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Scholomance 12 Chapter 8
🕑 Added 2021-09-13 17:00:01 +0000 UTC“Follow me, Dark One.” Jinx held one hand up beside her head and clicked her fingers, and the ground began to shake and tremble beneath my feet. No one said a word as an orange mist formed around an open plot of land behind Jinx, and suddenly a small building came into view.
The building certainly hadn’t been there before.
The mist disappeared once the spell was complete, and I found myself staring at the black building as a grin formed across my face. I instantly remembered the years I’d spent roaming those halls, and it felt oddly peaceful to see it once again.
The black structure didn’t seem like much from the outside, but the same couldn’t have been said for the inside. What looked like a generic, family home with four square windows and a wooden door was secretly a dark castle that ran deep into the ground and also high into the sky. I could have spent days walking around the castle, and I still wouldn’t have discovered every room.
I recalled every lavish meal I’d enjoyed in that palace, the glorious sights and sounds that echoed around every wall, but most importantly I remembered the view I had of the new arrivals. I recalled every man, woman, and child who arrived into Hell, the fear that laced their faces, and the stories they told me of how they arrived here. The sinful crimes they committed on the outside, or the descriptions of their murder. I remembered it all, down to the very last detail.
“This way, my lord,” Eldrin said with a motion of his hand. “I’m sure Dolroth has been made aware you’re here, and I bet he’s desperate to see you.”
I took one last look at the black building, and then I grasped the handle of the wooden door and walked inside. The entryway appeared to go on for miles, and the walls on either side of me travelled high into the sky. A fire was spotted in the distance which filled the castle with dim lighting, and a few pictures had been hung on the walls, but I didn’t look at the portraits long enough to get a good description of them.
Then Vurax, Jinx, and Eldrin walked up the flight of wooden stairs to my left, so I followed them without saying a word. I heard harsh, painful screams the further up we travelled, but my three leaders simply laughed.
“Ooh, it sounds like someone’s in trouble,” Jinx giggled. “I wonder who it is this time.”
“My bet is on Prirm,” Eldrin replied.
“Yes, or maybe Frudar,” Vurax said. “Those two are always up to something.”
Those names didn’t mean anything to me, so I assumed they were more recent arrivals. But from the sounds of things, they were clearly receiving the punishment they deserved, and nothing made me prouder.
We kept walking for another twenty minutes, and then Vurax came to a stop outside of a large, wide door with a red and gold emblem in the center. It was a symbol of my former self, with blood-red eyes, sharp teeth, and horns that curled down toward my face. It had been so long since I’d last seen the image that it took me a second to fully recognize who it was.
It definitely wasn’t like looking in a mirror anymore, but it did remind me of my crimson shadow double.
Then Vurax went to knock on the door with his hoof, but my laughing caused him to stop. I assumed they were used to knocking before entering, but I was here now, and I didn’t wait for someone to open the door for me.
Especially not in my own damn castle.
A simple flick of my wrist opened the door, and the three creatures beside me all stared at me in shock.
“What?” I asked. “I own this place, so I can go wherever the fuck I want.”
Before any of them could reply, a tiny creature scurried over to the open door with a stern look on his face. The creature was barely half the height of Eldrin, and he had the face and body of a cat. He stood on hind legs, and he wore a black outfit which consisted of pants and a blazer.
“How dare you enter Dolroth’s quarters without an invitation,” the cat-like said with an angered tone. “Do you know who you’re dealing with here?”
His bright green eyes looked at all of us in turn, but he seemed to glance at me for a second longer than the others.
I was the new arrival, after all.
“We wish to speak Dolroth,” Vurax said with a gruff voice. “We have brought someone here to see him.”
“But that doesn’t answer my previous question.” The cat raised an eyebrow. “Master will not be happy to see you broke into his room, but I’m sure there’s a few spaces in the torture chambers for you…”
“Oh, shut the fuck up, Grendel,” Jinx sighed. “This man you’re looking at is your real master, so you should be careful with how you address him.”
I narrowed my eyes at the cat and gave him a look to say I wasn’t here to play games. I may not have looked like the emblem on the door, but I was no different in character. That side of me was just hidden away, deep, deep inside my mortal body.
Grendel must have sensed I meant business, so it didn’t take long for the scared little cat to scurry away, which left space for the four of us to step further into Dolroth’s office. The room was pretty bare, like the rest of the castle, and all it held was a grand, oak desk, a giant fireplace, and a long set of hooks that ran across one wall. Several hoops and chains hung from the hooks, and I assumed they were used for torturing the rogue creatures.
