Ruby Shadows (40 page)

Hmm, so Laish liked to
read—there was something I hadn’t known about him. I continued down
the shelves.
Angels and Demons…After the
Fall…Fallen: When Pride Kills Reason…
Suddenly Eryn fluttered up from my shoulder and settled on
the spine of a book I hadn’t seen. It was so small and thin it was
almost lost among the other thick volumes on the shelf. I bent down
a little to get a better look at it.
“Angels Unawares,”
I murmured,
watching as my little pet crawled up and down the spine of the
book, fluttering her winds eagerly. “Are you excited because this
reminds you of Heaven, little girl?”

She flapped her wings again and only
returned to my shoulder when I pulled the book out and tucked it
under my arm. Then I had a thought and turned to Belial.

“
Um, is this okay? Do you
think Laish would mind if I picked a few to borrow for a
while?”

“
If he has shown you his
second most powerful form
and
given it up for your sake, I doubt he would
object to you borrowing from his shelves,” Belial said dryly.
“Besides, Lord Laish has always been in favor of learning. Though
he draws his power from fire and lust, he has the mind of a
knowledge demon, as I have often told him.”

I was still awed by the sheer volume of
books in the room but something Belial said bothered me.

“
Did you say he draws some
of his power from lust?”

“
Indeed he does.” Belial’s
complexion darkened to a dusty purple and I realized he was
blushing. “Ahem…
lusty acts
for want of better words, have always fed his
power nearly as much as the fire does.”

I flashed back to the night before. How
Laish had been at the end of his strength. He’d told me that it
would take a long time for his powers to return. Yet after
we’d…done what we had done together, he had seemed to feel better
immediately. He’d even said to me that he felt “much stronger”
afterwards.

Maybe he was using
you,
whispered a little voice at the back
of my head.
Using your lust to build up
his power.

I tried to push the thought away but I
couldn’t help finding it disturbing. When Laish had wanted to touch
me last night, he’d said it was just because he cared for me. What
if that wasn’t true at all? What if he just wanted to use me like a
battery, to recharge?

Don’t be
ridiculous,
I told myself uneasily.
Think of all the things he’s done for you, all
the times he’s saved you and protected you. He gave up one of his
most powerful forms for you! Surely he feels
something
—it can’t all be pretend,
can it?

I was sure it wasn’t. I’d been feeling
closer to Laish and he’d treated me so gently…touched me so
tenderly the night before. Surely it wasn’t just to build up his
own power—was it?

I told myself I was being silly, but in my
heart, a tiny seed of doubt had been planted. A seed that took root
and began to grow almost at once.

To distract myself from my dark thoughts, I
moved to another section of books. There was a whole row of rare
spell books and grimoirees I knew Grams would give her eyeteeth to
get just a glimpse of, as well as several about the Goddess, the
benevolent entity who embodies the spirit of the Earth herself.
Witches are especially close to her though I had an uncomfortable
feeling she would not approve of what I had been doing lately.

Trying not to think about that, I picked a
few of the spell books at random and turned away to examine the
rest of the room. There was a massive stone fireplace in one
rounded corner with a comfortable looking red leather couch in
front of it. The only thing that seemed out of place was an old
fashioned oval mirror in a tarnished gold frame standing by one arm
of the couch. A quick glance at it showed that it was cracked in
several places—I wondered why Laish kept it since it was obviously
broken. It gave me a slightly uneasy feeling but I didn’t dwell on
it for long—I was too busy looking at the couch.

I could just imagine curling up on that warm
red leather with one of the innumerable books and reading
comfortably for hours, maybe with a nice cup of hot tea in one
hand. It would be the perfect way to unwind after a stressful day
and the Goddess knew, I’d had several of those in a row lately.

“
Well, this is a cozy set
up,” I remarked, walking over to the couch. “All you need is a
roaring fire in the fireplace and a cup of hot cinnamon spice tea
and you’re good for the evening.”

“
Do you like to read
then?” Belial sounded pleased. “It is also one of Lord Laish’s
favorite ways to pass an evening. He spends most of his time here
when he visits Dis.”

“
I would too.” I smiled at
him and sat on the couch, being careful to pick the side farthest
from the strange, cracked mirror. I liked the feeling of being
surrounded by books—loved the warm, spicy scent of them that filled
the air. That scent calmed me down and made me excited at the same
time. It made me think of adventures in far off lands and the
comfort and safety of sitting in my mother’s lap when I was little,
being read to.

“
This reminds me of a
fantasy I had as a little girl,” I told Belial. “My Grams used to
take us to the library once a week to get new books and I always
wished I could get locked in and spend the night. Then I could read
as much as I wanted.”

“
Were you not allowed
enough reading time as a child, then?” Belial asked, raising one
gray eyebrow.

“
I’m sure I had plenty—I
just hated being called away from a good book to do my chores or
work on my homework,” I said, smiling. “But my Grams was really
strict about that—homework and chores always came first. Anything
fun came after. She—”

The words died on my lips as I happened to
catch a glimpse of the mirror across from me, at the other end of
the couch. Its cracked surface was swirling with color, making a
strange kaleidoscope pattern that drew my eyes and held them even
when I tried to look away.

After a moment the swirling colors stopped
and coalesced into a picture. It was Grams—she was busy locking up
her magic lore shop for the day. I watched as she went through the
nightly routine, dusting the shelves and wiping down her counter
with its old fashioned cash register at one end. I’d tried and
tried to get her to replace that thing but she stubbornly refused.
It was cash or nothing for her—she didn’t trust credit cards and
never had.

