A Taste of the Divine

PREVIEW: CHAPTER 3

A note to the reader:

This is a preview of my full length novel, A Taste of the Divine. It can be found for preorder on all platforms as of 3/15, and will be released on 4/30/2024.

Chapter 3

My strange guide eyes both guards, who glance at me quickly before turning back to her.

“I have retrieved Lillian Carmichael on behalf of Luc,” she says to the gargoyles.

They look at me once more, sniffing the air in front of me before their eyes go glassy. After a moment, their eyes clear as they turn back to her, nod and move aside. I’m not sure I’ve taken a full breath while I stare at their leathery skin and twisted features, forcing my mind to believe what’s happening, where I am.

Numbly, I follow her up the staircase towards the massive double doors. My eyes widen at the craftsmanship, at the delicacy of the colored glass that’s been pieced together and framed in obsidian. They swing open upon our approach, the movement light and effortless despite the heavy stone the glass is set into, but it takes the cloaked woman a moment to realize that I haven’t followed her through. I remain standing just outside the threshold, willing my body not to visibly shake. Suddenly, suffocating under Apep’s stare feels much more desirable and I find myself wishing I had stayed in the peaceful meadows of the Chaos Demon’s office. Finally noticing that I haven’t moved, the woman turns back to me and stares with pitch-black eyes.

“Please come in. I need to clean you up before you meet with Luc.”

Clean me up. Before my meeting with the King of Hell…

A thought slaps me across the mind and sends an icy clang down my body. “Am I about to be sacrificed?”

An amused smile hints at the corners of her mouth. She shakes her head. “What a human thing to say.” She takes a step towards me, closing the small gap between us until we each occupy the space on either side of the door. “Your…situation is unprecedented. Due to that, Luc has understandably taken a personal interest in getting it sorted.”

I swallow audibly, not wholly convinced that the literal Devil wants to simply help me.

The woman reaches a thin hand towards me, her black tipped fingers coaxing me forward. “Unless officially deemed otherwise, your soul is safe from harm. You can trust me, Lillian.”

“This is Hell. I’m not sure I should trust anyone,” I whisper, looking between her outstretched hand and her deathly beautiful face.

The hint of a smile turns full, and she nods once. “Understandable, but unnecessary despite your brief encounter with Apep — which I can assure you won’t happen again. Please come.” She reaches out her hand further.

I’m not sure why I feel the warmth of trust begin to spread within my chest, but I’m also not sure that I have much of a choice right now. So, I take her hand and step through the door into the home of the Devil himself. Her fingers are surprisingly warm, contrary to the cold look in her ebony eyes, and she squeezes my hand gently within her own. As if she is comforting me.

I’ve never been more confused in my entire life.

Or is it death?

Taking a breath, I decide that I just need to go with it. “It’s Lilly, by the way,” I say quietly. “My name is Lillian, but I prefer Lilly.”

The woman glances at me from the side and nods. “Mel. Melicent, but I prefer Mel.”

“Nice to meet you, Mel. I think.” With no further words, she leads me on through the sprawling home.

We pass through a foyer the size of my parents’ entire house, beyond a giant staircase that is so long I can’t even see the top, and into a wide, brightly lit hallway. Balls of light float above us and the floors are decorated with a deep green runner up the center, and the walls, though empty, seem to swirl with color and smoke, like rainbows trapped in storm clouds.

“The Estate is large. Being your first entrance into it, protocol required me to bring you through the guarded front. However, now that the guards have cleared you and we’re inside, I am happy to continue using portals to get us wherever we need to go from now on. But, I understand if you’d like to walk instead. I’m sure your mind is…over- whelmed.” Mel stares at me with genuine kindness, patiently waiting for my answer.

I swallow, nearly mesmerized by the detail and workmanship that every inch of this place contains. “Um, walking is fine, if that’s okay with you.”

She responds with a quick nod and leads me forward. We walk for an unknown amount of time before Mel turns to the right and leads me down a second hallway, similar to the first. Finally stopping, she reaches towards a tall door, heavy and made from wood that looks like it has been charred, and I follow her into the room.

The space is simple, very much like a hotel suite. We enter a sitting room, complete with a dark blue couch, matching chairs and black orchids placed in ornate vases spread throughout. To the left is a set of stained glass French doors, propped open, showing me the view of a bedroom, and the luxurious bed adorned with white blankets and fluffy gold pillows. Mel closes the door to the suite behind me and motions towards the couch, silently instructing me to sit.