The hoops also looked like the one in Vurax’s nose, but that could have been a coincidence.
Situated behind the desk was an enormous floor-to-ceiling window that looked out into the horizon. I remembered it being the perfect spot to view the underworld from, and it was right beside where the new arrivals landed. I wondered if Dolroth had been made aware of my presence, or if other slaves and servants had passed on the message.
“Who dares to walk into my territory uninvited?” a deep voice boomed around the room, but I couldn’t see where it came from.
Then, all of a sudden, an explosion of light came from the fireplace, and a dark figure stepped out of the flames. The figure matched the creature I’d pictured in my head, with the oil-like skin, yellow eyes, the horns, and rows of teeth.
Dolroth, Demon of the Underworld, appeared in all his glory and stood high in the center of the room. Every demon down here had been created by me, out of nothing but soot and fire, and the longer I peered at Dolroth, the more I remembered his creation. I’d needed someone to take my place before I chose Lilith as my vessel, so I’d created Dolroth, the mightiest, strongest demon I’d ever sculpted.
After all, I’d had to make sure the Underworld was left in good hands.
“Sir, we’ve come to--” Vurax said, but his words were cut off as Dolroth raised one hand.
“Silence,” he said in a deep tone, and the demon studied me with those yellow eyes. “Cole, a male witch from Scholomance Academy. You’re a long way from home.”
Dolroth looked me over once more before he walked around the side of the desk and pulled out the seat. Then the demon sat down and kicked his clawed feet onto the desktop so the pale, dirty soles were facing me.
I knew he didn’t recognize me, but the lack of respect caused a surge of anger to rage through my blood, and I knew I needed to show Dolroth who was really in charge around here.
“My home is right here,” I snarled as I stepped toward the desk. “Now, show me some fucking respect before I personally send you to the torture chambers.”
There was a flurry of activity behind me as Grendel tried to side with his ‘master,’ but I was more interested in Dolroth. He kept his clawed feet firmly on the desk, but I noticed the expression on his face change, and the anger became more and more prominent.
So, instead of telling him who I was, I had to show him.
“Qui vocat umbra mea,” I said with a straight face.
“What the fu--”
Before Dolroth could finish his sentence, a red smoke materialized in the air around me, and a violent wind swept through the room. Nobody said a word, and as I focused more on the charm, a red shadow lifted from my body.
But the shadow wasn’t a perfect match for my current appearance. In fact, he looked exactly like the emblem on the door and the various portraits that decorated this room, complete with horns and all.
I’d shown my true form to the room, and now they knew the real master had returned.
“M-My lord,” Dolroth gasped as he instantly jumped up from his seat. “Dark One, y-you have returned.”
The demon fell to his knees and bowed his head, and then I noticed Grendel, Vurax, and Jinx had done the same thing. Eldrin stayed where he was, but he gave me a smug grin, which told me exactly how he felt.
“My lord, please accept my apology,” Dolroth said to the ground. “For showing you my feet, and for the way I acted since you arrived in the room.”
“And me, too,” Grendel added.
I brought my shadow double back to me, and once the red smoke evaporated, I motioned for the group to stand with the gesture of a hand. I realized Dolroth was only doing his job, so I wouldn’t punish him for the way he treated me, but I also made sure to remind him of what would happen should he repeat his actions.
“The soles of someone’s foot is one of the dirtiest parts of their body,” I said with my arms crossed over my chest. “But showing the soles to another is a symbol of power and hierarchy. That you think little of the person in front of you. Is that what you think of me, Dolroth?”
“N-No, Dark One, absolutely not.” He shook his head.
“Do you know what I could do to you?” I asked. “Are you aware of the power I hold? I made you of ash and soot. I can return you to that form with a snap of my fingers.”
“Yes, I understand, master,” he groveled. “I’ll accept any punishment you decide on.”
I wandered back and forth across the room as Dolroth knelt with his hands locked together and his head bowed. I thought I spotted his back trembling with fear, which wouldn’t have been a bad thing. Dolroth needed to learn his lesson, so he needed to experience that fear.
“I won’t punish you this time,” I said a moment later. “But, should you disrespect again, then I’ll destroy your body just as quickly as I created it.”
“Of course, Dark Lord,” Dolroth said. “I cannot believe I was so foolish that I didn’t recognize you.”
