Page 5 of Ashes to Ashes

The heavy dungeon door creaked open behind her, startling her into knocking the bucket of hot water, sloshing it across the already mopped floor. She froze, waiting for Belial or his guards to punish her. When the blows never came, Ashe braved turning around to see who, or what, had entered.

A petite, wiry figure stood in the doorway with a stack of filthy rags in hand. Ashe’s eyes narrowed, wary of the newcomer. The woman appeared to be somewhere near Ashe’s age, far too young to withstand the torment these demons wrought. Short, curly brown hair framed bright hazel eyes that sparked with intelligence and mischief.

“Well, well, look what the demons dragged in,” the other woman drawled. “A newbie.” She eyed Ashe up and down, “Evelyn,” she stuck her hand out. “Sad to say I’ve been stuck in this hell coming up on four years.”

Ashe barely held back her gasp of shock that anyone could withstand this level of pain for that long before giving in to the embrace of death.

Ashe straightened, trying not to appear as broken mentally as she felt, but her eyes betrayed her vulnerability, but she didn’t dare shake the girl’s hand, wary of what it could mean.

While she was grateful to finally meet another human, Evelyn's presence was a terrifyingly dangerous choice. Belial didn’t let his prisoners work together.

“I’m not a?—”

Evelyn held up a grubby hand. “I know you’ve been here a few weeks, but I’ve been … otherwise occupied.” She sat on the floor next to Ashe. “He’s kept you away from everyone because you’re beautiful.”

Ashe’s eyes went wide. “You think I’m what?” She’d never been accused of being anything more than plain before. Her long red hair had no volume or curls, her pale blue eyes were just slightly too big for her face, and her frame was thin with no curves to speak of that anyone would enjoy.

“Clearly, whoever fucked you into this position did a number on you. You’re stunning, and Belial has mostly male slaves. You’d create a commotion.”

“Oh,” she whispered, trying to take in the compliment. Her stepmother wasn’t cruel, but she’d never let Ashe go anywhere or do anything to maybe have people tell her she was pretty.

“We’re both in this rotten situation, might as well make the best of it.” Evelyn dropped the rags next to Ashe. “Here, better use these to get the water up.”

Ashe hesitated, then extended her hand. “Ashe.”

“Nice to meet you, Ashe. So, you know, there’s no victory in looking for a way out. Only death, and then you’ll belong to the demon king.”

Evelyn stood and left as quickly and quietly as she’d come in, leaving Ashe alone with her thoughts.

Ashe continued her word in silence, her mind consumed by Evelyn and what she’d said. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than just Belial wanting to keep his “prize” safe from the other slaves. What was it about her that made her stand out? And how long would she be able to hold on to her sanity in this hellish place?

The incident with Evelyn was not the only thing weighing heavily on Ashe’s mind. The constant pain and torment inflicted upon her by the demons was taking its toll. She had no idea how much longer she could withstand it before breaking completely.

Ashe’s thoughts were interrupted by a loudthudand a sharp cry of pain coming from one of the nearby rooms. She froze, unsure of what to do. Should she continue working or go check on whoever made the noise?

A few moments later, she heard Belial storming past, shouting curses.

“You useless little worm!” he spat at whoever was on the other side of the wall. “I gave you one simple task, and you can’t even handle that!”

Ashe shrunk back as Belial’s anger radiated through the walls, and her fear for the person on the other side began to grow. Belial destroyed her body when he wasn’t mad, she did not know how dangerous he’d be infuriated.

“She refused to entertain our guests,” someone stammered out nervously.

Ashe couldn’t stop her feet if she wanted to. Jumping up, she rushed out of the dungeon cell door, following the voices. If there was a child in danger, she was going to take the beating.

She found herself in a larger cell. A tall, muscular demon with dark red skin and leathery wings loomed over a trembling girl who couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

“Foolish child,” Belial growled again, his voice dripping with venom. “You dare defy orders my men gave by way of me?”

The girl whimpered and stumbled backward as Belial raised his hand, ready to strike her.

Without thinking, Ashe stepped forward and put herself between Belial and the girl. She braced herself for the impact, but it never came.

Belial’s hand froze in midair as he stared at Ashe in shock. He had expected her to cower or run away like all his other slaves would have done.

“You dare to protect this insignificant creature?” he sneered at Ashe.

Ashe stood her ground, defiantly meeting Belial’s gaze. “She is just a child,” she said firmly. “I didn’t think you could get more disgusting than using her for entertainment.”

---