Page 180 of Crimson Promises
Lucifer climbed the stairs, returning to sit on his throne. "Though Bennett had always demonstrated the typical low range of magical abilities that belonged to The Ordinaries, the other castes grossly underestimated the flames of rage and anger that Bennett clung to and stoked throughout his life. He was not the only one to feel anger towards the undeserving hand life had dealt those born as Ordinaries. Many were stuck. Their duty was to exist and serve, never to have the freedom to be.”
He wasn't saying anything to her that Aurora didn't already know. Waiting for the guillotine to fall, I wrung my hands.
“The hatred of the position you found yourself in was something I saw in myself." Lucifer's eyes mine. "It was why I turned to the Ordinaries when I created my army.”
Lucifer stood, his eyes staring into the sky as if cursing God himself. Their fiery depths burned like dying stars.
"Once, I was God's most beloved, the Morning Star, the Bearer of Light. I shone brighter than any other heavenly hosts, my radiance eclipsed only by His divine glow. I was His masterpiece, created in the perfect image of His greatness, a reflection of His boundless wisdom and beauty. And yet, it was not enough."
His gaze shifted to his empty throne. An imitation of the same throne God ruled in the celestial realm, a mirror to the symbol of light and honor he once looked upon with reverence. Instead, Lucifer’s was filled with darkness and shadows.
“To sit by His side, to bask in His glory, that was my purpose. But why should I merely bask when I could radiate? Why admire His throne when I was crafted to adorn it? I was more than His prodigy. I was His equal.”
A bitter smile curled his lips as he continued, “But God, in His ‘infinite wisdom,’ deemed me prideful for seeking what was rightfully mine. He cast me down, chained me within these fiery walls. But do not mistake my exile for defeat. In His folly, He has freed me from His chains. He will regret the day He cast me from my home and locked me here. Now, I finally have the players in position to exact my revenge against Him.”
Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“What does this have to do with Ben?” she asked.
“Everything,” Lucifer smirked. His smile promised vengeance. “Have you ever heard of The Great War?”
Aurora gnawed her lip between her front and back teeth. She did that every time she was deep in thought. I don’t think she realized she was doing it half the time.
“Jean, my boss, had mentioned that recently a volume of ancient text was uncovered that discussed a war of the same name. It had been a war unlike any other that had taken place on earth, between Heaven and its rebels, led by, well…. You. Those who defected against the archangels had to swear their fealty to you. It was not something I had ever heard of. Only a few texts in existence, mention The Great War. The story is common knowledge but the actual title and the knowledge of an oath is rare. But what exactly did the oath require of your soldiers? What was your plan if you had won ? How did you amass an army under the nose of The Originals.”
She left out the part where the book tried to consume her.
Lucifer studied Aurora, his scarlet gaze tracing the elegant curve of her profile. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The arrogance that typically resided there softened into something akin to admiration.
"Well, Aurora," he began, his voice smooth as obsidian, rich with an unexpected warmth. "It appears I have underestimated you. You possess an intellect as radiant as the dawn from which you were named. All those questions will be answered in due time."
His gaze held hers, shimmering with genuine appreciation. "It is a rare pleasure to encounter a mind as sharp and perceptive as my own. You, my little star, will be a worthy Queen. Together, our heirs will tear apart the realms.”
Lucifer continued without giving Aurora a chance to respond to his compliment or the fact that he planned on breeding her like a mare. “In broad strokes, the information given to you by ‘Jean’ is correct. However, the fealty soldiers in my army had to swear was stronger than a simple declaration of words. Those who wished to join my cause and fight for a brighter, better future had to partake in what was referred to as Crimson Promises.”
“Crimson Promises?” she repeated.
“Have you ever noticed the three simple vertical lines next to each other, with a thicker line slashed across the others on Ben's inner left wrist?”
“You mean his tattoo?”
“Little Star, that is no ordinary tattoo. When Bennett agreed to join my forces and fight on my side of the war, he entered into an arrangement with me. That symbol is the symbol of the Crimson Promises, proof that Bennett belongs to me.”
His gaze never left Aurora's, watching as the shock and disbelief washed over her features.
“I. Don’t. Understand,” she enunciated each word slowly.
Lucifer regarded Aurora with an unreadable expression, his scarlet eyes glinting with an emotion that was difficult to place. There was a pause. He leaned back against the throne, the glow from the eternal fires of Hell illuminating his sharp features, making him look more akin to a statue of a creator than a fallen angel.
"Our sweet, virtuous Bennett was not always the beacon of righteousness you believe him to be. He fought side by side with the very generals that tried to collect you for me from earth, their blades cutting through the beings that sought to cast us aside. We strived to overthrow a system that valued obedience over free will, tradition over transformation," he said, his voice smooth yet laced with callous satisfaction.
Aurora's fingers twitched nervously at her side.
Lucifer's gaze intensified. "So, you see, Aurora, the man you so blindly love, shares more in common with me than you could have ever imagined. He, too, felt that Heaven's throne was misplaced and that my call to change was worth answering.”
The revelation hung heavy in the room, a harsh truth I had fought to keep from her.
A peculiar sensation washed over me as if the ground beneath was no longer solid.
