Page 58 of Hidden Sacrifice
Morrigan walked into my throne room, head held high as the rest of her harem flanked her. I could taste all the power her demon form barely contained. A perfectly crafted weapon to end it all, wrapped up so nicely in such a pretty face. You must gently handle the most powerful bombs or risk setting them off too soon.
“Treasure. You look ravenous as a demon. While I expected to have the honor of marking your first rune, I see you already have that taken care of.” I spoke loudly, my voice booming in the otherwise silent hall. All my sins waited with anticipation as I forced their attention, yet again, to another show with my favorite.
“How was the transition, my dear?” I asked Morrigan in her mind, letting her know where the real conversation would be happening.
“I am sorry, Luci, I wasn’t aware you wanted the first rune,” she said aloud, her tone an attempt at formal despite her words. “Very informative.”She came to a halt at the base of the steps to my throne. Looking up at me with her hands on her hips. She looked taller.
“Care to share any of that information with old Luci?”I said playfully, having decided I liked this smug version of her, fitting for her new status. Bet it scared the shit out of the sins.
“How much do you know about gods?”
I couldn’t help the smile that washed over my face. We were getting so close to the end now. I could have practically tasted the future. I was ready for all of this to end, even my excitement for it had dulled over the past millenniums. There was nothing left in this world untainted by the decay.
I made a show with my body, letting it get carried away in some eccentric speech about demon transitioning as if Morrigan was a demon entering puberty. At the same time, my real mind had a much more meaningful conversation.
“Gods created the universes we live in. Each universe contains several realms. The angel and demon realms serve as celestial cleanup for this universe, so the gods are free to neglect us for as long as possible. Birth rates for celestial souls are far below the death rate. We exist to facilitate the mechanical workings of the recycling of souls, which keeps the realms alive, but we are dying out.”
“Do you know what happens to soul cores? When the soul fractures and only the core is released?”
“They go beyond the veil. Where the god realms are.”Her line of questioning was not exactly what I expected.
“The gods take them and put them in new little playground universes. But sometimes when celestials die, we get to become one of the gods. We make our little universes if we pass a soul test. Ever heard of anything like that before?”Her tone was curious and hopeful.
“Congratulations again, Morrigan Princess of Hell. Please let me know when to plan for the pack wedding. I haven’t been to a proper celebration in eons. Let’s call it your prize for winning the hunt,” I said aloud, smiling as I heard Morrigan gasp lightly before giving me a stern grin. I winked back at her.
She may not know it yet, but there will be a wedding. Her future was already written in the stars. The final chapter of the last book began when she died and set into motion her true destiny.
I dismissed her, leaving her question unanswered. For now, I could say I did not have any answers for her. I had expected her trip to the celestials would have included some information on her prophecy. Once the doors to the throne room shut, I abandoned my seat and headed straight for the fates.
The fates were three of my earlier demon creations before settling on reproduction. When the universe was new, it was easy to create demons. Over time, it took more and more power even to call a single being into existence. However, as one of my earlier creations, the fates contained much more power.
There were three of them in total, one soul split between them. Sitting in a dark candle-lit room, deep inside the ring’s core, they lived together. They worked with each other as if their bodies were one. Each one was powerful on its own but terrifying when combined.
I came to see them whenever I wanted glimpses of the future. Since Morrigan’s arrival, I have been visiting them almost daily. At best, chatter from the angels was like listening with your ear cupped through a tunnel, hoping to catch pieces of conversations from those at the other end. Most of the time, the words I could see had little meaning until I matched them against the poetic lines spewed from the fates.
“We have been expecting you, your infernal highness,” one of them hissed out like a snake. They all looked vaguely the same, black hair with cloudy white eyes. They never saw the world around them, preferring to live within visions of the future to know what is happening in the present.
“The demonling has come into power, we see,” a different one hissed out her words. At least, I think it was a different one. They had the torsos of something vaguely human while their lower bodies were that of snakes. They twisted and slithered over and around each other, creating a mass of slipping scales and tangled limbs.
“She was asking questions about the gods and soul cores,” I said, sitting in my well-worn chair in the corner opposite the fates. Lately, I have spent more time in this chair than on my throne.
“Yesssss,” a fate hissed.
“One to save all. All to save one.”
“If any of you could, please explain what that means exactly. We could avoid these conferences,” I said, rubbing my temples in small circles. They have repeated that one line to the point where even my mind echoed it randomly throughout the day, yet none of them explained what it meant. The other fallen angels have begun to whisper that same line repeatedly.
“It must be as it is or what is will never be re-written,” a fate called out before sliding along her sisters in their never-ending game of rearranging.
“How do I help her?” I asked. I just needed to make sure no one was attempting to mess with the divine plan, a plan I have paid for dearly over my long life. I hadn’t known it at the time, but my fall from grace was predetermined, so everything else could happen as planned. I have given up everything for predestination, including my only child. My cost was too high, only to fail now.
“You are on the path to bring you to your daughter once more,” one of the fates interjected as my mind wandered to the child I was forced to abandon.
“No other tips? Tricks? Foreshadowing. Anything of actual help?” I bit out. Hell providing a cup on the table merely for me to throw it at the fates.
“Do not interfere. No matter the cost. It must play out as written. You cannot assume to understand the intricate workings of the universe.”
I sighed, having gained nothing new. I left the fates, closing and sealing the door behind me. Swiftly, I headed for my bedroom, nestled away behind hidden doors and spelled corridors. It could only be found by those that already knew the way. Lilith was waiting for me, lying back on my bed with her head resting on my pillow.
