Into Hell (The Road to Hell Series, Book 4)

by Brenda K. Davies

  Kobal pressed me closer against his chest, flooding me with his energy as he ran through the seals my father had brought down and into the chamber beyond. The rotting body parts of the creatures that my father freed, and the hounds killed, still littered the floor of the chamber. Amongst those remains were the newer ones of the skelleins, angels, and demons who had died here when we stopped my father from bringing down any more seals.

  Now I had triggered a domino effect that would not be stopped.

  Overhead, the angels flew into the spiraling cavern above us and toward the open gates on Earth. I sneered while I watched them flee like the cowards they were.

  Behind us another seal fell with a resounding bang. One of the giant birds flew overhead and dipped down to snatch a demon from the ground. The demon screamed as he was lifted into the air, but his cry was cut off when the bird gulped him down.

  “The Fires of Creation.” Kobal’s gaze drifted to the tunnel leading toward where he’d been born. “The chamber will strengthen you.”

  “We don’t have time for that. We have to get out of here before all the seals fall,” Caim hissed from beside us.

  “He’s right and you are strengthening me,” I told him.

  Kobal’s lips brushed over mine again before he turned away from the Fires. He raced toward the tunnel that all the other demons were funneling into. The last time we were here, Kobal blocked the tunnel by bringing down the rocks above it, but at some point, those rocks had been cleared away.

  “Who cleared it?” I asked as Kobal pushed his way into the tunnel.

  “Lucifer’s followers,” Caim replied. “It was the only way for the craetons to get near the seals again.”

  The clatter of swords and the cries of the dying rebounded off the walls in a near deafening pitch. The stench of blood permeated the air. Craetons, palitons, and seal creatures fell all around us. The enemies clashed against each other as they ran, but they all kept running for they faced certain death if they stopped.

  Caim swung his wing out and sank his spike through the eye of a demon with the face of a dog. He pulled a small sword from his side and sliced the demon’s head off. Behind Kobal, Corson, Magnus, and Hawk battled more of the lower-level demons. Before us, Bale, the skelleins, Verin, and Morax carved a pathway through the craetons with the help of the hounds.

  Calah’s head bobbed above the crowd before he bent down. When he rose into view again, he tossed something onto his shoulders. I didn’t realize what it was until Lopan hit him in the head with his caultin. However, Lopan held on when Calah swatted at him. I spotted two more of the leporcháins riding the shoulders of palitons as they ran.

  The pounding of numerous feet caused the walls to shake. Dust and rocks rained down on us when the next seal toppled. Kobal held me so carefully in his arms that I didn’t feel the impact of his strides as he ran.

  “The seals have fallen almost to the demons behind the hundredth seal,” Corson grunted from behind us.

  The demons behind the hundredth seal had been locked away for breaking the laws of Hell thousands of years ago. Unlike the lower-level demons who fought with Lucifer, these demons were more powerful. They were also probably really pissed at the varcolac and all those who had kept them imprisoned. They would be ferocious enemies.

  “We’ll be out of here before their seal falls,” Kobal replied.

  I jumped in Kobal’s arms when a jackal-faced demon leapt out of a side tunnel at us. Its claws grasped at my leg as it tried to jerk me free of Kobal. Without missing a step, Kobal shifted his hold on me and sliced his claws across the demon’s throat. The demon fell back as black blood spurted from his wound. Crux pounced on him and tore the demon’s head away as more of the hounds rushed forward to circle us.

  Caim sheathed his sword and swung his wing out to smash a craeton so hard against the wall that he propelled him through the rock. Corson gave him an approving look before slicing the demon’s head from his shoulders with his talons.

  The growing pandemonium and stench of death battered my senses. It would only get worse as more of the seals fell, but I feared I wouldn’t be strong enough to do what needed to be done to stop this.

  CHAPTER 27

  Kobal

  The walls of the tunnel gave way to reveal the open pathway that we’d traveled into Hell. On the way into Hell, I’d still believed there was a chance we could stop this without all the humans learning the truth. Now, there would be no keeping Hell’s existence from them.