“I accept your apology,” I said. “From the looks of things, you’ve clearly been doing a good job around here, so your reward is my mercy.”
Dolroth raised his head, and the fear in his yellow eyes slowly began to vanish as a smile formed on his wrinkled face. I had a feeling Dolroth knew me well enough, and he knew the feud was over.
“Master,” he said as he took a step toward me. “Why, it’s been so many years.”
“It has.” I nodded. “The last time I saw you was when I’d chosen a powerful Wicca as my vessel into the world.”
“Yes…” Dolroth mumbled. “Lilith, correct? And Theodora? It looks like your plan worked, my lord.”
“It did.” I smirked.
“Lilith…” Jinx whispered.
“You know her?” I asked as I turned to the dead witch.
“I do.” Jinx nodded. “Lilith and I were friends, but I died before you chose her.”
“So, what happened when you left, Dark One?” Eldrin asked, and he bounced on his feet like an excited child. “Is the outside world as crazy and fucked up as everyone here says it is?”
“I was sent to a realm called Earth where I spent my days working in a tattoo shop,” I replied. “I guess you could say it was pretty crazy and fucked up, but then I returned to Scholomance years later, with little to no knowledge of why I was there, or why I’d been chosen to attend the academy. But now my past is clear to me.”
“And now you’re back here, controlling the lava like you always did.” Dolroth smiled. “Only one person had the ability to do that.”
“You’re right,” I said with a nod of my head.
“Have you come to reclaim your throne, Dark One?” Jinx asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “At least not yet. For now, I’ve come to reclaim my army.”
“Of course, my lord,” Dolroth replied. “How can we help?”
“The Elder Lord has been planning an attack,” I said. “My mortal army and I have fought him several times, but I sense this coming battle will be different, so I came here today to increase our numbers and to increase our power and strength.”
“You already know what I’m going to say, Dark One,” Jinx snorted. “The fucking Elder Lord has caused problems for as long as I can remember, so I’m more than happy to watch him die.”
“Thank you,” I said, and then I looked at the rest of the group.
“I will.” Eldrin grinned.
“And me, my lord,” Vurax added.
“Master, you know I’ll always help you,” Dolroth said. “We will gather as many creatures as possible, and together we’ll save the world from the Elder Lord’s domination.”
“I won’t need a huge amount at the moment,” I replied as I peered out the window once more. “Pick fifteen of your most powerful men and follow me back to Scholomance to prepare for the incoming war.”
“Will that be enough, my lord?” Dolroth asked.
“For now.” I smirked. “But you need to be quick.”
“Of course.” Dolroth nodded. “I’ll do that right away.”
“Meet us by the door once you’ve collected them,” I said as Dolroth went to leave the office.
The demon nodded, and then he ran from the room with the strange cat-like creature at his feet.
I trusted Dolroth to pick the best out of the bunch, and I would prepare them, at Scholomance, to be my generals in the coming war. Then, once the final battle with the Elder Lord was in full swing, I’d create a portal for the rest of my dark kingdom to join us.
“My lord, would it be okay if we came along with you?” Jinx asked. “We have brute strength and abilities we can bring with us.”
I looked at the witch and then Eldrin and Vurax in turn, and I swore the tiny elf was about to burst with excitement from the way he kept fidgeting.
The trio before me didn’t appear particularly threatening, perhaps aside from Vurax, but appearances could be deceiving.
Plus, I was feeling in a generous mood.
“I will allow it,” I said.
Eldrin leaped into the air and let out a cheerful giggle, while the bull simply nodded his giant head, but I saw the makings of a smile on his face, which was a lot coming from Vurax.
“I’m quite excited to return to Scholomance,” Jinx said as we left the room.
“So you knew my mother well?” I asked.
“Oh, very well.” The witch smiled. “Lilith and I started at the same time, so we shared every lesson, and we even shared a room at one point.”
“I can’t wait to see what a school looks like,” Eldrin said as he slid down the bannister.
“You’ve never been to a school?” Vurax asked.
“Nope,” the elf replied. “But I’ve heard I missed out on wonderful things.”
I left the two of them to converse, but I was most interested in what Jinx had to say about Lilith. I’d had many people tell me they knew my mother, or they’d heard of her, but Jinx was one of the first people I’d met, apart from Theodora, who was a genuine friend to Lilith.
“How did you end up here?” I asked.
“Poison.” Jinx grinned. “Some bitch poured poison in my pumpkin juice one morning. I took one sip, and the next thing I remember was waking up in Hell. But it’s fine, because I’d planned to do the same thing to her anyway. The bitch was just quicker than I was.”
