felt it too but could not see anything and tended to her book again. Then Sabrina entered the office and Lilith thought it best to leave, brushing over Mary's arm to say goodbye, making the teacher shiver.

~

"How was your trip, your Wickedness?", the minion greeted her.

"Marvelous, minion", she responded with a smile and walked over to the sort of balcony with a golden banister.

"You know minion, she makes us think about old times... But never mind, they're gone now and won't ever come back..."

"Does your majesty want to talk about it?", he offered.

"Minion!", she exclaimed, making the servant bow down and shuddering in fear.

"Apologies, your Viciousness! I did not intend to offend her Greatness!"

"No, no, it's alright minion! We were just astounded by your willingness to offer your ear."

He straightened his posture, relief evident in his expression. The poor guy had feared for his life.

"Well, I was a therapist when I was a mortal..."

"Is that so?", she lifted his chin with her index finger and came close to his face, "Then you might just be of use for us."