by Diem, J. C.
“Would you like some tea?” Sophia asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out when I realized she was now staring straight through me. The distant look on her face was a sure sign that she was having a vision.
Sam and I hurried over to the table to take our seats. We’d just settled into them when she snapped out of her trance. It had only lasted for a few seconds this time.
“I take it you just received a vision?” Nathan asked. He was studiously not looking at me. Even though he’d agreed that it was for the best for me to date Zach, it was still painful for him.
“Yes,” Sophia confirmed.
“What did you see?” Leo asked.
“I was shown a cathedral somewhere in the city. The portal must be somewhere nearby. Demons cannot step onto consecrated ground.” She directed that last comment at me and I filed the information away.
Brie frowned slightly. “There are many cathedrals in Manhattan. Can you tell us anything that might help narrow our search down?”
“I only caught a fleeting glance of the building. It was enough to see that it was surrounded by fences that are topped with razor wire. It appeared to be in disuse.”
“I think I know which cathedral it might be,” Leo said. “If it is the one I’m thinking of, it is in Morningside Heights.”
“Do we have any bottled demon blood handy?” I asked and Sophia nodded. “Great. We’ll wait for dark then Leo can zap us there.”
Nightfall was only half an hour or so away now. I had enough time to scarf down a meal then it was time to go. Sophia packed a backpack with a container of blood and some paintbrushes. Food and water wouldn’t be necessary. My bodily functions became nonexistent when I was in the underworld. That was something I was very grateful for. Trying to find a restroom in hell was pretty much impossible.
Before we left, I ducked upstairs long enough to grab my favorite black jacket then returned to the others. We gathered into a group and Leo teleported us elsewhere. We appeared on a sidewalk next to a low stone wall topped with wrought iron. It was too dark to make out what was beyond the fence, but it seemed like a large open area. A green sign with white writing told me it was Morningside Park.
Swiveling around, I saw that Leo had deposited us directly across from the cathedral. Sophia looked up at the building and nodded. “This is the place that I saw in my vision.”
It was a cloudy night and I didn’t have the benefit of the legion’s night vision while I was on Earth. A single lamppost weakly illuminated a small area out front of the edifice. I squinted up at the structure, but couldn’t make out much.
A car crested the hill to our right and its headlights washed over the church. Instead of the elegant structure that I was expecting, I saw a weirdly shaped building that seemed to have been designed by several different architects. It was a strange mishmash that made little sense.
Four smaller sections jutted out at the front of the building. Three of them were roughly circular, but the fourth was rectangular. Little about them was uniform. Even the windows on each section were different. I could see the main part of the building rising high above the smaller ones. They were clustered around it like frightened children seeking solace from a stern parent.
The stone was dark and grimy and was in dire need of a good scrubbing. A trio of robed statues frowned down at us from the rectangular section of the cathedral. I caught a glimpse of more statues high above us. Then the car turned into a side street, plunging the building into darkness again.
I’d noticed one more thing before the light had faded. Just as Sophia had seen in her vision, a fence had been erected around the church. It was topped with razor wire that would shred me to pieces if I tried to scale it. The church had been built on a tier above us. Below it was a stone fence that acted as a boundary.
“We should walk around the perimeter and see if you can locate the portal,” Nathan suggested. If demons couldn’t step onto consecrated ground, then that meant the entryway to the shadowlands had to be somewhere outside the property.
Opting to walk downhill rather than uphill, we followed the stone fence. It wasn’t in the best of repair and was falling apart in some places. We passed a stretch that had been defaced by graffiti that looked like it had been drawn by a child. It appeared to have been there for several months. No one had bothered to clean it off yet. I doubted that anything would be done about it anytime soon.
We reached a small section of the wall that had been fenced off with chain link. It was meant to keep the stones from falling onto unwary pedestrians. Deep shadows caught my eye and I turned my head to see a dark doorway carved into the rock. The others walked right past the optical illusion that the fence was whole. They didn’t see the gloomy passageway that led to the shadowlands.
“The portal is here, guys,” I said before they could get too far away.
They trudged back and stared at the fence blankly. “Where?” Leo asked.
I put my hand on the stone. The wards that had been erected around the city also blocked the portals. Only one had been left open for the demons to enter and exit from hell. I had to unlock the ones I discovered with a rune that Sytry had shown me. “I can see a portal behind this wall,” I told them.
Sam was carrying the backpack that had been bought as a replacement for the old one. Our previous one had been mauled by a hellhound. We’d had no choice but to abandon it in the palace of the eighth realm. He slipped it off and rummaged around inside, taking out the container of blood. He handed it to me and I cracked the lid open. The blood smelled rank, yet also sweet. It was cold and had congealed from being refrigerated. He handed me a paintbrush next and I went to work. It only took a couple of minutes to construct the symbol. Since there wasn’t a door that needed to be unlocked from both sides this time, I only needed to paint the rune once.
Leo took the brush from me when I was done. He flicked it and the blood disappeared.
