Evil in Me, page 30
Ruby didn’t respond.
Ruby, your magic … it’s here! Ruby, call it. Ruby!
Nothing from Ruby; he could no longer sense her heartbeat.
Her song grew louder, pushing away that of the worms.
Ruby! Beel cried, going deeper within, into her subconsciousness, trying to find her, trying to bring her back. Ruby!
Beel?
Your magic, it is here!
“Stop this!” Lord Sheelbeth cried.
Let it in, Ruby, Beel cried. Let the magic in!
The magic, it seemed to lift her and for a moment, Ruby was with him. That’s my song. She smiled.
Let it in!
“Beel!” Lord Sheelbeth screamed. “What are you doing? You will ruin everything!”
“Yes,” Ruby whispered to the magic. “Come to me. Please come to me.” The scar on her arm heated up, the symbol glowing golden along her arm.
“What the fuck?” Dick cried.
“Stop this!” Lord Sheelbeth shouted.
The magic entered the scar, so much magic, flooding into her, filling her up, her whole body quivered.
The spell, Ruby, now the spell! Set us free!
“Free … fre … f…” Ruby was trying to speak, trying to steer the spell, drifting in and out of consciousness. Beel … I can’t. Please … help. And in that moment, she gave herself over to him, completely, heart and soul. Her head lolled, she tried to say something else, then her chin fell to her chest.
Ruby! Ruby! Beel cried. She was still there, barely, but so weak. He came forward, becoming one with her and her magic. He felt the power of the spell as he’d never before, the potency, the promise, all his to command. “Freedom,” he whispered through Ruby’s lips, and took her thumb and pushed the ring. It slid over the knuckle.
“So much magic!” Lord Sheelbeth said, all at once sounding more amazed than anything else. “Beel, do you know what this means?”
It means I am free.
“If you leave now, the woman will die. She will be in Hell with me. Is that what you want?”
I do not care, Beel said, only he did, and he hated that he did. He hesitated.
“I can save her. I am a healer, a savior, you know this. How many have you seen me save? Use this power to free me of my prison, to free us all, and I swear on my soul to you that I will save her life.”
Beel wondered if it would work. If he really could free the lord. It was a freedom spell. But even if so, why would he? That would be madness. And then what? For us to be your slaves, serving you for eternity?
“Hear me, Beel. I Lord Sheelbeth swear on my soul before all the gods living and dead, that I will heal this woman, that I will set her free, that I will set you free from me forever. I swear it a thousand times. There, you have my vow. Now do it, Beel. Save her life, save her soul!”
No, no, there is too much at stake!
“Beel, you are letting your hate blind you. We can all win. You owe me this, Beel. You owe me!”
No, Beel said. I cannot … I—
“Witch!” Dick screamed, raising the knife and stabbing Ruby in the chest.
No! Beel cried, and pushed the spell into the ring, willing it to free Lord Sheelbeth, and found, in that moment, saving Ruby was the only thing that mattered. He felt the magic shooting into the ring, down into Hell itself.
The ring began to throb, the eye opened wide, began to glow.
Beel felt the magic connect with Sheelbeth, felt it tearing, tugging, struggling to free her from Hell’s unforgiving grasp. What have I done?
Dick yanked the knife out, started to stab Ruby again, when a loud hiss came from the ring, followed a moment later by twisting smoke spewing from out of the eye. The smell of sulfur filled the van.
“Stop it!” Dick cried.
Beel steered the spell to Ruby and the handcuffs crumbled, the straps holding her legs snapped. Ruby collapsed onto her side, on the mattress.
Dick’s eyes bulged as the funnel of smoke rolled around him to the front of the van, as it began to boil and thicken, to take on the shape of a person.
Dick grabbed Ruby by the throat and held the knife over her face. “Send it back! Send it back now, or die!”
Beel reached for the tools on the table, his hand, Ruby’s hand, landing on the ice pick. With a tremendous effort, he grabbed it and jabbed it into Dick’s side.
