"I'm afraid so," Leo said in a somber voice.
"Just how strong are these guys?" I asked.
"Ye don't wanna attract their attention, half-Celt. I don't know much about the nine hells and their politics but this much I do know: Astaroth is big boss down there and he commands multiple legions of high demons."
"And Mammon is worshipped as the personification of greed," Leo added. "He is one of the wealthiest individuals in the Apocosmos."
"Why would they be working together?" Louie asked.
"Aren't they allies?" I asked. "You know, since they both live in the hells?"
"No," Rory replied. "Those demons fight with each other like cocks in a coop. Not openly, mind ye, but they're always trying to take over each other's power and influence."
"Then if two of them are working together, it's probably a very bad thing," I deduced.
"And if two of them have joined ranks, there might well be even more we don't know about," Louie added.
"What the fuck is happening out there?" Rory said, putting his face in his hands.
"Do you know what Abrathion was doing for them?" I asked Yelena.
"I know he got a big job and was looking for an artifact somewhere in Greece," she started explaining. "He managed to get his hands on it but then someone stole it from him, which I guess was you guys. He was anxious, like getting a lot of pressure about this job. That was when..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "That was when Abrathion sent Viki to bring it back. And I guess his employers got tired of waiting."
"What are we supposed to do now?" I asked. "Do we just keep the book and--"
"Lads, this is too much for us," Rory interrupted. "Leo, it's high time you talked to your family about this."
"You think so? Maybe Ommanth knows something more about--" Leo said, but Rory interrupted him again.
"No, Roman," he said decidedly. "This is above you, above me, above all of us. Hells, it might even be above your family."
"Alright," Leo said eventually. "I'll set up a meeting with my father."
"In the meantime, it doesn't hurt to ask Ommanth," Louie suggested.
"Ask him about what?" Rory said.
"About these two demons. He might have an idea why they'd be searching for such an artifact."
"It's not a bad idea really," Leo agreed, seemingly happy to agree to anything that might save him from revealing all of this to his family and guild.
"Okay then. Let's do it," I said, and removed the orb from my inventory.
"Well, hello, you beautiful creatures," the dragon said, his voice echoing from inside the glass. "I see we have a new addition to the group."
Yelena seemed a bit surprised by the fact that there was a voice coming out of the orb, but not as much as I would have expected. I guessed she must have seen stranger things in her life than this.
"Yelena, the doppelgänger," Ommanth continued. "My name is Ommanth the Beneful, and just so we're clear, this is not an egg. We dragons do not lay eggs but we give birth."
"Why would you lay eggs?" Yelena asked, confused. "You're not fucking chickens."
"Oh, but you'd be surprised by the amount of ignorance regarding this subject," he replied with a chuckle. "To what do I owe the pleasure of being in your company? I suppose you want my expert knowledge on an issue that is bothering you?"
"We do," I said. "What can you tell us about Astaroth and Mammon?"
I didn't want to reveal more than I had to, though I was fairly sure he'd piece it together anyway. I could almost hear the gears in his head turning in the two seconds that it took him to reply.
"You are in deep trouble, are you not?" Ommanth said. "Are they looking for the book?"
I'd expected this from him but not instantly. Admitting to the whole truth didn't seem like such a bad idea if he was going to work it out anyway.
"Yes," I replied. "Do you know why? Can you tell us something about them that would help us understand why they're after it?"
"You should know that the information I have may be a bit outdated," Ommanth said, "you know, what with being imprisoned and all. Every layer of the nine hells has a lord. Astaroth was planning a coup to take over as king of a new layer. As for Mammon, he is the only king whose reign currently spans two layers."
"Well, that's just fucking amazing, isn't it?" Rory said and threw his hands in the air.
"Now as for why they might be looking for this artifact, I can only make assumptions," Ommanth continued. "The big question is why the two of them are working together. No king of hell in their right mind would ally with Mammon, unless they want to risk losing their layer to him."
"Is there nothing at all that might hint at what they're planning?" Leo asked.
"I wasn't invested in the happenings of the hells to begin with, and it has been so many years since Maelcrux imprisoned me in this orb."
With that, Rory jumped from his chair as if he'd seen a ghost. Then he put his face right up against the orb.
"What'd ye say the name was?" he asked, his voice brimming with rage.
18
Farewell
"Maelcrux, the Iced Death," the dragon said. "A conniving dragon who attacked a town with the sole purpose of trapping me in this very orb."
"Isn't Maelcrux the one who--" Louie wondered.
"That was Maelcrux the Cruel," Rory said, seeming to dismiss the thought. "Different dragon."
"No two dragons have the same name, good dwarf," Ommanth continued, "though titles can change. What was once Iced Death may now be Cruel."
"If ye're playing any tricks, dragon," Rory threatened the orb, "I'll throw ye down into the deepest ocean and leave ye there for eternity."
"If there is anything I hate more than this jail of mine," Ommanth replied, "it is Maelcrux. The one who put me in here."
"In that case, I've got some