Watching her brought a lump to my throat.
I’d never been away from her for so long except for that one
disastrous summer she tried sending me to camp. I was miserable for
the same reason I’d always been miserable in school—the other kids
sensed that I was different and picked on me. Grams had ended up
coming to get me halfway through the week and I remembered how glad
I’d been to see her—how I flew into her arms and hugged her until
she laughed and said I was making her old bones creak…

“
Ah, you must have magic
of your own, my dear. Otherwise the Mirror of the Eye would never
have opened to you,” Belial murmured, breaking my
concentration.

“
The what?” I asked
distractedly, still watching Grams go about her tasks. She looked
so old and bent—her hair grayer than I remembered it from even a
few days ago. I wished with all my heart I was there to help
her—wished I could put my arms around her and tell her that I loved
her and I was all right…

“
The Mirror of the Eye—it
is made from the lens of Beelzebub’s right eye, you know,” Belial
replied in a scholarly tone. “The left one was destroyed when
Michael the Archangel plunged his fiery sword into it and killed
the great demon at the Second Battle of Antioch.”

“
So…it’s a magic mirror?”
I asked. The picture of Grams faded and I was finally able to drag
my gaze away.

“
It is—but only for those
who have power of their own. An ordinary mortal would have seen
nothing but a cracked surface.”

“
That’s what I saw at
first,” I confessed. “But then it changed.”

“
And what, may I ask, did
it show you, my dear?” Belial sounded intensely
interested.

“
It showed me my
Grams—locking up her shop for the day. She looked…so old and…and
alone.” I tried to choke back the tears that threatened to
overwhelm me. Suddenly I was swamped in a miserable wave of
homesickness. I was tired of being threatened and frightened and
chased all over Hell—I just wanted to go home and hug my
grandmother.

“
Ah, then you must have
true love in your heart for her.” Belial nodded sagely. “The first
thing the mirror shows us is that which we truly love and desire. A
power hungry individual might see himself as the CEO of a large
corporation. One who desires wealth might see himself living in a
mansion or holding stacks of cash.”

“
So was what I saw real?”
I asked, confused. “I mean, was that really my Grams or just an
image of her because I miss her so much and want to see her again
so badly?”

“
Oh, it was real, all
right,” Belial said, tugging at his beard. “The mirror never
lies.”

“
So…I could get it to show
me my Grams again? Or someone else?” My head was whirling as I
considered the possibilities.

Belial nodded, his shiny black horns
glinting in the low light.

“
When you have enough
power, you can compel the mirror to show you the person or persons
you love. But you must be careful—the mirror is not a one way
portal—while you are looking out, someone or something else may be
looking in at you.”

“
Ugh, what an awful
thought.” I put my arms around myself, feeling a sudden chill.
“Someone like who?”

Belial shrugged. “Someone who loves you…or
someone who means you harm, either is possible. You may even see
someone who can help you…or someone who desperately needs your
help. The mirror is difficult if not impossible to predict. That is
what makes it so dangerous.”

“
All right.” I got up from
the couch and smiled at him. “This has all been so fascinating but
does Laish happen to have a bathtub or shower on this floor
somewhere? Our journey so far hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing
and I would
love
to wash up.”

Belial nodded.

“
As to that, I am certain
you will enjoy Lord Laish’s bathing pool.”

“
Ooo, a bathing
pool?”
I hurried to take
his arm again when he held it out. “That sounds
really
interesting. Does it have hot
water and bubble bath to go with it?”

The old demon smiled at me, the corners of
his eyes crinkling.

“
I am certain it can be
arranged. Would you also like me to send you up a tray of supper?
Ask for anything you like, our chefs can prepare it.”

“
Oh, thank you but I
can’t,” I said, trying to refuse his kind offer as politely as I
could. “You see, I’m just a, uh, tourist in Hell and I don’t want
to get stuck here.”

He frowned slightly. “So you have brought
your own food from the Mortal Realm, then?”

“
Originally, yes,” I said.
“Unfortunately, the container I had which was spelled to provide
it, got broken beyond repair the very first night I was
here.”

Belial shook his head sympathetically.

“
You poor child—you must
be so hungry if you’ve had no food for so long. I do wish we could
accommodate you but alas, all of our food comes from the Infernal
Realm and I fear it would trap you here indefinitely.”

“
Oh, I’m not hungry,” I
said, wanting to make him feel better. “Laish has been feeding me
himself.”

“
He
has?”
Both eyebrows shot up this
time, making the old demon look like he had a furry gray
caterpillar crawling across his forehead.

“
Well, yes,” I said
hesitantly. “I mean, he cuts his wrist with this little knife and
lets a few drops of blood fall on a plate. Then they turn into
whatever I ask for. So you see, I’m perfectly fine.”

Belial was shaking his head in
disbelief.

“
I cannot believe it,” he
muttered. “I simply cannot believe it.”

“
Believe what? Isn’t it
okay?” The little seed of doubt that had been planted in my heart
grew another inch. “I mean, the food he’s been making me won’t trap
me here, will it? He promised me it wouldn’t. He said—”

“
No, no—it is perfectly
safe to eat.” The old demon made an impatient motion with one hand.
“I am just…
very
surprised at him offering it to you. Forgive me, my dear, but
though you’re very pretty, you’re
only
a mortal. For Lord Laish to
offer you the Sacrifice of Blood…”

“
Only
a mortal?” I asked, bristling a little. “Does that make me
less valuable for some reason? Less worthy of Laish’s
interest?”

“
Not as
such…”
Belial seemed to
be choosing his words carefully. “But you must understand, my dear,
you mortals have such a very short life span—over in the blink of
an eye. I could understand if Lord Laish wished to keep you in the
Infernal Realm—to serve as his concubine for eternity. But he is
going out of is way
not
to damn your soul. It makes no sense for him to
take such pains for you.”