Page 17 of In Between Death and the Devil

My jaw clenched, and the tension in the room cinched tighter as the people around me stiffened.

Death went rigid. “You think a sentence like this is a laughing matter?” I flinched despite her soft tone. If she were looking at me like that I would be running.

“Not the sentence,” Daphne said. “All of you. Acting like this is the only possible outcome.”

“The rules for passing judgment were followed. This is the result.”

“Sure. It’s not like there’s more than one way to balance the scales.” Daphne shrugged and laughed again.

My jaw dropped at her callousness. Then I looked back at the Devil. Instead of the smirk I expected to see on his face, he glowered. What did he have to be pissed about? He got another soul for his collection.

“Show some respect for the dead.” Death glared at Daphne, as if daring her to say something else, but Daphne just picked her nails.

“Evan Leander. Look at me.” Death shifted her focus to the soul on the platform. Her voice was laced with command, a resonance that wasn’t there before.

Evan locked eyes with her and stiffened as a wave of power flowed from her to him, forming a link between them. It made the hair on my arms stand on end.

Death had a faraway look on her face, like she was seeing beyond the room. Her eyes glowed. It was said she was able to see the entire life of a soul simply by looking at them. I swallowed at the idea of being so exposed. So vulnerable.

As she closed her eyes, the link between them snapped, and Evan sagged. “The sentence is just. May it serve you well.” She looked to the top of the stairs, her mouth a flat line.

Evan followed her gaze, scrambling back when he realized who she was looking at. “No. Please. I beg you. Don’t send me to the Devil.” He plastered himself against the invisible wall at the edge of his platform, as if trying to escape, his voice rising with each plea.

All heads turned to the dark god. I shrank back at the loathing on his face. He seemed to grow in size, his presence expanding. Shadows gathered at his hands, curling around his wrists before splitting into tendrils that spilled down the steps.

“No. No. Don’t.” Evan’s shrieks pierced the air.

My chest ached. It shouldn’t be like this.

The shadows surrounded the platform, flowing over the edge, wrapping around Evan’s legs and climbing up his torso like vines.

I snuck a peek at the Devil and immediately wished I hadn’t. His eyes were completely black, and the tendons of his neck stood out, as if he was holding himself back.

“Please—” Evan’s scream was cut off as the shadows covered his face and head.

Time seemed to stop for a moment, all of us suspended as the shadows pulsed. The overhead lights flickered and a tremor shook the room. I felt the Devil’s presence intensify, his power a tangible thing that caressed my skin. Then everything stopped. The room returned to normal and the shadows dissolved, revealing an empty platform.

Evan was gone.

CHAPTER 6

The silence broke, everyone swinging back into action at once. Death sat back, her face a mask of impassivity once again. The trainee put the weights back in the case and reset the scales; Judges turned to each other, talking in low voices, and Daphne walked back up the steps to join the Tempters. She looked at ease, even bored, but I noticed her hands were clenched into fists as she passed my row.

What did she have to be upset about? I snuck a look at the Devil, back to his usual size, eyes back to their normal brown. He tracked Daphne’s progress, but his expression never changed.

Puzzle pieces clicked into place in my mind. This was why the Devil was so much more powerful than Death. I’d known the Order of Shadows worked to ensnare souls on the Devil’s behalf, but I hadn’t understood until I watched him transfer a soul to his Dungeon and felt his power increase in the process just what that meant.

He might be a necessary part of the cycle of life, but things were out of balance, and as the morning progressed it became clear they were only getting worse.

We watched the remaining third years make their first judgments. The rest of the Tempters stayed quiet as each and every soul required time in the Devil’s Dungeon to balance the scales. My hands ached from how hard I clenched them every time his shadows transported a soul. I expected a fight to break out between Judges and Tempters when the last judgment was rendered but the Devil just turned and walked out, his people following.

* * *

Our assessment took place after lunch.

“Each of you will weigh your soul,” Talia said, “and decide what sentence you think you’d deserve if you were being judged in the normal cycle of life.” No one was surprised. The news had clearly made the rounds last night. “You’ll be called one at a time. When you’re done, you’ll be dismissed for the rest of the day.” She called the first name and ushered them through a door to the adjoining room.

My thoughts resumed the dizzying spiral they’d entered when I watched the Devil’s shadows take Evan’s soul to his Dungeon. Last night he’d reassured me that I would atone for what I’d done just as much by becoming a Judge as being judged. I hadn’t taken the easier path with my choices, but I now knew it was all a manipulation. He must want me to become a Judge, and that could only mean he thought my doing so would benefit him somehow. I crossed my arms.