“Mother of God!” Dick cried, fumbling the knife as he clutched the ice pick, groaning as he slid it out.
Laughter came from behind Dick. He spun round, and there, squatting between the front bucket seats, was Lord Sheelbeth, nude, the worms squirming in her gut—every one of them glaring and screaming at Dick.
Dick screamed back.
“I am free!” Lord Sheelbeth shouted and laughed again, loud and bold. “By all the damned angels in Hell, I am free!”
Dick pointed the ice pick at Sheelbeth.
Lord Sheelbeth cocked her head, studied the quivering man. “I am hungry,” she said, and slapped the ice pick away. She grabbed Dick by the neck and shoved him face-first into her gut, into the mass of screaming worms. “Feast!” she cried, and the hundreds of tiny mouths did, devouring the man inch by inch, grinding him away in a short minute.
“What have I done?” Beel moaned, from Ruby’s throat.
Lord Sheelbeth set her single eye on Ruby, on the ring. She extended her hand. “To me,” she said, and the ring sprouted legs, hopped off Ruby’s finger and onto Lord Sheelbeth’s. Lord Sheelbeth brought the ring to her lips and kissed it.
“Save her,” Beel said, barely able to make Ruby’s lips move. “Save Ruby. You promised.”
“I did, Beel. I did. And I have never broken such a vow in my life. But maybe this is a new chapter for me. Maybe honor is just another trap. Maybe you need a lesson.” He saw it then, the fury beneath her smile. “How Beel, how could you betray me so? My heart is broken.”
“That is between us, not Ruby.”
Lord Sheelbeth studied Ruby for a long minute, as though weighing Beel’s words. Finally, she knelt next to Ruby, taking her hand, examining the black lines twisting up her wrist. The symbol on her arm was no longer glowing, once more just a scar.
“Her magic … it is all used up,” Sheelbeth let out a long sigh. “Perhaps I owe her something.”
Lord Sheelbeth clasped Ruby’s hand between both of hers, and just as Beel had seen on the battlefield an age ago, when Sheelbeth healed the wounded and dying, she began to sing to Ruby. A moment later the worms, all of them, joined in.
A warmth slid up Ruby’s arm, spread through her body, burning into each and every wound.
The wounds began to heal.
Ruby let out a loud gasp and then a moan, coughed loudly. She stared up at Lord Sheelbeth. “Beel? Am I dead?”
* * *
Lord Sheelbeth fiddled with the van door handle, couldn’t seem to figure it out. Ruby sat up, waited a moment for her head to stop spinning, then lifted the handle and slid the door open for the lord.
Soft morning light streamed in, along with the fresh forest air, the smell of pine needles and dew filling the van. Ruby heard birdcalls and the sound of water trickling nearby.
Sheelbeth hopped from the van with catlike grace and stood in a ray of sunlight, utterly shameless in her nakedness. She was too intense to be beautiful—her face all hard angles, her single eye blazing, but there was a regalness to her that created its own beauty. Her body was thin and sinewy, muscles rippling like taut ropes beneath her pale ashen flesh. The gaping wound, the worms’ lair, slowly closed, sealing off its squirming denizens, forming a tight-lipped slit that looked like some aquatic gill running from her sternum to her pubic mound.
The lord strolled a few steps, stopping at the edge of a sandy creek. She began to shake, then suddenly dropped to her knees. She dug her hands into the soft earth, bringing two fistfuls of soil to her face. She sucked in their scent then kissed the dirt. She let out a sob. “I am free. By the sun, by the moon, by all the heavens, I am free. Never again shall I let down my guard.” She sat staring at the soil in her hands while the honeybees buzzed around her. A butterfly flittered along, landing on her arm and she stood, studying it with a small smile on her face.
