close enough to reach out and touch — he realized that they weren’t human at all. Small, black, bat-like wings adorned their backs, and horns twice as large as his own jutted from their foreheads. They weren’t even half-breeds or Cambions like himself. To him, they smelt like fully fledged demons — just a type he hadn’t encountered before.
His ancient tome of demonology mentioned creatures like this — much like Succubi, they were demons that could almost pass as humans, demons Satan often sent to Earth to complete his bidding. They must be high- ranking, Sam figured. There was definitely a pecking order in Hell. Surely Satan couldn’t control his legions all by himself. He must have an officer class that Satan could use to dominate the others. Even Samyaza had mentioned that there were other Princes or Princesses of Hell.
Sam watched them, intrigued. Other than his brother and father, these creatures were the closest thing to kin he’d ever seen. It almost made him want to jump out and introduce himself. This fleeting thought lasted only long enough for Sam to feel a little disgusted with himself. He remembered then the humans they were herding and the looks of dismay on their faces.
He couldn’t do anything here. He was outnumbered and he’d been in this position before. He simply couldn’t save every human he met in Hell. It was impossible. He just had to remember that he was here for a reason: to find Grace and possibly his mother. Even though it pained him, that was all he could possibly do. To try and do more would be disastrous.
Sam was about to breathe a sigh of relief as the two royal demons passed but then, abruptly, the male one stopped. The female followed suit. They were less than ten feet from Sam’s position. They started talking, low- pitched noises that Sam strained to hear. At first, he couldn’t understand them but then the words gradually unraveled themselves.
They were conversing in Hellspeak, the language of Hell that Sam understood instinctively. It was, after all, hard-wired into his DNA. As befitted its origin, the language was harsh sounding, guttural and clipped, but Sam found himself warming to it as he listened, almost as if he’d been reunited with an old friend.
“… I too, have better things to do than go chasing after rumors,” the male demon was saying.
“My sources tell me that this isn’t just a rumor,” replied the female.
The male demon laughed; the sound made Sam wince. “Your sources? You mean that mentally- challenged serpent of yours? How can you possibly trust anything that says?”
“Because I do,” she snapped. “Besides, it emerged on a disused portal. Last time that was used was eight hundred Earth years ago. Coincidence, I don’t think.”
The male demon snorted derisively. “Even if you’re right, whatever it is will be long gone. I fail to see the point of this trip. I haven’t got time to spare for this. I’ve got to get these humans down to the pits.”
“You’ll do what you’re commanded to do,” said the female demon. Her voice was flat.
Moving ever so slightly so that he could peer out of the alcove with one eye, Sam simply had to watch what happened next. The male demon’s hand was edging slightly towards his sword hilt.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” said the female calmly. The male demon’s hand froze. “The Lightbringer himself ordered me to investigate this personally,” she continued. “And to recruit whoever I saw fit to help. That means you. Consider this also; whatever or whoever this intruder is, our senses will reveal its true nature before long. It cannot hide from us. Now, I suggest that if you want to keep breathing that you do exactly what I ask.”
The male demon did not respond. He didn’t move either. Instead, he stood facing the other demon. Sam could sense his hatred and rage.
“The longer we delay here, the further away our quarry will get,” said the female. “I suggest we make haste.” She extended an open hand along the corridor. “After you.”
With every indication of poor grace, the other demon moved off, muttering darkly under his breath.
Relieved, Sam finally exhaled but remained motionless, synthesizing what he’d just heard. They knew of his presence. The fire serpent, though not very intelligent if the demons were to be believed, had alerted one of its masters that the strange, disused portal had disgorged an unusual visitor to Hell. It also appeared that his father was taking a personal interest. That could potentially complicate matters. Sam would have to be doubly on his guard now.
He waited a bit longer, just to be sure. Only when both his demonic and normal senses told him he was alone did he leave the small alcove, setting off once more along the tunnel. The tunnel was starting to angle upwards which gave Sam a little hope. He needed to get out of these tunnels and back in Hell proper. It was there he would find what he needed. Hopefully. The fact that he was now moving upwards meant that the exit couldn’t be too far away. He must’ve traveled miles by now. Surely he was no longer underneath the sea of fire?
Sam’s guess wasn’t far wrong. The tunnel continued to angle upwards. It widened and then suddenly he was at an exit. He approached it cautiously, unsure what he would find.
He emerged on a rocky plateau of a scale almost too big to grasp. Were there any limits to this place? In this distance, perhaps five miles away, was a range of mountains. The summits soared into the empty air, almost scraping the ceiling of Hell. Molten lava spewed from the tops, dribbling fiery death down their slopes. Sam nodded in satisfaction. He’d got lucky. These hellish mountains were exactly the sort of habitat he sought.
Above him, winged demons circled on the warm updrafts. In the distance he could see other demons on the ground — some herding groups of despondent humans, others engaged in tasks unclear to Sam. Getting across the plateau would not be easy. He just hoped his glamor would stay in place long enough to get him through. If he was discovered in the open like this, it would be curtains for him. There was nowhere to run.
Keeping away from any demons as much as possible, he made his way towards the nearest mountain. He kept moving, eating up the ground with long, swift strides. The shadow of the nearest mountain fell over him and hope surged. Running now, he reached the base without further incident. It was dotted with entrances. He considered his options — not that he really had any — and picked one at random. The tunnel, much like the one underground, was deserted. It angled sharply upwards in only one direction. Perfect.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been climbing but it must have been several hours since he’d emerged from the tunnel onto the actual flank of the mountain itself. Coarse steps had been cut into the rock face, much too large for him, but he persevered, avoiding any trails of lava as he climbed. Now he was nearing the summit, a wall of rock rising in front of him. A path had been cut through it which he followed, leading him to a stunning vista. The main mountain crater was below him, spewing lava in fiery gouts. Several smaller craters were clustered nearby, and it was in their direction that he headed.
The path down was hectic and jumbled, with solidified lava forms obscuring the path almost at every turn. Eventually, he reached the bottom and scanned the area carefully. A few humanoid demons were clustered around the main crater, seemingly heedless of the lava, and a few of the remote craters were attended by smaller groups of demons. One crater caught his eye. It was isolated and unattended — clearly not a popular choice for other demons. He walked towards it, trying to look natural, and reached the side of it without incident.
From the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out the statuette Samyaza had given him.
Now, about to throw the statuette into the crater, he hesitated. Was this truly his only option — to employ the services of a demon in order to find Grace and hopefully his mother? Was this the only way? The statuette trembled slightly in his hand as if replying. Sam sighed. Once again, he really had no option. It was this or consign Grace to Hell for ever.
He threw the statuette as hard as he could into the center of the crater. With the tiniest of splashes, it disappeared into the depths of the lava.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the lava began to boil like it was alive. Sam glanced around nervously. As luck would have it, several of the other craters had started to boil at the same time so the activity at his one was not attracting any unwarranted attention.
The lava boiled for several minutes. Then, without warning, it stopped. That was it. It didn’t gradually subside, it just stopped. Sam waited. And waited. Nothing happened. He looked over at the other craters. He could just make out a few juvenile Hellhounds emerging. Fights amongst the demon Princes and Princesses had already begun, each seeking to present before the Hellhound, hoping to win their service.
Despair filled him. Clearly he was not worthy — not powerful enough to attract a Hellhound. Because of his weakness, he would fail. Without a Hellhound to assist him, Sam had no chance to find anyone — no chance at all.
He was about to turn around and give up when the lava around the edge of his crater stirred. Sam held his
