Now, we just had to get to the finish line.
CHAPTER NINE
According to the former prisoners,three more camps needed to be liberated. They were all located along the road that led back to my castle. The guesstimate was that there were at least a thousand prisoners in each. That would give us an army of four thousand. Unfortunately, none of them would be well enough to fight.
We’d set up tents about five miles from the next camp we were going to attack. I’d dropped a ward around us for protection and to keep us from being seen. Magic was handy in the middle of nowhere. Between Cher, Abaddon, Fifi and myself, we’d conjured up basic tents, bedding, clothing, food and water. Even Pandora joined in by conjuring up alcohol—twenty-five barrels of high-end bourbon. That hadn’t been on the top of anyone’s list but it was greatly appreciated by the newly freed Demons and probably gained her a couple more points. Abaddon had transported to an orchard in the Darkness that grew healing fruit and came back with a ton. Literally. It was odd-looking. It resembled an orange in color and size, but the fruit beneath the peel was dark green. If I’d bought it at the grocery store, I would have tossed it into the trash for being rotten. It took Abaddon bribing me with a two-hour massageand binge-watching the Food Network with me for me to try it. It was surprisingly delicious—kind of chewy, but tasty.
Abaddon had suggested we take a couple days, one, at the very least, before we moved on. Getting our people into fighting form was imperative. I agreed even though my worry about Irma, Jonny, Moon, Stella and Corny increased with each passing moment. I reminded myself repeatedly that all of them were both skilled and insane. For a Demon, it wasn’t a bad combo.
The other factor we had to take into consideration was that the new God might have been in contact with the guards. If messages weren’t returned, our presence would be discovered before we wanted it to be. That would suck and be deadly if the charlatan did indeed have death magic at his disposal.
“Bitch Goddess Cecily,” a Demon called Tiny, who was anything but tiny, said as he bowed in respect. He’d approached my tent warily but relaxed when I smiled. “May I speak freely?”
“You may,” I replied. I’d been talking with many of my followers. The stories from the camp were stomach-churning. The behavior of the new God was horrifying even by Darkness standards. It seemed as if the counterfeit wannabe God was destroying everything that Lilith and Pandora had created. And while Pandora had ruled with cruelty and an iron fist, this jackoff made Pandora’s methods look like child’s play. The oddest part was that none of the Demons knew the God’s name. It was a masked man that went by God.
The hubris was big—just like the appalling size of the junk on his statues.
“There is something awry,” Tiny began.
I almost laughed. His words were a massive understatement. However, I kept my composure and waited for more.
“Something is different with the new enemy,” he said, trying to explain himself, but not doing a great job of it.
“Can you be more specific?” I asked. Fifi, Cher and Pandora were with me. Abaddon was out amongst our people making sure the strange fruit got distributed to all.
Tiny appeared uncomfortable to speak in front of an Angel, a Succubus and another Goddess… who was still skating on very thin ice.
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “These people are my trusted council. You can speak openly.”
He nodded and continued. “Two months ago, when the new God came into power…”
“Hold up,” I said, perplexed. “Two months?” Lilith was still alive two months ago. Pandora still had loyal followers two months ago. I had no clue I was a Demon two months ago. Those were the good old days.
“Imbecile,” Pandora said with one of her famous eye rolls. “Time runs differently here. Two months in the Darkness could be two hours on the human plane. A century could be a week. Get with the program.”
I decided to match her eye roll. Sadly, mine didn’t come close. “Right. Instead of treating me like a toddler, how about you be my teacher who has an attitude that doesn’t suck?”
Tiny was perturbed by the idea. I wasn’t.
“And I can be your councilor in all things good,” I added.
“And my warden,” she snapped.
“Actually, that job belongs to Candy Vargo,” I reminded her. “And she gave me full permission to electrocute your ass. I’d keep that in mind, Pandora.”
“Like I could forget it,” she muttered, indulging in a glass of bourbon.
From what I understood, it was difficult for a Demon to tie one on. I really hoped that was true. The last thing I needed was a wasted army and a wasted Goddess.
“Tiny,” I said, getting back on track. “Please, keep going.”
“Of course. Everyone who refused to betray you was immediately thrown into the camps and tortured. Most of us lived, but not all.” He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they were full of pain and sorrow. “For those who fought back too hard… they were beaten within an inch of their lives. Then they died.”
I wasn’t following him. It was possible to get beaten to death. Unsure what he was trying to tell me, I glanced over at Pandora. I’d expected an eye roll. I didn’t get it.
She put her glass down and stared at Tiny. The huge man seemed to shrink under her gaze. “They didn’t heal?”
He shook his head. “No. They didn’t. They should have, but they didn’t. No one understands.”