there like they were trying to scratch their way free.
In fact, I found the sight quite haunting and hoped that whatever was beyond this unusual door, was not symbolic for what faced me now. Lucius stopped and then set me down, doing so now more gently than he had the previous times. Then as he stepped away from me, it gave me time to cautiously look to the sides of the bridge.
The storm outside raged with even more ferocity than when I first noticed it and taking a step closer, I peered back towards the other towers. As I expected, the air around them appeared clear, unlike the one we would soon enter, as it was the only tower consumed by a strange red storm. It was like a massive tornado, and at its core you could just make out the black sides of the tower through the breaks in the dark reddish cloud. Flashes of long, forked lightning blazed like fire, and deafening thunder quickly followed, sounds that split the sky with a booming roar that naturally made me jump.
My small frightened sound must have caught Lucius’ attention as he glanced over his shoulder and ordered,
“Come here, Pet.” Another bolt of fire was again chased by the thunder seconds later and it was enough to make me hurry back to his side. This was because I was also very aware I was still on the precarious looking bridge, and didn’t fancy being close to the sides when fate decided one of those lightning bolts was destined to try and crack glass.
Once Lucius was obeyed, he lifted his right hand up at the same time the gauntlet started melting away to reveal a hand I knew intimately well underneath. He raised his hand to his mouth, released his fangs and bit down hard, cutting into his wrist. He then lowered it enough so that the blood pooled in his cupped fingers without spilling a drop, seeing as it was obvious that he needed it for this next part.
Then, once he felt he had enough, he threw his arm out and let his blood travel through the air until it splattered against the stone hands. The second it made contact, the limbs all seemed to ripple as one, like they all belonged to the same tortured creature. Then slowly one at a time they started to retreat back through the gap and with each arm that disappeared, more and more of the door was revealed beneath. It was only when ten remained that these hands reached for the large wrought iron rings that could now be seen framing both sides of the double doors. As they started to pull back on the doors, they folded inwards and both the hands and the wooden panels started to sink into the centre, quickly disappearing from view.
I frowned in question, one that was just on the tip of my tongue when suddenly the two door panels reappeared after seemingly being flipped around completely. A new set of double doors that were covered in a glossy red paint faced us now, and the crimson coating was one that dripped down from the top and had looked to have dried that way.
Surely it couldn’t have been blood?
I didn’t ask, and if he saw me shiver because of the thought of it, he didn’t comment. No, instead he motioned for me to precede him with a nod of his head. I came close to saying, ‘no, no, after you’ but decided against looking weak. After all, I’d had enough of showing him what little backbone I had down in Hell, so instead I did as I was silently told.
But as I approached the doors, I couldn’t help but look up at the sheer size of them in a questioning way as I wondered if I even had enough strength in me to push them open. Especially seeing as they were the size you would have expected at the end of a drawbridge. However, I didn’t get the chance to ask as Lucius’ hands shot out and pushed from behind me, marching me forward at the same time. So, it wasn’t surprising that I found myself with no other option than to enter, not with the mountain of a demon at my back pressing against me like a moving wall.
In fact, I was just about to stumble forward when I felt a hand grip my waist and hold me steady, telling me that he at least cared enough