Ruby Shadows (11 page)

Laish seemed to have
no such worries. He kicked the massive horse’s sides and made a
clicking sound.

“
Goodbye, Yerx,” he called as the horse began to move
obediently forward. “I will send back your steed when I reach the
ri
ver. Remember
that no one is to know about this. If I find you have told anyone,
I will have your flesh carved from your bones and tossed, chunk by
bloody chunk, into the Lake of Fire.”

Looking back, I
thought the immense demon looked pale.

“
Yes, my Lord Laish,” he muttered, bowing so low that his
twisting spiral horns scraped the ground. “I
understand.”

“
Very good.” Laish turned his attention forward and urged the
horse to go a little faster.

“
Take it easy with this thing!” I gripped his forearms, which
were on either side of me. “Don’t make it go too fast,
okay?”

“
What is the point of riding a Demon-steed if you don’t make
use of its tremendous speed?” Laish sounded amused but I noticed he
didn’t urge the horse any faster—for which I was
relieved.

“
So, ‘Lord Laish’ huh?” I asked
, trying to take my mind off my horsy
predicament. “What’s that all about? I thought you were a minor
demon?”

“
It’s nothing. Yerx is an old friend—he served in one of the
legions I commanded once during the Blood Wars.”

“
Okay, first…” I twisted around carefully, so I could see his
face. “Friends don’t threaten to have friends carved into ‘bloody
chunks’ was how I believe you put it.”

Laish opened his
mouth but I went on before he could speak.

“
And second,
minor
demons
don’t command whole legions. Do they? I mean, who are you,
anyway?”

Laish shrugged. “No
one of consequence. Don’t worry about it, Gwendolyn.”

“
I
do
worry about it, Laish,” I
snapped. “I called for a
minor
demon. In fact, I specifically tried to summon the weakest,
least dominant demon I could find the first time I did that spell.
And I got
you.”

“
You did indeed. And now you are stuck with me.” He gave me a
charming grin. “Turn around, Gwendolyn. This is likely to be the
most idyllic portion of our trip. Let’s not waste it
bickering.”

“
As if any part of a ride through Hell could be ‘idyllic,’” I
muttered, turning around reluctantly. “This isn’t over with, Laish.
I’m going to find out who—and what—you really are,
eventually.”

“
Perhaps,” he rumbled. “In the
meantime, let us just enjoy each other’s
company—shall we?”

I still felt
irritated but the slight swaying motion of the horse was strangely
soothing. I didn’t know much about horses—having avoided them
completely ever since early childhood—but this one seemed to have
an exceptionally smooth gait. The dark ground flowed beneath us
like water. As for the landscape—there was nothing to see. The
entire area seemed to be one flat plane shrouded in mist. From time
to time I thought I heard voices but they were always far off and I
couldn’t make out what they were saying. It was neither too hot nor
too cold—in fact, the whole place was about as neutral and gray as
anything I could imagine.

So
much for fiery pits and vats of lava and brimstone
with devils dancing
around them—as far as I was concerned, Hell seemed positively mild.
There was nothing to do but lean back and enjoy the ride—if I could
enjoy balancing on the back of such a huge, frightening creature,
that was. Still, Laish’s arms on either side of me and his broad,
warm chest behind me made me feel secure, despite the great
distance to the ground. His warm cinnamon and spice scent was
soothing too—maybe too soothing. It was lulling me off guard,
making me want to snuggle back against him and lose myself in the
warmth of his big body.

Irritated with myself for my weakness, I made a point of
sitting up, trying not to let my back touch his chest.
But that put my crotch
into much more direct contact with the hard leather saddle. My legs
were already spread wide and when I leaned forward, the rocking
motion of the horse and the saddle rubbing right between my legs
was positively pornographic. I squirmed uncomfortably, wishing it
didn’t feel so good.

I had a real
dilemma. If I leaned back, I was too close to Laish but if I sat up
straight, I was being stimulated in a way I definitely didn’t want
when I was in such close proximity to the infuriating demon.

“
Gwendolyn? Are you all right?” he murmured after a few minutes
of me squirming all over the place.

“
Fine, just fine,” I muttered, making an effort to sit still.
“Tell me about Hell if you won’t tell me about yourself,” I said,
trying to take my mind off my problem. “What is this area we’re
riding through now—Purgatory?”

“
There is no such thing,” Laish said. “That is yet another
detail Dante got wrong. In fact, this is the first circle of
Hell—Avernus. Also known as the Plane of Irresolution. It is
reserved for those souls who wandered aimlessly through life, never
accomplishing
their goals or helping others to accomplish
theirs.”

“
That seems mild enough,” I remarked.

“
It is—compared with the rest of Hell. Though wandering,
eternally lost and miserable through the mists is not pleasant,” he
said. “The whole region is ruled by Azmodan the Absent, so named
because he is almost never here. He is one of the
seven.”

“
One of the seven what?” I asked, intrigued despite
myself.

“
The seven Satanic Archdukes or Great Demons. The Princes of
Night and Shadows who rule over the seven circles of Hell
respectively. They are in constant conflict with each other—each
seeking to better his position and raise his status by infiltrating
the territory of the others.”

“
Sounds…fun,” I muttered.

“
It is anything but,” Laish said seriously. “The endless
disputes and battles for domination—the Blood Wars as they are
called—have been raging since before your world began.” He sighed.
“And they will probably still be raging long after it
ends.”

“
The Blood Wars? And you commanded a legion in them? Why did
you stop?” I asked.

He sighed
again. “You have no idea how tired of warfare and combat you can
become. After several millennia, I simply decided it wasn’t worth
it anymore. I retired to my little estate in Hades—which looks much
like the Plane of Irresolution, by the way, although not nearly as
foggy—and kept to myself. I like it better that way. That is where
I was when I heard your call and came to help you the very first
time.”

