Chapter One: The Prisoner
"Sir?" a voice said from behind the tall figure, deep in the dark room's shadows staring into the cold fireplace, " We've captured one."
The figure turned around suddenly, still masked in darkness, and the owner of the voice, a small goblin-like creature jumped back a little in fright. The goblin's Lord was not known for his kindness and everything he did, right down to his movements, struck fear into the hearts of those under his command.
"Bring her to me."
"Right away, my Lord," The goblin creature said, his deep bow causing the bits and pieces of armor he wore to clang together before he ran off out of his master's chambers to retrieve the prisoner.
Alone, the figure stepped out of the shadows and made dark red fire spring up in the fireplace, reveling himself to be a very tall, very strong man with jet black hair slicked back over his skull. Yellow eyes gleamed in the firelight as he adjusted the black suit he wore over his pale skin.
After only a few seconds of waiting, the goblin was back, this time with company. Behind him marched two huge, red beasts with hooves for feet and horns growing out of their heads. Muscles bulged awkwardly all over their bodies and a filthy loincloth was the only piece of clothing either of them wore.
Between the beasts, an unconscious woman slumped. White-blond hair hung across her face and a simple white gown flowed around her thin body. Her feet dragged across the floor as she was brought into the room.
"Lord Taint," the goblin soldier bowed, "I present you with an Angel from the Spirit Dimension."
Lord Taint smiled and snapped his fingers. With a clink and a rattle, a black chain descended from the stone ceiling above them. Attached to the end of the chain was a pair of light shackles which dangled about seven feet from the ground.
"Please secure her," Taint ordered and the beast-guards went to work putting the unconscious woman's wrists into the fetters. Once secure, she hung limply with her arms stretched straight above her head and her feet barely touching the ground.
"Angel, huh?" the Lord chuckled at some private joke, "We'll see about that. You are free to go."
Bowing another noisy bow, the goblin exited the room quickly, followed by the two guards. The door shut by itself behind the creatures, leaving Lord Taint alone with his newly acquired and very beautiful looking prisoner.
"Wake up, Angel," he commanded loudly.
At the sound of his words, the woman's eyelids started to flutter open, revealing brilliantly blue irises beneath. She was groggy, but instantly aware of her surroundings, letting out a soft moan of despair.
"Not where you were planning on waking up?" Taint asked her with a smirk.
The prisoner moaned again and lifted her head to face her captor. The soft features of her face made her look weak and innocent, but Taint knew enough about Angels to know she was far from it.
"What is your name?" he asked.
She didn't answer, but instead stared Taint directly in the eyes in defiance.
He took a step toward her, "I don't know who you are, but do you know who I am?"
Olivia continued to stare, not blinking once. If looks could kill...
"My name is Lord Taint, one of the sex demon keepers of Hell's Gate and this is my stronghold."
Reaction. The woman's eyes widened briefly in...fear? Shock? Whatever it was, Taint knew in that instant that she had indeed heard of him, or at least his rank. There were very few people in the universe who hadn't. Human's, mostly.
Taint waited for Olivia to say something, but she remained silent, irking him slightly.
"This silent treatment is already growing old, Angel," his voice was laced with warning, "If you don't speak soon, I might let those guards come in here and convince you to."
After a moment's thinking it through, the Angel finally spoke, "My name is Olivia. What do you want with me, demon?"
"There's a good girl," Taint smiled maliciously and snapped his fingers. A black armchair appeared in a puff of smoke and he sat down in it, facing the chained woman as he spoke, "What I want is very simple. And that is...you. Or rather, your power."
Olivia's small eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"You see, I'm facing a bit of a dilemma here," Taint continued, "Armies from all over Hell have been attacking the Gate in an attempt to escape. These attacks have been small and foolish, but they're beginning to take a toll on the integrity of the Gate," he paused and grinned hungrily at Olivia, "That's where you come in."
"I can't fix your damn Gate if that's what you think," Olivia snarled angrily.
"You don't need to. I can do that myself," Taint sat back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other, "But I will need your energy. The Gate was built by Angelic power and so needs to be repaired by the same force. The force that you possess in great quantities."
He let the message sink in and watched as Olivia's face fell. "You can't just..."
"Don't you worry about what I can or cannot do," Taint interrupted, "I just thought I'd extend the courtesy of telling you why you are here. That is all."
"And what if I refuse to cooperate?" Olivia challenged.
"I have ways of persuading you..." Taint said, allowing his voice to trail off menacingly, "But you don't refuse...do you?" He asked the question with a distinct air of anticipation; wanting her to defy him.
"Of course I do," the Angel said defiantly.
The demon stood up and his chair disappeared. "Good," he sneered, revealing impossibly white teeth with pointed tips. The door to his chambers opened, revealing the two guards from earlier. "Strip her and put her in the prison," he ordered the guards before turning to a now-terrified looking Olivia, "We'll talk more tomorrow, where you will pay for your refusal."
Taint observed with malicious glee as the guards tore Olivia's white gown from her body with one tug. She hung naked and pale, tempting the demon's resolve as she was unshackled and dragged, struggling uselessly, from the room. The door closed and Taint was alone once again.
He had not wanted to harm the Angel, but her power was needed. Everything he had told her was true; the Gate was weakening and needed repair. It would look very poor if the gatekeepers did not keep the object of their command firmly shut. The consequences of failing would be catastrophic...
"Sir?" the goblin soldier was back, wordlessly bidden by Taint's powers.
"How many did we lose getting her here?" he asked the soldier.
"A couple hundred, my Lord."
"Did the Archangels see you?"
"She was alone, Sir."
"Good. That is all."
The soldier left silently and Taint felt a little better. The last thing he needed was the wrath of the Archangels descending upon his already cracked walls. He had full intentions of returning Olivia once he was done using her. If she wanted to leave by then, that is. Perhaps she would find her stay here more pleasurable than she imagined...
A guard arrived and Taint ordered it to bring Olivia to him in the morning. She still had to pay for her insubordination. Nobody defied him in his home and got away with it, especially not Angels. She was his prisoner and would remain as such until his walls were repaired. Until then, she would listen and obey just like everyone else.
The guard grunted its understanding and sauntered off. Undressing, Taint climbed into his bed in the corner of his chambers and fell asleep quickly.
His dreams were filled with fire and destruction. Demons attacked his Gate while Archangels flew down from the sky, smiting his stronghold with Heavenly wrath. In the midst of it all was Olivia, reaching out for the Archangels and demanding rescue from the tallest tower of the castle; his chambers.
The scene dissolved and there was the Angel again, reaching out for him this time, surrounded by blackness. She was saying something that Taint could not make out, but he knew the meaning of the words. Feeling himself reach out for her hand in the dream, Taint was suddenly awakened by a loud knock.
He sat up in bed, his sheets tented in front of him and his mood fouled from being dragged from a rapidly improving dream.
"What!?" he yelled toward the door. Light was streaming through the windows of his room, indicating it was already morning.
"Your prisoner, Sir," a soft voice called, muffled by the thick wood of the door, "You told us to bring her to you in the morning."
Suddenly, Taint's mood improved and he climbed out of bed. With a snap of his fingers he was fully dressed and groomed in the same style he had been the day before. Straightening his suit coat, he made his armchair appear and he sat down in front of the chain he had left dangling.
"Bring her in," he called and the door opened, revealing a tall, thin figure in a hooded black robe that blocked its face from view. Behind the figure were the same two guards from the night before, with Olivia held between them.