“That’s a neat trick,” I said with a grin. “I wish I could do that.”
He shrugged and shot a guilty look at Brie’s frown. It was beneath them to use their celestial powers for such mundane tasks. “It is just a small thing,” he said modestly.
Nicking my palm with my dagger, I pressed it against the rune and crimson light flared. The blood dried instantly as the symbol became activated. I pushed my hand through the shimmering illusion. To them, my hand and half of my arm disappeared.
“I wish we had some idea of where the next piece of the object is located,” Nathan said. He was trying to hide his worry, but it came through loud and clear.
“I have a plan,” I said as confidently as I could manage.
Leo smirked. “I cannot wait to hear this.”
“We’re going to break into the palace and torture the Prince until he tells us where he’s hiding it.”
Brie rolled her eyes. “That is a stupid plan. You are almost certain to fail.”
“Do you have a better idea, Princess?” I said with heavy sarcasm. “No? Well then, shut the hell up until you think of something useful to say.” She quivered in outraged indignation then disappeared.
Sophia let out a small sound of disappointment, making me feel guilty. “I do wish you two would at least try to get along.”
“Sorry,” I said and almost meant it. “Brie just really rubs me up the wrong way.”
“I am certain she feels the same way about you,” the clairvoyant said and gave me a hug. “Good luck, Violet. Try not to get caught.” To Sam’s surprise and embarrassed delight, she gave him a hug as well.
Leo pulled me in and smacked a kiss on my cheek then grinned at Sam. “Do you want a kiss, too?”
“That will not be necessary,” Sam said with quiet dignity.
“I guess I will just have to give you a hug instead.”
They gave each other a brief embrace then Sam turned to Nathan. They weren’t as close and didn’t feel the need to embrace each other. “I will guard Violet with my life,” Sam vowed.
; Nathan nodded then offered the imp his hand. They shook solemnly then my guardian turned to me. We knew better than to get too close to each other. We stood a few feet apart as he searched for something to say. “Stay safe,” he said at last. I could sense that he wanted to take me into his arms, but we both knew that it wasn’t a good idea.
“I will. We’ll be back before you know it.” I blew him a kiss then took hold of Sam to guide him through the portal.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Six
Damp stone walls flanked us as we made our way along the cobbled path. The walls were covered in sickly looking yellow lichen. My skin crawled at the thought of touching it. The walls rose so high into the air that it was impossible to tell if it was ceiling or sky above us.
Mist swirled around our ankles, creeping higher with each step. It was knee deep by the time we drew closer to the end of the alley. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that we stepped out into the shadowlands. The walls were suddenly gone and the ground had changed from cobbled stone to hard-packed dirt.
“I really hate this place,” Sam whispered. He huddled close to my side and peered around at the mist.
“I’m not a big fan of it either.” Anything could be hiding in the fog, stalking us and waiting for our backs to be turned so it could leap out and chew our heads off.
Stop being so melodramatic, Morax scoffed inside my head. You are getting spooked for no reason.
There’s plenty of reason, I argued. Remember the trials we had to go through to defeat the master gate? Any of those creatures that it threw at us could show up at any time.
That is unlikely, he disagreed. It is almost unheard of to discover a gate that leads directly to Earth from hell. The hellgates have no reason to keep this area guarded by anything dangerous.
His reasoning reassured me and some of my tension seeped away. It was almost comforting to have the legion inside my head. They would come to my aid whenever I was in danger. It wasn’t because they cared about me, but for their own self-preservation. If I died, so would they, or so we all assumed.
My watch had stopped working the moment we left Earth, but I judged that an hour or so had passed before we finally saw the giant black wall that enclosed each realm of hell.
The flapping of wings alerted us that we weren’t alone. I instinctively ducked just as the raven that had been plaguing me swept through the place where my head had just been. It must have been watching us when we’d been searching for the portal. It had waited for me to unlock it before following us inside.
Sam fumbled for the steak knife that he’d brought with him and I reached for my dagger. It began to glow and something stirred in the fog. Cawing loudly, the skeletal bird’s noise drew it towards us.
So much for your theory that there’s nothing dangerous lurking around here, I thought to Morax sourly.
If you believe that these foes are dangerous, then Fate should have chosen someone else to be Hellscourge, he shot back. Then we had no more time for arguing. One of the creatures launched itself at me and I understood his scorn. It might be freakishly large, but it was just a rat. My dagger slashed out to decapitate the rodent. Made of shadow, it was just an illusion and faded almost before it hit the ground.
Hacking and stabbing, we walked backwards towards the wall with the pack swarming all around us. Their teeth and claws were sharp enough to cut through our clothing and to reach our flesh. Cursing beneath my breath, I kicked at the closet rat. It was the size of a pit bull, but was far more vicious. It went sailing off into the gloom with an enraged squeal.
My back hit the wall, leaving me with no escape route. Standing beside me, Sam’s eyes frantically searched the shadows as he panted in fear. By themselves, the rats weren’t particularly fearsome. Dozens of them were approaching us, which meant that we were in trouble. Morax was poised to take over the fighting if it became necessary, but I had a better idea. “Gate!” I shouted. “Show yourself!”
