You’re a priest? The small slug mass had completed its circle and was coming at me again. They were persistent bastards, that was for sure. A Dušan appeared – Azriel’s, not mine – and grabbed it with a snap of its teeth, then flung it away. Then it whirled around me, buffeting me forward with the force of its wings. It was almost as if it were telling me to hurry, that they couldn’t contain the slug masses for much longer.
But given what Azriel had said, why wasn’t the priest doing something about them? If anything was an intruder, it was these fucking things.
Once, yes, the voice replied. I remain to protect.
The structure up ahead drew closer, clearer. It consisted of two high, soaring but simple arches that stood side by side, neither one particularly ornate. At least they didn’t appear so from this far away.
Well, you’re not doing a particularly good job of it, are you?
Up until that point, I’d felt no real malevolence from the remnant that was the priest, but the moment the words were out of my mouth, that changed. The air grew dark and thunderous, and it suddenly seemed like I was teetering on the precipice of an endless pit. And that the priest stood behind me, ready to push.
Amaya’s hissing ran through the far reaches of my thoughts, but her noise was muted, wary. It was as if she sensed the being who confronted us was not something she should ever attack or have any hope of beating.
You have no justification —
I haven’t? I cut in. Perhaps stupidly, given Azriel’s earlier warning about the remnants being able to cause great harm if they decide you’re an intruder. Then why is hell’s first portal open? And why the hell have you allowed a sorcerer bearing the second portal key to get so close to opening it?
There is no one in this place but you and me and the reaper who battles the twisted Dušan within private temple quarters.
No one here? Incredulity filled my mental tones. What the fuck do you call the shadow who runs ahead of us? And what do you call the things that chase me?
The heavy sensation of danger briefly lifted, and an odd sense of bafflement ran across the ether surrounding us. The Dušan battle something, but I cannot sense what.
I frowned. How was that even possible? He might be a remnant, but he was still of this place, these temples. The sorcerer was not, so how could she disguise not only her presence, but that of her creatures?
And if this priest couldn’t sense her presence, what chance would the reapers who guard hell’s gate have of seeing her?
The answer, I suspected, was a big fat zero.
There is magic at work, he continued. Magic that is powerful and dark. It has the taste of hell, and yet this place runs through it.
This place? What the hell did he mean by that?
And then it twigged. Lucian. Maybe he’d not only been teaching the sorceress Aedh magic, but dark magic as well. He’d been trapped on Earth for centuries after all – certainly more than long enough to become proficient at all types of magic, be it light or dark.
And maybe she was his very last throw of the dice. Maybe, if all else failed, the destruction of the place that had become his prison was part of his ultimate end game. That, and the destruction of the Raziq’s grand plans for freedom.
The shadow that was the sorceress ran through the left arch and disappeared. I swore. Time had run out. We had seconds left, if that, to stop her.
Can you stop the intruders hidden within that magic? Or, at the very least, contain them?
Here, yes. At the gates? No.
Naturally. I mean, it wouldn’t be that fucking easy now, would it?
Why not? I thought Aedh priests are the guardians of the gates?
I am not what I once was, he said, his voice so heavy it seemed to press down on me. I can contain the things that chase you, but I am no longer able to enter the portal’s sacred space.
Why not?
Because I will be forced to move on, and this place would be left unprotected.
Are you all that is left?
No, but we are still few.
Then gather the few and stop the things that chase me. I’ll take care of the sorceress.
He seemed to contemplate this suggestion, then said, Stray not from hell’s path, reaperess, or you will find yourself compelled into a realm that is not your destiny.
And with that, the heavy sense of impending doom abruptly disappeared. A second later, the two Dušan were circling around me, eyes afire and skin dripping with the muck and flesh of the slugs. Thankfully, there was no sign of the slug masses themselves.
I ran on, pushing for every scrap of speed I was capable of. The gates soared high above me, otherworldly, but very plain. Which was something of a disappointment. The gates to hell, at least, should have been dramatic. Or at least reflected the hell that awaited the souls who journeyed through this gateway. Had either of these arches been on Earth, I wouldn’t have given them a second glance. The only decoration was the stone vines that crept around the soaring pillars. Then I noted that the arch on the left, which at first glance looked identical to the other, had tiny thorns twisting through the leaves. Hell’s gate, I presumed.
If there was a Mijai warrior here anywhere, I couldn’t see him.