Ruby slid out of the van, almost fell, steadying herself against the vehicle. She had on only her bra and underwear and the morning air felt cold against her bloodstained skin. Her ankle where Vutto had bitten her still throbbed a bit, but it, along with her other wounds, seemed to be all but healed.
Lord Sheelbeth walked back to her, held out her hand. “Come with me. We have unfinished dealings, you and I.”
Ruby looked at her, unsure. What does she want, Beel?
I believe it is okay, Beel replied.
Believe? That’s not very reassuring.
Ruby took Lord Sheelbeth’s hand and the lord helped her walk down the short embankment to the edge of the creek, to a spot where the water ran dark and deep.
“Remove your rags, girl, and let us go into the water.”
“Ma’am?”
“To cleanse your soul.”
Beel! What the hell is she talking about?
Sheelbeth laughed. “The taint. I would cleanse you of it. Unless, of course, you prefer to have every wicked soul chasing you until the end of your days.”
“Oh … no, ma’am, I don’t.”
“Then follow me.”
Ruby removed her underwear and followed the strange woman into the creek. “Ah, heck, it’s freezing!”
“I have known nothing but the kiss of flame for centuries,” Lord Sheelbeth said. “How good it is to feel the breath of cold once more.” Sheelbeth waded in to chest level. “Come to me, child.”
Again, Ruby hesitated.
“I will not eat you, not this day, maybe another time, but not this day.” She grinned.
Ruby came to her and she slid in behind Ruby, wrapping her arms around Ruby’s waist and pressing her belly against Ruby’s back. Ruby felt the pulsing scar, shuddered.
“Are you ready?”
No, Ruby thought, but nodded.
Lord Sheelbeth tugged her under and they sank into the murky depths.
Ruby had a moment’s panic, sure she would drown, then a song came to her, vibrating through the water, eerie and full of echoes. It was Lord Sheelbeth of course. The worms joined in, filling the deep with their song. Ruby felt them squirming against her back, yet no longer felt any dread. A sort of warm sleep stole over her and it was as though she no longer needed to breathe, all she needed was this song.
Ruby awoke, lying on the sandy bank, Lord Sheelbeth sitting beside her, watching the water bugs skimming along the surface of the creek.
“It is done,” Lord Sheelbeth said.
“It is?”
Lord Sheelbeth stood, offered Ruby her hand, helping her to her feet. Only Ruby realized she didn’t need help, that she felt, what? Renewed, yes, and so much more. She felt the forest around her as though it were a living, breathing thing, every cricket’s chirp, every bird’s call, and she was a part of it all. She sucked in a deep lungful of air, marveled at its sweetness, then noticed that every wound on her body, even the scar from the spell, was completely gone, not even a trace.
“It is time for me to disappear,” Lord Sheelbeth said. “The angels have become complacent in this age. But we opened a door here, and they might very well investigate. I do not wish to be here if they do.”
She touched Ruby’s shoulder, pushed the wet bangs from Ruby’s brows, and looked deep into her eyes, into her soul. “Beel, I hope you find the joy you are seeking in this new world. And perhaps, one day, if you can let go of the hate in your heart, you will seek me out. There are not many of our age left, we might very well be the last. And sometimes it is good to share the past with one who has lived it with you. I hope there might come a time when you will once more enjoy my company. I know I would enjoy yours.”
With that she headed away, vanishing into the woods.
I will never seek her company, Beel said. I am done with lords, and gods, and devils.
“Yeah, me too.”
Ruby, it is time I go.
Ruby was surprised to feel a wave of sadness steal over her. “Now? You gotta go now?”
Why, Ruby, if I did not know better, I would say you are in no hurry to be rid of me.
She grinned. “Well, you’re pretty okay for a demon.”
He laughed. And you, Ruby, are pretty okay for a human. But we both know I must go.
Loud squawks came from all around, and Beel pushed Ruby’s head up so they could both see the flock of crows hopping around in the pines above them.
“You’re gonna fly away, aren’t you?”
