With Eva watching their backs and Lynn watching just about everywhere else, they made their way back across the bridge and to the waters of Hell.
“Remember,” Eva said, “you don’t want to get lost and wind up in some other demon’s domain. Think of me, repeating my name can’t hurt either.”
Eva stood back and watched as they, hand in hand, jumped into the water.
Unlike hers and Ylva’s domains, Prax had his waters looking almost more like a swimming pool than a beach. Obsidian bricks surrounded a pit of water. It wasn’t actually a swimming pool–it lacked walls and a floor within the basin, as it was all part of the ‘ocean’–but it gave off the appearance from above.
There were no ladders or steps to get in and out. The water level was a good body-length beneath the top of the bricks. Arachne could probably get out without much trouble, but a lot of demons would have problems climbing out.
That tied into his defenses for the area. The landing into his domain was immediately overhead. A cushioned platform that looked as if it could be opened into a trapdoor, dropping any unwanted guests straight back into the rest of Hell.
Eva wasn’t certain that it was possible to re-enter the same domain that she was leaving from–she had never tried–but if it was possible, they would just land back in the waters a second time.
Willie’s domain had been almost the exact opposite of Prax’s domain. His started out with a boat ride designed to disorient and confuse, ultimately making it incredibly difficult to actually leave. His guests would be trapped in with whatever amusements he concocted until he decided to release them.
Prax seemed intent on keeping unwanted demons out of his domain. The castle, the walls, the gate, the easily defensible bridge, and this. They all deterred invaders.
Probably something Eva should set up in her own domain. Even if someone just landed in a solitary confinement cell until Eva set them free, it would at least be a start.
And it might contain the enigmas for easier disposal. A much better plan than the current ‘allow them to run free on the beach’ method.
Stepping up to the edge of the pool, Eva stopped with both of her feet half over the edge.
She glanced around the room. There was some kind of uniform light throughout Prax’s domain. No light sources, but Eva could see.
And something was casting a shadow. Probably nothing. She couldn’t see anyone through her sense of blood. Eva guessed that it was a trick of the light and nothing more, but…
“How long are you going to skulk about? If you wish to speak, speak.”
If it
If it was something, then calling out was just one step on the path cultivating her own appearance as a mysterious and omniscient demon.
Waiting, Eva stared around the room. Her gaze slowly swept from one side to the other, sweating this possibly non-existent person out.
Eva sighed.
A flash of movement had Eva’s head whipping around before she could step forward.
It was nowhere near the shadow on the wall.
Keeping her blood ready for a shield at a moment’s notice, Eva watched as a silver-haired woman stepped around a pillar on the opposite side of the room.
Eva only absently noted her long-coat and boots, choosing instead to focus on the sword attached to the woman’s hip.
It was, thankfully, sheathed.
And yet, somewhat concerning. Eva could not think of a single demon that used tools. Every one of them chose to fight with bare hands. That included Ylva, possibly the most civilized demon that Eva knew of.
“You knew I was here,” she said, voice coming out cold and hard, though still in a whisper.
Too busy fighting the surprise off of her face, Eva couldn’t even celebrate the success of her seeming-omniscient plan. The woman’s voice itself was almost as bad as the voice Ylva used while speaking from her throne.
Worse, if not for trusting her own sight, Eva wouldn’t be able to tell that this person was in the room at all. She had no blood. At least not that Eva could see. She had no presence or bearing.
She wasn’t even breathing.
Had she stood still on a pedestal, Eva was certain that she would pass her off as a particularly detailed statue.
Eva slid her feet slightly closer to the edge, ready to drop off. If the woman suddenly attacked, her own domain would be far more defensible.
“You were following us,” Eva said. Again, she was bluffing and possibly pushing her omniscience too far. For all Eva knew, the woman had just shown up. But it had worked well enough the first time around.
Besides, this didn’t look like someone she should show weakness to.
“Why?”
“The Keeper is displeased. Cells that were once full must be filled again.”
Eva almost leapt off into the pool at that. Her first thoughts were that this woman was here for Shalise. If so, Shalise needed to be warned.
They really needed to get her out of Hell.