  Hell was on its way to Earth, and there was no changing that, but I would get River out of here. She would not die in this place.

  Screams rent the air as both craetons and palitons were shoved over the side of the pathway. Their bodies bounced off the rocky walls as they tumbled into the abyss below. Normally, the fall wouldn’t kill them, but I doubted any of them would survive what was escaping below.

  River grew stronger with every step I took. The holes in her hands were nearly healed, but it wasn’t happening fast enough for my liking. The rocks beneath my feet vibrated before heaving upward. Demons cried out and flung themselves against the wall to my left while others staggered to the side and tumbled over the edge.

  Chunks of wall broke off and fell from above, crushing those unfortunate not to get out of the way in time. Rocks battered my back and split open my skin as I hunched over River while I ran.

  Caim swung his wing out to block a small avalanche cascading toward us. I didn’t know why the angel had switched sides—I knew why he said he’d done it—but even the fact he’d returned River to me couldn’t make me trust him. However, I would use him in every way possible to get her out of here.

  I leapt over a set of falling rocks as the ground shook again and a wave of creatures rose from the pit below.

  “What are those?” River breathed as men and women floated past us toward the surface.

  “Jinn,” I replied. Like the tree nymphs, the jinn possessed an ethereal beauty. Unlike the tree nymphs, they used their beauty and magic to ensnare and destroy other demons. They were some of the most conniving and savage creatures behind the seals. “You also know them as genies.”

  “You’re shitting me,” Hawk said as he gawked at them.

  “Like rub the bottle and be granted three wishes, genies?” River asked.

  “More like, they’ll tell you they’ll grant you a wish and make it more of a nightmare. Then they’ll tear out your heart, or drain you of your essence, as payment. They also have a way of making others do things they normally wouldn’t do for the mere promise of a wish,” Magnus said. “When I learned what they could do, and what they had done, I admit to a bit of admiration for their ways.”

  He shrugged when River and Hawk scowled at him.

  “They’re… devilish,” Magnus said as he shoved a demon over the side of the pathway without breaking his stride. “And they’re free.”

  “What seal were they?” River demanded.

  “Ninety,” I replied.

  “Are they all coming down?” Hawk asked.

  “Yes,” I replied. The amount of power River had released would not be stopped.

  “Put me down,” River said.

  “You’re still weak,” I told her.

  “I’m strong enough to run.”

  She squirmed in my arms as she tried to break free of my hold. “River—”

  “Put me down, Kobal. I did this. I will face it on my own two feet, and I can’t be a burden to you right now.”

  “You did not do this, and you could never be a burden,” I snarled, but I paused to set her down.

  “I did do this. Not on my own, and not willingly, but this is because of me,” she said as the last of the jinn drifted out of view. “Once those wraiths pulled away, the flood of life and power from the seals and Lucifer, and then you…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes lifted to mine. “I couldn’t control it. I didn’t know I was capable of so much destruction.”

  “Of course you are, dear. You are par
t human, demon, and angel after all. I’m sure you’ve realized that we can all be highly destructive beings.” Caim hooked his arm through hers and tugged her forward. “But if you insist on discussing this now, I suggest running as you do.”

  I slid my arm around River’s waist and shot Caim a lethal look. He released her before moving slightly ahead of us. I used my other arm to shield River’s head from more falling debris while we ran.

  “If your human father, as a wraith, could bring down the seals, then you most certainly could,” Caim said as he plunged a spike through the throat of a craeton and tossed him over the edge.

  “When Lucifer blocked you from drawing on life by surrounding you with wraiths, he confined your ability in a way it had never been confined before,” I said to her.

  “And it sought release as soon as it could get it,” Corson said. He didn’t miss a step as he cut a demon’s legs off at the knees before jumping over him.