The slick black rock at my back shivered and turned to metal as the hellgate obeyed my summons. I glanced upwards to see a face forming. Eyes looked down at me then rolled in a very human gesture. “Oh. It is you. I might have known.”
His voice was identical to the master gate’s, but his personality seemed gloomier this time. Twin gargoyles, made of the same black stone as the walls, roosted on the top of the gate far above us. The raven was perched between them. It glowered down at me with its single milky eye.
“Did you create these rats?” I asked. The illusions had all been created by the gates. They roamed around the shadowlands, waiting to be called into battle during the nine trials. Since I’d defeated the master gate, I didn’t need to go through the trials again.
“They belong to me,” he confirmed as the rodents slunk closer. Their beady black eyes watched us, searching for openings that they could exploit.
“Would you mind calling them off?” I asked with exaggerated patience.
Heaving a sigh, his mouth turned down in an unhappy frown. “Must I? It has been so long since I have had any entertainment. Seeing a pitifully weak human battle my creations would break the endless monotony.”
“Get rid of them!” I ordered as they swarmed towards us.
He waited until the last possible moment before banishing the rats. Sam cringed beside me, shielding his face. He took a cautious peek then dropped his hands when he saw that they were gone.
I turned to glare up at the gate and caught him smiling cruelly. “Thanks for acting so quickly,” I said sarcastically.
His expression turned innocent and he lifted a brow made of wrought iron. “What? You were not harmed.”
“How many times have you been defeated?” I asked. Getting out of hell wasn’t as easy as simply finding a gate and conquering it. Princes and lords were the only ones who had defeated a gate in all nine realms. Some of the stronger captains could leave hell, but only if they’d conquered at least five gates, including one in the ninth realm.
All demons had to leave the underworld through the ninth realm. So far, very few of them had found a shortcut to Earth from any of the other realms. I was pretty sure my ability to find them was because I’d defeated the master gate. Doing so had given me privileges that no one else had. Sam and I should have been the only beings that this gate had ever seen, but I had the distinct impression that this wasn’t the case.
“I have never been defeated at this particular location,” he replied.
That made me blink. “Wait a minute. You can change location?”
“Of course,” he said, as if it should have been obvious. “There are many areas where demons can challenge us from. We simply shift ourselves to wherever we are required to appear. You are the first being to ever enter this realm from a portal that comes from Earth.” That gelled with the theory that I’d just developed.
“I take it you’re guarding the entrance to the seventh realm?”
“I am,” he said dismally. Even his gargoyle sentries were despondent. They glared down at us gloomily. The raven was gone. I assumed it was winging its way to report that I was about to invade hell again to its master. The gargoyles might be restricted from tattling on me, but the Hellmaster had his own eyes and ears to spy on me.
“Would you mind opening to let us through?” I didn’t know why I was being so polite, it seemed mean to make him feel even worse than he apparently already did.
“I suppose I should,” he said at last. “That is my purpose, after all. I was designed to act as a portal and nothing more.”
Made of wrought iron just like the other gates, I noticed a difference in his design. Instead of being covered in decorations of humans being tortured in every possible way, they appeared to be reading, writing or playing music. “Do you enjoy the arts?” I asked as a crack appeared down the middle of his face.
“I do,” he confirmed with a heavy sigh. “But it is my fate to never be able to read poetry, or to hear a harp play. Instead, I guard this dismal realm, penning in
its occupants and keeping out anyone who does not have the right to pass.”
Feeling bad for him, I trudged through with Sam at my side. The gate barely waited for us to get clear before it wheezed shut with barely a squeak of rusty hinges. His morose face faded and disappeared and the gargoyles went still again.
I waited until we were well out of earshot before I spoke. “Was it just me, or was that gate suffering from deep depression?”
“It was not just you,” Sam confirmed. “I actually felt sorry for it.”
“Me, too.” We shared a look then I shook my head. “We must be getting soft.” Allowing ourselves to feel sorry for anything in this place would be a mistake.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Seven
This was the third realm that we’d been to so far. Each one was caught in a state of perpetual twilight. There was no real day and night, or sun or moon for that matter. It was always dim and dismal here. With each area that we entered, it became warmer and the air smelled worse.
As always, the ground was dry and parched. The soil was a dingy gray and the few trees we could see scattered around the horizon were black. They’d petrified long ago. Dark patches at the base of the trees were hell’s equivalent of ponds. Snakelike things lived in the smelly sludge and they were always hungry. They could sense vibrations in the ground, so getting too close could prove to be dangerous to the unwary.
From what my inner demons had told me, the outer realms were smaller than the inner ones. We’d been able to see the palace that lay in the center of the ninth realm from the master gate. It had taken us longer to reach the palace in the eighth realm. I assumed it would take us even longer this time. Luckily, we didn’t have to walk all the way there.