38. Trial
No one had objected to her continuing with her plans and as they wound their way to the staircase, they encountered no more problems.
Syra paused before the first step and turned to gaze at everyone. "Are you all sur-"
Her question was cut off as a shriek of, not terror, but anger wailed through the second floor, echoing everywhere.
Guess that's answer enough, was her thought as she gazed past them to see a succubus with angered eyes step out of the playroom that held the dead incubus.
"Time to go," she murmured and made hast up the spiral steps. They reached top in seconds, hearing another shriek and Syra shoved Blane at the door.
"Get ready," she whispered to the others as she drew her blades from her boots.
The others nodded and gripped hold of their own weapons.
Blane knocked at the door, rather hurriedly as another screech and the sound of footsteps on the staircase rang out.
The door opened and there stood Chitoma in all her naked glory.
She raised an eyebrow and leaned rather relaxed on the door. "Can I help you Blane?"
"Oh yes, you can." Blane shot forward and slammed Chitoma's head against the door. She had time only to let out a gasp and then she slipped down the door, unconscious.
Blane grabbed her and hauled her inside, Sebastian closed the door behind the rest of us, locking it.
This was all to easy, Syra knew it was. Something was going to happen, she was sure, but yet... she couldn't be bothered, she only saw her revenge.
They wove through the flat, directly towards Dante's massive throne room, where he had râped her.
Syra shivered, but was brought to a halt by Blane.
"What of the succubi in there with him?" Blane asked, worry on his face.
Syra glanced around at the others, Ren's face was tight with stress and Sebastian's face was dark and blank.
"Isn't there another way in?"
Blane shook his head.
"Then we face them all."
"We'll die, Syra," Sebastian rumbled, eyes softening.
"You don't have to, you can leave now. But I have to try... I have to."
Syra turned then, not sparing anyone a glance and burst through the throne doors. Again, she was greeted by the sounds of sexual acts, and Dante's rough voice crying out in pleasure.
No one looked up, not until the others came in. Then all was silent which was very different than before.
"What are you doing here?" a voice rumbled. A voice belonging to Dante.
Syra glanced up with deadly eyes, knowing he had caused her child's death, had râped her.
"I want your blood on my hands," she growled, deadly serious.
"You," he gasped, eyes wide. "Did you-"
"Murder Zelina? Yes," she answered for him and rushed forward, succubi scurried out of the way in fear.
Dante stood, towering over her, though his face seemed...pained. "You won't get a chance with me."
"Oh, I think I already have," she responded, whipping out the blade and stabbing it forward, but much to Syra's surprise he dodged out of the way.
"Don't. Think. So," Dante growled, clenching her wrists in his massive hands. He twisted her wrist with the blade and it clattered to the ground. "Your killing spree ends here."
"No! Syra!" Sebastian's voice rang out and he glowed an angry white.
"You!" Dante rumbled. "Get him!"
Syra twisted to look as guards began rushing in, Blane and Ren took down a few, but as the masses rolled in they were soon restrained. Syra felt herself fall into a state of panic as she watched a thrashing Sebastian become restrained by four large demons who grunted with the effort of keeping him contained.
"Get off of her," he snarled, eyes a blazing jade color.
Dante chuckled and Syra twisted back around to release a growl at him.
"You think I can't kill you?" she muttered darkly. "You're wrong."
She flung her head foreward, bashing it into the demon king's head and felt his grip loosened. She tore her hands out and slammed Dante onto the ground, her fingers immediately found his throat and she began to tear.
Claw marks appeared like magic and blood began to stream, but Dante wasn't dead as Syra was dragged off of him by her hair. She released a hideous scream and thrust her whole weight into trying to escape, her hair ripping and blood gushing.
Suddenly the naked form of Chitoma appeared beside Dante and helped him to his feet. The demon king rubbed his throat and then bellowed out, "Gather everyone! Allow the angels to come to our plane! Shackle these creatures! We shall give them a humilating death of torment in front of all of them!"
