Page 20 of The Fearless Witch

“What…” I started, but Nym hissed at me. It wasn’t a threatening sound, more of one of annoyance, but I still closed my mouth. There was something oddly unsettling about being scolded by a cat, but it was a welcome change from the solemn, desperate look he had before. It seemed I wasn’t the only one needing the distraction. Or the conversation.

“That’s the day he heard the voice again,” Nym continued, his tone turning as cold and piercing as death’s blade. “So he listened to it.”

I held my breath, a cold chill running down my spine.

“When a human hears voices that aren’t supposed to be there, the worst thing that can happen when they start listening to them is to be labeled dangerous or crazy,” Nym said. “When a supernatural creature does it, the consequences are much more… severe.”

He gave me a pointed look, but I was too busy trying to connect the dots to pay him any mind. Voices, mental conditions, crazy? Was he…

My hands dropped to my sides, and a surprised gasp escaped my gaping mouth.

“He developed… a split personality?” I asked hesitantly, searching his face for confirmation.

“He didn’t develop it. He gave it life,” Nym said with a somber nod. “This second persona is just as sentient as his original one. They share a body and a soul and they cannot exist without the other, but they are not…” He licked his lips, as if not sure what word to use, then added, “...split. While one does usually control the body, the other is always ‘awake’.”

I laughed, half expecting him to say he was joking, but his eyes remained dead serious.

“That is how the Beleth you’ve met was born,” he finished, and I felt the sudden urge to sit down again. I headed toward the bed. “After massacring all the demons that were threatening them, he kept them safe. He took the demon name the original human was using.”

I frowned in confusion. “What is the original human’s name, then? The one I summoned?”

Nym’s eyes flared red, but then, almost immediately, they settled back into their familiar golden hue. Staring at the floor, he kept silent while his nails dug into the sheets, tearing the poor cloth into ribbons this time.

I flopped onto the mattress on the other end of the bed. “You can’t tell me?”

“I can, but…” He looked back at me and I couldn’t help but notice his form growing several inches taller. “You must beware. A demon’s true name holds immense power, especially in Hell, so you should be very careful how and when you use it.” Something must have shown in my expression, because he turned to face me fully, looking even more serious. “You cannot command him. It won’t work inside this room because of the wards he’d put up, but it might make him silence you so you could never use his name against him. You can still influence him, drag the original out, but you must be very, very careful.” His pupils dilated, and when he spoke again, his voice was full of dire warning. “Beleth is more unpredictable and dangerous than anyone you’ve ever met, Mistress.” He raised an eyebrow pointedly before adding, “Even Roman.”

A sense of trepidation filled my stomach while we stared at each other.

“What is his name?” I insisted, making sure to keep my emotions out of my voice.

Sighing heavily, Nym stepped back.

“Cyrus,” he said in a quiet, almost reverent voice. “His name is Cyrus.”

Chapter 9

Roman

Drip. Drip. Splash.

I looked down at the puddle of blood beneath my feet, staring into the wide, dead eyes of the demon I had just killed. Or at least the body that lay scattered all over the floor—oh, and the walls, too. There seemed to be pieces everywhere.

I had lost count of how many vessels I had destroyed, sending the twisted black souls that had been living within them back to Hell. Some appeared as humans—those died the easiest; others came in the bodies of infernal creatures—those were harder to crack. None could tell me what I wanted to know, no matter what I did to them. I couldn’t decide if they were scared of Beleth or if they truly didn’t know much about him.

It didn’t matter. I was going to get to him eventually and if he had done anything to Celeste…

Cracking my neck, I stepped away from the carnage, heading toward the sink to wash up. As much as I wanted to keep summoning these wretched creatures and tearing them apart, I needed to rest. That last one had almost severed my head despite the pentagram holding it confined to the summoning circle. I hadn’t expected the scorpion’s tail to tear through its back and attack me. That was my oversight.

Turning the tab on, I filled the bucket and poured the water over my head. The cold liquid turned to steam at the first touch with my heated skin, making me wince at the odd sensation. I had already healed from the acid that creature spit my way, but the flesh was still new and tender, so even the slightest pressure was unpleasant and unsettling.

Two more buckets later, I headed toward the door. Throwing one single glance at the witch huddled in the corner, I left. I wasn’t sure if she was entirely in her right mind after watching me butcher all those demons, but there hadn’t been anywhere else to put her, and I wasn’t stupid enough to lock her somewhere without wards. I had already done more than she deserved by using one of Celeste’s artifacts to create a protective barrier that kept her safe from the demons. She should have kept her eyes closed like I told her to.

The moment I walked out the door, I stopped dead in my tracks. Chester inclined his head in a greeting while offering me a black towel, like him standing outside my torture chamber was the most natural thing in the world. A new pair of clothes hung from his other arm, where he gripped a pitcher of blood in his fingers.

I had asked him to do a lot over the years and he had witnessed things that most people would run away from, but we had this unspoken rule that he didn’t have to go out of his way when it came to my… violent tendencies. His job was acquiring blood from the banks and keeping my house clean. He didn’t sign up for this mess. Maybe it was time he retired.

“I thought I told you to take care of our guests,” I said, using the towel to dry my hair.

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