I ran through the arch and into a different space entirely. It was light, restful, and filled with a warmth that was extremely comforting. Not what I’d expected from the antechamber of hell at all.
I slowed. For some odd reason, haste didn’t seem to be appropriate – or indeed welcome – here. I was several steps in before I realized I was alone. I paused and looked behind me. The Dušan flew in agitated circles, trying to get in but unable to do so. Obviously, whatever force prevented them from getting into the inner sections of the temples also forbid entry here.
Meaning it was just me and Amaya against whatever the sorceress could fling at us.
Cope can, Amaya said. Kill will.
I wish I had half her confidence. I gripped her tighter, but felt no easier as I moved through the warm light. Sound began to leach through the air as I moved farther into the antechamber. It was a heartbeat, soft and deep. Goose bumps ran across nonexistent flesh. Hell’s heart wasn’t all that far away.
Which meant the sorceress couldn’t be, either.
The golden glow around me darkened slightly, and air tugged at my form, as if trying to hasten my progress. I glanced down. A pathway had appeared beneath me – it was brighter than the fading warmth of the antechamber, yet it seemed to have a darker essence. On either side, what looked like skeletal wisps of hands reached for – but didn’t quite touch – me. But it was the wind of their movements that I could feel urging me on.
But given the priest’s warning, hurrying was the last thing I could do right now. There was no way in hell – or out of it – I was going to risk falling off the path and into those wispy hands.
I had no doubt that they would guide me straight into the bowels of hell if I did.
The path ran ahead of me, a new section appearing with every step forward. It did a slow looping turn and then, without warning, stopped.
As did I.
Because before me lay gates, and they didn’t even remotely resemble anything I’d ever imagined the gates to hell would look like. In fact, these delicate creations, enhanced with exquisite depictions of glowing beings, trees, and animals, were so similar to what I’d thought the entrance to heaven might look like that, for a moment, I wondered if I’d somehow taken a wrong path.
Then I saw the snake. It was small, and in one corner, a tiny blot of darkness in an otherwise glowing image. But its eyes seemed to burn with an inhuman awareness, and fear crawled through me. That thing was watching. Waiting. Judging.
Gatekeeper, Amaya said. Her thoughts were wary. Respectful. Fate his.
As in, he decides which section of hell is to be your particular pleasure?
Not alone. All portals.
I scanned the gate and the immediate surrounds, looking for our sorceress but unable to spot her. But she couldn’t have disappeared. She had to be here somewhere. What happened to the first gatekeeper now that the first portal is open?
Remains.
I frowned. But the gate no longer exists. Or at least, we didn’t appear to pass it.
Still there. Not see open.
Huh. I moved forward cautiously. I still couldn’t see the sorceress, but maybe I wouldn’t. She knew I chased her, after all, and I had no doubt she also knew how to conceal her presence in this place. What I should be searching for was the key. I’d feel it if I was close enough.
Only trouble was, I had no desire to step off the path, nor get any closer to that damn snake.
Something moved.
Something that was long and sinuous and had a mouth full of teeth.
A snake. Not the snake, but just as nasty.
It formed out of the wispy ether surrounding us and lunged straight at me. Amaya screamed, her flames fierce and bright in this place, a sharp, clean contrast against the shadows that suddenly seemed to be gathering.
Hell’s gate, I realized, was about to be opened.
I swore and swung Amaya as hard as I could. Her blade swept through the snake’s form and sent it scattering. I had no idea whether she killed it and I didn’t care. I ran forward, not worrying about whether I stayed on the path, as my gaze swept the gates. There was no evidence of the sorceress’s presence anywhere near the gates themselves, which is where, logically, one would expect a lock to be. But this was the gray fields, and logic didn’t exactly apply here. I veered to the left, off the path. Wispy hands began to tear and drag at me, as if desperate to force me into their bitter, painful darkness. I swung Amaya left and right, sending the shreds whirling away. Energy slithered across my being – a caress so light it felt like little more than sparks that hit, then disappeared.
The key was near.
I ran on, my gaze on the warm light to the side of the gates. I still couldn’t see the sorceress, but she was there, somewhere.
The shadows grew thicker, the sense of impending doom stronger. Then I saw it – a flicker that grew into a flame. A flame that became a dagger, then became something else entirely – something that shone with an intensity I’ve never seen before.