“At least you’re not angry at her,” I laughed.
“I was at first, but I quickly got over it.” Jinx shrugged.
“Maybe Lilith knows something about it…” I said. “I could ask her.”
“Lilith’s still alive?” Jinx gasped. “I… I was almost certain she’d died.”
It hadn’t even occurred to me that Jinx wouldn’t have known what had happened to Lilith. She didn’t even know I’d chosen Lilith to be my mother until I said it to Dolroth.
“Technically, she had,” I said. “Lilith sacrificed herself when she gave birth to me, but then I resurrected her once I’d discovered my true self. And now she lives at Scholomance with everyone else.”
“I always knew my friend was going to go far in life.” Jinx smirked. “But I never would have imagined this! I bet she’s now incredibly powerful.”
“Oh, very,” I snickered. “In fact, Lilith is currently keeping the portal open as we speak. I had to have someone who shares my blood to keep the line connected, otherwise I’d have to find a different way out.”
“So, we better hurry up,” the witch said as we reached the main door. “I bet Dolroth won’t take much longer.”
“No, he won’t,” I replied.
Then we stepped outside the castle, and as I turned around, the building had transformed into a small house once again.
I didn’t know where Dolroth went, but I heard raised voices far off in the distance, so I assumed it came from the demon as he gathered some men together. I’d told him to meet us here, so I relaxed back against the black brick wall as I waited.
Jinx joined me against the wall, Vurax stood guard outside the house, which was his job anyway, and Eldrin kicked a piece of broken rock across the ground like a soccer ball. I could tell from the elf’s face that he wasn’t young, but he had a very childlike mind, which definitely added to his upbeat personality. I had no idea what he was like during battle, but I knew I’d get the answer to that once we went up against the Elder Lord.
I was eager to see what these three had to offer when it came to the battle, and I was pleased to be taking them with me. This was their reward for taking me to see Dolroth, and as strange as it was to admit, they already felt like a part of my army. I hadn’t known them for very long, but they fit in perfectly.
Several minutes went by without a word from Dolroth, but then a giant, dark figure was spotted in the distance. As the figure came closer, I noticed it wasn’t just one person, but fifteen of them. Dolroth stood at the front of the crowd, and his chosen men followed on behind him.
I spotted a large variety of creatures that ranged from elves, like Eldrin, to more demons and witches. And I also noticed a creature far larger than Vurax, and the ground vibrated with every step he took.
“Oh, shit,” Eldrin said as he caught sight of the crowd. “Dolroth chose Japner.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Ooh, my lord, have you not heard of Japner before?” Jinx asked.
“I don’t think so.” I frowned.
“Well, then you’re about to find out,” Eldrin said with a smirk.
I managed to get a better view of the mighty Japner as the crowd came closer toward me. Japner looked to be a giant, but his facial features reminded me somewhat of a gnome. He had a bulbous nose, pointed ears, and a long, bushy beard that hung down to his chest. He wore nothing but a red loincloth around his waist, and he appeared to be at least five times the size of Dolroth. His skin looked sickly green in color, and there wasn’t a single ounce of fat on him. Japner was nothing but muscle, and I couldn’t wait to see the damage he’d cause when his fists went flying.
The elves beside Dolroth ranged in size. Some were a couple feet tall like Eldrin, others were the same size as Dolroth, and some sat somewhere in the middle of the two. I also noticed the little cat-like creature, Grendel, wasn’t a part of the group, but that wasn’t a huge surprise to me.
Then I saw how the elves were all armed with bow and arrows, swords, and other weaponry, but they were the only creatures who came armed with additional tools. The witches and the demons all had their own powers and spells to use, and it was clear from looking at Japner that he didn’t need weapons or magic to defend himself. His sheer size and build was enough.
“My lord,” Dolroth said as he stood before me. “I’ve gathered the best we have, so I hope this will be enough.”
I scanned the crowd once more, and then I turned my attention back to the demon.
“They look perfect.” I grinned. “As long as they can fight, they can assist me in killing the Elder Lord.”
“Trust me, master, they can do more than that,” Dolroth said with a dark smile.
“In which case, I’m intrigued to see them in battle,” I replied, and then I turned to the gathered crowd of elves, demons, creatures, and more. “Dolroth told me you’re the strongest souls down here, so you’ll all be my generals in the war to come. Then, when the battle begins, you’ll lead the rest of the legions as I summon them.”
