I felt Raoul’s hand, hard on my shoulder. “Consider it done. And remember, it’s a massive domain. Plenty of room for our scouts, and Cole, to sneak around in. We’ve got a good chance of finding him before any hel spawn do.”
Vayl turned to David. “You wil guard our return? We may come fast and accompanied by the worst hel has to offer.”
Dave nodded. “I’l make sure nothing blocks this door for you.” They gripped hands as Raoul began to chant and the scenery, once again, began to change. I realized the next time it landed I would be facing what could be my final destination. I looked at Lotus. She was purely fascinated by this whole exchange. Soon she’d feel differently.
“We are ready then,” said Vayl.
“What about me?” asked Aaron.
“You…” Vayl sighed. “Make sure you do not die again before I have a chance to know you better.”
Vayl stared at the three people he was asking to stay behind. “Please also attempt to contact Cole via the Party Line and any other contraption Bergman has left lying around his room, remembering that he adores combustible traps. We wil do the same from our location. Try to find out where he has gone. Astral may be of help in that area.”
The cat, hearing her name for the first time in a while, perked up her ears and said, “Hel o. Hel -o Hel ’s o-ver your shoulder.” She turned and looked at me, without blinking, and added in her purring kitty voice, “Don’t look over your shoulder, Jazzy, no matter what you do.” The chil that had clamped to my spine now tried to climb right up into my brain and explode out the top of my head. It left me with chattering teeth and the feeling that icicles were growing inside my eyebal s.
“We have to go,” I whispered.
The cat responded by lifting one forepaw and delicately licking it. I took that as permission, picked up the robokitty, and boogied my ass straight into hel .
CHAPTER THIRTY- FIVE
Here’s what happens when you walk into hel without your sword drawn, with your robokitty in ass-grenade mode, and without letting your Spirit Guide go first.
You get sucker punched by a pint-sized demon with skul spikes that resemble rotten bananas.
I dropped the cat and doubled over. Pain shot up my chest and down my legs as I stared straight into the hel spawn’s bloodshot eyes. Then I grinned. “You little shit,” I said. “How could you tel I was spoiling for a fight?”
I planted my fist into his face so hard that he flipped head over heels and landed on his butt in a puddle of steaming glop that smel ed like burned cow manure. When he tried to scurry off I caught him by the high col ar of his green sequined jumpsuit and said, “Oh no you don’t. You’re coming with me.”
I turned around to find the rest of my party had arrived and was observing the fight from a narrow path beside the field I’d fal en in. Clear of weeds, or any greenery for that matter, its stark sunblanched furrows were planted in body parts. Arms, legs, and torsos stuck out of the nuked soil like crops grown by Jeffrey Dahmer in his FFA phase. I pushed the demon toward them. Vayl caught him, holding him at arm’s length like a piece of dirty laundry, and paying about as much attention to him, because Lotus had already begun to bug out on us.
“What the fuck?” she demanded. “No!” she said, slapping away Vayl’s arm when he tried to keep her from prancing around in circles like she badly needed to pee and nobody would tel her where the bathroom was located. “Seriously! Who
She was screeching now, jumping in place and shaking her fists at the mutilated bodies that would never have moved in her world, but in this one
Raoul strode up to her and grabbed her by the arms. “You are a bril iant young woman. Wrap your mind around this right now, Lotus. You nearly died today. You probably wil anyway, but at least now the choice is yours. This”—he gestured at the ghastly landscape—“is where you were going to end up. Satan’s field was your final destination because of how you chose to live life above.” She was looking around, her eyes wide and terrified. But seeing now, understanding as Raoul spoke. The greenish tinge to her face made me think he maybe shouldn’t be standing right in front of her, though.
He went on. “Vayl and Jasmine made a deal for your life. And this is it. You must walk through hel with us. The choices you make here wil determine your future.” His arm swept in a ful circle, making her see every horror around her. “You can stil save yourself. As Cassandra said before, it’s never too late.” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. I only heard because I had the Party Line tapped into mine. Unfortunately, so did Vayl. His eyes dropped to the ground as he heard my Spirit Guide tel his daughter, “Personal y, I think you’re too high on adrenaline and too afraid to see what’s under the stunt costume to bother. Take my word for it. You’l be planted in this field before Jasmine takes her first hit at the gate.”
Leaving Lotus to stew on that piece of news, he strode forward and swept Astral into one arm.
“Are we moving yet?” he asked.
“Not in a straight line,” said Vayl. He motioned to the hel spawn, who was putting up a little fight, trying to kick Vayl in the shins when he wasn’t digging in his heels. He also made an attempt to head-butt Vayl, which would’ve been painful had one of those spikes impaled him, because they looked to be leaking some sort of greenish acid.
Vayl lifted his adversary completely off the ground. “I am sure Jasmine thought you might be helpful to us. Certainly newcomers to hel ’s shores need al the friends they can get. However, I find you quite rude.”
The demon shoved his head toward Vayl’s thigh like some sort of miniature bul . But the Vampere are particular about etiquette, and they react violently to being gored. Which was partial y why Vayl jerked the demon’s head backward and buried his fangs in its neck. He drank deeply, spat on the ground, leaving a tiny, smoking crater as he murmured, “Agh, it is like drinking vinegar.” But I understood his motives when his reddish black eyes bored into mine and he confessed, “I have missed the powers I lost, my Jasmine. Would you begrudge me this chance to regain something of what was taken from me?”
I stared at him for a moment, making myself truly see him. His fangs and lips crimson with blood.
His eyes bright and hungry, hands gripping his prey so tightly that the demon showed no more signs of
