Page 39 of Eternal Sacrifice
“Wait!” I called out as they slowly started to sink into the pool. “Can’t you tell us anything of use?”
“All for one.” The voice came from all of them once more, moments before the tops of their heads dipped below the surface. “One for all,” the voices whispered into the room while the waters lapped at the edges of the stone. The surface of the pool settled into a calm that looked more like a mirror than water.
I felt the waves of disappointment rolling off the others as we left the now-silent room. Once outside, I patted Jasper on the shoulder before releasing my hold to jump down.
“That was so fun!” Justice squealed, seemingly the only one pleased with the interaction.
“But we didn’t get any answers,” I huffed, unable to stop the feelings of uncertainty. I had hoped the fates would be able to aid us with more than vague riddles.
“Which isn’t less than we walked in with,” Justice pointed out.
I shrugged, feeling waves of soothing love and calming energy pouring from him into me.
“Well,” I breathed, smacking my hands against my thighs. “What’s next?”
“I guess we could go look at our new bedroom,” Jasper suggested.
The sins had told us that we had also inherited the palace bedroom. It didn’t matter if we had a bedroom dedicated to the Kings of Hell. I would have been perfectly content remaining in the same wing we had been. But, the sins pointed out that our responsibilities would be changing. Plus, the master bedroom had a hell of a lot more security spells than any other part of the palace.
“I guess,” I said, still inside a mental fog that insisted this was a long, never-ending dream I had yet to wake from.
Ournewroominthe palace consisted of one extra, extra large bedroom. There was a more than accommodating-sized bed for us all to sleep in, with space to share. I had thought an adjoining office behind wood doors led to the closet. An intricately carved desk stood in the middle of the room with two black leather seats facing whoever sat in the throne-like chair opposite them.
My fingertips slid across the glossy surface of the desk. There was a hint of magic weaved into the wood. I could taste it on the back of my tongue, like the humming of Justice’s toxic blood mixed with an undercurrent of calm. I could almost feel Lucifer’s presence with me, guiding my hand to the side of the desk.
A click sounded before a drawer jutted from the side. It was a secret compartment of some kind. I reached inside and pulled a worn leather journal from the dark depths.
“Is that Lucifer’s diary?” Justice asked before snatching the book from my hands.
He caressed the brown leather cover before taking a deep breath and opening it to the first page. Then he started to read.
Father has cast me from the Heavenly realm. All because I desired the same as he willingly gave to the mortals. Mypunishmentcurse is to clean up the wayward souls. Of course, he couldn’t admit that his failings in design allowed the souls to remain on their planes rather than move on.
It was his fault.
Hisfailure ofhisplan.
Yet, I am the one punished.
I only asked why angels were reduced to the roll of service to mortals. Yet my question was not answered. Instead, I was cast from my home, abandoned by my brothers and sisters. Banished to this fucking barren realm. The leftovers from the creation of this universe.
But mark my words. Let these pages bear witness to my promise to my father. I will dedicate every ounce of my power to the destruction of his precious creations.
“He didn’t sign the bottom,” Justice said, looking up at the rest of us as if unsure what to do.
“Do you know of any other angels cast out of Heaven that might have written it and then left it inside Lucifer’s personal desk?” I asked, helping Justice to come to the right conclusion.
“I’m just confused.” Justice handed the diary back to me, brushing his fingers against mine. “None of this makes sense.”
Justice wasn’t talking about the diary entry. Even without a personal signature, it was clear that Lucifer had written those words. It was the fact that Lucifer, the King of Hell, had died. That part seemed impossible, let alone wrapping my head around the fact that we were the new rulers.
I looked at the journal, holding it between my hands. It seemed to whisper to me, like the sound of my name in the wind. The more I strained to hear, the softer the voice spoke. I opened the book, and the sensation grew urgent. The whispers turned louder, encouraging me to flip through. The closer I got to whatever I was being shone, the clearer the voice became.
“Stop.”
I can feel it inside my soul. I see it as I travel the realms. My demons are hard at work, performing the task of cleaning the realms. Yet the tainting decay marches on. My father has clearly abandoned his creations. The mortals he had loved so much clearly no longer interested him. Without his presence, more souls are decaying, making them easier to fracture. The veil is filling with cores. All with an immense measure of power.
Andemeron will be the first to fall.