“Everything seems so much brighter than I would have expected Hell to be,” I comment as I move towards the couch. The cushion sinks exquisitely as I sit, and I practically moan out loud at its softness. “And comfortable.”

Mel gives me a small smile. “There are many misconceptions.”

She glides over and sits next to me. Reaching out, she takes my head between her hands and turns my face towards hers. “Now, let’s get you taken care of.”

I watch her study me, feeling her black eyes moving across my face and up towards the top of my head. A tingling sensation spreads across my scalp, behind my eyes and down to my chin. I feel the pressure of the skin around the gash in my hairline stitch together, and I hold perfectly still as the tingling travels down through the rest of my body. It pools in various places – around my ribs, in a spot towards my lower back, along my fingertips, my left ankle – and I realize that Mel is healing the injuries from my accident. As the sparkling, staticky feeling ebbs and flows throughout my body, I close my eyes and breathe deeply.

“I didn’t know how broken I was,” I comment as the sensation begins to fade. “There was no pain anywhere.”

Releasing my face from her grasp, she looks me over once more. “The soul feels no pain from the body.”

“So, that’s all I am now? Just a soul?”

Mel nods. “To put it simply, yes.”

I glance down towards my hands, now healed, and cleaned from blood. Even my manicure has been repaired. “Then why do I still look like myself?”

Mel tilts her head, seeming to contemplate answering. Finally, she takes a breath and shrugs. “In general, the physical form reflects the soul within. For mortals, when a soul is sent here, it remains within the body. Or, a version of it at least, so that the punishment can be felt. Though, due to the nature of this plane, a human won’t feel pain until they’ve been designated a Circle.”

The casualness in which she explains this is more than unsettling, especially as I sink further into the comfort of the cushions beneath me. “What are you?”

She leans back, as if startled by my question.

“Oh, I’m sorry, is that a rude question? I didn’t mean… I’m not…” I stammer, trying to backtrack, not wanting to offend a resident of Hell. Especially one who works directly with its king.

Mel shakes her head. “It’s not rude. It’s just not a question I’ve been asked before. I’m used to those around me knowing who and what I am.” She stands and smooths out the fabric of her cloak. “I’m a Wielder. I harness energy and channel it into whatever is necessary at the time. The closest word your kind has would be a witch, I suppose.”

I take in the graceful female in front of me, studying her deathly pale skin, her dark hair, curling like tendrils of black smoke around her shoulders, her depthless eyes, and soft, supple lips. As deadly as she looks, there is a kindness that radiates from her. “You’re not like any witch I’ve ever seen.”

A sad smile thins the fullness of her mouth. “Humans have not taken well to my kind. Nor have they made much effort to understand us. Not even the ones that want to. That fear has led to some unfortunate misconceptions. Bad PR, as you would call it?”

The reference makes me laugh, the sound tinkling up and down my rib cage. “Yeah, I guess the image is pretty bad. All hooked noses and green skin. Cackling laughter and silly hats. I like this aesthetic much better to be honest.” I wave my hand vaguely in her direction.

“Yes, the godly men of your kind put quite the effort into creating that image of green faces covered in warts and misshapen bones.” Her lips curl into a sneer at the word “godly”, reminding me of where I am.

“Right,” I whisper, feeling the weight of my surroundings settle upon my chest once more.

Sensing my shift, Mel sits back down next to me on the couch. “Healing is my preferred use of the energies I wield. Unless the being is on the brink of death, I can heal the body with a touch and half a thought.” She shifts, straightening her back. “If you don’t mind, I need to check a little deeper though. I need to search your soul for anything that may help in our understanding of this confusion. I promise to be gentler than Apep.”

I stare at her, wide eyed. Despite the appreciation I feel over the option to refuse, I nod. “If it helps to get me out of here, do your thing.” Mel places her hand upon my chest and closes her eyes. A long moment passes, and a strange, heavy rolling sensation returns, crawling up and down my body, until she removes her hand and opens her eyes. Her brows pull together, and she rubs her fingers against her thumb slowly.

“Other than some control issues and some minor insecurities, your soul has very few flaws. I’m not sure what caused you to be sent here, but I’m sure you won’t be here long if I may be bold enough to say so myself.” She pauses, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Though there’s a strange cloud shrouding your heart. But that could be because you shouldn’t be here. I’ve never actually encountered a soul destined for Heaven, so I can’t be sure.”

