Darkness Splintered

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.

The key.

The sorceress had found it.

I wasn’t going to get there. I couldn’t stop her. I swore and did the only thing I could do – I flung Amaya, with as much force as I could muster.

She arrowed through the air, her flames trailing behind her like a comet and her scream rolling across the rapidly darkening antechamber like a call to arms. The hands tearing at me seemed to pause; then as one they turned and raced after Amaya, quickly overtaking her and rushing on.

Too late.

We were all too late.

There was a blinding flash of light, followed by an explosion. Air hit, the force smashing into Amaya and sending her spinning away. A second later it did the same to me.

As I tumbled over and over, the air around me began to shudder, gently at first but gathering strength, until it seemed as if the entire field was about to shatter. Then it shifted. Dropped. The warm brightness of the antechamber flickered and, in the brief darkness, the gossamer fingers rushing forward found shape and form, became beings who were twisted and misshapen, and whose very countenance spoke of pain. Eons of pain. Then the warmth reinstated itself and the wisps became nothing more than reaching hands.

The gates were gone.

There was nothing but space in their place. Nothing but a deep and threatening sense of uneasiness.

I’d failed again.

But there was still the chance to stop this bitch going after the third key. Still a chance for some good to come from this goddamn mess. I swooped, picked up Amaya, and ran toward the fading light of the second key.

But the hands got there before me.

They pulled the shadows from the sorceress, then grabbed her, tore at her, as they ushered her forward, ushered her down. If she screamed I didn’t hear it. In fact, she didn’t even appear to struggle as she disappeared into the ether. Maybe she couldn’t. Maybe the magic that had taken her safely to this point had faded away, leaving her defenseless.

I stopped. I had a bad feeling I didn’t want to go anywhere near those hands right now. That if I did, they’d take me with them.

Where are they going, Amaya? Into hell?

No. Pens.

Pens? Even as I watched, the last part of her was swept away. The hands stopped moving, but the calm warmth of this place didn’t reinstate itself. There was only one gate left. Only one gate to protect the Earth and the fields from all of hell’s demons.

Because of me. Because I’d failed to do what I’d been sent here to do.

I closed my eyes and flung myself back into my body. The force of it sent me toppling off the bed and onto the floor. Where I screamed and ranted and cried at the unfairness of it all. And at my own stupid uselessness.

Hands eventually touched me, cocooned me. I wrapped my arms around Azriel’s neck and pressed my cheek against his chest, drawing in the sweaty, bloody, and very real scent of him as I listened to the steady beat of his heart and wished mine was anywhere near as calm.