The Trailokya Trilogy, Book 2: Burning Down

Chapter 3

Morgentus bared his teeth at the blockade. For now, he would let Belial have his way. Lifting his wings, Morgentus stepped from the stairs, reappearing in intervals until he found the door of his labyrinth. His speed continued as he rushed through the passage of lanterns and past the courtyard. He burst through the doors of his great house, the dark interior enveloping him. He continued his mad pace toward a great stone, which scraped aside to reveal a set of stairs that spiraled down.

The stink of the serpents lay thick in the deep of the lair. Far below the heights of the condemned, Morgentus entered the cave where his soldiers brought the prizes from Earth. He eyed the wounded guardians a moment. Then, he stuck his fingers in several of their wounds, delighting in their agony. When that had little effect on his mood, he ordered them to be staked at the entrance for their compatriots to take back. He wanted no further trouble from the dutas, and they couldn't touch him so long as he didn't have the treasure they sought.

The soldiers dragged the baron's prisoners away amidst protests and declarations of revenge. He clucked his tongue at them, reminding them that revenge was something he was more skilled at than they could imagine. They should be thankful for his kindness. Their stares made him laugh. The stubbornness of duta was renowned.

His mood somewhat abated, Morgentus continued deeper into the dungeon of his mansion. The drip of water was the only sign of a connection to a waking world. The silence pressed in on all sides, and the dark hid the path. There were things below the levels of Jahannam that no one even knew about, except him. For centuries he wandered the mazes, so adept at their navigation he could do it backward with his eyes closed. He thought of those who attempted the same and were lost, to become nourishment for the monsters hidden in the caves.

Passing beneath several wraiths who guarded the passage from intruders, the baron came to an iron gate scrawled with the runes of the danava. He pushed them open and entered a fire-lit room, roughly hewn from the stone. Candles burned on steps along the walls. In the center rested a bed of satin. Heavy chains dangled from the corners. Above it was an iron cage. Two white forms snaked around each other, arms and legs fighting for room and an escape. Their voices shrilly whined a lament at his return.

Morgentus paused to enjoy the view of them trapped above his bed. A coy smile curled his lips and his eyes ignited with fire. They pressed their faces to the bars, the seals on their foreheads blazing and their eyes gone black. The women reached out to him, begging for their freedom and the kindness of their master. Their hair dripped with water. His servants had bathed them, predicting his return and expected desires. Although his wife and Cursia displeased him while he still thought of the red erela, they would sate his need in the interim. But, no amount of bathing could ever make them clean again.

"In good time, ladies, but for now, your master still has need of your services," Morgentus said, looking up at them lustfully.

Their whining renewed and the baron hissed at them angrily. Yanking a lever behind the head of the bed, he opened their prison and dropped them in the middle of the bed. The women struggled to climb off the mattress, but it sunk like quicksand, swallowing them until Morgentus fixed a chain to an arm and leg each.

"Sabereh, after all we have meant to one another," Morgentus said, grasping her by her gold locks. His wife tried to free her hair from his hold, whimpering a plea for mercy. Cursia hid on the other side of the bed, watching with fearful interest. "I hope, darling, that you'll not mind. I've invited your new friend to join us. Considering, Cursia will be the only thing that keeps you alive once I have Maiel, I suggest that you take good care of her."

Sabereh didn't dare to speak. Her frightened eyes peered back into those of the Baron. He shoved her forward on the bed and undid his belt. Penetrating her flesh had once been ecstasy; now it bored him. He threw his fist into her back and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Unrelenting, he pushed her face into the suffocating mattress until he had satisfied himself with her. His desires then moved on to Cursia.