The crowd of creatures nodded their heads, the elves clapped, and Japner simply grunted, which I assumed was his way of talking.
“You’ll accompany me to Scholomance right now, where we’ll strategize a plan,” I said. “But don’t make yourselves too comfortable… I will not tolerate weakness or complacency in my army. Nor will I tolerate any sexual behavior toward the women of my academy. All of them belong to me, and if I find out any of you have ignored my warning, I will destroy you… slowly.”
There was a reason as to why everyone ended up in Hell in the first place, so my warning was justified. The last thing I needed was for a fight to break out within the academy, just because one of the rogue creatures couldn’t stop themselves from going after a student, or the other way around.
“We promise to be on our best behavior, master,” Dolroth said. “Isn’t that right?”
A chorus of agreements and nods came from the crowd, as well as another grunt from Japner.
“Good, then let’s go,” I ordered. “Jinx, will you lead the way?”
“Of course, my lord,” the witch said.
We had to be in the exact spot where I’d first arrived in order for the portal to work, so Jinx led the crowd through the volcano mounds in the direction we originally came from. It all looked the same to me, so I had to rely on someone with better knowledge of the surrounding areas.
“This is going to be so good, my lord,” Eldrin said as he skipped along beside me. “I haven’t been on an adventure in eons.”
“Do you know how long you’ve been down here for?” I asked.
“Nope.” The elf shook his head. “But I can’t even remember how I died, so I know it’s been a long, long time.”
Eldrin was clearly the cheeriest of everyone here, which was seldom found in the pits of the underworld. I couldn’t even imagine him causing harm to anyone, so I wish he could have told me more about his former life and the sins he’d committed to land himself a place here.
I put that thought behind me as we wandered through the dark and dismal settings, and twenty minutes passed before Jinx came to a stop. I knew we were at the right place from the hardened lava that decorated the ground, and I felt slightly excited to get back to Scholomance. I was desperate to see how the coven had gotten on collecting the Diabolic Headstone, but I also wanted to get started with the preparations for the war.
“Everyone, gather round,” I ordered with a motion of my hands.
The group obeyed my order without question, and they stood in a semi-circle in front of me, with the smallest elves at the front and Japner towering over the others at the back.
“Now, the air pressure is different between here and there,” I said. “So, in order for you all to cope, and to stop your lungs from giving out, I’m going to place a charm on you. You can reverse the spell should you feel the need, but I doubt any of you would want to do that.”
“We wouldn’t dare break your charms, my lord,” Dolroth replied for the group. “That is, unless you order us to do so.”
“It isn’t my intention.” I shrugged.
Then I took several steps back so I had the entire crowd in my vision, and I held my right hand up in front of me.
“Respirare,” I ordered.
A dull blue light shot free from my palm and covered the entire group of creatures. I held the spell there for a minute, and then, as I noticed a few people grasping onto their chests, I knew the spell had worked. The charm worked away at their lungs, and it had the potential to assist their breathing in any situation, sort of like an internal apparatus.
Then I dropped the spell, and the blue light settled and vanished into the air.
“Now, we all must hold hands or stay connected in some way,” I said as I walked back toward them. “Should any of you break the connection, you could find yourselves getting lost in the portal, and who knows where you’ll end up.”
“Um, my lord?” Eldrin asked with one tiny hand in the air.
“Yes?” I said.
“Has anyone gotten lost in the portal before?” Eldrin cocked his head to one side.
“They have.” I nodded. “No one knows where the person ended up, and some think he could still be floating through time and space as we speak.”
“I see…” the elf said hesitantly.
“So, as long as you don’t drop the connection, then you’ll portal there and back again without an issue.” I shrugged.
It was eons ago that the person became lost in the vortex as he shadow-ported from one realm to another, so I genuinely didn’t know what happened to him, but I had to be sure no one dropped a hold of their partner, and scaring them was the best way to do that.
“Right, let’s go,” I said. “Aperire portal.”
Like before in Vanessa’s classroom, a wall of light cascaded into the air, and the black hole appeared in the center. But this time the hole looked much bigger than before, and I assumed it was due to Japner and his enormous body.
I was pleased to see the portal appeared without an issue, because it meant Lilith still had a hold of it on the other side. Then, as the long line of creatures made their way through the black opening, we all began to spiral and swirl through the vortex. A majority of the people around me hadn’t travelled like this since the day they were brought to Hell, so I could imagine how strange it must have felt for them.