I am. It is time to live with the wild things … at least for now. Life is so much less complicated amongst the wild. To go where each day leads me. Nothing more.
“Y’know, on one hand I’m jealous. For so long there was nothing I wanted more than to just leave it all behind. But I’ve got a lot of fixing to do, and I’m grateful I’m gonna get the chance to set some things right. Especially with the folks I might’ve hurt.” She knew she’d most likely be serving a bit of time as well, wasn’t looking forward to it, but felt after all she’d been through she could deal with anything. “You’ve given me that second chance, Beel. Thank you.”
One of the crows landed on a nearby limb.
Yes, a second chance. You have set me free in so many ways, Ruby. Goodbye, Ruby.
She felt a sensation like wind passing through her skin and saw him then, a wispy, ghostly form drifting upward toward the bird. He glanced down at her, gave her a nod, then it was as though he were sucked into the bird.
The crow let out a startled squawk, leapt in the air and flew away, disappearing into the woods in the opposite direction that Lord Sheelbeth had gone.
“Goodbye, Beel,” Ruby said, as a wave of loneliness like she had never known fell over her.
My name is … my name … heck, what is it?
Oh, yeah, Richard, my name is Richard.
But most people call me Dick. I used to hate being called Dick. Doesn’t matter a lick of spit to me anymore. Nothing matters really, but Lord Sheelbeth. She’s the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, my sun and moon, the icing on my cupcake. I’ve never been much of a singer, but by Jove, I live to sing now. Her songs … her wonderful, terrible songs … any and all of them. God, I hate them, God, I love them. There’s nothing better than squirming around in all this hot worm spunk with my brethren, singing our little wormy heads off. Happy as clams in butter sauce we are. Hoping and praying it never ends. My name is … my name is … ah, hell, can’t remember. And know what? I don’t care. Not a lick of spit, because it doesn’t matter … nothing matters, not anymore … nothing but Lord Sheelbeth.
COLOR PLATES
BEEL
GHOUL
SNAKE DEMON
VUTTO DEMON
VUTTO
LORD SHEELBETH
RUBY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, a huge thank-you to my editor, Kelly Lonesome. For her intuition of story and character, and for helping me find the tale I truly wanted to tell. Kelly, you are voodoo.
I would like to express my gratitude to all the souls at Tor Nightfire for their hard work making this book happen. Thank you, Kristin Temple, Michael Dudding, Valeria Castorena, Jocelyn Bright, Esther Kim, Jeff LaSala, Greg Collins, Sarah Walker, Jessica Warren, Susan Cummins.
Additional round of appreciation goes to my beta readers, Ivy Brom, AJ Grey, and Laurie Brom. All three of you made a tremendous impact on this story.
A special thank-you to AJ Grey and the Maxines for their role in bringing the “Evil in Me” song to life. To hear their haunting rendition, please visit them on Instagram: @themaxinesband.
And always, a big thank-you to Julie Kane-Ritsch, for her friendship and guidance.
NIGHTFIRE BOOKS BY BROM
Slewfoot
Evil in Me
ALSO BYBROM
Lost Gods
Krampus
The Child Thief
The Devil’s Rose
The Plucker
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Over the past few decades, acclaimed dark fantasy author and artist BROM has lent his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games to comics and film. He is the USA Today bestselling author of Slewfoot, The Child Thief, Krampus, Lost Gods, and the award-winning, illustrated horror novels The Plucker and The Devil’s Rose. Brom is currently kept in a dank cellar just outside Savannah.
Visit him at bromart.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
Facebook.com/Artist
Instagram: @geraldbrom
Twitter: @GeraldBrom
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1951, Brooklyn, New York
Ruby
Dick
Ring
Lord Sheelbeth
Ghouls
Angel Blood
Demons
Tina
Evil in Me
Vutto
Knots
Murder
Redemption
Ice Pick
Illustrations
Acknowledgments
