The Demonata #10: Hell's Heroes Read Online Free PDF Page B

wish they’d have a conversation about it. In movies, the villain always gives his plan away by talking too much and revealing his secrets. But Lord Loss never discusses Bec’s state of mind. There’s no mention of the war between the Demonata and mankind, or what role he wants Bec to play in it.
    The pair enter a room filled with chessboards, and the demon master’s face lights up. After our showdown in Slawter, he said I’d spoiled chess for him, but that’s not true. He’s still a fanatic, as evidenced by the care he takes of the boards and the way he describes them to Bec, telling her where he got them, the games he’s played, the opponents he’s faced.
    “Did you carve any of these yourself?” Bec asks.
    “No,” he says morosely. “I started to, several times, but chess is like a religion for me. Whenever I sat down to make a set of my own, it felt like sacrilege.”
    Bec looks around at the array. She seems to be searching for one in particular. “What about the original Board?” she asks eventually.
    “Why do you seek that?” Lord Loss’s eyes narrow.
    “I don’t
seek
it,” Bec smiles. “I’d just like to see it again. I know you took it from the cave after Drust died.”
    “You mean after you killed him,” Lord Loss murmurs.
    Bec stiffens, then tilts her head. “Aye.”
    Lord Loss clicks several fingers. A demon with five legs and a neck like a giraffe scurries away and returns with a crystal board, the first that was ever made on this world. According to Kernel, it was a tool of the Old Creatures. They used it to help mankind evolve.
    Lord Loss holds the Board reverently, then passes it to Bec. She treats it the same careful way he did, examining it closely. “It’s amazing,” she whispers. “I can feel the power, so different from ours.”
    “The magic of the Old Creatures,” Lord Loss sniffs. “It’s nothing special.”
    Bec hides a smirk behind the Board. I don’t see what all the fuss is about. It’s just another chessboard as far as I’m concerned. I know it has magical properties, but I’ve seen a hundred more fascinating objects in my travels.
    Bec hands the Board back to Lord Loss. The dream’s almost over. I’m anticipating the end. But before the conclusion, there will be one last conversation.
    “I’d like to enter it,” Bec says.
    “Why?” Lord Loss snaps suspiciously.
    “I know of its splendors. Kernel went there once, many years ago. I want to experience them for myself.”
    Lord Loss is frowning. “You cannot escape me in there,” he growls. “If you think you can tap into the magic of the Old Creatures and use it against me, you are gravely mistaken.”
    “That’s not my intention,” Bec says calmly. “You said earlier that you didn’t want me to lie. So I’ll tell you truthfully, I
do
have a secret reason for wanting to enter the Board. But it has nothing to do with escape.”
    Bec’s eyes flicker. It’s the furtive look of someone who suspects she is being watched, who wants to go somewhere private to discuss dark deeds. I think, as I’ve thought every time I see her eyes move, Does she know I’m here?
    This is no normal dream. I’m certain these events are real, that they happened, are happening, or will happen in the future. I suspect my ability to follow Bec through the castle is the work of the Kah-Gash. If I’m correct, maybe it’s working through her too, and she can sense me watching.
    Maybe Lord Loss senses Bec’s nervousness too, because after a brief pause, he accepts her request. “Very well. I will grant your wish, as I grant the wishes of all who are honest with me.”
    The pair go rigid and their eyes frost over. Their souls have entered the Board. If I knew for sure that this was happening in the present, I’d cross immediately and strike while the demon master’s soul was absent. I’d kill him where he stood, and that would be the end of lowly Lord Loss.
    But time works differently in the demon universe. This might be