Syra's blood had ran cold and she had stopped her struggles. She hadn't even felt when Chitoma came over and slapped her face -- hard -- leaving deep gouges in her cheek.
"I'm sorry, you guys," she murmured to Ren, Blane and Sebastian.
They said nothing as they were all being tugged away.
**
Hours passed as they hung from the ceiling, their throats choked from shackles, the only thing preventing them from outright being choked to death was the shackles biting into their wrists.
Many of them had tried to speak, but Dante had whipped them into silence and so they merely shared looks, Syra mouthing that she was sorry.
Syra's panic had faded earlier and now she watched with accepting eyes as angels -- hissing and spitting at the demons, incubi and succubi -- filed in the throne room alongside them.
Syra didn't know how Dante had managed to convince them not to attack, but he did and now they were in the room, awaiting Syra's and the others trial.
"Welcome!" Dante's voice boomed. "I've allowed you to enter my plane, my domain, the Abyss, to witness these four deaths."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in.
"The reason for these deaths is not an innocent crime. No! It's rightly so! These four have all played a part in the death of the angels' queen -- Zelina!"
At that the room erupted in loud voices and they all roared at the four of them hanging from the chains.
"And they had tried to murder me!" Dante shouted, his anger clear in his tone.
The noise level was higher than the Dante's club on a good day, Syra was sure and yet she felt nothing but willingness to die.
"These demons and angels have formed relationships. Relationships that are forbidden and now we see why!" Dante roared, pointing accusingly at the four of them.
Syra strained against the chains, lifting herself so the collared shackle around her neck eased and she could wheeze out words.
"That- that's...where you are wrong!" Syra wheezed, her voice silencing everyone despite their hate for her.
Dante laughed and muttered, "I am not wrong! The relationship you had with that...alabaster led you to feel! We demons, incubi and succubi are NOT suppose to feel, we would've been angels then! And that is exactly why you tried to murder me and murdered Zelina because you felt!"
"Our relationship is normal and you damn well know it, Dante! YOU HAD THAT WITH ZELINA!" she shrieked, her voice cracking from the strain.
The audience gasped and Dante's face paled before hardening. "Enough talking, succubus. It's time for your death."
"No!" Ren screeched, her own voice dry and crackly. "She's right! Angels and demons are meant to be together. They -- Zelina and Dante -- have created halflings! Children that are half angel or half demon and are virtually powerless so their sent to Earth. I'm living proof of that! Don't you all feel how weak my energy is, how mortal I am?"
"That's enough, traitor," Dante growled, squeezing Ren's wrists so she slammed back into the collar, choking slightly again.
"Revus, Borick, prepare to torture," he snapped, walking away from the four "traitors".
**
Dante
He was sweating, standing up on his throne platform with the four dangling off to the side.
The halfling -- Ren -- had spilled his and Zelina's most precious secret. That angels and demons really were meant to be together.
Dante knew Syra had acted out because of her loss of her child. It hadn't really had to deal with her feeling so much as the loss of her baby.
He knew if Zelina and he had left her alone...she wouldn't have murdered or tried to, but he didn't want a world where angels and demons co-existed despite it being right.
He glared at the four as their screams began to ring out and haunt the throne room. He glanced to the audience and saw their minds processing everything Ren and Syra had spluttered out.
They could feel Ren's lower halfling energy if they really tried. They could obviously see that two demon-like beings had formed a relationship with an angel-like one. And most importantly they could see Dante sweating to death up on his throne as he started flinching at every scream.
He was killing them for something he had once done himself. He felt himself begin to crack, to feel once again.
No, I can't be... not now.
Dante wanted to run far away so he couldn't hear their screams and cries. He knew the angels did want Syra and them punished, but he could see their deaths were taking a toll. He knew they knew that they believed them.
He knew he was going to die today as he suddenly shattered apart and released his own deafening scream.