  “When Lucifer confined your power, it built within you,” Caim said to River. “Add Lucifer using your blood to puncture the seal and binding you to it, toss in the varcolac grabbing you while Lucifer also held you, and you were a powder keg waiting to explode. And explode you did, child. Lucifer may not be able to connect with life anymore, but he is still the strongest fallen angel in existence. However, I don’t even think Lucifer saw that coming, but then he never expected Kobal’s power to be thrown into the mix too, and I think he may have underestimated your strength. I know I did. There was no way you could have stopped what happened once Lucifer set it into motion. And now that it has been set into motion, there will be no undoing it.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Shax

  I tossed aside the cards I’d been playing with and leaned back against the metal tailgate of the truck. Across from me, Erin grinned as she scooped her winnings toward her. While in her cross-legged position, she did a dance that caused her whole body to wiggle back and forth. Her black hair bobbed around her ears while her deep blue eyes shone with amusement. She had every reason to be amused; she was kicking all our asses, again.

  Vargas scowled at her as she stacked her newly acquired pieces of beef jerky on top of the bread she’d already taken from him. I may not care about the food she’d claimed, but I hated losing, and she now had the last of my mjéod. The skelleins seemed to feel the same way as me as their skeletal teeth clamped together. But then, they were losing what remained of their beer supply to her.

  They loved when Erin answered the endless riddles they peppered her with, but they found zero amusement in handing their beer over to her.

  My gaze traveled to the burned-out grass marking the area where the skelleins bar had stood around the gateway. The remains of the charred lumber had been removed shortly after the fire so we could see anything exiting the gateway. No one had bothered to construct anything new. If all went well, we wouldn’t be staying here much longer, and if it all went to shit, we wouldn’t survive this place anyway.

  Numerous dirt graves lined the edge of the woods encircling our campsite. Each of them marked a human who already hadn’t survived and who hadn’t required burning with the lanavour remains. Demons didn’t typically bury their dead, but then graves wouldn’t have been easy to dig in Hell. They could have been buried on Earth, but I’d still ordered the burning of the demons killed here.

  Things had been quiet since the erinyes burst free of the gateway five days ago. Those hideous creatures had flown away from here so fast, that no one had been able to launch an attack against them. They were most certainly wreaking havoc somewhere in the world, but that was a problem for later.

  For now, we waited, and we continued to lose to Erin.

  I hadn’t heard from Morax since yesterday morning, when he’d mentally sent me a message telling me the angels had River, and that they might try to escape Hell. After his message, I tripled the guards around the gateway. If the angels came this way, I would not allow them to flee with her. I’d only slept for an hour since, but nothing had emerged from the gateway, and I hadn’t heard from Morax again.

  I’d been patrolling when Erin suggested a break for all of us. Deciding it was either try for a distraction, or continue to prowl the camp until I drove myself mad, I’d opted for the distraction.

  I kept my gaze on the gateway as I collected the cards Vargas dealt. Sitting out the fight against Lucifer had never been my plan. However, these humans had grown on me, and I’d become okay with staying above to help keep them safe. Though, I’d much prefer to be tearing the head off something right now, instead of staring at a pair of twos.

  “I swear you’re cheating.” Vargas shot Erin a pointed look before grimacing at his cards. His nearly black eyes narrowed as he tossed his cards aside. “Not going to attempt this one.”

  “I would never cheat you.” Erin smiled sweetly at him as she batted her eyelashes. “I warned you the first time we played that I was as lucky at cards as I am good at riddles.”

  “I like her better when she’s answering our riddles,” one of the skelleins muttered.

  “So you did,” Vargas said and leaned over to snatch a piece of jerky from her pile.

  “Hey!” she protested.

  He grinned at her as he took a bite. “You know you’re going to give it back to me when the game is over anyway.”

  And so she did. Every time we played cards, the game ended with Erin having the largest pile before her. She divided it back to everyone, but it had become a point of pride for someone to eventually beat her.

  “Not the point!” Erin retorted. “And just for that, I’m keeping some of your losses.”