“
So, what—you came to help me out of boredom?” I asked.
“Because you were tired of sitting around the house?”

“
Initially,” he admitted. “But then something kept me coming
back.
You
kept me coming back,
Gwendolyn.”

“
What—me?” I half turned to face him again. “Don’t say things
you don’t mean, Laish. I’m just an ordinary human girl.”

“
Mon ange,
you
are anything but ordinary,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair
out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. “As to the reason I
keep coming back to you and cannot leave you alone…” He shook his
head. “I wish I knew the answer to that myself.”

The burning
ruby eyes looking into mine were suddenly too much. I turned around
again and sat up a little more, making sure to keep distance
between us despite the uncomfortably pleasurable rubbing between my
legs.

“
Tell me more,” I said. “
We’re going to cross over the river Styx—is that
right? And then where to?”

“
The
City of Baator ruled by Tiamat
the Exacting, another of the seven
. But we must pay the price to pass from the
first circle to the second circle before we can cross the
river.”

“
Pay the price?”
I didn’t like the sound of that at all. I turned my head to
look at him again. “What price? Like some kind of a
toll?”

“
You will see,” he said neutrally. “In the meantime, simply
enjoy the ride. You can lean back against me if you like—I won’t
bite, you know.”

“
I
know.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot and I turned around again
hurriedly. “But I’m fine.
Just fine.”

“
If you’re worried that I will take liberties I will not—not
yet, anyway. It isn’t time for that,” he murmured.

When will it be time?
I wanted to ask but I kept my mouth firmly shut. I
felt like I had been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since
he’d taken my hand and transported us both to the Shadow Lands.
When exactly would he think was the right time to exact his
‘payment’ and what would he want to do?

Better not to think
about it.

Instead, I concentrated on the swirling mists around us and
the dull
thunk-thunk-thunk
of the huge horse’s hooves as they struck the ground. But
behind me I could feel Laish waiting, biding his time. Getting
ready to do whatever he wanted to me.

The thing that
worried me most wasn’t that I didn’t want him to touch me, however.
No, what worried me was that I might not want him to stop.

Chapter Ten

Laish

We
got to the river much more quickly than I had originally
calculated, when I thought we would be journeying by foot.
The
Demon-steed
was placid enough under my touch—it dared not be anything else—and
I was almost tempted to keep it for the rest of our quest. I did
not want it simply for the convenience but also because it forced
my little witch into a closer proximity to me than I guessed she
would normally come on her own.

Though she tried to sit stiff and straight, keeping her
distance from me, she couldn’t manage it entirely. The horse’s
swaying gait ensured that every so often she would
be jostled back against
me, her smooth, bare shoulders pressing against my
chest.

Each time this happened, Gwendolyn rested against me a little
bit longer before resuming her rigid posture. The feel of her
soft,
curving body
against mine and her warm, feminine scent in my nose was
intoxicating. I was sorely tempted to sweep her hair to one side
and kiss the side of her neck. Or perhaps, to let one of my hands
drift from the reins and slide up to caress her thigh.

I kept my impulses
strictly in check, however. Gwendolyn still feared my touch and I
didn’t want to feed that fear—though she would have to get over it
soon enough.

In fact, the
time was coming even sooner than I had calculated. The distance
that would have taken at least a day on foot, was covered in a
matter of hours on Yerx’s steed. Before I knew it, we were coming
to the banks of the river Styx, its pitch black waters flowing
sluggishly as tar.

“
Whoa,” I said softly, pulling the horse up short as we came to
the banks. Though I still entertained thoughts of keeping
him,
I was aware
that it would be difficult to bring him through the terrain of
several of the seven levels. Also, a beast his size was not exactly
inconspicuous. Reluctantly, I decided that I should send him
back.

I dismounted first
and then held up my arms for Gwendolyn. I saw the little war that
went on in her face as she looked at my outstretched arms. Part of
her wanted to refuse my help as well as my touch but she was still
frightened of being on the unfamiliar animal. I wondered what had
happened to her to make her so afraid of horses. Just another
mystery to add to my little witch’s past. I swore to myself I would
solve all these riddles in time—then maybe I would be free of her
spell over me, whatever it was.

“
Come, Gwendolyn,” I said in a low, commanding voice. “Unless
you’d rather dismount yourself.”

A stubborn look came
into those bewitching green eyes.

“
I
think I can manage.” Lifting her chin, she began to clamber off the
steed’s broad back.

I frowned. I admired
her stubbornness and independence, but those two qualities might
get her killed when we entered enemy territories. Perhaps a small
lesson in obedience was in order.

I
was still standing by the
Demon-steed’s head and a quick tug of the reins
caused it to stamp and snort, shifting its considerable weight to
one side.

Gwendolyn gave a
little shriek and tumbled off—right into my waiting arms.

“
Careful,
mon
ange,”
I murmured,
pulling her close to my chest. I savored the feel of her lush body
pressed against mine as I held her. Gods, she was the most tempting
little creature! I wanted her badly—much more than I should. I knew
many of my kind would have simply taken what they wanted by force
but I did not relish such encounters. I preferred to bring her to
me slowly, step-by-step—although if the way she was struggling
against me was any indication, she had other plans.

“
Let me go!” she demanded. “You did that on
purpose.”

“
Perhaps.” I set her on her feet at last and she straightened
the red silk dress I had chosen for her. It clung to her
beautifully, outlining her full breasts and the taut little points
of her nipples as well as the rounded curves of her ass and hips.
Truly, she was lovely. Especially when her eyes bright with
irritation and her cheeks were flushed with anger as they were
now.