The original trip into Hell had felt like ten minutes, yet the return to Scholomance only seemed to last for a fraction of that time, so I wondered if the time difference caused it, or whether it was because I was eager to return.
Either way, I prepared myself to land as the air became thicker and the light began to fade, and before I knew it, I was standing safely in Vanessa’s classroom. The rest of the group arrived seconds after I did, and I was pleased to see everyone had made it safely.
“My lord,” Lilith sighed as she dropped the portal. “I can relax now.”
“You can.” I smiled.
A loud crash suddenly came from the back of the room, and I turned around to see Japner was struggling to crouch beneath the low ceilings. Or, low for him, anyway. His giant head smashed off the ceiling, which then caused him to stumble and crash into the walls, and it continued on like that until he’d finally found his footing.
“As you can see, I was successful.” I smirked. “Everyone here has offered their assistance, and they promised to stay on their best behavior as the school prepares itself.”
Lilith peered around the new arrivals, but then her icy blue eyes landed on someone in particular.
“Jinx,” my mother said with a gasp. “It can’t be.”
“Ah, yes, I may have found a friend of yours,” I said.
Neither of the two witches could control themselves, and they both ran over to embrace the other in a warm hug. The last time Lilith had seen Jinx, the witch was dying from poison and being rushed off to see the nurse, and although they weren’t reunited for long, it was still long enough.
“I apologize for my rudeness,” Lilith said as she looked at the others in the room. “Welcome to Scholomance Academy. We’re extremely grateful for your help, and we’re excited to share these walls with you.”
“There’s no need for an apology,” Dolroth said as he took a step forward. “We promise not to harm your school, or the students who live here, and all we wish is to serve the Dark Lord as best we can.”
“Great.” Lilith smiled. “Let me find someone who can show you to your rooms.”
I didn’t realize that rooms had been made up for our guests, but I assumed Lilith had organized that while I was on my mission. I also noticed the book of dark magic was no longer beside the cauldron, which told me Theodora had returned, along with the rest of my coven.
Lilith then clicked her fingers, and two young students instantly appeared in the classroom. It took a second for them to notice the large crowd, but as they caught sight of the demons, witches, and Japner, their eyes widened, and the two girls turned sickly pale.
“There is no need to fear,” Lilith said calmly to the students. “The Dark One has asked these demonic creatures to help with our fight against the Elder Lord. I need you to show them to their accommodation outside the school grounds. Do you know where that is?”
“Um… I think so,” one girl mumbled.
“I do,” the second girl said more confidently. “I watched Headmistress Theodora create them.”
“Excellent, then that’s where they need to go,” my mother replied.
“I want you all to rest,” I told the group. “Take a minute to get used to your surroundings, and I’ll be sure to come and check in on you soon.”
“Of course, my lord.” Dolroth nodded.
The two students then ran from the room as fast as their legs could carry them, and Dolroth, Jinx, Vurax, and the others all followed behind them. Little Eldrin was at the back of the group, and the tiny elf gave me a cheerful wink as he passed.
“I love schools already!” Eldrin cried out as he skipped from the room.
“They seem like an interesting bunch,” Lilith snickered.
“They sure are.” I smirked. “But Dolroth said he’d picked the best, so we just need to wait and see if that’s the case.”
Lilith and I spent a couple of minutes getting the classroom back in order, then the two of us left and began the long walk through the hallways. If Theodora was here, then the rest of the coven had returned with the Diabolic Headstone, and I was eager to get my hands on it.
“How long was I down there for?” I asked as we reached the first set of stairs.
“You were nearing fifteen minutes,” Lilith replied. “So you had plenty of time left to spare.”
It was strange to think that hardly any time had passed up here, yet I’d been in Hell for several hours. It made me think how the creatures felt, and whether their days up here were going to pass painfully slowly.
“I can’t believe you found Jinx,” Lilith said a minute later as we reached the main doors to my coven’s suite.
“I know, she was one of the first people to find me,” I chuckled. “It seemed as though she was familiar with Scholomance at first, but I never knew how far that went.”
“Yes.” Lilith smiled sadly. “I’ll never forget the day she died. No one had expected it.”
“Well, I’m glad I could reunite you both, at least for a few days,” I said.
Before Lilith opened the doors, she wrapped her arms around me and held me tight for a brief second. It was her silent way of thanking me, but it was the least I could have done.
“But enough of that for now,” Lilith said as she pulled away. “Are you ready to see the last artifact?”