While her words are comforting, they are also confusing. How could a mistake like this even happen? And why can’t I just be sent upwards and let this all be done with?

The confusion must be all over my face because she smiles comfortingly as she taps my knees lightly and stands. “You need a change of clothes. Luc isn’t a fan of human blood,” she states lightly, changing the subject.

I laugh, surprised. “The ruler of Hell, the place bad humans are sent for unending torture and pain, doesn’t like human blood?”

“No.” No further explanation is offered as she pulls me up and stands me in front of her. “I’d offer you something of mine, but I have a feeling it’s not your style,” she touts as she waves a hand over her billowing cloak.

“Not exactly,” I agree with a small smile and scrunched nose.

She nods. “Just think of what you would like to wear. I’ll do the rest.”

I hesitate. “Um, I don’t even know what to think of. What does one wear to meet the King of Hell?”

Mel shrugs, her black eyes soft and patient. “The best thing to do is present yourself exactly as you really are. Be yourself, as your kind would say.”

I’m not sure myself is quite adequate…

“That insecurity of yours is showing.”

I blanch, swallowing. “Can you read minds, too?”

She smiles and shakes her head. “No, not without touching a soul who’s willing to share their thoughts. But I can feel the energy that flows outwards from a soul near me and yours is full of doubt. Curiously enough, it seems you doubt yourself more than your surroundings.”

Rubbing my hand up and down my arm, I shrug. “I’m no one special. I don’t know why this is even happening. Hours ago, I was just a girl driving home from work and now I’m here, preparing to meet Satan. So that he can help me fix this whole ‘I died and was accidentally sent to Hell’ situation.”

Mel frowns slightly. “Satan?”

My head tilts to the side, confused by her confusion. “I guess it’s just another sentiment from my kind. The king, or Luc as you keep calling him.”

Her face softens. “Ah. What an unpleasant name. There’s a lot of power in names, Lilly, especially here. It’s best to just use what’s given, or what’s preferred when appropriate.” Shaking her head, she waves her hands in front of her, urging me back on task. “You don’t need to be special. You just need to change your clothes.”

Exhaling, I nod curtly and begin racking my brain to remember the contents of my closet. A slow, cooling sensation wraps around my body, moving upward from my feet to my shoulders. Once it settles, I look down to find myself in my comfort outfit: a pair of worn and frayed jeans and a chunky black sweater that hangs loosely from my shoulders to just past my hips. A pair of black suede loafers adorn my feet and I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, reveling in the comfort of the soft fabrics.

“Too casual?” I ask meekly.

“Not if it suits you.”

Taking a breath, In an attempt to mentally prepare myself to meet the most notorious being to exist, I sink into the comfort of the familiar outfit. “Right. Okay.” Making eye contact with Mel, I smile awkwardly and shrug. “In that case, take me to your leader.”

Mel raises a brow and stares blankly back at me. “Yeah, don’t do that.”

I feel a little embarrassed, but then it fades when I notice the small, amused smile at the corners of her mouth as she steps towards the door. Taking another deep breath, I silently follow her out of the room and into the hall. I expect to follow her through the Estate, but she waves a hand, and a smoke plume appears, smelling of black licorice and mint. “Luc’s office is on the other side of the Estate. For time’s sake, I hope you don’t mind taking a portal.”

When I only nod, she gently takes my hand and guides me through. When we step out on the other side, we arrive at a door that is almost as impressive as the ones at the entrance. Pitch black and reaching over twice my height, I can’t figure out what it’s made from. The surface is smooth and seems to shift slowly, shining like a river of thick, black oil, and when the light hits it just right, a pattern of snake scales flashes across the surface. I am dying to reach out and touch it, wondering if it will feel hard and cool beneath my hand or if it will suck me in like one of the tar pits in La Brea. My question is answered when Mel knocks twice, the sound like tapping on a hollow stone. It is at this moment that I notice there is no doorknob, meaning nobody goes in that isn’t let in by the Devil on the other side. Anxiety and anticipation swirl within my stomach like the smoke of the portal that falls to the ground behind us, the combination threatening the back of my throat with nausea.

“I will remind you that unless officially deemed otherwise, you are perfectly safe, Lilly,” Mel whispers, not taking her eyes off the door in front of us.

I nod, accepting her words despite the rolling in my gut and my hammering heart as footsteps sound from the other side, heavy and powerful. The door opens and my shallow breaths are halted as we are greeted by the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life.

Or is it death?