Lucifer Reborn Dante King (books that read to you txt) 📖

Inside, the vestibule resembled the lobby of a museum. Granite floors stretched beneath us, a high ceiling supported by thick columns made of the same material. Despite the size of the building, this chamber outpaced it by an order of magnitude. More demonic magic, then.

In the center of the chamber was a circular information desk. A goblin sat behind it, its green nails tapping impatiently at the formica surface as students made their way down the various halls without any need of questions. It looked up as our group approached.

“This is the tour group,” Xora said formally, giving the goblin a sideways glance. “I need two passes—one for the human, one for the transmogrified demon.”

The goblin licked his chops at the sight of Christina. Irritation filled me at sight of his bulging eyes on her, and I slammed an elbow down on the desk. “Problem?”

He turned away, pursing his lips. “Not at all. Two passes. Make sure you don’t lose them.”

They turned out to be little more than plastic stickers with the word ‘VISITOR’ written on them. The person who’d filled them out had very poor handwriting—the ‘R’ at the end of mine looked more like a ‘P’. I hadn’t quite figured out if it was an intentional insult when Xora shuffled us on, ignoring the officious little man and his tiny bit of power.

“Forgive him,” Xora said, taking the plastic squares from Christina and I as soon as we were out of sight. “Work-study program from the Fae realms: it’s so difficult for them to adjust. You won’t be needing those.”

I shrugged as she ripped the stickers neatly in two and tucked them away. “I thought we were supposed to be wearing them the whole time we’re in here?”

Xora scoffed. “This is Hell,” she said, pursing her pouty lips. “What kind of demons would we be if we followed the rules 100% of the time?”

I could understand that. “Probably make me look like an asshole, anyway,” I said. Christina hadn’t even bothered to put hers on—it would have clashed terribly with her scales.

I realized I’d just let the fact that Xora had mentioned “Fae Realms” slip by without so much as a question. I was already having the craziest day of my life, so I figured I’d leave the subject of realms beyond Heaven, Hell, and Earth alone for now.

“We’ll be making a circuit of the building,” Xora explained, leading us down a wide, well-lit corridor. Portraits of demons adorned the walls, dressed in formal attire with stoic, serious expressions. From the looks of them, this place had a seriously large number of elite alumni. “Each of the seven schools connects to two of the others—which makes it a hassle to get from class to class sometimes, but ensures each demonic student will at least get a little bit of everything on their syllabus. They form a rough circle—one whose contours you’ll get to know intimately well, Luke.”

The building had been in no way circular from the outside. I decided to roll with it. “A circle…” I said, giving the rusalka a wry smile. “A Circle of Hell, you mean?”

“Just so.” Xora seemed pleased I’d understood so quickly. “First up is a subject every demon at the Infernal Academy must contend with sooner or later. I’m sure you were very familiar with it back in your human life…”

Chapter 12

The four of us stepped through a huge set of double doors. Instantly a million different smells hit me: roasting meat, cinnamon, the rich creamy scent of a hot fudge sundae. My mouth watered uncontrollably, my stomach giving a very undignified rumble.

“Oh maaan,” Mareth groaned, following us into the hall. “I swear, I put on ten pounds every time I enter this place…”

“Where are we?” I asked, taking it all in. The hall was set up like a laboratory, the main rectangular hall giving way to several annexes, classrooms, and lecture auditoriums. But while labs were sterile and gray, this place had color to spare. I could feel the rods and cones in my eyes screaming from the onslaught of bright, primary colors. I felt like I’d won a golden ticket to go see the chocolate factory—only the Oompa Loompas had turned out to be demons in disguise.

Wait. Were Oompa Loompas demons? That would actually make a lot of sense. I made a mental note to ask someone as Xora continued with the tour.

“You’re standing in the halls of the Gluttony School,” Xora said, only a tiny sliver of her pink tongue visible in the corner of her mouth. “Here, you’ll be instructed in the magical culinary arts—as well as alchemy, apothecary, and the brewing of potions, elixirs and cordials. Each is its own field of study within the school…”

She wasn’t kidding. A half-dozen demons worked furiously behind a series of metal tables, standing in the middle of what looked like an industrial kitchen. As we watched, a female instructor wearing a chef’s outfit picked out an apple and gave it to a student. They dipped it into a boiling cauldron, adding liquids from clear glass bottles as the mixture frothed and seethed. Then they brought the apple out with a pair of tongs.

For a brief instant, the image of a skull appeared across the skin, and I gasped. Then the tongs twisted, the apple slipped, and the whole thing fell to the floor with a crash. Bits of apple coated the tiles.

“You’ll get it,” the instructor said, patting the upset student on the shoulder. “Rome wasn’t destroyed in a day, little imp…”

I was intrigued. “Is that poison they’re making? Like in the fairytale?”

Xora shrugged. “We learn to use food and drink to many effects, Luke. Poison, of course—but also medicine. Draughts to make a fair maiden sleep, elixirs to augment a