Year Two: Rebels - Cara Wylde Page 0,73

cemetery in the Fifth Circle,” Valac said as he walked briskly toward what looked like a grove of trees in the distance. “It’s more populated than this one.”

“I only need one grave.”

“Just saying. We would’ve had more choices.”

“Valac, it doesn’t have to be a great demon. On the contrary, let’s keep it simple.”

He pouted. “Yeah, yeah.”

Okay, there were a lot of differences between Heaven and Hell. As we progressed, the circles became more populated, when in Heaven, the higher spheres were deserted. The economy in Hell was thriving. A lot of souls ended up here, and most were so vicious and sinful that, of course, they were tortured in the higher circles. That provided more jobs for the demons, and the better they performed, the more bonuses they earned. They also rose in ranks pretty fast, which was why Hell had so many earls, dukes, princes, and kings. These were all managing positions with fancier titles.

“Here it is. The cemetery in the Fourth Circle.”

I cocked an eyebrow. It was quite impressive, to be honest. The grove of trees was like a landmark. To the left, the tall, iron wrought gate was wide open. I dragged in a breath and stepped through it, following Valac. He was so impatient!

“I don’t like this, Mistress. It feels wrong.”

“Because it is wrong. But we have to do it. No demon will ever give me a horn, so we have to steal one from someone who doesn’t need it anymore.”

“How about this one?” Valac pointed at a huge mausoleum in the middle of the cemetery. It was made of black stone that could’ve been either onyx or obsidian. “Looks perfect to me. I bet the guy buried here has horns aplenty.” He read the name carved on an intricately decorated plaque. “Belphegor. Oh, he was one of the greats!”

“Valac, what did I say?”

“So, that’s a no?”

I ignored him as I looked around. I needed a small, insignificant grave. One no one would care about. I walked toward the edge of the cemetery, looking at the mounds that didn’t even have statues to guard them. Some barely had an inverted cross made of decaying wood.

“This one,” I said. The grave was unmarked.

“We don’t know who that is,” Valac complained. “This is getting less and less exciting. I thought you were an adventurer, Yolanda Aleksiev.”

“Dude, I don’t need trouble. I just need one damn demon horn, so I can get out of here before Professor Maat figures out I’m gone.”

“Fine, whatever.”

“Corri, please do the honors.”

She flew in the air, circled the grave a few times, then used her magic to remove the dirt and open the coffin. It only took her a couple of minutes. Now, Valac and I were standing over an open wooden box filled with bones and a skull. Skeleton hands and feet peeked out from underneath a beautiful white dress. This was the grave of a demoness. From head to toe, she was draped in jewelry – a heavy gold necklace around her neck that was peppered with big gems, bracelets around her wrists, and at least two rings on each of her fingers.

“Oh, it’s a lady,” Valac said. “I’m not stealing from a lady. That’s fucked up.”

I sighed. “Now you have principles?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. This was horrible. I couldn’t believe I was going to do it, but… there was no other way. The grave was pretty deep. I counted to five and jumped right inside the box, careful not to disturb the skeleton too much. The demoness had four horns protruding from her skull, two at the front, and two at the back.

“Corri, a little help?”

The horns were long and curved. Only pixie magic could detach one. Corri teleported next to me and used her tiny finger to draw an invisible line around the base of the nearest horn. As I held it by the sharp tip, Corri made the invisible line glow, and in seconds, the horn fell off on its own. I let out a breath of relief.

“Okay, let’s go back up.”

I was getting ready to teleport when I felt the earth shake. It started as a low, subtle rumble, then it grew louder and more powerful. The grave itself started shaking, and I had to grab onto the edges of the coffin. It was no use. I lost my balance and fell face first inside, my nose inches away from the dead lady’s skull.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t stop it,” Corri yelled at