  Vargas ran a hand through his short black hair and tried to put the bitten piece of jerky back. She slapped his hand away.

  “Children,” Wren admonished and placed a can of peas on the pile.

  My gaze slid to the woman sitting beside me. Wren had shown up with some of her human friends the day after Kobal and the others entered Hell. At first, I’d been tempted to toss her into the gateway without so much as a second thought. On our journey here, she and her friends had tried to ambush us and been determined to kill us. I’d assumed I’d never have to see her again, so when she arrived here, I was perfectly fine with killing her.

  Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with me. After a lot of discussion, Erin convinced me to let Wren and her friends not only live, but to also stay. Wren and company were fighters and survivors, perhaps more so than any of the other humans here. I had to agree that they could prove to be valuable assets. They had survived this long in the wilds after all. They had even survived Kobal leaving them tied up in the woods.

  Not only that, but they had tracked us all the way here. I couldn’t turn away such talent with a weapon, or knowledge of this world, while our forces were divided and the battle for Hell waged.

  Erin and Vargas hadn’t been with us at the time Wren and company attacked. They had been with River and Corson, so they didn’t dislike or distrust Wren as much as I did. I watched every move she made and made sure demons were with her and her followers at all times. I’d grown to trust her a little more, but not enough to let my guard down around her.

  When I’d asked Wren why she risked their lives by following us, she’d told me that Kobal’s words intrigued her. She had gazed at me from her blue eyes with her pale blonde hair dangling over her shoulder in a loose braid as she spoke, “Your boss said to me, ‘You have no idea what monsters truly are, but if we fail, you will. If that happens, you will look back on this moment and know I was right.’”

  Wren had revealed that she had to learn what Kobal was trying to succeed at doing. If she discovered he was only blowing smoke up her ass, she brazenly admitted that she’d intended to kill him. That statement had made me laugh, the skelleins pull their swords, and the other demons close in around her, yet she’d shown no alarm. I’d decided to let it all play out until Kobal returned to make the final decision about her.

  If she tried anything against one of us a
gain, I’d happily rip off her head and use it as a soccer ball. Maybe the sport would be the one thing Erin wasn’t good at, but I doubted Erin would be willing to use a human head for fun.

  The human race was too damn sensitive about things, I realized with a sigh.

  One of the skelleins whooped. Its teeth chattered together as it claimed the pile in the middle. High fives went around the circle. Erin so rarely lost a hand that when she did, everyone celebrated it as a win.

  Another skellein gathered the cards and started shuffling them through its bony fingers with a speed the humans had trouble following. Their heads bounced up and down and side to side when the skellein flipped some cards through the air before catching them. The skellein dealt out the next hand as a vibration rattled the Earth.

  The vibration was so small that I knew no one else felt it, but with my ability to make the Earth move, and therefore a connection to it in this world and in Hell, I sensed the tremor. Rising, I studied the gateway only ten feet away. Nothing moved there, but another quake rattled through the truck.

  The skelleins, demons, and humans patrolling the gateway continued their pathways across the charred ground, unaware something had occurred. The ground rumbled beneath my feet again, growing stronger until I felt it all the way to the tips of my fingers.

  “Shax, it’s your bet,” Erin said.

  My gaze searched the gateway as the rumbling continued.

  “Shax?” Vargas inquired.

  Beneath my feet, the Earth heaved. Though none of the others felt it, I knew something had broken.

  “Get away from the gateway!” I shouted as I leapt out of the back of the truck.

  The humans and demons there all exchanged startled glances and staggered away from the gateway. I raced over to the entrance to Hell and skidded to a halt at the edge. Gazing into the abyss, I sneered as hatred for the place where I’d been born burned through me. I’d come to enjoy the warmth of the sun, the many numerous scents and sights of this planet, and I found human women were often more eager to please in bed than demon women. Demon women wanted to get off and go; humans wanted to impress. I wanted to be part of the fight, would give anything to help tear Lucifer and his brethren apart, but I despised Hell.